Those who frequented Ocean City might recognize this production miniature of the Haunted House attraction on 1st Street across from The Pier... 

                                                                        Raven's Stadium

KEN "KEN-ZO" HORSMAN In Memory of...

Kenneth Horsman was a former Ringling Bros, Barnum and Bailey Circus clown, Ronald McDonald and proprietor of Illusions Bar in Federal Hill

Kenneth was a former Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown (KEN-ZO), Ronald McDonald, Creator and owner of Illusions Magic Bar and Theatre which Kenneth managed along with his son Spencer Horsman. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/baltimoresun/obituary.aspx?pid=179996326#sthash.Z2WGNc5Q.dpuf

Kenneth was a former Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown (KEN-ZO), Ronald McDonald, Creator and owner of Illusions Magic Bar and Theatre which Kenneth managed along with his son Spencer Horsman. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/baltimoresun/obituary.aspx?pid=179996326#sthash.Z2WGNc5Q.dpuf

Kenneth was a former Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown (KEN-ZO), Ronald McDonald, Creator and owner of Illusions Magic Bar and Theatre which Kenneth managed along with his son Spencer Horsman. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/baltimoresun/obituary.aspx?pid=179996326#sthash.Z2WGNc5Q.dpuf

Baltimore Is Rocked !!!

 

 The Beatles’ only visit to Baltimore was on Sunday, September 13, 1964. They performed two shows at the Civic Center, to a total of 28,000 fans. The best seat in the house cost only $3.75. 

The support acts were The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence 'Frogman' Henry, and Jackie  DeShannon. 

During the day, two girls attempted to have themselves delivered to the venue in a large box labelled 'Beatles fan mail'. Their efforts were thwarted by a guard in charge of checking all deliveries. The Beatles stayed at the Holiday Inn after the second show. Police officers on horseback restrained the fans from storming the building.

Led Zeppelin, playing to a capacity crowd of nearly 13,000 at the Civic Center Sunday night, amply demonstrated how it became the number one British rock band after the death of the Beatles as a group.
Led Zeppelin has been known primarily for heavy electronic rock. One of the most pleasant parts of the concert Sunday night was an acoustic interlude with drummer John Bonham laying out and Page, Plant and Jones (playing mandolin) seated before microphones at the front of the stage. They did several songs, including Going to California and Tangerine, the highlight of which was the tight interplay between the mandolin and guitar.
After this demonstration of their versatility the group settled into their more familiar material – Dazed and Confused and Whole Lotta Love.
These tunes – very loud, tough and driving rock and roll – are what made Led Zeppelin’s name. Plant’s amazingly mobile voice, as variable an instrument as Page’s guitar and capable of almost as many special effects, is used to its greatest effect here – uncannily echoing the guitar phrases of turning up in the ensemble sound in unexpected but usually correct places. On the strength of this interweaving effect of voice and guitar, Page and Plant probably could get by as a duo.
For his part, Page has curbed his zeal for excessively long solos – although he uncorked one on Dazed and Confused, that was outstanding mainly for its length, in favor of more pungent statements. He also has given up fretting with the mike stand, an early device and now bows the guitar strings, brandishing the bow high in the air after sawing away at the strings to conduct the after-notes  echoing through the speakers. Page and Led Zeppelin have both come a long way since their first appearance in this area at the Laurel Pop Festival in 1969. (Balt. Sun, June 1972)

Setlist:

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, That's the Way, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Dazed and Confused, What Is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (medley incl. Let That Boy Boogie, I Need Your Love Tonight, Hello Mary Lou, Heartbreak Hotel, I'm Going Down, Going Down Slow), Rock and Roll, Communication Breakdown.

Read more about Zappa right here...

Baltimore's Frank Zappa at the Baltimore Civic Center in April 1969

Geddy Lee of RUSH sings the Canadian National Anthem on July 13, 1993
at Camden Yards in Baltimore

Baltimore was the site of the oddest pairing in music history! 
Sha Na Na & RUSH !?!
On September 13, 1974, Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush stepped out in front of a room full of older Baltimoreans. These "Greasers" in leather jackets with their ladies wearing bouffant hairdos and poodle skirts were there to relive teenage years in the form of 50's nostalgia group Sha Na Na!
Instead of doing the hop, they first got blasted by RUSH at full volume. Geddy Lee screaming over Alex's rocking hollow body guitar atop Neil's frantic rhythms. Also on the set list were early renditions of Anthem and By-Tor. I'm sure they went over well... lol. Rush were booed and they only returned to Baltimore many years later.

"Well, when I first toured in '74, on of the earliest ones was opening for Sha Na Na at a Baltimore high school. And it was my 22nd birthday. They didn't like us [laughs]. That was one of the worst matchups in history, until, five years later, let's say, when Blondie opened for us [laughs]. Bad choice" - Neil Peart

"It was a long time ago, the first tour in fact in 1974. We were playing at a university in Baltimore. It was just before the show and we came out to sort of peak around to look at the audience before the doors opened and they came in. And we saw that the girls were dressed in little white socks and long skirts and all the guys had greaser hairdos. It turned out to be one of these '50s sock hop things. We went on and were wearing satin pants and big high boots. And we started with 'Finding My Way' from the first record. They just sort of stood there and stared at us. Then by the second song they started to rumble. By the fourth song it was 'BOOOOO.' Get out of here! Get off!' So of course we turned everything up a little bit and continued to play. Then finally the promoter said, 'Thanks guys. You're done.' But they were nasty. They were really pissed off. I'm sure if we would have kept going they would have thrown their greasy combs at us." - Alex Lifeson

RUSH in Baltimore, May 7th, 2013

Gene Simmons of KISS at the Baltimore Civic Center July 13th, 1976

KISS doing a rare club gig at Hammerjacks on their Revenge Tour 1991



 KIX

Baltimore's own KIX!!! At Hammerjacks 1992

Possibly the greatest live band to have ever graced the stage of clubs across America.
These boys fearlessly performed with precision a host of the most difficult rock songs ever from bands such as
RUSH, STYX, KANSAS, EDGAR WINTER
From left to right
DJ Glass (bass) Greg Orem (Guitar) David Van Landing (Vocals) Tommy O'Steen (Drum) Dave White (Keyboards)
  
"After years of touring and “bad decisions,” the band broke up in 1990, even as it was still packing venues. “We thought there wasn’t a future for us,” David VanLanding.

The Boss in Baltimore!!!

How many great bands have played this venue?

Sam Walker

Baltimore Nighthawks

(from left to right)
Thomas C. Worthington III, Arthur Gans, Charles Fulton Oursler, Sam Walker, Earl Canapp, Hen Fetsch, Ernest B. Marx, Phil Thomas, Milbourne Christopher, Bob Tilford, Lou Walston, Bob McAllister, John Eck, Dantini, Vin Carry, Mike Schirmer, Paul Trattner, Henry Ridgley Evans and Frank Thompson...
Graphics by Kiddmagic

BALTIMORE MAGIC (The 18th & 19th Centuries)

Friday, December 3rd 1787 at the Old Theater FALCONI spoke five languages fluently and would entertain French soldiers stationed in Baltimore and elsewhere along the east coast.
Signor Falconi put on the earliest recorded magic performance in Baltimore on December 3, 1787 at the Old Theater. The Italian magician traveled the East Coast performing “Natural Philosophical Experiments,” which mostly relied on mechanical means. In his act, he used a hidden magnet to stop watches and attract small metal objects. He also employed an automaton who could answer audience members’ questions and predict which numbers would come on a pair of dice rolled by a volunteer. For the grand finale, Falconi would load a piece of paper with a question written on it into a pistol, which he fired out of the theater. A dove would then appear instantly bearing the answer to the question on the paper in its beak.
Baltimoreans went wild for Falconi’s show. He extended his stay in the city for several weeks and he rolled out more exciting illusions with even more exotic names for each show. People paid a handsome sum to see the “Talisman Chinois” and the “Theophrastus Paracelsus” in person— 75 cents for box seats and 50 for those in the pit. Four lucky—and presumably rich—attendees could pay to sit on stage during the show.

Henry Ridgely Evans
(Click me to learn more)

Baltimore’s own 
Librarian-Lawyer-Journalist-Mason-Magic Historian Extraordinaire!!!

  Considered one of the 20^th Century’s preeminent magic historians. 
His ability to write and record benefits the magic profession to this day!

ELIJAH J. BOND Inventor of The Ouija Board 
(Click me to learn more)

CAPTAIN CHESAPEAKE

"AHHHOOOOOOY CREW MEMBERS!"

Captain Chesapeake was a morning and afternoon children's show on WBFF (channel 45) in Baltimore, Maryland hosted by George A. Lewis who portrayed "Captain Chesapeake".
The show aired from April 1971 until 1990.

WHO REMEMBERS !?!
 
ANDREWCLAWS THE LION!?!

BRUCE THE BIRD!?!

MONDY THE SEA MONSTER!?!

THE CURIOUS CABIN!?!
Who remembers the "Curious Cabin" where universal laws did not apply?
Captain C would perform experiments such as pouring water from a pitcher where it spilled out at an angle! Ooooohhhh!!! lol

GEORGE A. LEWIS

AN INTERVIEW   It's nice to hear his voice   (CLICK ME)

The Captain Chesapeake show began with the poem: 

"A shipwrecked sailor found himself in a plight.
 Lost at sea he was really a sight. 
He swam and swam 'til he thought he'd die, 
when a wondrous sight appeared to his eye. 
A derelict boat that saved his life 
and put an end to his watery strife."



 

Children in Baltimore could become a "Crewmember" on the show. 

 

By the mid '70's, "Captain Chesapeake" boasted more than 50,000 card-carrying "crewmembers" and the station received as many as 3,000 letters to Lewis a week. 

 

 

 

BRUCE THE BIRD being his usual self and heckling CAPTAIN C and MONDY THE SEA MONSTER.  Audiences never got to see BRUCE THE BIRD, as he refused to come out of his birdhouse on camera! lol ... so kids would make drawings of how they imagined Bruce appeared and send them in to be shown on air.

"CAPT. C" loved his Goetze's Caramel creme candy...

...and his Briardale Cola

...to wash down a Double-R-Bar burger from Roy Rogers!!!
Everything a growing kid needs! lol 

"BE SOMEBODY IMPORTANT... BE YOURSELF"








AMONG THE SHOWS THE CAPTAIN WOULD FEATURE...

THE LITTLE RASCALS

"SEVEN BELLS... IT'S TIME FOR SPEED RACER!"

The theme song was the Bob Crosby tune "Stumbling" by The Three Suns. This theme was played from a 33 rpm at 45 rpm speed.

ON YOUTUBE...
THE CAPTAIN CHESAPEAKE INTRO (CLICK ME)

A TV COMMERCIAL FEATURING CAPT. C (CLICK ME)

 Lewis began his career as the children's host of the Steamboat Bill and Mr. Cartoon shows on WSAZ-TV in Huntington, West Virginia, from 1957 until 1970.

Mr. Cartoon was a television program for children that aired for over thirty years on WSAZ-TV, the local NBC affiliate in Huntington, West Virginia. The show was hosted by George A. Lewis until 1969. and by Jule Huffman until 1995. The show aired at four on weekday afternoons for one hour.

Lewis hosted a similar show, Captain Pitt on WPTT (channel 22) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Lewis also acted as "Ghost Host" on WBFF's late night horror movie show, and did news on WBFF prior to 1988.

EARLY GHOST HOST INTRO (Click Me)

LATER GHOST HOST INTRO (Late 80's)

WBFF 45 COMMERCIAL BREAK with GHOST HOST

A recreation of the original painting used in the GHOST HOST introduction.(1994)

George A. Lewis retired in 1990 and spent his last years amongst friends and loved ones. He passed away December 18, 2000 in Lutherville, Maryland. Captain Chesapeake had captured the hearts and imaginations of a generation in Baltimore with his gentle grace and respect towards America's youth. 
He was a good man. 
The best of men. 
He made the world a better place. 
God Bless you, Mr. Lewis.

"UNTIL NEXT TIME... SO LOOO-ONG CREW MEMBERS!"
SHOWS AIRED FOLLOWING CAPTAIN CHESAPEAKE...