On October 1, 2011 during Rockford's 2011 reunion, alumni of WRCR radio presented the staff of Rockford College Radio with a framed 45rpm record of Aquarius, the first record played from the lower Burpee Center studios when WRCR moved to the location in the fall of 1970.
Ross Hunter photo
Presented to Rockford College Radio October 1, 2011 by WRCR Radio Alumni
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical opened on Broadway in April of 1968. Aquarius was the opening number of the show.
This song was one of the most popular songs of 1969, worldwide, and in the United States it reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks in April and May. The lyrics of this song were based on the astrological belief that the world would soon be entering the Age of Aquarius, an age of love, light, and humanity.
In and 1969 the youth of America, especially those on college campuses, started protesting all the things that they saw wrong with America: racism, environmental destruction, poverty, sexism and sexual repression, violence at home and the war in Vietnam, depersonalization from new technologies, and corruption in politics. Contrary to popular opinion, the hippies had great respect for America and believed that they were the true patriots, the only ones who genuinely wanted to save our country and make it the best it could be once again.
So at the opening of WRCR . in the lower Burpee Center studios in August of 1970 we pondered the choice of the first song to be broadcast. It's hard to imagine if you weren't there at the time, but we really thought things were going to be "different" and we would be part of it. So the choice of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In seemed to be a good omen and portent of a bright future. We can only wish that the new WRCR 6.0 will continue the optimism and work toward the goals of the "Age…"
45 RPM record donated by Cece Forrester, '72