Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Dennnis Yost - Classics IV - R.I.P.

By LISA CORNWELL

CINCINNATI (AP) — Dennis Yost, lead singer of the 1960s group the Classics IV, has died in an Ohio hospital. He was 65.

Yost died Sunday at Fort Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton, about 30 miles northwest of Cincinnati. He died of respiratory failure, hospital spokeswoman Marielou Vierling said.

The Classics IV's hits included "Spooky," "Stormy" and "Traces of Love."

Yost had been in nursing homes since suffering a brain injury sustained in a 2005 fall, said Joe Glickman, the singer's friend and biographer .

"I'm still in shock because he was fine Saturday morning," said his wife, Linda Yost, of suburban Hamilton. "And by, you know, early Sunday morning he was gone."

The Classics IV got their start in Jacksonville, Fla., where Yost, a native of Detroit, was raised, Glickman said. Their hit recordings were produced in Atlanta under the supervision of producer Buddy Buie and Bill Lowery, founder of Lowery Music Inc.

The group performed together for about five years.

Buie, who was a co-writer of the group's songs with the group's guitarist, J.R. Cobb, said: "Dennis had an incredible voice — just a great voice for love songs."

The 67-year-old Buie, who's retired and living in Eufaula, Ala., added: "I am deeply saddened by his passing."

Cobb, 65, said he and Yost grew up in Jacksonville and rode motorcycles together before they were in the band. Cobb, who later performed with the Atlanta Rhythm Section and with the Highwaymen — a country group that included Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson — is retired and lives in Monticello, Ga.

"Dennis was a friend as well as a fellow musician," said Cobb. "I always thought he had a very distinctive voice, and I think we had some of the hits we had because of him and his ability as a singer."

Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, a vocalist with the former rock and comedy group Sha Na Na, held a benefit concert last year to help with Yost's increasing medical costs, Glickman said.

"He was a tremendous talent who did an enormous amount of the work for that group," said Bauman, who works against copycat performers as chairman of Truth in Music, based at the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation in Sharon, Pa.

"Paradoxically, I came to know Dennis better in the later years, in which he was involved in a massive struggle to retain his own musical identity, which was one of the saddest and most difficult cases of someone losing the name of their own group, when he had pretty much been the group," Bauman said.

Bauman said truth in music legislation has been adopted in 26 states, and a bill was expected to make it through the legislature and to the governor's desk next week in Yost's home state of Ohio.

Yost is survived by his wife and five children. A memorial service is planned for this weekend, Linda Yost said.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Brenda Lee - Voice Your Choice

Brenda Lee, "Little Miss Dynamite", began her professional singing career at age six. She was born Brenda Mae Tarpley on December 11, 1944 in Lithonia, Georgia. When she was just twelve years old, she signed with Decca Records in 1956. Between 1957 and 1973, she had 55 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. She became the #1 female singer of the 1960s.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents Brenda Lee with two of her well known and loved ballads for your votes: Emotions and Break It To Me Gently.

Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear by making your selection at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Paul Evans - Song of the Week

Paul Evans, a good friend of Treasure Island Oldies, sent along a great Christmas tune that I would like to share with you this week. It's called Santa's Stuck Up In The Chimney, our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael

Monday, December 01, 2008

Roy Orbison - Voice Your Choice

Roy Orbison was born April 23, 1936 in Vernon, Texas and dies of a heart attack at age 52 on December 6, 1988. He first hit the charts back in 1956 with Ooby Dooby, billed on the label as Roy Orbison and Teen Kings. Overall, he appeared on the Billboard charts thirty-two times and had ten Top Ten hits and a Gold Record for Oh, Pretty Woman.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights the late Roy Orbison with two of his well-loved songs for your votes: Blue Angel and It's Over.

Cast you vote at the Voice Your Choice page and make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.