This 1978(?) Album 'Make It In Rockford' Must Be Heard By All

We have quite a bit to unpack here.

The other day, Double T came down to my office to tell me that he had discovered an awesome disco song that was about Rockford. We listened, and I was immediately intrigued. Take a listen yourself.

Amazing.

I needed more and did a little internet digging. Here's what I found.

It appears that back in the late 70s, Rockford's Chamber of Commerce had an ad campaign for the city. Part of it was these amazing 30-second spots.

Were these people local celebrities back in the day? Make sure you watch that whole video. The last 30-second spot is pretty amazing. I want to know more about that guy.

There were a few more YouTube clips with more Rockford songs. They're great.

It also was featured (I think that's the right word) on the David Letterman Show about 10 years later during a "Dave's Record Collection" segment.

Then I hit the mother lode. After googling roughly 20 different things, I finally hit the right combination and this website came up.

There I had a full tracklist with downloadable MP3s and a short description of where the album came from.

In the late 70s (or early 80s?), the Rockford, Illinois Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored a songwriting contest for the locals. An LP was produced, funded by Pepsi. One of the judges of the contest was Rick Nielsen (spelled "Neilson" on the back) from Cheap Trick.

Yes, apparently they misspelled Rick's name on the back of the album and honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Here's where I'm asking for a little help. Riley and I are going to be playing all these songs on the morning show all next week. 2 a day every morning at 5:35 during our usual musical theme week segment. We need some background on this album. Do you know anything about it? Do you know someone who was on it? Do you have a copy? There's a lot to talk about with this album and we don't want to leave any stone unturned.

Please find a way to reach out to either myself or Riley, email or Twitter are usually the best way, to let us know something we don't about this.

The fun starts Monday morning at 5:35. Can't wait.