Oldies

Popular songs: Karen Randall, a music teacher, leads children at Clarksville Elementary School in the singing of such old favorites as "Down by the Bay," "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "Yankee Doodle" for a program about the millennium. (Article, Page 6B)

Decked out in her most patriotic costume, Flo Keeny arrived ready to wow the audience at an Annapolis retirement home with her part in the South County Showstoppers revue. With less than 30 minutes until curtain time, a change in the lineup had this 77-year-old hoofer dashing for home to retrieve another costume. Her act suddenly shifted from Broadway's "Yankee Doodle Dandy" to a graceful hula and sweet song reflecting on a little grass shack in Hawaii. Instead of tapping across the stage in red, white and blue, she swiveled smoothly in traditional island garb.

The secret life of Dr. Doo-Wop began at 5:30 a.m. yesterday, taking thousands of drowsy Baltimore-area listeners on a waxy trip back to the days of nickel Cokes and poodle skirts.Forget that the kids need braces, and the new roof leaks. On the radio, the Paragons are singing "Hey, Little School Girl," and it's 1957 again, when a crisis meant going stag to a sock hop.Dr. Doo-Wop is really Anthony Ferrell, a 47-year-old telephone marketing representative and record collector who's trying hard to resuscitate the sound of vintage rock 'n' roll, mostly from the 1950s.

Gilbert David is working on a comeback in show business. This octogenarian wants one more shot at the limelight. He feels certain some locals might recall him as "Mr. Fitness," a frequent guest on local TV shows 30 or more years ago. His neighbors in Northwest Baltimore still greet him with the stage name used when he chatted it up with Elane Stein and with Oprah Winfrey, when she co-hosted a talk show with Richard Sher on WJZ. "I know she...

On the radio, there are oldies stations that should sue themselves for misrepresentation. Oldies, indeed. Pat Boone doing white-boy cover versions of Little Richard. Another numbing rendition of Danny and the Juniors doing "At the Hop." The Supremes doing "Where Did Our Love Go?"Actually, since they asked, our love went thataway. Oldies aren't oldies any more, they're hardy perennials, the same narrow, repetitive play list cranked up so many hundreds of times over the past 30 or 40 years that they've lost all power to move us, to remind us of their original emotional connections.

Sconnix Broadcasting of Tysons, Va., has agreed to sell WQSR-FM (105.7) in Catonsville and WBMD-AM (750) in Baltimore to Boston-based American Radio Systems (ARS).The sale of WQSR, Baltimore's "Good Time Oldies Station," and sister station WBMD, will generate $39 million for Sconnix.The sale will not affect either station's format, according to Brad Murray, the stations' vice president and general manager. WQSR was ranked No. 2 in the winter 1994 ratings for adults ages 25 to 54. WBMD offers Christian programming.

The records are everywhere at the small, cramped street corner shop, a sort of shrine to performers, some of whom haven't been heard on popular radio for 30 years or more.The walls are covered with posters and original jacketed albums: Fats Waller, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Billie Holiday, Johnny Burnette, the Angels. There's even an album Howdy Doody cut with Buffalo Bob Smith hanging on the wall."I'm a vinyl junkie," said Margie Coffy, owner of Ferndale Oldies, on Route 648. The shop carries records from the 1920s to the present.

"Oh-oh-oh baby, don't try to get away from me, (repeat)"I'm yours pretty baby, and I guess I'll always be...G; Oh-oh-oh baby, I have got to make love to you, (repeat)If you leave me baby, all I got's eternity..., "Oh Baby," The Jesters, 1958The tiny door of the priest's confessional slid open slowly, not unlike the sound of a rising guillotine over the condemned.His shadowy figure hunched toward the confessor, prepared to hear the teen-ager's worst transgressions against society, the Roman Catholic church and the fine citizens of Belair Road.

Hey, at least we beat New York in something this year -- we've got a better oldies radio station than they do.So says the National Association of Broadcasters, which recently honored WQSR-FM (105.7) with a Marconi Award as the oldies station of the year. Other finalists for the award were Chicago's WJMK, Los Angeles' KRTH, Philadelphia's WOGL and (hee, hee) New York's WCBS-FM.The awards, which are handed out annually in several categories, were presented during an awards dinner in Los Angeles Oct. 12. WQSR's Marconi was picked up by station Vice President and General Manager T. Alan Hay.The station, which has been broadcasting oldies for eight years (which means some songs that came out when it started could now qualify for its play list)

FOR 20 YEARS on WQSR-FM, Alan Lee hosted a Sunday night radio program of forgotten oldies. Now, according to the brilliant thinkers in radio, and the ratings numbers and actuarial charts they employ in place of human hearts, Lee becomes a forgotten oldie himself. He is one of those banished in the recent purge at WQSR. And the songs he kept alive now slip deeper into rock 'n' roll's dustbin. While many publicly lament the loss of WQSR's morning gang of Rouse & Company, as they should, Lee was always the true keeper of the flame for that primitive era when rock 'n' roll was first crawling onto dry land.

Oldies But Goodies Cocker Spaniel Rescue is seeking volunteers to provide foster homes and transport animals, help with fundraising and attend adoption shows at PetSmart stores. The nonprofit organization rescues and provides medical care, rehabilitation and placement for homeless or abandoned cocker spaniels and cocker spaniel mixes in the Mid-Atlantic region. Information: 703-868-3899, cspaniel rescue1@aol.com or cockerspanielrescue.com.

After the collapse last season, the Ravens hired coach John Harbaugh to change the culture and breathe some life into the team. Instead, the Ravens have gotten worse and are limping to the starting line for the 2008 season. It's not Harbaugh's fault. The decay of the Ravens started a year or so before he got here. He inherited an old team, one that is now young on offense but older and a step slower on defense. There are no lofty expectations for this season, just the last hurrah for some veterans who probably won't be around much longer.

I knew a girl once who taught me to believe in love, no matter how hard I resisted. And then a third baseman ruined it for me. Thanks for nothing, A-Rod. Alex Rodriguez's wife, Cynthia, filed for divorce this week on grounds of "infidelity" and accusations that the 12-time All-Star "emotionally abandoned" her and their two children. "The marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken because of the husband's extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct," according to her petition for dissolution of marriage, which was filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court.

Harford Community College has announced that its fundraiser car show and oldies concert by the Fabulous Hubcaps has been canceled. The event was scheduled for May 18. For information and ticket refunds, call 410-836-4211. Arts board launches revamped Web site The Harford County Cultural Arts Board has announced the launch of its newly renovated Web site, www.culturalarts board.org. The Web site is designed to serve as a comprehensive, accessible source for all arts and culture-related activities in Harford County.

During a decade in which Mark Wiebe watched his career on the PGA Tour fade and he saw himself fall into a sort of golf purgatory on the Nationwide Tour, he often envisioned being in contention - or even leading - tournaments. "I kept putting myself in contention mentally," Wiebe said yesterday. "If I was in 15th place or 20th place, I just played like I was leading. What would I do if I was leading, even though I was 10 shots behind? I kind of practiced that along the way." For Wiebe, those mind games have turned into real-life magic after years of mostly frustration.

David Hooper strummed his guitar and stomped his cowboy boots, playing a rousing rendition of "Peggy Sue," in the best Buddy Holly spirit he could muster. He quickly had the crowd at the McFaul Activities Center in Bel Air clapping, tapping their feet, and singing along with the lyrics to the '50s tune they danced to in their youth. The 64-year-old postal retiree from Bel Air was one of seven contestants vying in the local round of the Maryland Senior Idol competition last week. The winners move on to compete for the state title in November.

Leave behind Ritchie Highway and the hot white neon that glares at you from the Channel Home Center across the street and step into a rock'n'roll anachronism.Listen to the doo-wops doo-wopping, Elvis crooning "Blue Christmas," Chuck Berry reinventing the top two strings of an electric guitar and ancient bluesmen singing about hard living back when they knew it first-hand.At Roadhouse Oldies, three cramped rooms behind a brick storefront in Brooklyn Park that have served as a treasure trove of hard-to-find gems for 15 years, rock'n'roll still reigns.

Oldies But Goodies Cocker Spaniel Rescue is seeking volunteers to provide foster homes and transport animals, help with fundraising and attend adoption shows at PetSmart stores. The nonprofit organization rescues and provides medical care, rehabilitation and placement for homeless or abandoned cocker spaniels and cocker spaniel mixes in the Mid-Atlantic region. Information: 703-868-3899, cspaniel rescue1@aol.com or cockerspanielrescue.com.

The 2006 concert landscape looked a bit like a pop music rest home, shaped for the most part by artists who have been at it for three decades and more, according to the 2006 North America tour rankings released by the trade magazine Pollstar. The Rolling Stones and Barbra Streisand topped the list, and the Top 20 was littered with old-timers, including Elton John, Billy Joel, the Who, Def Leppard, Journey and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. And the biggest thing on the 2007 horizon? A reunion of Genesis, featuring Phil Collins.

The 1963 356 Carrera 2 Porsche is a vehicle of a remarkable vintage. About 445 of the cars were produced, mainly produced to confirm the cars' racing abilities. The speedy automobiles were created with the same engines used in the racing 904 Porsche and were built with aluminum doors, hoods and deck lids, to make the cars lighter and faster. The estimated value of these fast and very rare automobiles is in excess of $200,000. Given the value of the car, its owner wishes to remain unidentified.