Bad Company, or: It's 1975, Okay?

Here's a time capsule from 1975, a scanned paper artifact. Sponsored by then-album-oriented rock (AOR) radio station WQDR (QuaDraphonic Rock) 94.7 out of Raleigh, North Carolina, It's designed to whip up excitement for concerts in central Tar Heel Land and vicinity. 

So, it's the spring of 1975 and who's making the rounds? 

The headliner for this flyer is Bad Company with "special guest" Maggie Bell at Greensboro Coliseum. "Tickets $5 at the Coliseum Box Office and area Record Bars." Bad Company was riding high: Bad Company, their first album, had just come out the year before, and the '75 tour was mounted to support Straight Shooter, their new album.

Others on tour: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Elvin Bishop, "Emmy Lou" (Emmylou) Harris,  Rufus, "The Parlaiments" [sic] (aka Parliament) and Funkedelic, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Miles Davis, The O'Jays, America, Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson, Wet Willie, The Charlie Daniels Band, Golden Earring and Robin Trower, Blue Oyster Cult and Foghat.

The Williamsburg Bluegrass Festival would feature Lester Flatt, The Osborne Brothers, Doc & Merle Watson, "and a host of others."*

AND IN THE FUTURE . . . . .

Lynyrd Skynyrd hits the road for a major tour this spring . . . ["Sweet Home Alabama" had just debuted the year before]. . . Still no firm date on THE ROLLING STONES in July somewhere in the Carolinas. We'll keep you posted . . . CHICAGO . . . BEACH BOYS . . . THE BBC STORY OF ROCK . . . THE HOUR OF NEW MUSIC . . . The major rockfest from FANTASY PARK begins at 6pm on May 2 on WQDR and runs the entire weekend. Join us! . . . . . see you with BAD COMPANY in Greensboro May 14th . . . . . we hope to have buses again too . . . . .

A couple of years later, Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashed. As for WQDR, in 1984 "We Quit Doing Rock" -- it changed over to Country.

*Merle Watson was killed in a tractor accident in 1985; Doc Watson died in May 2012 -- less than a month ago.

Today's Rune: Signals.