Beautiful Spring evenings like we've been e having here in Northern Virginia lately remind me of those "heady" days when I was the official radio voice of the United States Air Force Band (The Airmen of Note....which was originally "The Glenn Miller Band in the 1940's.)
The band was stationed here in Washington and every Spring they would perform on weekends at the Watergate..
That was the original Watergate.....at ther Potomac River's edge....not the Hotel...after which the scandal was named.
This was BEFORE there was any scandal ....by the same name....
(Speaking of names, what a damn shame I had to change my name....when I went on the air in Washington, because of another "Ed Myers".....who was already "on the radio up here when I arrived in 1961.)
For seven wonderful years I had the honor of being the host of the band's national radio show, "Serenade in Blue." (Also Glen Miller's theme song) The weekly show was aired not only Nationally, but "worldwide" (wherever US troops were stationed) as well!
According to the Internet, "...In 2004, Washington Post writer John Kelly argued that the name was most directly linked to the "Water Steps" or "Water Gate," a set of ceremonial stairs west of the Lincoln Memorial that led down to the Potomac.[21][22][23] The steps had been originally planned as a ceremonial gateway to the city and an official reception area for dignitaries arriving in Washington, D.C., via water taxi from Virginia, though they never served this function.[21] Instead, beginning in 1935, the steps faced a floating performance stage on the Potomac River on which open-air concerts were held.[21][22] Up to 12,000 people would sit on the steps and surrounding grass and listen to symphonies, military bands, and operas. The music venue was depicted in scenes in the motion pictures Houseboat [14] and Born Yesterday (1950).[24] The barge concerts ended in 1965 when jet airliner service began at National Airport and the noise impaired the venue's viability."
What Great memories! What Great Music!
-Ed
