Leach Library to Host Musical History of “Your Hit Parade”

On Thursday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m., the Londonderry Leach Library will host the talk “Your Hit Parade—25 Years Presenting America’s Top Popular Songs.” Presenter Calvin Knickerbocker will cover the history of the popular music program while featuring original recordings of the songs showcased on its weekly Saturday night show.

Calvin Knickerbocker is an independent scholar with over twenty years of experience in the field of education, sixteen of which were spent managing education programs. He has developed and taught fourteen courses for Nashua’s Rivier College RISE (Rivier Institute of Senior Education) program on such topics as big bands, folk music, and the music of Broadway. He currently travels around the state presenting similarly-themed programs in conjunction with the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

In this program, Mr. Knickerbocker will focus on the radio and television show “Your Hit Parade” that ran from 1935 until 1959. He will discuss the origin of the show, its evolution over time, and the well-known vocalists whose careers it helped launch, including Frank Sinatra and Elvis. Much of the program will be devoted to playing excerpts from original recordings of top hits featured over the years, displaying the transitions in musical trends from the big band years to the early rock period.

The event is being sponsored by the Friends of the Londonderry Leach Library. It is free and open to the public, and will be held in the library’s lower-level meeting room. Light refreshments will be served.