Drummer and Missy's Place

[stiv]

Bob Seger and the Last Heard on Robin Seymour's Swingin' Time from Detroit...wow, I remember it like it was 50 years ago!


Swingin' Time

Seymour continued his radio gig at WKMH through its transition to WKNR; however, after being given an ultimatum to choose between his DJ job or TV program by WKMH, he left the station to devote himself full-time to "Swingin' Time." For a very short time at the end of 1965, Robin was given radio slot on CKLW radio which he used to help promote Swingin Time.

Swingin' Time featured 50 to 75 local kids dancing six days a week to the top billboard hits. Each show, two teens were chosen to offer "yea" or "boo" opinions on new records. The 30-minute weekday shows were broadcast live, and the hour-long Saturday show was taped early in the day and aired at 3 pm.

Promoting local bands

Seymour introduced virtually all of the then-famous Motown artists. National touring acts passing through the Motor City, including Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, James Brown, Dionne Warwick, Wayne Cochran, and many more, performed on the its stage. But it was the local entertainers and the Motown family of labels, Golden World, and Fortune artists such as Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Edwin Starr, Nolan Strong and the Diablos, Nathaniel Mayer, Martha and the Vandellas and The Supremes as well as Jack Scott, Bob Seger and the Last Heard, Glenn Frey, Ted Nugent, and George Clinton's Parliaments who provided the local flavor. During those years, the lack of proper studio equipment meant no live performances, so all of the artists would lip-synch their records, which was both good and bad.

One band that appeared frequently on Seymour's show was Ann Arbor garage band, The Rationals. They enjoyed high record sales in the Detroit area, and Robin helped them get their final single and their one and only album to market in early 1970.

Robin was also the driving force behind KDB (Keep Detroit Beautiful) Teens in 1968. He spearheaded several beautification projects around the City of Detroit with a kickoff concert June 23 at Detroit's Cobo Arena, featuring The Rationals, Little Leon and the Caravan and others. He ended the summer with an outdoor music concert held in Downtown Detroit at Kennedy Square featuring popular Detroit rockers, The Cold Water Army, and others.