Kingston Trio

The Kingston Trio formed in San Francisco, California, where they got their big break during an eight month gig at the Purple Onion. Dave Guard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds were the originators of the folk music craze of the 1960s.

During their impressive career, they had 17 songs on the Top 100 chart, with five hitting the Top Twenty, including a Number One Gold record too. In addition, five out of their first six albums went all the way to #1 for a total of 46 weeks!

For this week's Voice Your Choice on Treasure Island Oldies we offer two of their biggest hits. Choose either: Tom Dooley or Reverend Mr. Black.

You can vote for the song you would like to hear by going to Treasure Island Oldies and then clicking on the Voice Your Choice button.

Listen for the winning song in Hour 3 on this week's show. And also be sure to visit the Official Fanclub Website at www.kingstontrio.com

Stonebolt's David Wills Interview Podcast

My thanks to David Wills of Stonebolt for joining me in the studio as my guest last Sunday on Treasure Island Oldies. It was a very enjoyable visit and interview. You can listen to the entire interview including the great Stonebolt songs at the Treasure Island Oldies Archives. I have also prepared a Podcast of the entire interview without the songs (due to copyright restrictions of songs in podcasts). Download the podcast by clicking here.

And remember, if you are in the Vancouver, B.C. area this coming Saturday, April 22nd, be sure to see Stonebolt live in concert, with special guest, Cherelle Jardine, at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond, B.C. For tickets and information call 604-306-0632. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.

And you can also order a copy of their "Best of" album Regeneration at www.freedomtogroove.com

The Shirelles

The Shirelles were the most successful "Girl Group" of the Rock and Roll era!

Shirley Alston, Beverly Lee, Doris Kenner and Addie Harris met in junior high school and formed The Poquellos and were classmates of Joey Dee. During their tremedously successful career on Scepter Records, they charted 26 songs on the charts, five Top Ten hits with two of them reaching #1 and also achieved Gold Record status for one of them. Their songs were also recorded by other artists including The Beatles (Boys) and The Mamas and The Papas (Dedicated To The One I Love).

The Shirelles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

This week Treasure Island Oldies features two songs by The Shirelles on Voice Your Choice for you to cast your vote: Will You Love Me Tomorrow OR Soldier Boy. Both songs hit #1.

As a note of interest, when Will You Love Me Tomorrow was first released in July of 1959, it peaked at only #83. Just over one year later it was re-released and went to the Top of the Chart! It's all about timing.

I imagine it'll be a nail biter this week wondering which song will be the winner. Please go to the website and click on the Voice Your Choice button, then cast your vote. I'll play the songs with the most votes in Hour 3 this week on Treasure Island Oldies. See you then.

Posting Spam Will Not Be Tolerated

I very much appreciate it when comments are made as a result of my various postings. However, in the last few days, some people have been spamming the comments. This will not be tolerated. If you have something to say, then say it and have the courage to identify yourself. If you are only interested in spamming, then go away.

I have left it incredibly easy to leave comments, and have turned off the the verifier function. If the spam continues, if will have to turn on the verifier function and it will take a bit longer to post a comment. I kept it turned off on purpose to assist folks using site readers in making their comments. The curved and overlapped letters make it difficult for a site reader to figure out what letters to fill in so that the comments can then be completed.

So I will keep watch over the next period of time to see what happens. I'll keep you informed. Thanks very much.
Michael

June Pointer

I was saddened to learn of the passing of June Pointer, the youngest of The Pointer Sisters. Her family informed the media that June had died of cancer at the young age of 52. In a statement the family said she died "in the arms of her sisters, Ruth and Anita and her brothers, Aaron and Fritz, by her side. Although her sister , Bonnie, was unable to be present, she was with her in spirit."

I remember working at CFCF Radio in Montreal as Music Director and receiving the debut album of the Pointer Sisters on the small Blue Thumb record label. From that first album came the Top 15 single Yes We Can Can.

The sisters were from Oakland, California and formed as an R&B group and experimented vith various styles including country. In fact, in 1974, they won a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance for the song Fairytale. But their first huge hit was Fire, from the pen of Bruce Springsteen, which reached #2 and was a Gold record in late 1978. The hit streak continued with He's So Shy and Slow Hand, both Top 5 and Gold records in 1980 and 1981.

Their career took off again in 1984 with their album Break Out, whichh won two Grammys for the songs Automatic and Jump (For My Love). They even got involved in movie soundtracks and scored a top ten hit with Neutron Dance from the Eddie Murphy film Beverly Hills Cop.

Only the good die young...

Please note: There has been some spamming going on in the comments section of this post. If you try to read the omments, you will receive an 'unable to complete your request' message. Thanks. Michael

Rock & Roll News Podcasts

I am very pleased with the early response to my podcasts of the Treasure Island Oldies weekly feature, Rock & Roll News. This is about a 5 minute podcast that highlights the events for this week in rock & roll history, including first time concert appearances, band break-ups, recording sessions, musician birthdays, and lots more neat historical info.

And also, from time to time there'll be additional podcasts available for download of special artist tributes. For example, this past Sunday, April 9th, I did a tribute to the late Gene Pitney in Hour 4 of the show. The edited version without the songs is available as a special podcast at Podomatic. If you'l like to listen to the entire one hour special, go to the Treasure Island Oldies Archives.

Subscribe to my podcasts and automatically receive them the way you want to get them, including iTunes, RSS Feed, etc. Record your own message and comments! I'll be able to listen to and maybe even playback on the show! So please check it out. Full details at the Treasure Island Oldies Podcast.

Stonebolt - David Wills

Stonebolt was among the wave of talented bands from Canada to enjoy success internationally in the 1970s. The Vancouver-based band had a 10-year run and, during that time, released four albums and achieved a worldwide hit with the beautiful rock ballad I Will Still Love You.

By the time they disbanded in 1983, they had toured the world, received GOLD albums, Grammy Award balloting and were presented with a SOCAN Airplay Award.

In 2000 they released a 'best of' CD, Regeneration, and decided after many years to do some reunion gigs. And there is a major concert coming up in the Vancouver, BC suburb of Richmond on Saturday, April 22nd at the Gateway Theatre, a wonderful venue that I've gone to many times.

I am very pleased to welcome David Wills, the lead singer of Stonebolt, in the studio as my guest this Sunday, April 16th. We'll talk about their career, personnel, their upcoming concert, and of course, their music. Oh and for sure, we'll play some of their songs, including their huge hit I Will Still Love You.

Please be sure to join me for this week's edition of Treasure Island Oldies, live Sunday, April 16th from 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific. If you are unable to hear the live show, you can listen to the Archive shortly after the live show ends. See you then!

Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore was born in Manhattan, the heart of New York City, in 1946. Lesley came from a musical familoy and her brother Michael Gore became a successful and sought after music arranger and writer. His scoring credits iunclude Fame, Terms Of Endearment, Pretty In Pink, and many other Lesley was discovered by the famous record producer Quincy Jones while she was singing in a hotel in Manhattan. She charted 19 records, including 4 in the Top Ten.

She appeared in several music-themed movies including the legendary T.A.M.I. Show, a live concert hosted by Jan & Dean and shot at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, with so many other stars of the day including Chuck Berry, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Miracles, The Rolling Stones, James Brown and others.

Lesley continues to record and perform today, and I invite you to visit her website, www.lesleygore.com

This week on Voice Your Choice we feature for your vote two of her biggest hits: and It's My Party and Judy's Turn To Cry. Decide which song you would like me to play then come to the Treasure Island Oldies website and click on the Voice Your Choice button. The tabulation will continue until just before we play the winning song in the 3rd hour of this week's show.

I wonder how close the vote will be this week?!

Gene Pitney Tribute Podcast

Thank you for the great response to the Gene Pitney Tribute to on this week's Treasure Island Oldies. The tribute has been edited and is now available as a podcast. I invite you to download the podcast for listening at your convenience. If you prefer, you can hear the complete one hour tribute at the Treasure Island Oldies Archive page.

You can also subscribe to my podcasts and you will automatically receive the weekly Rock & Roll News, the weekly Treasure Island Oldies feature with highlights of the events that took place that given week, birthdays, famous songs recorded that week, and more.

You are also able to leave a recorded message for me at the podcast site. I invite to record your comments, suggestions or requests. And thanks very much for listening to Treasure Island Oldies.

Gene Pitney Tribute

I wanted to remind you that on this week's edition of Treasure Island Oldies, I will be presenting a one hour tribute to Gene Pitney. This tribute will be in Hour 4 and will feature some of Gene's big hits, a few lesser-known ones, a very rare early recording when he recorded under the name Billy Bryans, plus a couple of songs he wrote for other recording artists, Ricky Nelson and The Crystals. But what will make this different is I will play some of the original demo recordings before they were cut by Rickey Nelson and The Crystals.

I hope you will be able to listen to the whole show, but in particular, Hour 4. It all takes place live Sunday, April 9th from 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific, and then later on the Archives, all at Treasure Island Oldies.

Be sure to visit the offical Gene Pitney website.

Gene Pitney

Gene Pitney, who healed more hearts with his own beautiful sad voice and one of the greatest solo artists in Rock and Roll in the 1960s, has passed away at age 65. The world is now a Town Without Pitney.

He was on 23-date tour in the UK, where his fame never waned, and was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff, Wales. His tour manager, James Kelly, said "We don't have a cause of death at the moment but looks like it was a very peaceful passing. He was found fully clothed, on his back, as if he had gone for a lie down. It looks as if there was no pain whatsoever".

Gene was born in Hartford, Connecticut on February 17, 1941 and raised in Rockville, Connecticut. When not touring, he ran a boat business in Connecticut.

He recorded for Decca Records in 1959 with Ginny Arnell as Jamie & Jane. In 1960 he changed his name to Billy Bryan and recorded for Blaze Records. In the mid-60s' he teamed up for a few country records with George Jones, as George & Gene.

Not only was he a very successful recording artist, he was also a major songwriter penning hits such as Helly Mary Lou, recorded by Ricky Nelson, He's A Rebel for The Crystals, and Rubber Ball a hit for Bobby Vee.

His own recording career took off in 1961 with (I Wanna) Love My Life Away. He charted 24 singles on Billboard, four in the Top Ten. His many hits included Town Without Pity, Mecca, Half Heaven - Half Heartache, I'm Gonna Be Strong, It Hurts To Be In Love and so many more. One particularly interesting song of his was (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Vallance, recorded for but not included in the movie starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, due to a publishing rights mix up. No matter, it still reached #4 on Billboard and earned Gene both a Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.

Gene was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Please join me this Sunday, April 9 on Treasure Island Oldies for a tribute to Gene Pitney. I'll play some of his biggest and also some of his hard-to-find, seldom heard songs. In addition, I'll spotlight some of those huge hits he wrote for other recording stars. You can listen live Sunday, April 9th from 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific or later on the Archive, all at Treasure Island Oldies.

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - Update April 10, 2006

This R&B group really were a family. Based in Dania, Florida, Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose (Edward, Carter and Rose Cornelius) had a limited but successful run on the charts in the early 1970s.

While they only charted five singles, two reached the Top Five and both of those were also Gold records.

This week on Voice Your Choice on Treasure Island Oldies, we feature those two huge hits. You will have to choose either Treat Her Like A Lady or Too Late To Turn Back Now. This could end up being a very close result, like last week when Bill Haley And His Comets' See You Later Alligator, narrowly edged out Shake, Rattle & Roll.

One way or the other, it will be good to play either song by this great R&B group. Come to Treasure Island Oldies and click on the Voice Your Choice button. Then make your selection. I'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour on this week's edition of Treasure Island Oldies.

UPDATE: The results of the vote were as follows...Treat Her Like A Lady - 35% Too Late To Turn Back Now - 65% Thanks for participating in the vote.

Treasure Island Oldies Podcasts Now Available

We are pleased to advise you that the popular weekly feature Rock And Roll News is now available as a weekly podcast. You can subscribe to this free service in a number of ways including iTunes, RSS feed and other methods. For complete details please visit the Blog and Podcasts page at the Treasure Island Oldies website.

Podcasts of the Rock and Roll News span from this week's latest edition and going back to January. We hope you enjoy this new edition to Treasure Island Oldies.

WOW - We Have A Winner!

Congratulations to Joel Drucker from Randolph, New Jersey, the winner of the Music By Numbers contest on Treasure Island Oldies. The correct total of all songs played on the Music By Numbers special was 3,013,468. Joel has chosen as his prize a Treasure Island Oldies coffee mug from the Shop The Island store.

My thanks to everyone who entered the contest. I'm going to send a calculator to the listener with the most INCORRECT total. Hopefully, it will help them properly calculate their taxes this year! LOL

Keep listening to the show for more upcoming specials. Bye for now.
Michael

Bryan Adams

I would like to send my personal congratulations to Bryan Adams on being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2006 Juno Awards.

Bryan and I go back a long way together. It all began when I was working as the A&R Director for A&M Records in Toronto. One day in early November of 1978 I received a call from some guy named Bryan Adams who wanted to book an appoointment with me to play some demos and talk about his future career. At the time Bryan was playing with a band called Sweeney Todd who were in town playing at a club. But Bryan was not wanting me to see that band, he was wanting to pursue a solo career. We met and listened to a few songs, which were good but not great. I suggested he keep in touch. The following March he met Jim Vallance, a great songwriter and drummer, and they began what would become an amazingly successful songwriting team. Later that spring, Brian Chater who ran our music publishing company Irving Almo Music was in Vancouver met up with Bryan and Jim and came back to Toronto with some amazing demos. Together, Brian and I went into Gerry Lacoursiere, the President of A&M Records Canada, and we both told Gerry how excited we were about Bryan Adams.

In September 1979, we signed Bryan Adams to a record production deal. One day I will tell the complete story of how and why we signed Bryan and Jim to a music publishing and record deal via Irving ALmo Music and released on A&M Records.

On Sunday, April 2nd, Bryan Adams was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the 2006 Juno Awards. For those of you unfamiliar with the Juno Awards, they are the equivalent to the Grammy Awards in the United States. During his acceptance speech, Bryan thanks some key people who worked behind the scene to help make his career such a success. I was surprised and flattered that Bryan thanked me as one of 5 people from A&M Canada and US.

I dug out an old picture of the first GOLD record presentation to Bryan for his second album You Want It You Got It, a pivitol turning point album in Bryan's career. Pictured above left to right: Gerry Lacoursiere, President A&M Records Canada, Doug Chappell, Vice-President Promotion A&M Records Canada, Bruce Allen, Bryan's manager, Bryan Adams, Michael Godin, Vice-President A&R A&M Records Canada, and Michael White, The Agency. This was the first of many celebrations recognizing the various landmark points in Bryan's tremendous career.

Once again, Bryan, congratulations on this wonderful recognition of being invested into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. I am very proud of you and pleased to call you my friend.