Pop Chronicles

The Pop Chronicles of the 50s and 60s

Inspired by the Monterey Pop Festival,,,,, the Pop Chronicles of the 1950s and 1960s was originally produced at KRLA 1110 and first aired on February 9, 1969. John Gilliland narrated the series along with Sie Holliday and Thom Beck (pictured). Also performing interviews were Dick LaPalm, Lew Irwin, Harry Shearer, Mike Masterson, and Richard Perry. The show's brief recurring theme song “The Chronicles of Pop” was written and performed by Len Chandler. The engineer and associate producer of the series was Chester Coleman.

KRLA 1110 originally broadcast an hour a week of the Pop Chronicles, which were later syndicated and broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. The photo above indicates that it was broadcast on KABC-FM sometime before that station became KLOS.

The University of North Texas Music Library has made the Pop Chronicles available online since June 2010.

The Pop Chronicles of the 1940s

The Pop Chronicles of the 1940s was produced by John Gilliland and broadcast on KSFO (AM) while he worked there beginning in 1972 and 1976. To promote the show, KSFO "had a 40's month celebration with a dance remote and a jitterbug contest at Union Square." This was also syndicated and broadcast on AFRTS. In 1994, an edited version was released as the four cassette audiobook Pop Chronicles the 40's: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40's. This was later rereleased as The Big Band Chronicles.

After his death, Gilliand's sister donated the Pop Chronicles tapes to the University of North Texas Music Library where they form the John Gilliland Collection.