Monday, May 31, 2010

Treasure Island Oldies Now Heard on SpaceCoastIRadio

I am pleased to announce that we have added another station to the Treasure Island Oldies Broadcast Partners Network. I'd like to say a big hello and welcome to SpaceCoastIRadio.com, Spreading Music from the Space Coast of Florida. This Merritt Island, Florida radio station will be airing our show twice every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again from 8 p.m. to Midnight. I look forward to spending some of your weekend time with you. And be sure to let me know any song you'd like to hear. You can either Call the 24/7 Listener Line at 206-203-4678 and record your message or Click the Requests button on any page of Treasure Island Oldies.

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies


This Week on Treasure Island Oldies
May 30th, 2010 to June 5th, 2010

I'd like to welcome another radio station to the Treasure Island Oldies Broadcast Partners Network, SpaceCoastIRadio.com, spreading music from the Space Coast of Florida on Merritt Island. We'll be with you on the station twice every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again from 8 pm to midnight. I look forward to being part of your station!

The Chat Room was hopping and full of fun once again this week with the Nuts in the Hut having a blast visiting with their friends and listening to great music. What a combination! Please consider this your invitation to join in on the fun every Sunday from 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific. To log into the Chat Room, click Chat on the Menu and follow the instructions. See you next Sunday night.

It was very nice hearing from Christina Vahlsing in New Mexico with her five great requests: Needle In A Haystack by The Velvelettes, Mickey's Monkey by The Miracles, Shirley Ellis and The Clapping Song, The Spinners with The Rubberband Man, and finally, Motown's Temptations with Psychedelic Shack. It was good to hear from Kitten Connie with a request for the love of her life, Rich in Hillside, Illinois. She asked me to play Pledging My Love by Johnny Ace. And Vance in Everett, Washington called in with a good request too, Bongo Rock by Preston Epps. It would be great to hear from you with your requests. Call or Click: the 24/7 Listener Line at 206-203-4678 or the Requests button on any page of the website.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Bruce Toews in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was fun to play Birthday by The Beatles for Bruce. If you have a birthday coming up, by all means let me know and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and Play our official birthday song. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Shirley in Cleveland, Ohio, who is going into the hospital for some surgery. And to our own Webmaster, Eddy Fisher, who is also going into the hospital for a procedure on his spine. We wish them both a very speedy recovery.

The talk about the great documentary movie The Wrecking Crew continues and its reputation as an excellent look at the hits, hit makers, and the musicians that made it all happen. I was so excited about what I've been reading that I sent in this comment: "Doug is absolutely right about The Wrecking Crew documentary movie. I saw it at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2008 and then spent a fantastic evening after with its director, Denny Tedesco, a great guy and the son of the great guitarist Tommy Tedesco. He made this movie for all the right reasons: to tell the story of the players, to mesmerize the audience with the breadth of music these guys and gals played on, and for the passion he has for the music and wanted to share with music fans everywhere. We've been keeping in touch with each other ever since our visit. I too hope this movie finally gets into wide circulation/distribution and the home DVD market ASAP. It's great music and great history!" Find out more about this movie by visiting the official website at http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com.

It was great to have the voting booth back up and running again this week and there were many votes on Voice Your Choice once again. Next week we feature Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin with two of her later hits for your votes: Until You Come Back To Me and Rock Steady. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The Beach Boys in a live TV performance of Surfer Girl, played and sung live. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Get ready for two more specials in June: our Annual Father's Day Special on June 20th, and our 14th Annual Summer Beach Party on June 27th.

You can check out both the Rock & Roll News and the Top 5 Countdown and both are available at the website. Click Podcast for the Rock & Roll News and click Listen for the Top 5 Countdown. You can Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes. Go to the iTunes Store and search Treasure Island Oldies Rock and Roll News Podcast. Did you know that there are over eleven thousand downloads of the Rock & Roll News Podcast every month?

Send in your photo for the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Many folks have, but there's still room for yours. Send your picture, name and city to michael@treasureislandoldies.com . I look forward to receiving  it from you.

Is your high school, college or university Alma Mater planning a Reunion? Let me know and I'll be pleased to let the listeners know about it. Today with people scattered all around the globe, it is sometimes difficult to reach them. I'll do my best to help publicize and promote your Reunion. Send the details to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Have a good week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Aretha Franklin - Voice Your Choice

There is only one Aretha Franklin! Lady Soul was born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 25, 1942 and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She was heavily influenced musically by her famous gospel preacher father, Reverend Cecil L. Franklin. Despite recording for two labels JVB/Battle in 1956 and Columbia Records in 1960, she had little success until she was wooed to sign with Atlantic Records where she worked with producer Jerry Wexler.

Between 1961 and 1998 Aretha appeared on the charts a total of 76 times, achieving 17 Top Ten Hits and 15 Gold Records. Isn't that astounding!!!

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, we are pleased to present Aretha Franklin with two of her early 1970s Top Five hits for your votes: Until you Come Back To Me and Rock Steady, both Gold Records for Lady Soul. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

The Beach Boys - Song of the Week

We're playing the Beach Boys on the Treasure Island Oldies Blog with a live TV performance of the first slow song they ever recorded. They're so young, both in the picture and in the video clip! Surfer Girl is our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Art Linkletter Famed TV Host Has Died At Age 97


LOS ANGELES – Art Linkletter, who as the gently mischievous host of TV's "People Are Funny" and "House Party" in the 1950s and '60s delighted viewers with his ability to get kids — and grownups — to say the darndest things on national television, died Wednesday. He was 97.
Linkletter died at his home in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles, said his son-in-law, Art Hershey, the husband of Sharon Linkletter.
"He lived a long, full, pure life, and the Lord had need for him," Hershey said.
Linkletter had been ill "in the last few weeks time, but bear in mind he was 97 years old. He wasn't eating well, and the aging process took him," Hershey said.
Linkletter hadn't been diagnosed with any life-threatening disease, he said.
Linkletter was known on TV for his funny interviews with children and ordinary folks. He also collected their comments in a number of best-selling books.
"Because of Art Linkletter, adults found themselves enjoying children," said Bill Cosby, whose style interviewing kids on his own show in the late '90s was often compared to Linkletter's.
"An amazing fellow, a terrific broadcast talent, a brilliant businessman. An all-around good guy," CNN's Larry King added about his longtime friend and frequent guest.
Asked what made Linkletter so appealing to audiences, King said, "He had an unusual voice, a twang to his voice that was immediately recognizable. And he looked like your favorite uncle."
"Art Linkletter's House Party," one of television's longest-running variety shows, debuted on radio in 1944 and was seen on CBS-TV from 1952 to 1969.
"On `House Party' I would talk to you and bring out the fact that you had been letting your boss beat you at golf over a period of months as part of your campaign to get a raise," Linkletter wrote.
"All the while, without your knowledge, your boss would be sitting a few feet away listening, and at the appropriate moment, I would bring you together," he wrote. "Now, that's funny, because the laugh arises out of a real situation."
Linkletter's programs — like many of today's reality TV shows — often relied on ordinary people sharing too much information on national television.
But his shows were far gentler than today's often mean-spirited productions. His guests experienced, at most, mild embarrassment instead of utter humiliation. When Linkletter elicited an all-too-revealing remark from a guest, he did it with devilish charm, not malice.
Though "House Party" had many features, the best known was the daily interviews with schoolchildren.
Linkletter collected quotes from children into "Kids Say The Darndest Things," and it sold in the millions. The book "70 Years of Best Sellers 1895-1965" ranked "Kids Say the Darndest Things" as the 15th top seller among nonfiction books in that period.
The prime time "People Are Funny," which began on radio in 1942 and ran on TV from 1954 to 1961, emphasized slapstick humor and audience participation — things like throwing a pie in the face of a contestant who couldn't tell his Social Security number in five seconds, or asking him to go out and cash a check written on the side of a watermelon.
The down-to-earth charm of Linkletter's broadcast persona seemed to be mirrored by his private life with his wife of more than a half-century, Lois. They had five children, whom he wrote about in his books and called the "Links."
But in 1969, his 20-year-old daughter Diane jumped to her death from her sixth-floor Hollywood apartment. He blamed her death on LSD use, but toxicology tests found no LSD in her body after she died.
Still, the tragedy prompted Linkletter to become a crusader against drugs.
A son, Robert, died in a car accident in 1980. Another son, Jack Linkletter, was 70 when he died of lymphoma in 2007.
Art Linkletter got his first taste of broadcasting with a part-time job while attending San Diego State College in the early 1930s. He graduated in 1934.
"I was studying to be an English professor," Linkletter once said. "But as they say, life is what happens to you while you're making other plans."
He held a series of radio and promotion jobs in California and Texas, experimenting with audience participation and remote broadcasts, before forming his own production company in the 1940s and striking it big with "People Are Funny" and "House Party."
Linkletter was born Arthur Gordon Kelly on July 17, 1912, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. His unwed mother put him up for adoption when he was a baby; when he was about 7, he and his adoptive parents moved to the U.S., eventually settling in San Diego.
He recalled his preacher-father forced him to take odd jobs to help the family. So Linkletter left and became a hobo, hopping trains across the West, working where he could. He recalled later that he felt the religious faith instilled by his father had been a great gift.
After leaving daily broadcasting in 1969, Linkletter continued to write, lecture and appear in television commercials.
Among his other books, were "Old Age is Not for Sissies," "How To Be a Supersalesman," "Confessions of a Happy Man," "Hobo on the Way to Heaven" and his autobiography, '`I Didn't Do It Alone."
A recording Linkletter made with his daughter Diane not long before she died, "We Love You, Call Collect," was issued after her death and won a Grammy award for best spoken word recording.
"Life is not fair ... not easy," Linkletter said in a 1990 interview by The Associated Press. "Outside, peer pressure can wreak havoc with the nicest families. So that's the part that's a gamble.
"But I'm an optimist. Even though I've had tragedies in my life, and I've seen a lot of difficult things, I still am an optimist," he said.
Linkletter had extensive business interests. He headed a company involved in real estate development and management and operation of cattle ranches in Montana, New Mexico and California. He held interests in oil and gas wells, owned livestock in Australia and was involved in a solar energy firm.
"In a couple of months Art Linkletter would have been 98 years old, a full life of fun and goodness, an orphan who made it to the top," reflected Phyllis Diller. "What a guy."
He is survived by his wife, Lois, whom he married in 1935, and daughters Dawn Griffin and Sharon Linkletter, as well as seven grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
The family said no services were planned at this time.

Voice Your Choice - Back Up And Working Again

You can now vote again!! The polling booth is now fixed and fully functional once again. There's nothing missing, nothing hanging, just a clean democratic system. LOL

And by the way, it's Frank Sinatra we're featuring this week on Voice Your Choice with two of his later carer hits for your votes: That's Life and Strangers In The Night. Which song do you prefer? Cast your vote now by clicking the Voice Your Choice page and making your selection. The winning song will be played in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Monday, May 24, 2010

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

May 23rd, 2010 to May 29th, 2010
I sure enjoyed spending time with you on this week's show. And it was a pleasure to have Matt Meaney join me in the studio. Not only is Matt a good friend and former DJ and he produces our weekly feature Hits From Across the Pond with Fay Greenwood. We had fun both on and off air with quite a few laughs. Come back any time Matt.

The Voice Your Choice voting provider is still having problems and continues to be down. We may have to suspend Voice Your Choice this week; I will let you know with a posting on the Voice Your Choice page and at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog as the week progresses. Thanks for your patience.

I would like to wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play Birthday by The Beatles for you. Let me know when your birthday is coming up by sending an email to birthday@treasureislandoldies.com.

Welcome back wishes go out to George Mooth in Edwardsburg, Michigan, who is on the mend from recent surgery. It was good to have him back in the Chat Room. It would be fun to have you join in on the friendly conversation and banter with the regulars in the Chat Room, or as I call them the Nuts In The Hut. It's easy to become part of the crowd every Sunday during the live chow. Click Chat on the Menu on any page of the website and follow the instructions. Hope to welcome you next week.

It is my pleasure to play your requests on the show and I am always happy to hear from you, either via email by clicking the Requests button on any page of the website or by calling our Listener Line at 206-203-4678. As you know, Treasure Island Oldies has a very extensive deep music library from which to pick the songs you hear on the show. However, I do not have access to vinyl albums or 45s to play on the show. So I have a request for you: please do not ask for album cuts or B sides that were not hits. Treasure Island Oldies features Lost Treasures, songs that were on the Top 100 charts that you may not have heard in many years. Lost Treasures does not mean album cuts, B sides or songs that are obscure and never charted. Thanks for your understanding and co-operation.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The Association in a great live performance of their Number 1 Gold record, Cherish. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

You can check out both the Rock & Roll News and the Top 5 Countdown and both are available at the website. Click Podcast for the Rock & Roll News and click Listen for the Top 5 Countdown. You can Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes. Go to the iTunes Store and search Treasure Island Oldies Rock and Roll News Podcast. Did you know that there are over eleven thousand downloads of the Rock & Roll News Podcast every month?

Send in your photo for the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Many folks have, but there's still room for yours. Send your picture, name and city to michael@treasureislandoldies.com . I look forward to receiving  it from you.

Is your high school, college or university Alma Mater planning a Reunion? Let me know and I'll be pleased to let the listeners know about it. Today with people scattered all around the globe, it is sometimes difficult to reach them. I'll do my best to help publicize and promote your Reunion. Send the details to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Have a good week.

Bye for now.

Michael

The Association - Song of the Week

The Association, from Los Angeles, California, were a great vocal harmony pop group. One of their top hits was Cherish, a Number 1 hit and a Gold Record. This week the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The Association in a wonderful and entertaining clip of a live performance. Listen to how well they blended their voices as they perform Cherish, our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Voice Your Choice - Technical Issues Continue

The problems we were experiencing last week with Voice Your Choice have not yet been resolved. I have been in touch with the support team that provides our voting booth and they are trying their best to get the voting manager working again ASAP. If it is not fixed in time for this week's show, then we'll declare a tie once again and play both songs. Sorry for the inconvenience. See you Sunday night for the live show.
Bye for now.
Michael







Monday, May 17, 2010

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

This week on Treasure Island oldies
May 16th, 2010 to May 22nd, 2010

I am pleased to advise you that the Real Media Show Archives are back up and running again. My thanks to our Webmaster, Eddy Fisher and Ross at insinc for working so diligently to get everything back up and running. Fortunately the 24/7 Continuous Feed was never down and continues to be working just fine and is also available on the Listen page for your enjoyment.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to my mom, Kathleen Godin, who turned 90 years young this week. It was a treat to wish her Happy Birthday on the show and play our official birthday song for her. And if you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know by sending your name birthday date and city to birthday@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll recognize you on the show and play Birthday by The Beatles for you.

Speaking of glitches, the company that provides our voting counting service for Voice Your Choice is undergoing some upgrades. Accordingly, we were unable to complete the voting for Johnny Rivers this week. As a result, I decided to call it a draw and ended up playing both Slow Dancing Swayin' To The Music and Summer Rain. I am sure the upgrades will be completed for next week when Voice Your Choice will feature Pat Boone with two of his most loved songs: April Love and Love Letters In The Sand. Which song would you like to hear? To ensure that you don't get an error message, please wait for a few days before you cast your vote. Then click the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website. If all goes well, the winning song will be played on next week's show.

As you know, there are many radio stations that carry Treasure Island Oldies. I'm pleased to let you know that The Crow in McKinney, Texas is now also heard on 1560 AM as well as 99.9 FM. Please check our complete list of stations, click the Visit Our Affiliate Broadcast Stations button.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing Gary Lewis And The Playboys in a clip filled with screaming girls at the beginning and end! Count Me In is our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

You can check out both the Rock & Roll News and the Top 5 Countdown and both are available at the website. Click Podcast for the Rock & Roll News and click Listen for the Top 5 Countdown. You can Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes. Go to the iTunes Store and search Treasure Island Oldies Podcast. Did you know that there are over eleven thousand downloads of the Rock & Roll News Podcast every month?

Send in your photo for the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Many folks have, but there's still room for yours. Send your picture, name and city to michael@treasureislandoldies.com . I look forward to receiving  it from you.

Is your high school, college or university Alma Mater planning a Reunion? Let me know and I'll be pleased to let the listeners know about it. Today with people scattered all around the globe, it is sometimes difficult to reach them. I'll do my best to help publicize and promote your Reunion. Send the details to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Have a good week.

Bye for now.

Micha
el

Pat Boone - Voice Your Choice

Pat Boone has had one of the most amazing careers of anyone from the Rock and Roll era. Here's a few stats for you: he is the artist with the longest chart career of anyone - he had songs on the chart from 1955 to 2003. He is the #2 male artist of the rock era, right behind Elvis Presley (who said in an interview that Pat Boone was his favourite singer), he's the #10 artist with the most charted hits; of all recording artists, he is #6 with the most Top Ten hits, he even had 21 double-sided hits. What a career!

Some people have criticized Pat Boone for 'stealing' hits from artists such as Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ivory Joe Hunter, and others. The fact is that these R and B artists recorded at the time for small regional labels with very limited distribution and airplay, certainly not on a national basis. Were it not for white artists such as Pat Boone, there is a good chance the rock and roll era would have turned out completely different. By recording these Rhythm and Blues hits, the white listening audience was exposed to some exceptional music, which opened the door to the black R&B artists getting the opportunity to have their own hit records from coast to coast. There is no denying the success and impact Pat Boone has had on the Rock and Roll era.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights two of Pat Boone's biggest hit songs: April Love and Love Letters In The Sand. Come to the website and click on the Voice Your Choice button, then make your selection. The song with the most votes will get played in Hour 3 of this week's show.

Gary Lewis And The Playboys - Song of the Wee

This week we're playing a great mid-60s pop band, Gary Lewis And The Playboys, with one of their top hits, Count Me In. It's Our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael


Saturday, May 15, 2010

Lena Horne - Actress And Singer Has Died At Age 92

Actress and singer Lena Horne died May 9 at a hospital in New York. She was 92. Born in Brooklyn in 1917, Lena joined the chorus at the Cotton Club in Harlem when she was just 16, soon graduating to singing at the club, then on to Broadway and Hollywood musicals. Appearing in dozens of musicals on the screen, her performance of "Stormy Weather" in the 1943 musical of that name became her signature song. It also was her first hit record, making it to #21 that year. All told, Lena charted six times, including "One For My Baby" (#21-1945), "Deed I Do" (#26-1848) and "Love Me Or Leave Me" (#19-1955). Her last movie was as Glinda the Good Witch in "The Wiz" in 1978. But her 1981 one-woman show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music" earned her a Tony award. Lena was a Kennedy Center honoree in 1984, and received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1998.

Five Americans Singer Norman Ezell Has Died

Norman Ezell, vocalist and guitarist with the Five Americans and lyricist of their biggest hit, "Western Union," died of cancer Saturday (May 8) near his home in Lodi, California. He was 68. Born in Chelsea, Alabama, Norman grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico before attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant on a football and basketball scholarship. There he helped form a band called the Mutineers (along with Michael Rabon, John Durrill, James Grant and James Wright), which moved to Dallas after graduation and became the Five Americans. Joining Jon Abdnor's Abnak Records, they switched from playing surf music to a more British sound, though contrasting that with the "Americans" name. Their first single, "I See The Light," was released in 1965 and graduated to national prominence when leased to HBR Records at the end of the year. It reached a respectable #26 early in 1966, as did "Evol-Not Love" (#52). 1967 saw Abnak distribute their own records and "Western Union" benefitted, reaching #5 and staying on the charts for 12 weeks. But similar sounding "Sound Of Love" and (especially) "Zip Code" only got to #36 and, after three more songs that never got out of the top 95, the group disbanded in 1969. Norman became a born-again Christian, teacher and minister in northern California. He also wrote two books.

Monday, May 10, 2010

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies


This week on Treasure Island Oldies
May 9th, 2010 to May 15th, 2010

We had a wonderful celebration for Mom with our Annual Mother's Day Special and I thank you for your requests. It is surprising just how many songs have been released over the years that are either a tribute to mothers or have Mom, Mammy, Mother, Mamma, etc. in the song title. When I played I.O.U. by Jimmy Dean, it was very moving and generated quite a few comments in the Chat Room. In a way, that might just be the ultimate record for Mother's Day. Mark your calendar for Sunday, June 20th for our Annual Father's Day Special. Once again I will gather all kinds of songs relating to Dad in recognition of his very special day. As usual, if there is a song you'd like me to play on our Father's Day Special, be sure to let me know. Click the Requests button on any page of the website or Call the 24/7 Listener Line at 206-203-4678.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is keeping the Mother's Day celebration going all this week by playing Connie Francis in a live performance of Mama. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice spotlights Johnny Rivers, who made his name and got his career started in a big way by recording cover versions of songs that had been hits for other artists. However, this week we're featuring two original songs for your votes. Would you like to hear Slow Dancing Swayin' To The Music or Summer Rain? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winning song in the third hour of next week's show.

If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play our official birthday song for you, Birthday by The Beatles. Send the details to birthday@treasureislandoldies.com.

The get well list continues this week with our best wishes going out to Craig Smith in Keswick, Ontario, who ended up back in the hospital this past week for a few days. Fortunately he was released in time to be home to listen to this week's show and for a visit in the Chat Room. George Mooth in Edwardsburg, Michigan, is also on the not well list. Hope you both feel better very soon.

You can check out both the Rock & Roll News and the Top 5 Countdown and both are available at the website. Click Podcast for the Rock & Roll News and click Listen for the Top 5 Countdown. You can Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes. Go to the iTunes Store and search Treasure Island Oldies Podcast. Did you know that there are over eleven thousand downloads of the Rock & Roll News Podcast every month?

Send in your photo for the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Many folks have, but there's still room for yours. Send your picture, name and city to michael@treasureislandoldies.com . I look forward to receiving  it from you.

Is your high school, college or university Alma Mater planning a Reunion? Let me know and I'll be pleased to let the listeners know about it. Today with people scattered all around the globe, it is sometimes difficult to reach them. I'll do my best to help publicize and promote your Reunion. Send the details to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Have a good week.

Bye for now.

Micha
el

Johnny Rivers - Voice Your Choice

Johnny Rivers was born John Ramistella in Brooklyn, New York on November 7, 1942, but was raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Legendary DJ Alan Freed named him Johnny Rivers in 1958.

To say Johnny was persistent would be an understatement. He recorded for no less than 12 different labels between 1958 to 1964, without having one record hit the national charts. However, things sure changed when he was signed to Imperial Records in 1964. It was then that his career took off with cover versions that he recorded at the Whiskey A GoGo nite club on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, including Memphis, Maybelline, Seventh Son, Secret Agent Man, and others. He even started his own label, Soul City Records, in Los Angeles in 1966, eventually signing the Fifth Dimension.

Between 1964 and 1978, he appeared on the Billboard chart a total of 29 times and attained 9 Top Ten hits along with 2 Gold Records.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Johnny Rivers with two of his original non-cover hit songs: Slow Dancing Swayin' To The Music and Summer Rain. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Connie Francis - Song Of The Week

In keeping with our Mother's Day Special theme on Treasure Island Oldies, here is the fantastic Connie Francis performing live with an orchestra, of a perfect song for Mother's Day. Here she is, Connie Francis, performing Mama, our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Dave Fisher Lead Singer of The Highwaymen Dead At Age 70

Dave Fisher, founding member, musical director and lead singer of the Highwaymen, died Friday (May 7) at the age of 70. While still a high school student in New Haven, Connecticut, Dave sang with a doo-wop group called the Academics that released three singles on Ancho Records (while he was with them). Moving on a year later to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, Dave started the Highwaymen with Bob Burnett, Steve Trott, Chan Daniels and Steve Butts. Originally calling themselves the Clansmen, they quickly changed their name due to its unsavory connotations. The new moniker came from the Alfred Noyes poem of that name. After honing their act for two years on campus, the quintet travelled to New York, where they quickly picked up a manager, producer and recording contract. Their first single on United Artists Records was the classic folk tune, "Michael (Row The Boat Ashore)." Released during the height of the "folk boom," it's not surprising that it sailed to #1 for two weeks in the Summer of 1961. It was followed early the next year by the double-sided hit, "Cotton Fields" (#13) and "The Gypsy Rover" (#42). The group steadfastly refused to leave school, performing only on weekends, which slowed their success. "I'm On My Way" only reached #90 in 1962 and "The Bird Man" finished their chart run at #64 that year. While most of the others went on to law or business schools when the group disbanded in 1964 (Steve Trott served at one time as Assistant U.S. Attorney General and became a federal judge), Dave stuck with music, recording solo for Columbia and MGM Records before eventually working with former Four Preps singer Glen Larson on the music for his television productions (including the 1987 production, "The Highwayman"). A lawsuit filed by the original Highwaymen against the later Johnny Cash-Willie Nelson-Waylon Jennings-Kris Kristofferson incarnation was settled amicable when Dave's group opened a concert for the others and then granted them limited use of the name.

Monday, May 03, 2010

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies


This week on Treasure Island Oldies
May 2nd, 2010 to May 8th, 2010

Wasn't that a party! Our 13th Anniversary Special was a resounding success by all counts. So many of you called in with your anniversary wishes while other listeners emailed their greetings. It was a pleasure to hear from Sunny in Berkeley, Illinois, Paul in Ellicott City, Maryland, Judy from Canton, Ohio, Rick and Connie in Madison, Wisconsin (who are celebrating their 24th Wedding Anniversary this week - All the best to you both). I also heard from Roy in Campbell River, British Columbia, Rich in Hillside, Illinois, Shirley in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mike and Maureen in Berkley, California, Vance in Everett, Washington, plus California Barb with two great requests. JJ in Pickering, Ontario also called in and he too had a great Beach Boys request. It was wonderful to receive an email from Linda in La Habra, California who sent a beautifully written note to me. Joe in Missouri got in touch for the very first time to send along his anniversary greetings and comments on the show. It was so good to hear from all of you. Thank you very much. You made this not just another special, but a very special occasion for me.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to our very own Webmaster, Eddy Fisher, who celebrates his birthday this week. And on the same day Marc Baillergeon, a long time listener in Edmonton, Alberta, is also celebrating his birthday. It was great to play our official birthday song, Birthday by The Beatles for Eddy and Marc. If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know and I'll with you Happy Birthday on the show and play our official birthday song for you. Send the details to birthday@treasureislandoldies.com.

Be sure to listen to the show next week for our Annual Mother's Day Special. Every song will have something to do with the Mother's Day theme. If there is a special song you'd like me to play, please let me know. Call the 24/7 Listener Line at 206-203-4678 and record you message. You can also email your request; Click the Requests button on any page of the website.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is continuing the celebration of our 13th Anniversary by playing Celebrate by Three Dog Night in a great live performance. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice is featuring the group Edward Bear, a great Canadian trio from Toronto, Ontario, with two of their hits for your votes. Would you rather hear Last Song or You, Me & Mexico? Cast your vote by clicking the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website. We'll play the winning song next week during our Annual Mother's Day Special.

The get well list continues this week with our best wishes going out to Fred Waterer in St. Catharines, Ontario, and to George Mooth in Edwardsburg, Michigan. Hope you feel better very soon.

Running short on time? You can check out both the Rock & Roll News and the Top 5 Countdown and both are available here at the website. Click Podcast for the Rock & Roll News and click Listen for the Top 5 Countdown. You can Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes. Go to the iTunes Store and search Treasure Island Oldies Podcast. You'll be part of the over eleven thousand downloads every month.

Send in your photo for the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Many folks have, but there's still room for yours. Send your picture, name and city to michael@treasureislandoldies.com . I look forward to receiving  it from you.

Is your high school, college or university Alma Mater planning a Reunion? Let me know and I'll be pleased to let the listeners know about it. Today with people scattered all around the globe, it is sometimes difficult to reach them. I'll do my best to help publicize and promote your Reunion. Send the details to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Have a good week.

Bye for now.

Micha
el

Edward Bear - Voice Your Choice

Edward Bear were a pop trio from Toronto, Ontario, who took their name from a character in Winnie The Pooh. They scored six hits in their native Canada, and three on the Billboard charts in the USA between 1970 and 1974. The group, signed to Capitol Records, was comprised of Larry Evoy on vocals and drums, Roger Ellis on guitar, and Paul Weldon on keyboards.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features Edward Bear with two of their big hits for your votes: Last Song and You, Me & Mexico. Come to the Voice Your Choice page to make your selection for the song you'd like to hear. We'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show, during our Annual Mother's Day Special.

Three Dog Night - Song of the Week

In recognition of the 13th Anniversary this week of Treasure Island Oldies, I thought it would be fun to play Celebrate by Three Dog Night for you. It's a good live performance and our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!
Michael

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Connie Coidarini of The Four Lads Has Died At Age 80

Corrado "Connie" Codarini, original bass singer with the Four Lads, died Wednesday (April 28) in Concord, North Carolina at the age of 80. Originally formed by choir members at St. Michael's Church in Toronto, the quartet began performing in clubs there. One night while they performed an imitation of the Golden Gate Quartet, the leader of the group was in the audience and phoned his manager in New York to hear it. That led to an invitation to the Big Apple where club and TV appearances led to a 1951 contract with Columbia Records, who soon used them as backup singer for Johnnie Ray on hits like "Cry" (#1-1951), "The Little White Clod That Cried" (#2-1951) and "Please Mr. Sun" (#6-1952). Moving on to their own recording the Lads charted 28 times between 1951 and 1959, including "Moments To Remember " (#2-1955), "No Not Much" (#2-1956), "Standing On The Corner" (#3-1956) , "Skokiaan" (#7-1954), "Put A Light In The Window" (#8-1958), "Who Needs You" (#9-1957) and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople" (#10-1953). Connie left the group in 1961 and started a restaurant. The Four Lads were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Norman Wright of The Dell-Vikings Has Died At Age 72

Norman Wright, member of the Dell-Vikings, died Friday (April 23) at the age of 72. The group was founded by airmen at a Pittsburgh base who recruited Philadelphia-born Norman when their tenor singer became stationed in Germany. Their victories in several talent contests (including the All Air Force competition in New York City) earned them a recording session with Fee Bee Records where "Come Go With Me," with Norman on lead, was cut in 1956. Originally recorded accapella, the label added instrumentation and it soon became so popular that the master was leased to Dot Records for national distribution, where it reached #4 Pop and #2 R&B the following year. It was the first top ten hit for a racially-mixed group in the U.S. But by the time Dot released "Whispering Bells" (#9 Pop, #5 R&B), Norman and three of the four other group members-- who had been under-aged when they signed their contracts-- had already split for Mercury Records where they competed with their Dot recording with "Cool Shake" (#12 Pop, #9 R&B). For the remainder of 1957, both labels released singles (though Dot added a second "L" to their group's name) but the confusion led to no more chart recordings-- even when Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson was legally able to join the others in 1958. Though the group disbanded in the mid-'60s, it re-formed in 1970 and Norman sang at times with them and with his sons in another incarnation of the group over the next thirty years. Norman and the Del Vikings were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005.