Share memories of growing up with the great music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. My background includes radio and television personality as well as V.P. A&R for A&M Records, where I signed Bryan Adams. In 1997, I began Treasure Island Oldies, the Home of Lost Treasures. I play the biggies, but extensively feature hard to find rare oldies. Listen live Sundays 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific and also the show archives at www.TreasureIslandOldies.com
Let the memories flow!
I'm very pleased to let you know that we have greatly expanded the coverage and reach of Treasure Island Oldies with the addition of new affiliate radio stations.
Treasure Island Oldies can be heard on the following stations: Radio 88 FM , Gothenburg, Sweden Wings America Radio, Atlanta Georgia
OTR-FM 105.7 and 1680 AM, Albany, Oregon
WinniRadio 104.1 FM, Meredith, New Hampshire KYA Radio 89.5 FM Ocean Shores and 94.7 Aberdeen, Washington
As more stations come on board, I'll be sure to let you know.
The Monkees were formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. This was a 'manufactured' group from over 400 applicants. Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz were selected to be the members of the made-for-television group. They became nicknamed "The Pre-Fab Four". Despite the fact they they had not been in a group together previously, they had great chemistry and could sing. They entertained fans for 58 episodes of The Monkees TV show.
Between 1966 and when the group disbanded in 1969, they scored 18 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Not only that, but they reached Top Ten status and earned Gold Records 6 times!
This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights The Monkees with two of their Top Ten hits: Pleasant Valley Sunday and Daydream Believer. To place your vote for the song you prefer, come to the Voice Your Choice page and make your selection. We'll play the song with the most votes in Hour 3 of next week's show.
The Radiants were an R&B vocal group from Chicago, Illinois and they recorded for the legendary Chess Records. They were bigger on the R&B charts than the pop charts, but nonetheless they appeared four times on the Billboard Hot 100.
This week we feature The Radiants with Voice Your Choice, our Song of the Week here at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog.
Many years ago I went to an audition in Vancouver for an upcoming TV commercial. The usual voice talent was present, a few of them curious as to why I was there for the audition. At that time I was not on the air, but heavily involved in my artist management business. At any rate, it came time for my audition in the studio and I did my reading. The copy of what was given to me to read was not the actual commercial; nobody knew who the client was.
Nothing happened until nearly a couple of months later when I received a call from Ogilvy & Mather in Los Angeles confirming I had been at the audition and asking if I was still interested in doing the commercial. Naturally, I said yes and of course. I was then informed they had done auditions in Los Angeles, Chicago and Vancouver for what I was then told was for upcoming Mattell toy TV commercials. And they picked me do be the voice for the spots.
So a short while later, I went into Blue Wave Studios here in Vancouver and a producer from Ogilvy & Mather flew up from Los Angeles to oversee the sessions. The results were two different spots: The He Man Power Sword and The Skeletor Skull Staff.
I got paid and never heard about them again until last night! Treasure Island Oldies listener Fred Waterer was visiting Wings America Radio in Atlanta, Georgia as that station has just started carrying our show every Monday at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Fred was reading my bio on their site and noticed the mention of the Mattell TV commercials.
He decided to check out YouTube, and lo and behold, someone posted The He Man Power Sword. Fred sent an email to me last night letting me know. It was the FIRST TIME I had ever seen the spot! Thank you, Fred.
by Adam Bernstein, Washington Post September 16, 2007
Bobby Byrd, 73, a singer, pianist, and songwriter credited with discovering James Brown and who was one of his most important collaborators for two decades, died Wednesday at his home in Loganville, Ga. He had lung cancer.
Without Mr. Byrd, it has been asserted by some music scholars, Brown might not have become famous beyond the walls of a Georgia youth detention facility, much less become the "godfather of soul." Mr. Byrd was dubbed by some "the godfather's godfather." In the early 1950s, Mr. Byrd's family helped secure Brown's early release from a juvenile detention facility in Georgia. The Byrds provided a home for Brown, who hitched himself to Mr. Byrd's gospel group, which morphed into a much more secular vocal band. The Famous Flames were led by Brown, who strutted his way to international funk stardom as the "hardest-working man in show business." Mr. Byrd remained with the Famous Flames, and subsequently the JBs, for 20 years. During that time, he energized crowds before the cape-sporting superstar appeared. He participated with Brown on records such as Brown's "Live at the Apollo" on several television appearances. As a composer, Mr. Byrd received coauthorship billing on songs including "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothin'," "Licking Stick," "Get Up, Get into It and Get Involved," and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine." For the last, he was heard on the recording shouting the famous refrain, "Get on up!" But he and Brown had strong disagreements about royalties, mostly regarding Mr. Byrd's authorship of songs that Brown attributed to himself and various relatives. Brown had produced many of Mr. Byrd's early solo recordings, including his greatest hit, "I Know You Got Soul" (1971), a fast-paced R&B number attributed to Mr. Byrd, Brown, and Charles Bobbit.
Starting in 1973, Mr. Byrd embarked on what would become a modestly successful three-decade solo career. He continued to think that his contribution to R&B was overlooked when many younger entertainers - including Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, Jay-Z, and Ice Cube - covered or sampled Mr. Byrd's singles but rarely paid for the music.
Jimi B. also known as Jimi Bertucci, leader of Abraham's Children has informed me that former bandmate , Brian Cotterill, has passed away.
The details... FORMER MEMBER OF HIT-MAKING GROUP ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN PASSES AWAY
UXBRIDGE, ONT, September 11, 2007 - Brian Cotterill, vocalist and drummer for the top 40’s pop group Abraham’s Children, passed away today at the age of 55 after a courageous battle with cancer. The band, which included bandmates Jimi Bertucci, Bob McPherson and Ron Bartley, saw great success with songs like “Goodbye Farewell”, “Goddess Of Nature”, “Thank You” and their biggest hit “Gypsy”, on which Cotterill sang lead vocals. When asked about his friend, Bertucci, founder of the group, simply said, "Brian made playing in a band fun."
Most recently Cotterill had formed a new band, Trypp, with fellow musicians Paul Cormier, Richard Joudrey and Screamin’E and were set to release their 2nd CD titled “7 Deadly Sins”.
No funeral will be held in respect of Cotterill’s wishes. However, a gathering to celebrate his life is being planned for close friends and family.
Jimi, I send my condolences to you and all the other Abraham's Children members, as well as to Brian's family. Thank you for letting me know this sad news.
I am very pleased to let you know that as of today, Treasure Island Oldies can now also be heard on Wings America Radio every Monday beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, and they will re-broadcast the entire four hour show every week. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Wings America Radio has a great variety of shows for your enjoyment.
Visit their website and be sure to sign their Guestbook. Let them know how pleased you are that they are now carrying our show on their station. A big hi to Bob Eldridge, the station's owner, and thanks for the invitation to have Treasure Island Oldies on Wings America Radio!
The pride of Flint, Michigan, Grand Funk Railroad were a hard-rock group comprised of Mark Farner (guitar), Mel Schacher (bass) and Don Brewer (drums). They named their group after the well known Michigan landmark, Grand Trunk Railroad.
Both Mark Farner and Don Brewer had previously been members of Terry Knight And The Pack, while Mel Schacher played bass in ? & The Mysterians. Interestingly, Terry Knight became both the manager and producer for Grand Funk, until he was fired in March 1972.
They scored 20 singles on the Billboard charts between 1966 and 1976 (19 as Grand Funk and their first hit as Terry Knight And The Pack), including 4 Top Ten hits and 2 Gold Records. In 1973 they shortened their name to Grand Funk and reverted back to their full group name in 1976.
This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Grand Funk Railroad with two of their hit songs for your votes: We're An American Band and Some Kind Of Wonderful.
Which song do you prefer? Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.
One of the most popular music shows on television in the mid-60s' was Where The Action Is. The theme song was recorded by Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon. The title was shortened to Action and it became a hit record on its own.
Our Song of the Week is a clip of Freddy Cannon performing Where The Action Is.
When I began Treasure Island Oldies back in 1997, I thought it would be very fitting to have Quiet Village by Martin Denny as the theme to begin each hour of the show.
Check out this live performance of Martin Denny and his combo on Hawaii Calls, a TV show from Hawaii. It's amazing how they were actually able to perform this music live.
My thanks to listener Ian Sexton in Victoria, British Columbia for the tip to this very cool clip. And also big thanks to Ian for the very kind words in his email. He really likes the show and our website.
I've just heard some exciting news. The Beatles second movie Help! is being re-released in the UK October 29 and on October 30th in Canada and the United States.
Here is a link to watch the movie trailer and info on the two different packaged versions coming out. Diehard Beatles fans are surely drooling over this news. It'll be the first time that I am aware of that Help! will be made available on DVD; it was out years ago on VHS.
The Dramatics, an R&B vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, are in the Voice Your Choice spotlight this week on Treasure Island Oldies. The five original members were Ron Banks, William Howard, Larry Demps, Willie Ford and Elbert Wilkins. L.J. Reynolds and Lenny Mayes replaced Howard and Wilkins in 1973, and the group continued on with success.
They had an astounding 36 charted singles on the R&B charts between 1967 and 1996; and they appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on twelve occasions between 1971 and 1977.
On Voice Your Choice this week, we present two of the signature songs by The Dramatics for your votes: Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get and In The Rain. Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote. We'll play the winning hit in Hour 3 of next week's show.
I have had many listeners asking for another Name Game special, so here it is! Coming to Treasure Island Oldies Sunday, September 16th, it's the return of The Name Game.
If you are a new listener to the show, here's how it works. Every song played throughout the four hour show will have the name of a person in the song title.
So for example, you could hear Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce, Paul Anka's Diana, Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sherry by The Four Seasons, The Four Tops' Bernadette, etc. You get the idea.
If you'd like to hear a special "name" song, be sure to call the Treasure Island Oldies 24/7 Request Line at 206-203-4678 and leave your name and city where you're calling from, and a short message with the song you'd like me to play on The Name Game Special.
Oh, if you've always wondered about the lyrics for The Name Game by Shirley Ellis, here they are:
The Name Game - Shirley Ellis
The name game! Shirley!Shirley, Shirley bo Birley Bonana fanna fo Firley Fee fy mo Mirley, Shirley! Lincoln!Lincoln, Lincoln bo Bincoln Bonana fanna fo Fincoln Fee fy mo Mincoln, Lincoln! Come on everybody! I say now let's play a game I betcha I can make a rhyme out of anybody's name The first letter of the name, I treat it like it wasn't there But a B or an F or an M will appear And then I say bo add a B then I say the name and Bonana fanna and fo And then I say the name again with an F very plain and a fee fy and a mo And then I say the name again with an M this time and there isn't any name that I can't rhyme
Arnold! Arnold, Arnold bo Barnold Bonana fanna fo Farnold Fee fy mo Marnold Arnold!
But if the first two letters are ever the same, I drop them both and say the name likeBob, Bob drop the B's Bo ob For Fred, Fred drop the F's Fo red For Mary, Mary drop the M's Mo ary That's the only rule that is contrary.
Okay? Now say Bo: Bo Now Tony with a B: Bony Then Bonana fanna fo: bonana fanna fo Then you say the name again with an F very plain: Fony Then a fee fy and a mo: fee fy mo Then you say the name again with an M this time: Mony And there isn't any name that you can't rhyme
Every body do Tony! Pretty good, let's do Billy! Very good, let's do Marsha! A little trick with Nick! The name game
To get you in the mood for next week's The Name Game Special, our song of the week is by Shirley Ellis. It's her signature song, The Name Game.
Rockabilly singer Janis Martin, known as the Female Elvis Presley, has died at age 67.
Here is the story from Associated Press...
Rockabilly pioneer Janis Martin dies
Associated Press - September 4, 2007 5:15 PM ET
DANVILLE, Va. (AP) - Rockabilly pioneer Janis Martin, who was known as "The Female Elvis," has died of cancer at age 67. Martin was a native of Sutherlin, Virginia, and lived in Danville. Her husband, Bradley Whitt, says she died Monday at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. Whitt says Martin learned she had cancer shortly after what turned out to be her last public performance -- a cancer benefit in Richmond in March. Martin rose to fame in the '50s as Elvis Presley's label mate at RCA Victor, which promoted her as "The Female Elvis." Her first record and biggest hit, "Will You Willyum," was released in 1956, when Martin was just 15. The song made the Billboard top 10 and sold about 750,000 copies. She appeared on "The Tonight Show" and "American Bandstand" and toured with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Faron Young, Hank Snow, Porter Waggoner and Jim Reeves. She became a star in Europe and remains popular there today. Whitt says his wife was "a free-spirited lady who was devoted to her fan base -- loved every fan that she had." He says she would stay for hours after a show posing for pictures and signing autographs. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at Norris Chapel in Danville.
Chubby Checker was born Ernest Evans on October 3, 1941 in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dick Clark's wife at the time suggested he change his name to Chubby Checker because of his resemblance to Fats Domino.
When Chubby recorded a cover version of the Hank Ballard song, The Twist, a new worldwide dance craze was born and a long term career kicked into high gear. Of course, we all know that The Twist went on to become Number One in 1960; and then in late November of 1961, it was re-released and once again it shot to the Number One spot on the charts. This is the only record of the rock era to re-enter the charts and return to the #1 position.
Chubby Checker had 35 records hit the charts between 1959 and 1988, including eight Top Ten hits and four Gold records.
This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Chubby Checker with two listener favourites: Hooka Tooka and Pony Time. Which song do you prefer?
Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote. The winning song will get played in Hour 3 of next week's show.
I'm very pleased to let you know that we have greatly expanded the coverage and reach of Treasure Island Oldies with the addition of new affiliate radio stations.
