In this intimate episode of Sitting in the Park, Bob Abrahamian steers listeners through a soul-saturated soundscape of rare and regional 1960s–70s deep cuts, stitching together musical threads from Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, and beyond. Though a scheduled interview falls through, Bob turns the airwaves into a platform for unsung voices — groups like The Tenderonis, The Accessors, and The Furys — transforming absence into opportunity. Each selection offers a window into the overlooked corners of American soul, echoing the grassroots record-hunting ethos that defines the Sitting in the Park archive.
Furys - Over you - Mack IV
Jerry Hayward and the Everglades - Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy Sherry - Symbol
Volumes - Why - Old Town
Willie Jones and the Chimes - I need love - Storm
Majestics - Baby - Chex
Dee Edwards - You say you love me - Tuba
Shades of Jade - Why does it feel so right - Dore
Apollas - Nobody's baby am I - Loma
Crystals - My place - United Artists
Dollettes - Small talk (doesn't bother me) - ABC
Tenderonies - Explain it - Hip Spin
Herb and Doris - I'll be the one - Hip
Image - You're gone - Vault
Phenomenons - Without your love - AVI
Curtis Robinson - Fantasy - Metro-art
Four Mints - No longer - Loren
X-Cessors - Silent Weapon - LuTall
Odyssey - Our lives are shaped by what we love - Mowest
Derek David - The winter of our love - Pagan
Prime Cut - I'm so glad - Polydor
Public Notice - Our love is fading - Evergreen
Waller Family - I love you - Dynamic Artists
First of January - Sugar frosted love - Perception
Dramatics - Yo' love can only bring me happiness - ABC
If Bob Abrahamian's Sitting in the Park were a museum, this particular Sunday broadcast would be the long hallway of regional rarities — each door a sonic artifact, every wall layered in the warm grain of forgotten grooves. With an interview canceled at the last minute, Bob doesn’t miss a beat. Instead, he digs deeper into his collection, crafting an impromptu exhibit of American soul’s shadowed corners. The result is not merely a radio show but a preservationist act, a cultural cartography of the country’s soul underground.
From the moment he drops the needle on The Furys’ “Over You,” listeners are pulled into a world where major-label polish gives way to raw emotionality. The Furys, a group cloaked in obscurity, become the first voices in an hour and a half of soul storytelling. Next comes Jerry Hayward and the Everglades’ “Shimmy Shimmy Sherry,” a doo-wop-inflected uptempo joint that exemplifies the stylistic flux of early '60s soul. The set continues with cuts from Detroit — The Volumes' “Why,” Willie Jones and The Chimes’ “I Need Love,” and The Majestics' “Baby” — each a fragment of Motor City’s deeply entrenched harmony tradition.
Bob’s programming reveals the hidden architecture of soul geography. Chicago might be his home base, but his ears are nationwide. He jumps from Detroit to Los Angeles with The Shades of Jade and The Apollos — the latter noted for their Chicago-played gem “All Sold Out.” San Francisco makes an appearance too, with The Dollettes' “Small Talk (Doesn’t Bother Me),” a track that expands the coast-to-coast palette. Bob doesn’t just spin records; he maps migrations, diaspora, and the dispersion of Black musical expression across the country.
And then comes a standout: The Tenderonis' “Explain It.” Bob cues this track with reverence, noting he’s been playing it all week — a signpost of its emotional gravity. That it hails from Chattanooga only underscores Bob’s drive to spotlight overlooked cities that housed vibrant, if undocumented, soul scenes. Following this, he queues up Herb and Doris, Image, The Phenomenons, and Curtis Robinson — a suite of cuts that speak to the emotional terrain of longing and resilience, central themes in both secular and sacred Black musical traditions.
Bob’s interlude includes an announcement of public-service websites like boostup.org and americaslibrary.gov — a move that reflects his deeper mission: not just to spin old records but to educate, empower, and connect communities past and present. He plugs his website, a digital archive rich with interviews and past shows, essentially an aural museum for soul seekers.
But perhaps the most telling moment arrives when Bob plays The Four Mints’ “No Longer,” a previously unreleased track that’s just seen vinyl release. The Four Mints, a Columbus, Ohio group once signed to Capsoul Records, symbolize the kind of rediscovery that fuels Bob’s legacy. Their music — once buried by distribution limitations and label obscurity — is now resurrected for a new audience, thanks in no small part to collectors like Bob who treat vinyl not as product, but as artifact.
He closes the set with The Accessors' “Silent Weapon,” a politically charged Vietnam-era track, followed by Odyssey’s lush “Our Lives Are Shaped by What We Love,” and DC’s Derek David with “The Winner of Our Love.” These selections shift the show’s emotional register, revealing soul not just as a genre of love songs, but as a reflective lens on war, class, and community.
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, and I'll be playing soul music for you until 9:00 p.m. I had an interview today, but they canceled — which means I'll be playing a lot of good records. So you should keep tuned.
If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424. This first record is by The Furys. This track is called “Over You.”
Bob Abrahamian 11:00
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in 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 9:00 p.m.
Started off the show with a bunch of early '60s cuts. First, The Furys with “Over You.” After that, Jerry Hayward and the Everglades with “Shimmy Shimmy Sherry.”
And the last three cuts were from Detroit: first The Volumes with “Why,” Willie Jones and The Chimes with “I Need Love,” and the Majestics with “Baby.”
Okay, the show is just getting started. If you want to call me up, the number here is 773-702-8424. I'm going to do my classic Chicago cut next — a little bit early, about 15 minutes early.
This is a singer from Detroit named Dee Edwards, and this track is called “You Say You Love Me.”
Bob Abrahamian 23:36
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in 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 9:00 p.m.
Started off with a dusty from Detroit — my classic Chicago dusty of the day — that was Dee Edwards with "You Say You Love Me."
After that, a couple cuts from LA — first The Shades of Jade with "Why Does It Feel So Right," then The Apollos with "Nobody's Baby Am I." That’s the same group that did that song "All Sold Out," which got played in Chicago.
After that, The Crystals with "My Place," and the last cut was from San Francisco — The Dollettes with "Small Talk (Doesn’t Bother Me)."
Okay, got a little bit more than an hour of the show left. If you want to call me up, the number is 773-702-8424.
This next cut is pretty awesome — I’ve been playing it all week. I'm going to send it out to Dre. This is The Tenderonis with "Explain It."
Bob Abrahamian 41:42
Okay, you're tuned to WHPK 88.5 FM in 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 9:00 p.m.
Started off that set with an awesome record out of Chattanooga — that was The Tenderonis with "Explain It."
After that, Herb and Doris with "I'll Be the One," a group called Image with "You're Gone," The Phenomenons with "Without Your Love," and the last cut was Curtis Robinson — the track was called "Fantasy."
Okay, I have to give you some information before I play more music:
Want to have some fun with history? Log on to americaslibrary.gov. It’s history the way kids like it — cool films, pictures, startling facts — all just a click away from your home, school, or local library. You can even find out what happened in history on your birthdate.
Also, inside every student is a graduate. For some, it's easy to find — but not for all. For many high school students, the difference between dropping out and graduating can be a boost. A boost from someone in their life — a friend, a parent, a teacher, or a coach — who can help them see their potential. Visit boostup.org to find out how you can help someone struggling to finish high school.
Also, check out my website for the show: www.sittinginthepark.com. On the site, I have audio of all the interviews I’ve done, plus every show from the past four years — and I’ll have this show up later tonight.
Another show you might like is The Dusty Party, every Thursday night from 9:00 to midnight. There’s a rotating lineup of DJs who play soul, funk, blues, and jazz from the '60s, '70s, and '80s.
And one more — From the Subway to the Street Corner. That’s a doo-wop show that airs directly before mine, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday nights.
Okay, if you want to call me, the number is 773-702-8424. This next record is a previously unreleased track by The Four Mints. It just got pressed on 45 recently. The track is called "No Longer."
Bob Abrahamian 1:02:53
Okay, you're tuned 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 p.m.
First, I played a newly discovered recording just pressed on 45 by The Four Mints — that was "No Longer."
After that, two cuts from LA — first a heavy Vietnam record by The Accessors, "Silent Weapon." Then Odyssey with "Our Lives Are Shaped by What We Love."
The next one was from DC — Derek David with "The Winner of Our Love."
Okay, we've got a little less than half an hour of the show left. If you want to call me, the number is 773-702-8424.
This next record is by The Prime Cut — the track is called "I'm So Glad."
