Jim Yester the Association Part 2

Hello again from behind the microphone and welcome to my memories of my days in broadcasting and stories of the musical artists of the 1950's and 1960's. Back in the days before it was common to have 24 hour radio stations, I did many a sign on shift. I always wondered if anyone actually was listening for the first few minutes of “the broadcast day.” Even into the 1970's, it was not uncommon for your favorite station to sign off during the overnight hours. Eventually I believe that station owners got smarter and figured that IF they were on the air overnight then people would leave their dials set there all the time. My first “experiment” with all night broadcasting came in late 1969 when WMPT became the first 24 hour station in Williamsport, PA. I will always look back on that as one of the most interesting times I ever spent in radio. I never really knew how many people listened, BUT I know I received a lot of calls from the various business places, police and firefighters, etc, who were up all night and finally could receive a strong radio signal. I called the show “The Watts Watch,” a unique name to be sure. I know some of my biggest, and smallest fans were at the nursery at the local hospitals. All in all I did that show for over 3 years, at one time actually working my night off at another station that went 24 hours. WMPT was off the air that night so with the blessing of both stations I was on the air.

In another BLOG Post I mentioned The Association the monster hit “Along Comes Mary”, written by Jim Yester. Many people at the time regarded it as a “drug song” and The Association was met at the gate by Sheriff Deputies and Disney Security, and were not going to be allowed to play. Jim Yester tells me that “ things were getting hot, when a group of nun's came along and said, Oh there's the Association. We just love your song about the Virgin Mary.” As a result of that divine intervention, the group was allowed to enter and perform. Jim also tells the story that he was on his way to a performance one evening and was injured in an automobile accident and was sidelined for several weeks. He got a call from Jules Alexander asking him to write down the words. Jim was the only one who knew them.

One of the most prolific writers in the Association, other than Jim, is Terry Kirkman. Jim says, “ Terry was a journalism major in college, so he was VERY wordy and wrote some great stuff.” Some of those “wordy” song included “Everything That Touches You,” “Requiem For The Masses,” and the Association classic “Cherish.” Jim said, “Cherish is one of those songs that guys sing to their girlfriends, but it really is a song about un-requited love.” Jim told me something that I was not aware of, “We weren't going to release Cherish as our second song, it was going to be “Enter The Young, (Jim jokes that today when we do that song we should call it “Enter The Old”) but a disk jockey in Ohio, played the cut, (Cherish) from our album.”

Another one of my favorites by The Association is “Windy.” That song was not written by the group but by an 18 year old fan Named Ruthann Friedman. If you listen to the end of the song there are 12 to 15 people singing including 2 wives of Association members, and Don & Dick Addrisi, (singer songwriters). Jim says, “The appeal of the song is really broad, a lot of High School and college marching bands play the heck out of it.”

On of my favorite lines of the whole interview was when he told me, “I really knew I made it when I was on an elevator in Davenport Iowa, and heard my song Goodbye Columbus.” BTW one of Jim's favorite songs is “Everything That Touches You,” The song was produced by Jim's brother who apologized, “If I would have known more, the Renaissance Album (Everything is a breakout single) would have been a lot better album. “That song is yet another story about love, and a relationship that never happened and was based on a real experience.”

Today Jim is as busy as ever appearing with Diamond Dave Somerville (The Diamonds), and Bruce Belland (The Four Preps) as Y.B.S. Gold. The show that these three do took well over a year to perfect. The late Ed Cobb (The Four Preps) produced the show. I have both the albums, (Better Than Ever, and Triple Gold). These are great albums, I do not believe that the first CD is no longer available, but if you do a search for “Triple Gold” you will find that it is available. Jim travels extensively to bring his anti drug program “Say No Way” to students K through 12, and also performs with his band, “The Yesterdaze.”

Trivia: What lead singer for a Chicago based 60's rock group was the jingle singer for commercials for McDonald,s United Airlines, Lava Soap, RC Cola, Pizza Hut, and Coors Beer? Carl Giammarese of the Buckinghams.