The national exposure generated by Don Webster and the Upbeat Show made it a must-stop for the musicians of the day. All the big acts wanted to appear on Upbeat and as Don says, “We had a great run from 1964 to 1971 and were shown in 100 cities across theUnited States.”
The invitation to appear on the Upbeat show was an incredible opportunity for The Nickel Revolution and it came about because of the band’s silly bubblegum hit, “Oscar Crunch.” As we’ve discussed in previous posts the Nickel loathed the poorly written and produced song from Candy Floss Productions because it did not represent the Nickel’s rock/R&B repertoire. Nonetheless, there are several positives in having a major label (Mercury/Phillips) and radio stations through the Midwest and east coast playing your record and promoting your name on a daily basis.
The Nickel Revolution was recruited by a large national booking agency, Dino Enterprises of Indianapolis and they were responsible for booking The Nickel Revolution on the Upbeat TV Show. The agency also provided the band its largest income with major gigs all over the country as well as pairing the Nickel Revolution with national acts.
Upbeat Show was filmed in Cleveland on Saturday morning approximately two weeks before the air date. We were on in late November of 1968 and the program aired in December, 1968. Fortunately we were back home in Minneapolis when the show aired so we could enjoy it (laugh our butts off) with friends and family. Remember, this is well before video taping, so there was no second chance to catch a show (sure wish we could find a copy of this rare gig).
We had a heavy travel schedule in that on the Friday night before we filmed Upbeat, we appeared in concert in Illinois, with Question Mark and the Mysterians who had a huge hit “96 Tears.” We had to travel through the night to get to Cleveland, check into a hotel for a couple hours sleep, and then race over to WEWS TV where the Upbeat Show was filmed. Fortunately, all the acts lip-synced their hits, so we did not need to drag all our equipment into the studios.
Show listing of the acts The Nickel Revolution appeared with on the Upbeat Show:
The Blues Magoos performing “Leavin’ Trunk” 
The Ohio Express performing “Chewy, Chewy” 
The Peppermint Rainbow performing “Will You Be Staying After Sunday?” 
Neil Sedaka performing “Star Crossed Lovers” 
Bobby Vee performing “Someone to Love Me” 
The Youngbloods performing “Darkness, Darkness” 
The Nickel Revolution performing “Oscar Crunch” 
Jerry Butler performing “Never Give You Up” 
O.C. Smith performing “Little Green Apples” 
After taping the Upbeat Show, The Nickel Revolution rushed to southern Ohio appearing in concert at Shawnee State University, Portsmith, Ohio (southeast of Cincinnati).
Learn more about Upbeat Show here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upbeat_(TV_series)
We welcome your comments and feedback on this blog. You can post here and share this with your friends via Facebook and Twitter (see easy links). If you want to email us any questions or comments: NickelRevolution@gmail.com
Listen to The Nickel Revolution now on You Tube
Link for Sweet, Sweet Lovin’: Sweet, Sweet Lovin’
Link for Treat Her Right: Treat Her Right
See these great websites for further insights to Twin Cities bands from the 50s, 60s, 70s:
http://www.jeanneandersen.net/musichighlights.html
© 2011 © 2012 Jerry Lenz, Lenz Entertainment Group All Rights Reserved
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[…] Oscar Crunch was the only novelty, bubblegum song that the Nickel Revolution performed. It did bring them strong regional exposure, an appearance on the Upbeat Television show and having the record played on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. Read more HERE […]