It's been a couple of weeks now, but I remember someone writing a #threetunetuesday post a while ago talking about the Bay City Rollers. They shared one of their songs and given the limited success they had in the US, I didn't really think too much of it. I wish I could remember who it was now, so I could give proper credit, but unfortunately, my mind doesn't work that way!
In any event, it reminded me of a story I heard quite some time ago and that led to my theme for this week's post. Despite the fact that just yesterday it was Christmas, today is Tuesday and that means I will be doing a #threetunetuesday post sponsored by @ablaze.
I mentioned this in a comment on that post I can't find now, but @mrsbozz is from Bay City, MI. She grew up there and was living there when we first met. There was a period of more than five years that we lived in Bay City ourselves after we got married.
In case you haven't guessed it yet, the theme is artists from Bay City and the surrounding area. Sort of.
I remember when I was a little kid we took a field trip in school over to Bay City. I lived in a different town, but it was close enough that we could hop on some buses and ride over there. Back then I never would have guessed that I would one day be living in Bay City. I remember we visited a small park called Carroll Park. It was designed by the same architect that imagined Central Park in New York City, and the Rose Garden at the White House Fredrick Law Olmstead.
I remember there used to be a history museum on the grounds and in a small corner of that building they had the story of the Bay City Rollers. According to the source (also verified on Wikipedia), this band from Scotland was looking for a name, so they threw a dart at a map and it landed in Arkansas. Since nobody ever wants to be associated with Arkansas (I'm just kidding), they threw the dart again, and it landed near Bay City, MI. Thus, the Bay City Rollers were born.
I only ever remember their song "Saturday Night" growing up, but it appears they had quite a number of hits. If I had to categorize them today, I would almost consider them a boy band, but they definitely had the skills to play some instruments (unlike most boy bands). For today's post, I decided to go with "Bye Bye Baby" because it's a pretty decent song.
I honestly don't know a ton about them beyond that, but it felt like a good starting off point for this weeks theme.
In case you are wondering how the opening photo relates to this post... That's our dog Jovi sitting on out on the patio at our old house in Bay City, MI.
Unlike The Bay City Rollers who merely used the name for their band, Madonna actually was from Bay City. There was a pretty famous quote she made a while ago about how Bay City was a smelly town. Oddly enough, she wasn't entirely wrong. There is a very large sugar beet processing plant on southern border of Bay City and when the wind is blowing in the right direction, it covers the whole city in a pungent odor.
On a good day it smells like warm peanut butter cookies. On a bad day, it smells like the city dump gave birth to a festering cesspool. Thankfully, we lived closer to the Saginaw Bay when we lived there, so the smell was mostly dissipated by the time it got to us (usually).
"Like a Prayer" is probably one of my most favorite Madonna songs. It has an awesome beat and I can't help but play it really loud whenever it comes on. When you crank it up, it shakes the windows in my house or office. Plus, she looks pretty great in the video too!
Finally, speaking of awesome beats, you really can't "beat" (see what I did there) the bass line in "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder. While not exactly in Bay City, Stevie Wonder hails from Saginaw, MI which is just a short ten to fifteen minute drive down the road from Bay City. While we don't still live in Bay City, we visit quite often to see @mrsbozz's family. We also make a trip to Saginaw about once a month for random things.
It's where the closest Sam's Club is to us and we also go to concerts there occasionally. Like our neighbor to the south Flint, MI, Saginaw tends to get a bit of a nasty reputation. The east side of the city can be a bit rough and there are a fair share of abandoned houses over there. It's always been that way ever since I was a kid, and I don't know if it will ever change.
It's on that side of the city that Stevie Wonder was born and lived until he was four years old and his mom moved them down to Detroit, MI. You have to wonder if he had been discovered if she had stayed up in Saginaw.
Stevie's talent clearly speaks for itself. Despite his disability from being born premature, he has gone on to create some beloved hits that span decades.
In doing my research, I came across many artists who were born and lived in the local area, but these three (actually two) were the most famous, so I figured I would stick with them. While not actually from the area, it's safe to say that The Bay City Rollers were "born" of the area thanks to a well placed dart throw!
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