Bob Abrahamian curates a rare journey through forgotten corners of soul, from South Side high schools to San Antonio duos and Detroit rarities. On this episode of Sitting in the Park, Bob spotlights the deep roots and wide branches of soul music across regional scenes—Chicago, Detroit, Philly, D.C., and beyond. He blends requests with collector’s gems, revealing overlooked songwriting credits, like Marvin Gaye’s pen on an Artistics track, and forgotten identities behind mysterious group names. His passion, paired with gentle storytelling, keeps the soul lineage alive and personal, affirming soul’s power to reflect everyday struggle, love, and resilience.
Bob Abrahamian 00:00
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. You're now listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob. This show is on every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.
I brought a lot of really nice records today. And if you have any requests, questions, or comments—or if you want me to play a request from a previous week—the number here is 773-702-8424.
I'm going to start off the show here in Chicago with The Vontastics. This is You Can Work It Out.
Bob Abrahamian 03:02
Okay, that was The Vontastics. Now, by request, here's a track from The Artistics. This is Got to Get My Hands on Some Lovin’.
Bob Abrahamian 06:45
You're tuned in to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and the show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.
We started off the show with The Vontastics – You Can Work It Out. After that, a group called Tony Amaro and The Chariots with Hey Baby. Following that, from Detroit, The Volumes with Maintain Your Cool. Then by request, The Artistics with Got to Get My Hands on Some Lovin’. I never noticed this before, but looking at the record, I saw that song was actually written by Marvin Gaye and Mickey Stevenson. I’m not sure if a Motown artist did it first, or if they wrote it specifically for The Artistics—but I’d never noticed that before.
The last group in that set was also from Detroit. That was The Attractions with Time Goes By So Slowly.
The show’s just getting started. If you want to call in with a request, a question, or a comment, the number is 773-702-8424.
Bob Abrahamian 10:20
This next record is one of my favorite records of all time. Before I get into a set of really nice Chicago tracks, here’s Johnny and The Expressions with Shy Girl.
Bob Abrahamian 13:45
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. You’re listening to the Sitting in the Park show, which airs every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. We’re also now streaming live on the internet at www.whpk.org/stream.
Also, I have archives of all the interviews I’ve done with Chicago groups available at www.sittinginthepark.com. If you email me through the site, I can also send you MP3s of my music shows.
That last set started off with one of my favorite records ever: Johnny and The Expressions – Shy Girl.
After that, it was all groups from Chicago. I'm sending that whole set out to Master Dre. I believe they were all from the South Side of Chicago, although I’m not 100% sure about a couple of them.
We started with The Three Jades – I Care for You. Then came The Flares – I Want You. That group only had two records, and that was their first one. After that, a group called The Corvettes with You Can Do Me Some Good—that group also recorded under the name The Classmates. I don’t know much about them.
The last group in the set was from Harlan High School. That was The Specials with You Stood Me Up.
We’ve still got an hour left in the show. If you’ve got requests, questions, or comments, give me a call at 773-702-8424.
Bob Abrahamian 21:35
This next set is going to be all duos—just two people singing together. This first record is from San Antonio. It’s Doc and Sal with Laughing to Keep from Crying.
Bob Abrahamian 24:30
Okay, you’re tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. We’re also streaming live on the internet at www.whpk.org/stream.
You're listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and the show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.
That last set was all duos. We started off in San Antonio with Doc and Sal – Laughing to Keep from Crying. After that, Arthur Alexander with I Need You Baby. Then from Philly, it was Jerry and Joe with Cold, Cold Love.
From the D.C.–Baltimore area, we had Gene and Eddie with Darling, I Love You. And the last cut in that set was from Philly again: Harry and Vivid with Without Your Loving.
Bob Abrahamian 28:30
Okay, I’ve got to give you some quick information before we get back to the music.
Every day we rely on things like traffic lights, mailboxes, and elevators. But did you know all these inventions came from the minds of African Americans? Support minority education today so we don’t miss out on the next big idea tomorrow. The United Negro College Fund — a mind is a terrible thing to waste. To support the UNCF, visit uncf.org or call 1-800-332-UNCF.
Also, did you know that African Americans are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as white Americans? But there are steps you can take to beat the odds. Join the Power to End Stroke. Start by calling 1-888-4-STROKE or go online to strokeassociation.org to learn what you can do.
Bob Abrahamian 30:15
We’re about halfway through the show. You can call me up if you’ve got requests, questions, or comments. The number here is 773-702-8424. This next record is by request. One of the best Chicago records—though I believe the group is actually from Milwaukee. This is The Esquires with Girls in the City.
Bob Abrahamian 34:30
Okay, you’re tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. You’re listening to the Sitting in the Park show, which airs every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. We're also streaming live online at www.whpk.org/stream.
That last set was a long one. It started off by request with one of the best Chicago records—although technically done by a Milwaukee group—that was The Esquires with Girls in the City.
After that, we heard a few cuts out of Los Angeles. First up was an early record by Richard "Dimples" Fields called You’re Sweeter Than Sweet. Then we had a track he actually wrote, performed by The Superbs, titled One Bad Habit.
Following that was As I Sit Here by Friday’s Child. Now that one is interesting—it’s actually just The Whispers. They took the original Whispers track, removed the lead vocals, and replaced them with a female singer. So technically it’s not a real group—just the Whispers’ instrumentation with someone else’s vocals dubbed on top.
Next up was The Ambers with Now I'm in Trouble, and then we wrapped that set with Benny Johnson and The Soul Serenaders – What Would You Do?
We’ve got about 20 minutes left in the show. In about 10 minutes, I’ll be playing a Chi-Lites request. If you've got any last-minute requests, questions, or comments, the number here is 773-702-8424.
Bob Abrahamian 42:10
This next one is a nice record—great sound, but the group’s got a very unfortunate name. This is Jimmy Bell and The Cool Klux Band with Love Me in the Morning.
Bob Abrahamian 45:50
Okay, you’re tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in Chicago. You’re listening to the Sitting in the Park show. This show airs every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM, and my name is Bob.
That last set started off with two records out of Ohio. First was Jimmy Bell and The Cool Klux Band with Love Me in the Morning. After that, from Youngstown, Ohio, it was The Mighty Generation with For All the Beautiful Things You Do. That group also recorded under the name The Ebony Expressions—they’ve got another really nice record I’ve played on the show before.
The last cut in that set was by The Joneses – Baby, There’s Nothing You Can Do.
We’ve got about 10 minutes left in the show, so there’s still time to call in if you’ve got any requests, questions, or comments. The number is 773-702-8424.
Bob Abrahamian 49:20
This next one is a Chi-Lites request to help close out the show. This is Living in the Footsteps of Another Man.
