NO SHOW TODAY-SEVERE WINTER STORM

Well the song goes "It Never Rains In Southern California", and a variation could be "It Never Snows In Vancouver", except for today.

We have been hit by a huge winter snow storm from Alaska, a real rarity for Vancouver. Since last night we've had over 12 inches fall, with at least another 4 to 6 to come, along with high winds that will surely cause whiteouts on the roads.

So I am afraid that there is no way for me to get out of the driveway, let alone get onto the highway to the studio for this week's Treasure Island Oldies show. Consequently there will be no live show this week.

I am very sorry for this inconvenience, but I am not going to take any risks trying to get to the studio.

If all goes well, we'll be back next week with a new live show.

In the meantime, I invite you to listen to last week's show. At the Archives Paqe, click on the Real Media feed for last week's show or the 24/7 Windows Media feed for a collection of the last three shows.

See you next week.

Michael

Roger Hodgson (Supertramp)

Roger Hodgson is the founder of Supertramp. He and former bandmate Rick Davies each individually wrote the songs Supertramp would record. I remember their first two albums from my college radio days, Supertramp and Indelibly Stamped in 1970 and '71. In the fall of 1974 they released Crime Of The Century; in my opinion this is one of the greatest albums ever made! It was perfect from beginning to end. I was working at CFOM in Quebec City. It was a small station, only 250 watts and both the only English station as well as the only Top 40 format in the city. So needless to say, this tiny little station was BIG.

I will never forget the day when my friend J.P. Guilbert, who headed up promotion for A&M Records in the Province of Quebec came from Montreal to bring the latest releases. Being a Top 40 station, J.P. said this new album Crime of the Centry was not what I would play. You see, I was Music Director and also did mid-days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. However, he suggested I not listen to the album at the station, but wait till I get home and play it on my stereo BUT listen to it with headphones.

Well that evening I got myself ready to hear some new music and put on side one of the album. Fist song: School. When I heard the first strains of the harmonica off in the distance, and the simple guitar riff, then Roger Hodgson's plaintive voice, I was intrigued. But when the school child lets out a screm and the song kicked in, I was hooked. Bu the time the second song Bloody Well Right was done, I got up to turn the album over, thinking Side One was finished. It had been such an amazing listening journey for just those two songs, I just assumed they comprised all of side one. Imagine my elation when I realized that there was not only more of side one to go but the entire side two!

When I did flip over the record to play the second side, I instantly loved Dreamer. And when Rudy began it was a journey unto itself. I was almost exhausted by the time the final song, Crime Of The Century, was over with John Helliwell's sax blaring and the strains of the harmonica recurring from the opening song, School. I could not believe this album! I was blown away. I decided that despite there not being a 45 single released, I believed that taken out of the context of this masterpiece album, Dreamer could also become a hit single, so I added it to the playlist. The song took off in Quebec City. The album also really took off in Montreal, thanks to CHOM-FM, which adopted the album and played it like it was a mantra.

Some time later, I was told that Supertramp was coming on tour and they would play a date in Quebec City. Man, I was ecstatic! I was also so glad that I was chosen to record the radio commercial for the concert in Quebec City. The day of the show arrived, and I went to the concert. Supertramp performed the entire Crime Of The Century album live, with absolutely perfect sound mixing and fantastic lighting. When they played Rudy, the long instrumental section that continues to build to a climax was visually coupled with a perfectly timed classic black & white film of the London to Brighton train run. It blew me away along with the entire audience.

Imagine my good fortune when I left radio and began working as the head of Artist & Repertoire for A&M Records, the very same label that had Supertramp. By the time I joined A&M in November 1975, a year had passed since the release of Crime, and the band had become huge in Canada. In fact, Canada is the country that "broke" Supertramp before anywhere else in the world.

I hope you can understand how lucky I felt a month later, when in December 1975 we received an advance reel to reel tape of the just-finished follow-up album, Crisis What Crisis. I vividly recall sitting in the office of the President of A&M Canada, Gerry Lacoursiere, along with all of the other department heads. We all sat on couches and arm chairs and turned up the sound system and closed out eyes in anticipation of Supertramp taking us on their next musical journey. And we were not disappointed.

In today's cold corporate world, it's hard to imagine a record company today all stopping to listen together to a new album by one of their "acts". Well I can tell you that we at A&M were MUSIC FANS, plain and simple. We loved the artists signed to our label and we brainstormed often well into the late evenings on ways to break a new artist or album, devise clever and fun promotions, etc. We loved music and our jobs and it showed. A&M Canada had an industry-wide reputation as the A&M Canada Family.

I also fondly remember listening sesions for subsequent Supertramp albums, Even In The Quietest Moments and Breakfast In America. For the launch party, we flew to Los Angeles to hear the playback for Breakfast In America. "Libby", the model on the front cover of the album, was there in person and dressed identically to the album cover.

Why am I telling you all this? Well this past Wednesday, November 22nd, Roger Hodgson, came to Vancouver. It was the last night of a national tour of Canada, his first time performing in Canada in over 20 years. Roger invited me to see the show and to have a visit backstage after the concert. He had me sitting in Row 2 Centre on the aisle! When he came out on stage, he got a roaring standing ovation before he even played one note. That is how fanatic Supertramp fans are! And here's a trivia fact for you. Supertramp were so big in Canada that one in 15 people in Canada own a copy of Crime Of The Century and Breakfast In America!!!

Roger's show was almost perfection itself: his voice is sounding vigorous, emotional and always beautiful, at times angelic. He performed solo, altering from grand piano to electric keyboard (with a Fender Rhodes sound) to a 12 string guitar. He was occasionaly accompanied onstage by a very talented multi-wind-instrumentalist from London, Ontario who also contributed background vocals at various key points. Otherwise this was a solo performance by Roger.

By the time the show was over, after three or four encores (I lost count), the audience was satiated and ready to go home, filled with satisfaction and smiles. Roger brought back so many great memories and gave so much love back to the audience. He was quite emotional by the end, saying Canada continues to have a very special place in his heart as the country that adopted Supertramp well before anywhere else in the world. That love affair continues today.

On Treasure Island Oldies this week, I am going to retell a bit of these memories, the concert, and my visit with Roger backstage after the show. And for all you Supertramp fans, I will play a couple of my favourite songs from Crime Of The Century and Even In The Quietest Moments. I hope you'll join me for the show, live Sunday, November 26, and the Archiveed show afterward.

Rock And Roll Heaven - Updated

A music industry colleague of mine, Artie Wayne, is very successful songwriter and music publisher. You should have a look at his bio for the fascinating background on his career.

On August 20th of this year, Artie posted this message at his Blog. "In 1971, When I was general professional manager of Warner Brothers music, the late Johnny Stevenson played me a song he just recorded, “Rock and Roll Heaven’. I thought the chorus was a smash, but didn’t care for anything else! I suggested that he collaborate with Alan O’Day (”Undercover Angel”, “Angie Baby”) and turn it into a tribute to Rock Stars who have passed away.

In 1974 the Righteous Brothers recorded it and took it to number one! Since then we’ve lost so many more of our heros that it was time for an update of the lyric. Alan O’Day worked on it for months, then he went to Nashville and made a demo with Ronny Kimball. I e-mailed a copy of the demo to my friend, director and producer, Sebastian Prooth for an opinion. This morning he surprised us with this brilliant video he made!"

Here is this fantastic video! Thanks very much to Artie for this.
Michael

Paul Anka - Voice Your Choice

Paul Anka was born in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, on July 30, 1941 and began performing at age 12. His first label was RPM Records, for which he recorded a song called I Confess. That recording session in 1956 was financed by his father. Sadly nothing happened. One year later he signed with ABC-Paramount and his career exploded.

His first single for ABC-Paramount, Diana, went all the way to Number One and became a Gold record. He has achieved an impressive 53 songs on the Billboard chart with eleven in the Top Ten and three Gold records.

With such a vast chart history, it was a difficult decision to select just two songs for Voice Your Choice. But we did...

This week on Voice Your Choice, Treasure Island Oldies presents Paul Anka with You Are My Destiny and Put Your Head On My Shoulder.

Have a preference? Come to the Voice Your Choice page and make your selection. The song with the most votes will get played in Hour 3 of this coming week's show.

PLEASE NOTE: BECAUSE THE SHOW WAS PRE-EMPTED THIS WEEK DUE TO THE SEVERE WINTER SNOW STORM, WE WILL HOLD OVER VOICE YOUR CHOICE FOR ONE MORE WEEK. SO YOU CAN VOTE FOR THE PAUL ANKA SONG OF YOUR CHOICE ALL THIS WEEK. THE WINNING SONG WILL BE PLAYED ON THE DECEMBER 3RD SHOW.

Wilson Pickett - Song of the Week

This week the Treasure Island Oldies Blog features Wilson Pickett with Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, the Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Ruth Brown - R.I.P.

November 18, 2006
Ruth Brown, 78, a Queen of Rhythm and Blues, Dies
By JON PARELES
Ruth Brown, the gutsy rhythm and blues singer whose career extended to acting and crusading for musicians' rights, died on Friday in Las Vegas. She was 78 and lived in Las Vegas.

The cause was complications following a heart attack and a stroke she suffered after surgery, and Ms. Brown had been on life support since Oct. 29, said her friend, lawyer and executor, Howell Begle.

"She was one of the original divas," said the singer Bonnie Raitt, who worked with Ms. Brown and Mr. Begle to improve royalties for rhythm and blues performers. "I can't really say that I've heard anyone that sounds like Ruth, before or after. She was a combination of sass and innocence, and she was extremely funky. She could really put it right on the beat, and the tone of her voice was just mighty. And she had a great heart."

"What I loved about her," Ms. Raitt added, "was her combination of vulnerability and resilience and fighting spirit. It was not arrogance, but she was just really not going to lay down and roll over for anyone."

Ms. Brown sustained a career for six decades: first as a bright, bluesy singer who was called "the girl with a tear in her voice" and then, after some lean years, as the embodiment of an earthy, indomitable black woman. She had a life of hard work, hard luck, determination, audacity and style. Sometimes it was said that R&B stood as much for Ruth Brown as it did for rhythm and blues.

As the 1950s began, Ms. Brown's singles for the fledgling Atlantic Records - like “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "5-10-15 Hours" - became
Both the label's bankroll and templates for all of rock 'n' roll. She could sound as if she were hurting, or joyfully lusty, or both at once. Her voice was forthright, feisty and ready for anything.

After Ms. Brown's string of hits ended, she kept singing but also went on to a career in television, radio and movies ( including a memorable role as the disc jockey Motormouth Maybelle in John Waters's "Hairspray") and on Broadway, where she won a Tony Award for her part in "Black and Blue." She worked clubs, concerts and festivals into the 21st
century.

"Whatever I have to say, I get it said," she said in an interview with The New York Times in 1995. "Like the old spirituals say, 'I've gone too far to turn me 'round now.' "

Ms. Brown was born Ruth Weston on Jan. 12, 1928, in Portsmouth, Va., the oldest of seven children. She made her debut when she was 4, and her father, the choir director at the local Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, lifted her onto the church piano. In summers, she and her siblings picked cotton at her grandmother's farm in North Carolina. "That made me the strong woman I am," she said in 1995.

As a teenager, she would tell her family she was going to choir practice and perform instead at U.S.O. clubs at nearby naval stations. She ran away from home at 17, working with a trumpeter named Jimmy Brown and using his last name onstage. She married him, or thought she did; he was already married. But she was making a reputation as Ruth Brown, and the name stuck.

The big-band leader Lucky Millinder heard her in Detroit late in 1946, hired her for his band and fired her in Washington, D.C. Stranded, she managed to find a club engagement at the Crystal Caverns. There, the disc jockey Willis Conover, who broadcast jazz internationally on Voice of America radio, heard Ms. Brown and recommended her to friends at Atlantic Records.

On the way to New York City, however, she was seriously injured in an automobile accident and hospitalized for most of a year; her legs, which were smashed, would be painful for the rest of her life. She stood on crutches in 1949 to record her first session for
Atlantic, and the bluesy ballad "So Long" became a hit.

She wanted to keep singing ballads, but Atlantic pushed her to try upbeat songs, and she tore into them. During the sessions for "Teardrops From My Eyes," her voice cracked upward to a squeal. Herb Abramson of Atlantic Records liked it, called it a "tear," and after "Teardrops" reached No. 1 on the rhythm and blues chart, the sound became her
trademark for a string of hits.

"If I was getting ready to go and record and I had a bad throat, they'd say, 'Good!'," she once recalled.

Ms. Brown was the best-selling black female performer of the early 1950s, even though, in that segregated era, many of her songs were picked up and redone by white singers, like Patti Page and Georgia Gibbs, in tamer versions that became pop hits. The pop singer Frankie Laine gave her a lasting nickname: Miss Rhythm.

Working the rhythm and blues circuit in the 1950s, when dozens of her singles reached the R&B Top 10, Ms. Brown drove a Cadillac and had romances with stars like the saxophonist Willis (Gator Tail) Jackson and the singer Clyde McPhatter of the Drifters. (Her first son, Ronald, was given the last name Jackson; decades later, she told him he was actually Mr. McPhatter's son, and he now sings with a latter-day lineup of the
Drifters.)

In 1955 Ms. Brown married Earl Swanson, a saxophonist, and had a second son, Earl; the marriage ended in divorce. Her two sons survive her: Mr. Jackson, who has three children, of Los Angeles, and Mr. Swanson of Las Vegas. She is also survived by four siblings: Delia Weston of Las Vegas, Leonard Weston of Long Island and Alvin and Benjamin Weston of Portsmouth.

Her streak of hits ended soon after the 1960s began. She lived on Long Island, raised her sons, worked as a teacher's aide and a maid and was married for three years to a police officer, Bill Blunt. On weekends she sang club dates in the New York area, and she recorded an album in 1968 with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band. Although her hits
had supported Atlantic Records - sometimes called the House That Ruth Built - she was unable at one point to afford a home telephone.

The comedian Redd Foxx, whom she had once helped out of a financial jam, invited her to Los Angeles in 1975 to play the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in "Selma," a musical about civil rights he was producing.

She went on to sing in Las Vegas and continued a comeback that never ended. The television producer Norman Lear gave her a role in the sitcom "Hello, Larry." She returned to New York City in 1982, appearing in Off Broadway productions including "Stagger Lee," and in 1985 she went to Paris to perform in the revue "Black and Blue," rejoining it later for its Broadway run.

Ms. Brown began to speak out, onstage and in interviews, about the exploitative contracts musicians of her generation had signed. Many hit-making musicians had not recouped debts to their labels, according to record company accounting, and so were not receiving
royalties at all. Shortly before Atlantic held a 40th-birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1988, the label agreed to waive unrecouped debts for Ms. Brown and
35 other musicians of her era and to pay 20 years of retroactive royalties.

Atlantic also contributed nearly $2 million to start the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which pushed other labels toward royalty reform and distributed millions of dollars directly to musicians in need, although it has struggled to sustain itself in recent years.

"Black and Blue" revitalized Ms. Brown's recording career, on labels including Fantasy and Bullseye Blues. Her 1989 album "Blues on Broadway" won a Grammy Award for best jazz vocal performance, female. She was a radio host on the public radio shows "Harlem Hit Parade" and "BluesStage." In 1995 she released her autobiography, "Miss Rhythm" (Dutton), written with Andrew Yule; it won the Gleason Award for music journalism. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

She toured steadily, working concert halls, festivals and cabarets. This year she recorded songs for the coming movie by John Sayles, "Honeydripper," and was about to fly to Alabama to act in it when she became ill.

Ms. Brown never learned to read music. "In school we had music classes, but I ducked them," she said in 1995. "They were just a little too slow. I didn't want to learn to read no note. I knew I could sing it. I woke up one morning and I could sing."

The Killer - Jerry Lee Lewis on Treasure Island Oldies

I am very excited to let you know that beginning this Sunday, November 19 and running to December 10, 2006, Treasure Island Oldies will be featuring the brand new album by The Killer - Jerry Lee Lewis, Last Man Standing.

In conjunction with your chance to hear songs from the album, Treasure Island Oldies will be running a contest as well. You can win your own copy of Last Man Standing.

But wait, there's more...

On December 17, 2006 I will make a random draw from all contest entries and the lucky winner will receive an autographed poster and album signed by Jerry Lee Lewis!

Get the full details by coming to Treasure Island Oldies.

Pop Quiz #3 Now at Treasure Island Oldies

The Treasure Island Oldies Pop Quiz #3 is now up and running. This fun trivia feature has proven to be very popular among regular and first time visitors to the website. Try it on for yourself. Take Pop Quiz #3 by clicking here. Have some fun!

Lawsuit in British Court Over "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"

Two members of Procol Harum, Matthew Fisher and Gary Brooker, are in British court over A Whiter Shade Of Pale.

Here's the story...
By Jill Lawless

LONDON (AP) - Two former 1960s rock stars appeared before a music-loving judge Monday for a showdown over authorship of one of the decade's most iconic songs.

The organ strains of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" sounded through Court 56 of Britain's High Court as the band's former organ player, Matthew Fisher, sued an ex-bandmate for a share of copyright in the multimillion-selling song.

Fisher's lawyer, Iain Purvis, said the song "defined what is sometimes called the summer of love in 1967," and had achieved cult status.

He said Fisher had composed the organ melody, and particularly the eight-bar Hammond organ solo, which gives the song its distinctive baroque flavour.

Purvis said the solo "is a brilliant piece of work and it is crucial to the success of the song."

"Our case, in essence, is that Mr. Fisher wrote the entirety of the organ tune," he said.

Fisher is suing Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker and publisher Onward Music Ltd. for a co-author credit and a share of the song's copyright and royalties.

Brooker, who is credited as the song's author with lyricist Keith Reid, says the pair wrote the song before Fisher joined the band in March 1967.

Brooker has said the melody was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's "Air on the G String" and "Sleepers Awake."

Defence lawyers said the fact Fisher had waited almost four decades to bring his claim was "bizarre and obviously prejudicial."

"Mr. Fisher's claim should fail on that ground alone," they said in court papers.

The song, renowned for its mystifying lyrics - beginning "We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels cross the floor" - topped the British singles chart for five weeks and was a top 10 hit in the United States. Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it 57th in a list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Purvis said a website compiled by a fan lists 771 recorded cover versions, "most of them, sad to say, disastrous."

Fisher, now a computer programmer, left the band in 1969. Brooker, 61, still tours with Procol Harum. The two sat facing the judge and did not look at one another on the first day of the five-day hearing.

A Yamaha electric keyboard sat near the witness box, where Fisher is due to appear later in the case.

The case is being heard by Judge William Blackburne, who studied both music and law at Cambridge University. He requested access to the keyboard and sheet music of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" so he could run through the song after court hours.

Judges are not always familiar with popular music, and Purvis noted that "one always risks in these cases a 'what-are-The-Beatles' moment" - a reference to a famous but possibly apocryphal story of a judge who purportedly asked that question during a case in the 1960s.

"But I'll hazard that your lordship is familiar" with "A Whiter Shade of Pale," Purvis said.

"I am of an age, yes," said the 62-year-old judge.

Small Faces - Itchycoo Park - Song Of The Week

This week's Song of the Week is by Britian's Small Faces and their classic hit Itchycoo Park. Enjoy!

Gene Chandler

Gene Chandler was born Eugene Dixon on July 6, 1940 in Chicago, Ilinois. This great R&B singer took his last name from his favourite movie star, Jeff Chandler.

In high school, he was a member of the Gaytones and later joined a neighbourhood group, The Dukays, in 1956. Upon his release from the U.S. Army after serving from 1957-60, he re-joined The Dukays. They recorded for a small independent label NAT Records, including songs Nite Owl, The Girl's A Devil and Duke Of Earl. Vee-Jay Records purchased the master recording of Duke Of Earl and re-released it on Vee-Jay crediting the artist as Gene Chandler. So an inadvertant way to start a solo career indeed!

Gene Chandler has had 25 charted records with four Top Twenty hits. This week on the Treasure Island Oldies radio show, Voice Your Choice spotlights Gene Chandler with two of his biggest hits: Duke Of Earl and Groovy Situation, both Gold records.

Have a preference for one of the songs? Come to Treasure Island Oldies and click on the Voice Your Choice button, make your selection and sit back and relax. We'll play the song with the most votes in Hour 3 of this week's show.

Special Closing To This Week's Treasure Island Oldies Radio Show

The young fellow on the left is Shawn Hlookoff. He is a musician from Nelson, British Columbia who in the last short while has created quite a stir with one of his songs, Soldier.

I saw him perform Soldier as a feature on Global News here in Vancouver, and I was taken with the song's lyrics and melody as well as his voice.

In view that this weekend marks both Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States, I have decided to close this week's show with Soldier by Shawn Hlookoff. It will be dedicated to every soldier past and present, everywhere in the world.

For more information on Shawn, visit his website and on Myspace.
Here is the video...
Soldier Video

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Butch Mattice-Johnny & The Hurricanes

Johnny And The Hurricanes were one of the most distinctive sounding instrumental groups of the 1950s and '60s. Originally known as The Orbits from Toledo, Ohio, they went on to national and international acclaim with their Top Ten smash Red River Rock. They also had hits with Reveille Rock, Rockin' Goose, Crossfire, and others.

We are saddened to learn of the death of Lionel "Butch" Mattice, the bass player in the group. We send our best wishes and sincere condolonces to the surviving members of Johnny And The Hurricanes: Johnny Paris (saxophone), Paul Tesluk (organ), Dave Yorko (guitar), and drummer Tony Kaye.

One Hit Wonders

There have been so many artists and groups other than Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, etc. to hit the charts. However, we tend to recall only the big names that had enduring careers and maintained a high profile. But there were many, many who had huge hits ONCE, and then disappeared. They are referred to as One Hit Wonders.

This week on the Treasure Island Oldies radio show we feature those One Hit Wonders. When you hear some of these great singers and their hit songs, you'll be saying "I can't believe they only had one hit".

For example, you'll hear In The Year 2525, Sally Go Round The Roses, Lay A Little Lovin' On Me, Rescue Me, Get A Job, and so many more.

Be sure to listen to the One Hit Wonders Special this week on Treasure Island Oldies, live Sunday from 6 to 10 Pacific, 9 to 1 Eastern.

A Short History of UK Pirate Radio

My friend Keith Hampshire, former A&M Records artist and UK DJ with Radio Caroline in the 1960s, has sent a link to this video. It's a short history of UK pirate radio and specifically Radio Caroline.

For you radio lovers, dig this!

Michael

Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits, from Manchester, England, were one of the successful British Invasion groups. Fronted by charismatic child star Peter Noone, Herman's Hermits got their name from the cartoon character "Sherman" on The Bullwinkle Show.

Between 1964 and 1968 they scored 19 singles on the Billboard chart with 11 of them in the Top Ten and three achieving Gold Record status. Quite a feat indeed!

This week on Voice Your Choice, Treasure Island Oldies features Herman's Hermits and two of their most popular songs: Can't You Hear My Heartbeat and Listen People.

Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote for the song you prefer. We'll play the one with the most votes in Hour 3 of this week's show.

Lesley Gore on T.A.M.I. Show - Song of the Week

The T.A.M.I. Show, Teenage Awards Music International, was a live concert filmed at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1964. This classic concert film, a combination of American and British Invasion groups, was hosted by Jan & Dean and had a huge number of performers including James Brown, The Supremes, The Rolling Stones, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye (backed by Darlene Love and The Crystals - credited as The Blossoms), Chuck Berry, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, Gerry & The Pacemakers and others.

This film shot in "Electronovision", videotape later transferred to film, is a classic and extremely hard to locate a copy today. Fortunately, someone has posted some clips from it including this week's Song of the Week by Lesley Gore. She's singing a medley of Maybe I Know and You Don't Own Me.

I hope you enjoy watching and hearing this piece of music history!

Michael

Paul Mauriat - R.I.P

Paul Mauriat, the French orchestra leader from Paris, has died at the age of 81. His specialty was light instrumental music, somewhat similar to Germany's James Last.

In the 1950s he became the band leader for two of France's most loved singers, Charles Aznavour and Maurice Chevalier. He also recorded his own albums and hit his peak of popularity worldwide as a result of his Number One instrumental hit, Love Is Blue, originally titled L'Amour Est Bleu. The original vocal version was by Vicky Leandros.

The sad thing about life is it ends; the beautiful thing about music is that it lives on.

Paul Mauriat, R.I.P.

Michael

Sam & Dave

Sam & Dave were the great Rhythm and Blues duo of Sam Moore and Dave Prater. Sadly, Dave was killed in a car crash on April 9, 1988 at the age of 50.

In the three short years from 1966 to 1969, they had 13 singles on the Billboard Chart. Two songs reached the Top Ten and those same two went Gold as well.

In 1992 they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, and very well deserved. Along with Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays, the Staple Singers, Sam & Dave were the sound of Stax Records.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Sam & Dave with two of their biggest hits: Soul Man and Hold On! I'm A Comin'.

Which song do you prefer? Cast your vote by coming to the Voice Your Choice page. Will this week be so close as to be a nail biter? Listen to the show this week to find out the winner. We'll play the song with the most votes in Hour 3 on Treasure Island Oldies.