Treasure Island Oldies 11th Anniversary Special

I am pleased and excited to invite you to join me for the 11th Anniversary Special of Treasure Island Oldies next Sunday, May 4th from 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific time (9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern time).

We started the show May 4, 1997, which now seems so long ago. I am proud to be with the same network since day one. What began as DEN, the Dowco Entertainment Network, today is the Mediaontap Network, a division of INSINC. The show originally began as a three hour Sunday afternoon live-only show, but before long became a four hour show and moved to its current time slot. I am also very pleased to have established our Broadcast Partners Network of FM, AM and Online Radio Stations in the United States, Canada, England and Sweden, with more to come.

Please join me for 11th Anniversary celebration next week, Sunday, May 4, 2008 on Treasure Island Oldies.

Michael

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - Voice Your Choice

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose originally began as a family trio from Dania, Florida. The original members were the siblings Carter Cornelius, Eddie Cornelius, and Rose Cornelius. Their sister, Billie Jo Cornelius, was added later.

They had a "short shelf life" on the charts between 1971 and 1973; however, in that short time, they attained 2 Top Ten hits and 2 Gold Records.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features those two hugely successful songs for your votes: Treat Her Like A Lady and Too Late To Turn Back Now.

Which song is your favourite? 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, our 11th Anniversary Special.

Jackie Wilson - Song Of The Week

Jackie Wilson, the great singer, dancer and entertainer is in the spotlight this week with Baby Workout, our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

Singer Paul Davis Dies

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) -- Paul Davis, a singer and songwriter whose soft rock hit "I Go Crazy" stayed on the charts for months after its release in 1977, died Tuesday. He was 60.
Davis

Paul Davis' hits included "I Go Crazy," " '65 Love Affair" and "Cool Night."

Davis died of a heart attack at Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, the city where he grew up, cousin James Edwards said.

Davis' other popular hits included "65 Love Affair;" "You're Still New To Me," a country duet with Marie Osmond; and "Ride 'Em Cowboy."

His 1977 album "Singer of Songs -- Teller of Tales" featured the ballad "I Go Crazy." The song slowly climbed the charts, peaking at No. 7 eight months after its release, according to Billboard's Web site. The song stayed in the Top 100 for 40 weeks, according to Billboard -- a record at the time for the magazine's Hot 100 chart. The mark has since been surpassed many times; the current record holder is LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live," which stayed on the Hot 100 for 69 weeks.

Davis spent part of his early career in Jackson at Malaco Records, company President Tommy Couch said.

Couch said Davis arrived at Malaco with his writing partner, George Soule, around 1968.

After Davis left Jackson, he moved to New York, Nashville and then back to Meridian, Couch said.

Edwards said his cousin had returned to Mississippi to retire.

Soul Singer Al Wilson Dead at 68

Sad news today from Associated Press

Al Wilson, a soul singer who had a No. 1 Billboard hit with 1973's Show and Tell, has died at age 68.

Wilson died Monday of kidney failure at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana, Calif., according to his son, Tony Wilson.

The smooth-voiced Wilson began as a spiritual singer and had R&B hits in 1968 with The Snake and Do What You Gotta Do.

In 1973, he issued the album Weighing In, which had crossover appeal and included the hit Show and Tell, formerly recorded by Johnny Mathis.

Although his pop career faded at the end of the 1970s, Wilson kept singing and writing songs.

"He was always singing," his son said. "He would call me in the middle of the night with a new song that he had written."

Wilson was born June 19, 1939, in Meridian, Miss., and by the time he was 12, he had his own spiritual singing quartet.

After his family moved to San Bernardino in 1958, he found work as a mail carrier, office clerk and janitor.

He toured for four years with Johnny Harris and the Statesmen, then joined the navy, where he sang in the enlisted men's chorus.

After returning to civilian life, he toured the Los Angeles nightclub circuit, where he sang with R&B groups The Jewels and the Rollers and later played drums with the Souls.

In 1966, singer Johnny Rivers signed him to his Soul City label. That marked a change in Wilson's fortunes, in part because rock and pop had embraced the soul sound.

Wilson had several hits with Soul City, beginning with The Snake and including La La Peace Song and I've Got a Feeling (We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again).

With 1979's Count the Days, Wilson scored his final chart hit, and he spent the next two decades touring clubs and lounges.

In 2001, he re-recorded his classic hits for the album Spice of Life.

Wilson is survived by his wife, Patricia; his son, Tony; daughters Alene Harris and Sharon Burley; a brother, Eddie Wilson; sisters Lottie Ross, Ruby Conyers and Maebell Cole; and 13 grandchildren.

Etta James - Voice Your Choice

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, California. She became a pioneer R&B singer and was nicknamed "Miss Peaches". Her first hit song was the #1 R&B record, The Wallflower, in 1954. Despite frequent bouts with heroin addiction, she was finally cured in the late 1970s. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Awards in 2003.

Between 1960 and 1970 she appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart a total of 28 times. This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Etta James with two of her great R&B ballads: At Last and Trust In Me.

Come to the Voice Your Choice page to cast your vote for your preferred song. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Elvis Presley - Song of the Week

We've got a great clip from the King of Rock and Roll as our Song of the Week. It's Elvis Presley and the title song from Jailhouse Rock.

Enjoy!
Michael

Springsteen's E Street Band Member, Danny Federici Dead at 58

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 18, 2008
Filed at 2:35 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from ''Hungry Heart'' through ''The Rising,'' died Thursday. He was 58.

Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. News of his death was posted late Thursday on Springsteen's official Web site.

He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.

''Danny and I worked together for 40 years -- he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much ... we grew up together,'' Springsteen said in a statement posted on his Web site.

Springsteen concerts scheduled for Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Saturday in Orlando were postponed.

Federici was born in Flemington, N.J., a long car ride from the Jersey shore haunts where he first met kindred musical spirit Springsteen in the late 1960s. The pair often jammed at the Upstage Club in Asbury Park, N.J., a now-defunct after-hours club that hosted the best musicians in the state.

It was Federici, along with original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez, who first invited Springsteen to join their band.

By 1969, the self-effacing Federici -- often introduced in concert by Springsteen as ''Phantom Dan'' -- was playing with the Boss in a band called Child. Over the years, Federici joined his friend in acclaimed shore bands Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.

Federici became a stalwart in the E Street Band as Springsteen rocketed from the boardwalk to international stardom. Springsteen split from the E Streeters in the late '80s, but they reunited for a hugely successful tour in 1999.

''Bruce has been supportive throughout my life,'' Federici said in a recent interview with Backstreets magazine. ''I've had my ups and downs, and I've certainly given him a run for his money, and he's always been there for me.''

Federici played accordion on the wistful ''4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)'' from Springsteen's second album, and his organ solo was a highlight of Springsteen's first top 10 hit, ''Hungry Heart.'' His organ coda on the 9/11-inspired Springsteen song ''You're Missing'' provided one of the more heart-wrenching moments on ''The Rising'' in 2002.

In a band with larger-than-life characters such as saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bandana-wrapped guitarist ''Little'' Steven Van Zandt, Federici was content to play in his familiar position to the side of the stage. But his playing was as vital to Springsteen's live show as any instrument in the band.

Federici released a pair of solo albums that veered from the E Street sound and into soft jazz. Bandmates Nils Lofgren on guitar and Garry Tallent on bass joined Federici on his 1997 debut, ''Flemington.'' In 2005, Federici released its follow-up, ''Out of a Dream.''

Federici had taken a leave of absence during the band's tour in November 2007 to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano.

At the time, Springsteen described Federici as ''one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return.''

Besides his work with Springsteen, Federici played on albums by an impressive roster of other artists: Van Zandt, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker, Gary U.S. Bonds and Garland Jeffreys.

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On the Net:

Bruce Springsteen: http://www.brucespringsteen.net

Johnny Mathis - Voice Your Choice

Johnny Mathis was born John Royce Mathis, the fourth of seven children to Clem and Mildred Mathis on September 30, 1945 in Gilmer, Texas. As a young boy, the family moved to San Francisco where, at the age of 13, he began studying music and vocal lessons with Connie Cox, a Bay Area voice teacher.

Johnny had a two career opportunity facing him: either become a professional singer or a professional athlete. He won a Track Scholarship to San Francisco State College and was even invited to the Olympic tryouts. He opted for music, and as they say, the rest is history.

Between 1957 and 1984, Johnny Mathis appeared on the Billboard charts 45 times, reached the Top Ten six times, and achieved three Gold Records.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights the amazing Johnny Mathis with two of his great his songs: It's Not For Me To Say and A Certain Smile.

Cast you vote for your preferred song by coming to the Voice Your Choice page at Treasure Island Oldies. Make your selection and then wait for the results. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.

The Dovells - Song Of The Week

The Dovells were from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They used stage names in place of their real names: Len Barry (Leonard Borisoff), Jerry Summers (Jerry Gross), Mike Dennis (Mike Freda), Danny Brooks (Jim Meeley), and Arnie Silver, the only member with a nom de plume.

Our Song of the Week is the Top Five smash, Bristol Stomp.

Enjoy!
Michael

Bill Withers - Voice Your Choice

Bill Withers was born on the 4th of July, 1938 in Slab Fork, West Virginia. He debuted on the charts in 1972 with a Gold Record and the Number Three hit Ain't No Sunshine. That song and its follow-up, Grandma's Hands, were produced by Booker T. Jones, from Booker T. & The MGs. He also produced the B Side of Ain't No Sunshine, the stunning Harlem! That song is one of my personal all-time favourite R&B Soul songs of all time.

He had 14 songs appear on the charts between 1971 ans 1984, and this week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights two of the three Gold Records for Bill Withers: Ain't No Sunshine and Lean On Me.

I would bet that this is going to be a close voting race. Help decide which song will be the winner. Go 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. Who knows, we could end up with a tie and both songs will get played.

Little Stevie Wonder - Song Of The Week

Steveland Morris, known to you as Stevie Wonder, made his debut on the charts at 13 year old with a live recording. According to Wikipedia, Fingertips was originally an instrumental song recorded for his debut album, The Jazz Soul Of Little Stevie Wonder. The hit version however, was recorded during a Motor Town Revue at the Regal Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

Our Song of the Week is Little Stevie Wonder performing Fingertips - Pt. 2 live on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Enjoy!
Michael

Procol Harum's Gary Brooker Wins Royalty Ruling

By D'Arcy Doran, The Associated Press
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LONDON - The lead singer of British band Procol Harum won an appeals court judgment on Friday awarding him the full royalties to the band's iconic hit, "A Whiter Shade of Pale."

Britain's Court of Appeal ruled in rock star Gary Brooker's favour, overturning a lower court decision granting the group's former organist 40 per cent of the royalties from the song.

The Court of Appeal upheld a High Court ruling that Matthew Fisher, who played the song's haunting organ theme, was entitled to co-authorship. However, the court said he should receive no money from past or future royalties because he waited too long to make his claim.

Fisher - who left the band in 1969 and is now a computer programmer - filed his claim to joint ownership nearly 40 years after the song was recorded in 1967. One of the anthems of the "Summer of Love," the record sold 10 million copies. Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it 57th on a list of the 500 greatest of all time.

Brooker, 62, argued that it was his idea to use the Bach-inspired theme that Fisher played on the track. Brooker, who still tours with the band, said he and lyricist Keith Reid wrote the song before Fisher joined the band in March 1967.

"This claim has been a great strain upon myself and my family," Brooker said in a statement. "I believe the original trial was unfair and the results wrong."

Lord Justice John Mummery rejected Fisher's claim for an estimated one million pounds or about $2 million in back royalties.

Mummery said the issue of who will pay legal costs will be decided at a later date as well as whether Fisher can appeal the decision to the House of Lords, Britain's highest court.

In December 2006, a judge awarded Fisher, a classically trained musician, a 40 per cent share in the copyright of the song, saying his organ solo was "a distinctive and significant contribution to the overall composition."

"A Whiter Shade of Pale," famous for its cryptic lyrics - "We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor" - topped the British charts for five weeks in 1967 and was a top five hit in the United States.