Lucille 12/29/19

You may think today's "Great Song of the '70s" is a goofy pick, but for all my old Toledo area friends, there's a cool connection.

For a short time, I worked at WTUU Radio, with studios located on the 4th floor of the Commodore Perry Motor Inn in downtown Toledo. It had been Top 40 WTTO for several years, but had just changed its call letters and the format to country.

A block or two away from WTUU, and right across from the Greyhound bus terminal, was a bar called the Country Palace, and one of the artists who frequently played there was singer/songwriter Roger Bowling.

Roger didn't have much success with his singing career--but his songwriting career took off in 1977 when Kenny Rogers recorded his song about the "Bar in Toledo, across from the Depot!"

WTUU, The Commodore Perry, the Country Palace, and the Depot are long gone, but thanks to "Lucille," the last two live on! (I also like to think the "rented hotel room" mentioned in the song was at the Commodore Perry!)

And one more argument as to why I think "Lucille" is NOT a goofy pick: In addition to being a #1 hit on the U.S. and Canadian country charts, this "Great Song of the '70s" was #1 on the Top 40 charts in Canada, the U.K. and South Africa, #2 in Ireland & New Zealand, #3 in Switzerland and #5 in the U.S.!

(TRIVIA: Kenny Rogers also had a huge hit with another Roger Bowling song: "Coward of the County.")