Jack Good, producer of Oh Boy!, Six-Five Special, and Shindig has passed away. If Pop music was the epicenter of the 1960s cultural revolution, we can't overlook the impact Good had on shaping the way the youth generation saw and experienced the many styles and trends via television. Joining the BBC as producer of Six-Five Special in 1957, Good's vision was to move away from elaborate sets so cameras could film through the milling crowds of kids and dancers to the musicians. Like so many facets of the period, he shifted attention toward a dynamic, active sense of participation- a style that would continue to influence the look and vibe of music programs. A lesser, narrative film adaptation of the Six-Five Special was made without Good in 1958, which remains a time capsule of an era when the music scene was dominated by cross-genre artists from Trad Jazz, Skiffle, and Pop Vocal (It's Trad Dad by Dick Lester in 1962 improved on the idea). Jack Good left the BBC in 1958 to create Oh Boy! for ITV, which focussed more on Rock and Roll. His efforts helped the careers of a golden roster of stars in the UK such as Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, Billy Fury, and Marty Wild. He produced an early Beatles special in 1964 called Around The Beatles. And like producer Joe Boyd and Tad Jazz frontman Chris Barber, Good was also a champion of the American Blues (rhythm and blues) boom. His attempts in the early 1960s to create a show for the US market finally developed into Shindig! in September 1964. The musical series brought artists like Bo Diddley, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Cilla Black, The Dave Clark Five, Donovan, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits, The Hollies, Georgie Fame, The Pretty Things, Johnny Rivers, The Supremes, The Who, Howling' Wolf, The Yardbirds, The Zombies, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones into living rooms everywhere. But things moved quickly in the 1960s and the program's wave lasted only two years (Good left in 1965). In the UK, the show was cancelled in 1966 to make room for a new phenomenon, Batman. Jack Good appeared on a number of other programs, and he produced the infamous Monkees special: 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee in 1969. Jack Good devoted his later years to painting and to his commitment to the church. He died on September 24th at the age of eighty-six. Learn more about Oh Boy! and Jack Good.
