Long Distance Dedication

My interest in popular music blossomed in the Summer of 1987. Sure, I knew my share of hit songs before then, but I didn't really follow popular music until that summer, starting with watching Dial MTV every weekday and listening to Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 every weekend.  The story lines of song working their way up and down the chart appealed to me, and soon thereafter, as I noted on this blog a little over a year ago, I discovered Billboard magazine as the source of those story lines and the histories of artists' performances throughout the rock 'n' roll era.

I soon learned, though, that Dees' countdown did not match Billboard's countdown, and I realized that that occurred because Dees took his Top 40 from Radio and Records magazine, not Billboard.  For the Billboard Top 40, I needed to listen to Casey Kasem, and I migrated to his weekly countdown, American Top 40, instead.

Less than a year later, in August 1988, Kasem left American Top 40, replaced by Shadoe Stevens.  I continued to follow along for a while with Stevens, at least until midway through 1989, when I bought a subscription to Billboard and no longer needed to listen to a countdown to learn the Top 40.  Still, Kasem had left his mark.  Listening to Kasem's American Top 40 significantly fostered my interest in popular music that became a fundamental influence on my decision to study popular culture, which I now do for my career.  I doubt I would be the same person I am today without those experiences listening to American Top 40, and so I owe Kasem, who passed away the other day, a dedication of gratitude for the part he played in making me who I am.

Thank you, Casey.  You are already missed.