History Repeats Itself--The Villagers Perform Hits By The Buckinghams on TV Show "The Village Square" from WAGA-TV, Atlanta (1965-1968)

One popular nationally syndicated show, "The Village Square" was broadcast each week between 1965-1968. The program was 30 mins of variety entertainment featuring the house band, The Villagers, Jeannie Le Bois, and the Village Dancers. The current hits on the charts were performed by The Villagers, and it's like deja vu all over again for The Buckinghams, who for 13 weeks were on the show All-Time Hits, doing this exact routine, performing the popular hits of the day.

Kind of a Drag, performed by The Villagers

It wasn't long before The Buckinghams were the hitmakers being emulated by groups of talented musicians across the country. And, All-Time Hits, on Chicago's own WGN-TV was the first local Chicago program broadcast in color. The Village Dancers are also an important part of the formula The Buckinghams had accompanying them on their TV performances.

An even more subtle feature is the silver drum kit in the background looks very much like the kit Jon-Jon used on All-Time Hits. Nothing succeeds like success, and it was a great delight to hear these renditions of 'Buckinghams' hits of the day'. The lead singer appears at home with the hits of the day, as though he'd recorded them himself.

Thanks to YouTube user WNWEST, here we can watch two Buckinghams hits, as performed by talented young men known to TV audiences as The Villagers.

This clip is their performance of "Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song." Listen at the very beginning of the clip for the true-to-form record performance including the laughing and quickly spoken words, just like you'll hear on The Bucks' record. The Village Dancers keep up quite nicely.

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