July 1st to July 7th, 2018
Happy Canada Day once again. What a celebration we had with the Music Of Canada Special. Some folks might think that I would be hard pressed to try to come up with enough music by Canadians to fill up four hours. That is certainly not the case. In fact, there are so many great Canadian records released during the '50s, '60s, and '70s to completely fill many four hour shows. Having started my career in radio, later moving to the record business and then again for the last 21 years, back on the radio hosting my weekly show, I have such respect and admiration for the artists who achieved success, either regionally, nationally, or internationally. I wanted to highlight some of the artists who made an impression in just those ways. For example, it was cool to play Stood Up by Larry Lee & The Leesures, a group from London, Ontario, who scored a regional hit in 1963 via an American record label, Destiny Records, out of Ohio. Playing Golden Girl by Montreal's The Rabble brought back many memories for me, as I heard this played by Dave Boxer on CFCF Radio. We all have our unique memories and it was a real pleasure for me to share with you some songs and stories about artists I signed to A&M Records. Telling the story of Bryan Adams calling for me from Vancouver's Little Mountain Sound while I was in Toronto hosting a dinner for another new signing, The Arrows. It brought back such a great feeling. Bryan was so excited to tell me that Tina Turner had just left the studio and he couldn't wait for me to hear what they recorded together. So he held the phone up to the studio monitors and played It's Only Love! That was my first taste of this rock master. That's why I love preparing this Music Of Canada for you. It brings back so many memories for me of growing up in Montreal and hearing such great music coming out of my radio. The music and DJ Dave Boxer inspired me to want to also become a DJ. Unless you are also a DJ, it's hard to appreciate the excitement of introducing a hot record on the air. That's why I look forward to Treasure Island Oldies every week for the past 21 years. Thanks so much for listening to this special edition of the show.We have a bit of a breather between specials, with the next one being the Annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special Live, Sunday, August 5th starting at 6 pm Pacific. There was a time when many hits were instrumentals and this special spotlights some of the best and biggest instrumental hits. Over the years, the Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders has become one of the most popular specials of the year with listeners. Be sure to listen.
Do you have a birthday coming up soon? Please let me know so that I can help you celebrate your special day with the Island listeners around the world. Send the date info to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.
The Top Five Countdown this week is from 1963. Appearing in the Number One spot it's United States Army Corps members, The Essex. Easier Said Than Done is playing at the Treasure Island Oldies Treasure Island Oldies Blog.
Voice Your Choice next week presents one of the early Girl Groups, The Cookies. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Chains or Don't Say Nothing Bad (About My Baby). I'll play the winner on the next week's show.
Listen to this week's Rock and Roll News Podcast.
Thanks again for listening to the Music Of Canada Special.
In closing, I'd like to wish my American listeners and friends a very Happy 4th of July.
See you next Sunday here on The Island.
Bye for now.
Michael
