This November show on WHPK blends deep cuts from girl groups and rare soul ballads with a heartfelt tribute to Billy Brown of the Shades of Brown. Broadcasting from Chicago’s South Side, Abrahamian’s selections span early 1960s R&B to ‘70s sweet soul, showcasing forgotten groups like the Rockefellers and Prophecy. With meticulous curation and emotional resonance, Bob celebrates not just records, but the people and places behind them—especially when memorializing local talent like Billy Brown, whose passion for music endured long after the spotlight faded.
Bob Abrahamian 00:00
Okay. You are tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You are now listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and we’ll be going until 9 PM. I’ve got tons of sweet soul music—really good records today.
But I’m going to start off the show with some R&B and some girl groups—R&B from the early ’60s. This first record is by a group called the Majestics. The track is called Unhappy and Blue.
Bob Abrahamian 03:30
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and this show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
That was just a set of early ’60s R&B. The record you just heard was a group called the Live Wires with Dancing Doll. Before that, from Atlanta, Gorgeous George and the Fabulous Three with Teach Me, from LA, J.J. Jackson and the Jackals with Ring Telephone—a group I know nothing about. Then the Rockefellers with Strike It Rich, Zoom to the Top of the World, and we started off the show in Detroit with the Majestics with Unhappy and Blue.
Okay, the show is just getting started. I’m gonna do a set of girl groups next, and then the whole rest of the show is gonna be really nice sweet soul. So you should definitely keep tuned.
The number here, if you want to call up, is 773-702-8424. Sorry, I don’t know what just happened to the person who just called—the phone went dead or something. But the phone should be working.
This next record is a singer named Lynn Davis. This track is called My New Love.
Bob Abrahamian 12:05
Okay, you’re tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob. This show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
That last track was a singer named Pat Clayton with You Gotta Share. Before that, Mabel King with When We Get the Word—actually, When We Get the World, I believe. Kathy St. with Big Bad World, Dolores Hill with What He Used to Tell Me, and starting off the set, the singer from L.A. named Lynn Davis with My New Love.
Okay, we’ve got an hour left in the show, and I brought a lot of really nice sweet soul music. So you should definitely keep tuned.
Very sad news this week: Billy Brown, lead singer of the Shades of Brown from Altgeld Gardens, passed away. I interviewed him on my show. He was super talented—a super nice guy. Like, even recently, he’d still be writing music. You’d go visit him at his place and he’d just be playing the piano, singing along, and he still sounded fantastic, even though he wasn’t recording anymore.
So it’s really sad news that he passed away. He did an interesting interview, and if you want to check it out, it’s on my website: sittinginthepark.com.
This next record is my favorite song by his group—and it’s so excellent. You should definitely check it out. This is the Shades of Brown with How Could You Love Him?
Bob Abrahamian 17:40
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob. This show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
That last record was by a group called the Superbs. That track was called Every Sign of Spring. I don’t know anything about that group, but they’re probably not related to any of the other Superbs who recorded.
Before that, from Indianapolis, the Vanguards with You're Breaking My Heart. That’s the rarest record—I mean, someone gave me a recording of it like twelve years ago. I had never even seen a copy. And then one came up for sale and I won it. But that’s the only copy I’ve ever even seen a picture of, so it was pretty cool. I was excited to get it.
Before that, from L.A., the Attractions with Find Me. From, I think, New York, Billy Frazier with Let’s Face Reality. And I started off with a track in memory of Billy Brown, from the South Side of Chicago. That was his group, the Shades of Brown, with him singing lead. That was How Could You Love Him? He was a super talented dude. It’s too bad more music that he wrote and was involved with didn’t get released.
Anyway, I have a lot more sweet soul music coming up for the rest of the show. But before I play the next track, I’ve got to give you some information.
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Also, another show you might like on this station is called Dusty's Party. That show happens every Thursday night from 9 to midnight. On that show, there's a rotating lineup of DJs who play soul, funk, blues, and jazz—from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s mainly. So you should check it out—Thursday nights, 9 to midnight.
And one more thing you might like is my website: www.sittinginthepark.com. On my website, I’ve got audio of all the interviews I’ve done—including the one with Billy Brown—and I’ve been archiving my music shows since 2006. I’ll have tonight’s music show up, hopefully within 24 hours. You can go on there and listen to hours and hours and hours of music. If you like my show, you’ll like it—because I pretty much don’t play the same records from show to show. So it’s like a whole new thing every week.
Anyway, like I said, I got a lot more sweet soul music. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424.
This next record I love. It’s got ’70s falsetto harmony on it. This is a group from New York or New Jersey called Prophecy. This track is called Naya.
Bob Abrahamian 31:20
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob. This show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9 PM.
Those last two records you heard were actually both Jamaican groups. First, the Chosen Few with I Can Make Your Dreams Come True. Before that, an obscure group called The Reasons with Star in Hollywood. That one was actually produced by Derrick Harriott, who also produced the Chosen Few.
Before that, from California, a group called All the Way Alive with Still Here Waiting. I Googled “All the Way Alive,” and I’m not 100% sure it’s connected, but it looks like some weird New Age cult in California that’s somehow linked to the Manson family—which is wild. So I’m not sure on that, but it’s a strange name, and not much else comes up when you search it.
Before that, from Mishawaka, Indiana, The Brotherhood with Thank You Girl. And starting off that set, from New York or New Jersey, that was Prophecy with a track called Naya.
We’ve got about 20 minutes left in the show. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424.
I’m gonna send a shoutout to both Sam Bell and Willard Moody. This next track is by a group called You, Me & Him—who I’ve played before—but this is a different record by them. This one’s called Thief in the Night.
Bob Abrahamian 56:15
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM, Chicago. This is the end of the Sitting in the Park show.
The song you just heard was by a group called the Chosen Few—not the same Chosen Few I played earlier in the show. This group is from Flint, Michigan. That track was called Love Hurts So Bad.
Before that, a singer from the Bay Area named Charles Blue with Changes. Before that, a singer from Buffalo, Little Willie A with Never Had It. What’s really funny about that record is that the other side of it—it's from 1985—is actually a rap record. It’s like an undocumented Roxanne, Roxanne answer record, which is kind of funny.
Before that, Straight from the Heart by Special Delivery—that’s the same Special Delivery that backed Terry Huff. And we started off with a group from New York called You, Me & Him. That track was called Thief in the Night.
Thanks to everybody who listened and everyone who called up. I’ll have this show online on my website—sittinginthepark.com—hopefully within 24 hours. And you should definitely keep tuned, because Zoë is up next with The Lofo Show.
