Bob Abrahamian’s April 2005 broadcast of Sitting in the Park offered a record collector’s dream—a deep dive into regional soul sounds with no interview interruptions. From Los Angeles funk by Apple and the Three Oranges to Chicago gems from The Scott Brothers and vocal harmony from Philly’s Ambassadors, the show spanned the full soul spectrum. Bob contextualized each cut with heartfelt knowledge, even spotlighting lesser-known connections—like the O’Jays’ behind-the-scenes role on a Pandella Kelly track. This all-vinyl journey showcases Bob’s unmatched passion for overlooked soul, setting the stage for future interviews, including an upcoming chat with a Mystiques and Sons of Slum member.
Bob Abrahamian 00:00
Okay, you are tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. You are now listening to Sitting in the Park. My name is Bob, and today I’ve got all music—no interview.
I hope you appreciated the Brighter Side of Darkness interview I did last week. I brought a lot of good records today, so you should definitely stay tuned. If you want to call me, the number here is 773-702-8424.
Going to start the show kind of funky. This first record is really good—it's from L.A. The singer is Ed Nelson, but it's basically the group Apple and the Three Oranges. This track is called “I'll Give You a Ring.”
Bob Abrahamian 05:42
Okay, you are tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, and you’re listening to Sitting in the Park. My name is Bob, and this show airs every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.
Started off the show in L.A. with Ed Nelson’s “I'll Give You a Ring,” which was actually Apple and the Three Oranges. After that, Big T and the Peacemakers with “Tighten Up Tighter”—a nice answer record to “Tighten Up.”
Then a bunch of Detroit records: J.J. Barnes with “Snowflakes,” The Fellows with “Let's Make It Last,” and the last cut was Greg Perry with “Head Over Heels.”
No interview today, which means I brought a lot of good music. Next week—and in the coming weeks—I’ve got a bunch of interviews lined up.
Next week I’ll be interviewing a guy who was in a group called The Mystiques. They cut an excellent record in high school, and he later became the drummer for The Sons of Slum, so that should be interesting.
If you want to hear any of the interviews I’ve done, you can check out my website at www.sittinginthepark.com.
And again, if you want to call me, the number is 773-702-8424.
This next record is Jackie Wilson with “It’s All Over.”
Bob Abrahamian 11:25
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, and you’re listening to Sitting in the Park.
Started off that set with two records from Chicago that I want to send out to Master Dre in Chatham, who had a birthday last week. First up, Jackie Wilson with “It’s All Over.”
After that, Kent Drake with “Boss Thing Together.” That one was actually produced by Gene Chandler—you can kind of tell because it sounds exactly like a Gene Chandler song.
Then we went to Washington, D.C. for The Citations with “Darling You Do,” and the last cut was from Ohio—Pandella Kelly with “Stand In For Love.” The O’Jays also do a slower version of that song. The version I played probably has the O’Jays singing backup—they at least produced the record.
We’ve got about an hour left of the show. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424.
This next record is really good—it’s from L.A. It’s the same group as The Attractions, which included Morris Chestnut Sr. as a member. This track is by The Hollywood Attractions, and it’s called “The Name of the Game.”
Bob Abrahamian 18:05
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, and you're listening to Sitting in the Park.
We started that set with two tracks from L.A. First, The Hollywood Attractions with “The Name of the Game”—again, that’s the same group as The Attractions. After that, Roman and Weston Expo with “We Better Quit.” That group also recorded as The Atkinson Expo.
Then from Indianapolis, we had The Vanguards with “Before You Take Another Step.” After that, from Kentucky, The Aristocrats with “Be My Lady.”
The last cut in that set was from Ohio—Johnny Washington with “Everlasting Love.” That’s pretty much the same group as The Sensations out of Ohio, with Johnny Washington as their lead singer.
Bob Abrahamian 20:10
Alright, now before I play more music, I’ve got to give you some information:
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For more information, visit www.ready.gov.
And while we’re talking about good info, let me tell you about a couple of shows you should check out here on WHPK:
“The Dusty’s Party” happens every Thursday night from 9 to midnight. The DJs play soul, funk, blues, and jazz from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.
Another show worth tuning into is “From the Subway to the Street Corner.” That one’s hosted by Bob Minor, and he plays doo-wop from the ’50s and ’60s. It airs every Sunday from 6 to 7:30 PM—right before my show.
Also, WHPK is now streaming live online! You can listen at www.whpk.org if you're outside the broadcast range.
And finally, my own website is www.sittinginthepark.com. I’ve got audio from all the interviews I’ve done there—including last week’s with The Brighter Side of Darkness. Got a lot of cool interviews coming up in the next few weeks.
Once again, if you want to call me up, the number is 773-702-8424.
This next record is by a group called The Seventh Avenue Aviators, but the lead vocals here are actually by Frankie Karl. This was his first record, and it's called “The Boy Next Door.”
Bob Abrahamian 26:40
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, and we're also now streaming live on the internet at www.whpk.org.
You’re listening to Sitting in the Park. My name is Bob, and this show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.
We started that last set with The Seventh Avenue Aviators featuring Frankie Karl on vocals—that was “The Boy Next Door.”
After that, from L.A., we had The Superbs with “I Was Blind,” and then a track from Philly—The Ambassadors doing a cover of Lorraine Ellison’s “I Dig You Baby.”
We’ve got about half an hour left in the show. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424.
I’ve got some really good interviews planned for the next few weeks. Next Sunday, I’ll be talking with someone who was in a group called The Mystiques—they recorded a great song back in high school. He later became the drummer for The Sons of Slum, so it should be a great conversation.
And again, if you want to check out any of the interviews I’ve done before, you can find them on my website at www.sittinginthepark.com.
Coming up now, this next record is from a Chicago group—it was recorded in Detroit, but the group is from here. This is The Scott Brothers with “My Day Has Come.”
Bob Abrahamian 33:55
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, and this is Sitting in the Park. My name is Bob, and this show runs every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.
We started that last set in Chicago with The Scott Brothers and “My Day Has Come.” After that, from Pennsylvania, George Wilson with “Here Stands the Man Who Needs You.” Then we heard Vernon Harrel with “Can’t Take the Hurt.”
After that, a group from Springfield, Illinois—The Ebeneez with “He Didn’t Want to Lose His Good Thing,” followed by Gene Redding with “I Need Your Love.” And we closed that set with Bobby Patterson and “She Don’t Have to See You (To See Through You).”
We’ve got about 10 minutes left in the show. If you want to call me up, the number again is 773-702-8424.
I’ll be getting in The Seashells’ request in the last 10 minutes. This next track I want to send out to Infinito—this is The Mad Lads with “Gone (The Promises of Yesterday).”
Bob Abrahamian 40:20
Okay, this next one is The Seashells’ request. This is “Quiet Home.”
Bob Abrahamian 42:30
Alright, and next week, I’m going to send this one out to Nate. This one’s good—Dontells with “Gonna Tell the World.”
Bob Abrahamian 45:30
Alright, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago, and you're listening to Sitting in the Park.
That last record was Dontells with “Gonna Tell the World”—sent that one out to Nate.
Before that, we had The Seashells with “Quiet Home”—that was their request. And just before that, we played The Mad Lads with “Gone (The Promises of Yesterday),” which I sent out to Infinito.
That’s going to just about do it for this week’s show. Thanks to everyone who tuned in. If you missed any part of it, or if you want to check out interviews I’ve done in the past, head over to my website: www.sittinginthepark.com.
And don’t forget, we stream live online now at www.whpk.org, so you can listen in from anywhere.
Next week I’ll be back with more music and a special interview with a former member of The Mystiques and drummer for The Sons of Slum—you won’t want to miss that.
Until next time, take care and enjoy the rest of your evening.
Peace.
