In this all-music episode of Sitting in the Park on WHPK 88.5 FM, Bob Abrahamian takes listeners on a meticulously curated journey across soul music’s overlooked gems—from Chicago deep cuts and Philly rarities to Motown singles and southern soul treasures. With a DJ’s ear for obscurity and a historian’s instinct for significance, Bob weaves together records by Mary Johnson, The Dells, Holly Maxwell, and LaBrenda Ben, illuminating regional soul scenes and personal anecdotes. This episode also previews an upcoming interview with West Side group The Intentions, connecting the city’s music past with the voices that shaped it.
Mary Johnson - Hard Forgetting Memories - Federal
Dee Dee Sharp and Ben E King - We got a thing going on - Atco
Johnny Darrow - That's good - Sue
Kell Osborne - Yaya yaya - Revis
Labrenda Ben and the Beljeans - Chaperone - Gordy
Yvonne Vernee - It's been a long time - Sonbert
Holly Maxwell - Don't say you love me - Star
Mary Wells - (hey you) set my soul on fire - Atco
Deena Johnson - Breaking point - Wild Deuce
Marvin Smith - Hold On - Brunswick
O'Jays - Let it all out - Imperial
Gene Chandler - River of Tears - Checker
Jerry Butler - You make me feel like someone - Mercury
Jackie Marshall - Fabulous Cars and Diamond Rings - Cobblestone
Chilites - Never no more - Blue Rock
Emanons - One Heart - Phila of soul
Kickin Mustangs - Take a miracle - Plato
Hoskins N'Crowd - Somewhere - PS
Brotherly Five - Come Fly With Me - Chatham
Dells - Bring back the love of yesterday - Cadet
Magna Funk - Fooling Me - Omega
Billion Dollar Band - Let's just be friends - Sounds good
Hunt's Determination - She's on my mind - Earwax
Deviations - Loving you - Soul Sounds Unlimited
Tuning into Bob Abrahamian’s Sitting in the Park show on WHPK 88.5 FM is like opening a time capsule curated with the care of a lifelong collector and the insight of a seasoned historian. In this June broadcast—an all-music episode—Bob pulls together a constellation of obscure and underappreciated soul tracks that span regions, decades, and emotional registers. More than a playlist, this episode acts as a cartography of soul music’s invisible highways—those neighborhood streets, after-school studios, and makeshift labels that never made Billboard but moved hearts just the same.
Bob opens with “Hard Forgetting Memories” by Mary Johnson, a mysterious figure possibly from Chicago, whose sparse discography lives mostly in collector circles. He gives her a place of honor, using her local roots and evocative vocal tone to set the night’s tone. This pattern continues throughout the episode: each record serves as a doorway into a regional or cultural story, a moment that illuminates a larger truth about Black musical creativity in postwar America.
From there, we glide into duets and deep cuts. Dee Dee Sharp and Ben E. King's “We've Got a Thing Going On” brings star power, but Bob quickly returns to rarer terrain—Johnny Darrow, Kel Osborne, and LaBrenda Ben & the Belle Jeans. The latter's “Chaperone” stands out not only as a classic example of the Motown girl group era, but also as a rarely spun B-side that reveals the label’s depth beyond its A-list roster.
Bob’s geographical tour continues: Yvonne Vernee’s “It's Been a Long Time” hails from Detroit, while Holly Maxwell’s “Don’t Say You Love Me Until You Do” and a speculative Jo Armstead track (“Breaking Point” by Dina Johnson) pull listeners right back into Chicago’s Hyde Park. This is Bob’s signature approach—juxtaposing well-known cities like Detroit and Philly with Chicago’s overlooked but immensely rich soul landscape.
One particularly compelling moment comes with the song “Hold On” by Marvin Smith of The Artistics—a direct link to Chicago’s golden soul era. Paired with heavyweights like Gene Chandler and Jerry Butler, and followed by Jackie Marshall’s Philly-smooth “Fabulous Cars and Diamond Rings,” Bob illustrates how regional styles intersected and bled into each other, even as they maintained their unique sonic signatures.
There’s also an undercurrent of youth-driven soul—what Bob refers to as “kiddie groups.” Tracks by Hoskins & The Crowd and The Brotherly Five reflect a lesser-known niche of soul that foregrounded the voices of children and teenagers, often dealing with adult emotions in surprisingly mature arrangements. It’s a reminder of the range and vulnerability soul music allowed—even demanded—of its artists.
Throughout, Bob peppers the show with occasional public service announcements, including messages about fighting global warming and preparing for emergencies. These interludes, while outside the realm of music, align with the community-centered ethos of Black radio in the 1960s and '70s, where civic duty and soundscapes often went hand-in-hand. Bob’s nod to WHPK's Dusties Party—a show that plays adjacent genres like funk, jazz, and blues—also underscores his mission: soul music is not a genre frozen in time but part of a living, evolving ecosystem.
Perhaps the most anticipated part of this episode is the teaser for next week’s interview with The Intentions—a Chicago group also known as The Measures and Jimmy & Eddie. Bob’s excitement is evident, not just in his tone but in the reverence with which he introduces their Crane High School roots and multiple aliases. For fans and historians alike, this kind of preview isn’t just programming—it’s a lifeline to the oral history of local soul scenes.
Closing out the show with southern and midwestern acts like MagnaFunk, The Deviations, and The Choice of Color, Bob doesn’t let the tempo—or the emotional stakes—drop. The Dells’ “Bring Back the Love of Yesterday” serves as a fitting centerpiece, anchoring the episode in a blend of nostalgia, vocal brilliance, and local pride.
What Bob Abrahamian achieves in this hour-and-a-half isn’t just a radio show—it’s a preservation act, a guided tour through forgotten corners of American musical genius. This particular episode of Sitting in the Park reminds us that every regional soul single is more than a needle drop—it’s a portal to memory, migration, community, and sound. And in Bob’s hands, each one gets its due.
Bob Abrahamian 00:00
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK, 88.5 FM in Chicago. You are listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and this show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. Next week, I'll be doing an interview, but today I've got another all-music show. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424.
Gonna start the show with an artist who I think is from Chicago, but I'm not sure. This is an artist named Mary Johnson, and this track is called Hard Forgetting Memories.
Bob Abrahamian 10:29
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK, 88.5 FM in Chicago. You are listening to the Sitting in the Park show. My name is Bob, and this show happens every Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:00 PM.
We’re also now streaming live on the internet at www.whpk.org. So if you're out of the listening range—or your friends are—you can check that out online.
Started off the show with an artist who I think was from Chicago, because she did have a record on a local label. That was Mary Johnson with Hard Forgetting Memories.
After that:
