Gerry And The Pacemakers - Voice Your Choice

Gerry and the Pacemakers were a pop-rock Merseybeat band from Liverpool. Apart from group leader Gerry Marsden on vocals, the Pacemakers were Leslie Maguire (piano), John Chadwick (bass), and brother Freddie Marsden (drums).

In late 1962, Gerry and the Pacemakers were the second band to be signed up by Brian Epstein - the Beatles were the first. When the Beatles rejected Mitch Murray's light-hearted "How Do You Do It", Epstein told the record producer George Martin that he had just the group to do it. On 22 January 1963, Gerry and the Pacemakers travelled from Liverpool to London to record the song, as Marsden recalled:

We were sat in the back of a freezing van for 10 hours in the worst weather you can imagine. The road manager slept through it all because he was shattered. We knew that the Beatles had turned down "How Do You Do It" and I thought they were silly to do that, as it was a much better song than "Love Me Do".

The single went to No l, as did its cheeky follow-up, "I Like It". Having seen Paul McCartney's success around the Liverpool clubs with "Over the Rainbow", Gerry and the Pacemakers wanted a similar, emotional show-stopper and they picked "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. With George Martin's arrangement, they became the first UK beat group to record with strings. They also became the first act to reach No l with their first three singles. "You'll Never Walk Alone" was subsequently adopted by Liverpool football club and became the Kop anthem.

After the three No 1 hits for Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1963, their fourth single, Gerry's own song "I'm the One", went to No 2 the following year. Freddie felt that they would have had a fourth chart-topper if they had picked their stage favourite, "Pretend". Freddie co-wrote "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'", which became their biggest US hit, reaching No 4 in 1964. He was immensely proud when José Feliciano recorded the song. Freddie Marsden also co-wrote "Why Oh Why" and "You've Got What I Like", and sang the occasional vocal, joining Gerry on harmony for "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues".

The group were featured on scooters for the film Ferry Cross The Mersey (1965), which was written by the creator of Coronation Street, Tony Warren. Although the plot is trite, the film offers invaluable views of Merseyside sights and clubs of the Sixties. The title song, written by Gerry Marsden, charted for the group in 1965. "There were lots of songs about Chicago, Broadway and London," said Freddie, "but nobody had mentioned Liverpool until then."

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents Gerry And The Pacemakers with two of their big hit ballads: Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying and Ferry Cross The Mersey.

Which song would you like me to play? Come to the Voice Your Choice page at Treasure Island Oldies and cast your vote. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

The Byrds - Song Of The Week

The Byrds, James McGuinn (he legally changed his name to Roger McGuinn in 1968), David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, and Mike Clarke, were formed in Los Angeles.

Their first hit single was written by Bob Dylan. When they recorded Mr. Tambourine Man, Roger McGuinn was the only member of the group considered good enough to play on the recording date, so session players were called in to lay down the tracks. Those session players eventually became known as The Wrecking Crew.

In celebration of seeing the documentary movie, The Wrecking Crew, at the Vancouver International Film Festival, almost every song on this week's show is performed by The Wrecking Crew, either as backup musicians for other recording artists such as Nancy Sinatra, Fifth Dimension, The Monkees, The Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, and so many more; or songs they recorded on their own as a group of featured players, but given different names for each release, such as The Marketts, The T-Bones, etc., but not The Wrecking Crew.

Here is a rare clip of The Byrds performing, err that is, lip synching Mr. Tambourine Man, our Song of the Week.

For more, visit The Wrecking Crew movie website.

Enjoy!
Michael

The Wrecking Crew - A Must See Film

Got to finally see The Wrecking Crew last night as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival. I went in with no expectations and was both greatly entertained and informed. The film is not just a history lesson about who played on what song, but delves into the personalities of the various musicians of The Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, Tommy Tedesco, Glen Campbell, Earl Palmer, Plas Johnson, Al Casey, Joe Osborn, and many others. It is pointed out that there were many musicians involved, in the range of between 20 to 30, but the focus is on the main core.

The film brings a wonderful perspective of its director, Denny Tedesco, who is the son of the legendary guitarist Tommy Tedesco. He grew up with his dad as a musician, who left in the morning to go to work, but was not really aware of the significant role his father was playing in the music industry. He only got to know the other players during the making of this documentary.

The Wrecking Crew is playing the festival circuit internationally, and I highly recommend that you go to the website and check to see if it will be playing anywhere near you. From music fans to industry pros, this is a must see movie documenting a key period in pop and social culture of the late 50s and 60s. I loved it! I would also love to see the soundtrack released in a box set, complete with ALL the accurate credits for the musicians who played on so many hit songs of The Righteous Brothers, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, The Association, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, The Monkees, and so many more. What a historical music document that would make! It would also finally set the record straight.

I was also really pleased to connect with Denny Tedesco. Denny got in touch with me prior to coming to Vancouver to do media publicity interviews for the movie and the film festival and we arranged to get together. Over appetizers and drinks after the screening, we had a great time talking about the making of the movie and the long and at times, difficult path it took to actually get the movie made. He told me there will be lots more when the movie is released on DVD, a bonus disc with more interviews than time allowed for in the movie. Can't wait.

My hats off and much appreciation to Denny Tedesco for making this film, and as a result of getting together after the show, I've made a new friend.

And be sure to visit The Wrecking Crew for much more information on the movie, the musicians and the songs.

Icon Paul Newman Dead at Age 83

Screen legend Paul Newman has died at the age of 83 after losing his battle against cancer.

A spokesman for the actor, Marni Tomljanovic, said Newman died on Friday.

Newman initially tried to play down concerns about his health after reports that he was undergoing cancer treatment in New York.

But AE Hotchner, who helped create the successful Newman's Own food company in 1982, confirmed in June that the actor had been ill for 18 months. "It's a form of cancer, and he's dealing with it. Paul is a fighter," Hotchner told the Associated Press.

All proceeds from Newman's Own salad dressings and snacks go to charity, and the actor has become a leading advocate for corporate philanthropy. Fox news reported this week that Newman gave away $120m during 2005 and 2006.

Newman is best known for his leading roles in The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which he played opposite longtime friend Robert Redford.

The Fleetwoods - Voice Your Choice

The Fleetwoods were a pop vocal trio from Olympia, Washington and were the only pop group from the Rock and Roll era to have two Number One hits in the same year, 1959. The trio consisted of founder Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis and Gary Troxel. They were considered by many to be ahead of their time with their intimate harmonies, intricate counterpoint and vocal arrangements.

Between 1959 and 1963 they charted 11 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including three Top Ten and two Gold Records.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents The Fleetwoods, featuring these two Top Ten records for your votes: Mr. Blue and Tragedy. This is going to be a tough decision and I am sure it will be a very close vote outcome.

Come to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote for the song you prefer. We'll play the song with the most votes in Hour 3 on the next edition of Treasure Island Oldies.

The Beatles - Song of the Week

The Beatles were masters of interpreting songs recorded first by other artists. A great example is Twist And Shout, originally recorded by and a hit for The Isley Brothers in 1959. A few years later, The Beatles cut their version of it, and it has become a classic. Here it is for you, Twist And Shout by The Beatles, our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

This week on Treasure Island Oldies

This week on Treasure Island Oldies
September 7th to September 20th 2008

The Chat Room was packed once again this week, and it was really good to welcome back Sunny in Berkeley, Illinois. She'd been having major computer problems and was unable to join in the regular fun for several weeks. We also wished a big Happy Birthday to Scott Harmon from Phenix City, Alabama. And of course, we played Birthday by The Beatles, the official birthday song of the Island. If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know and I will wish you all the best and play Birthday for you too. Send your email note to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

On a program note, next week I will be away on vacation and there will be no new live show. However, we are pleased to present an Encore Presentation of our annual Name Game Special. Every song will have someone's name in the song title. It'll be fun and I hope you enjoy this show, originally aired last September 16, 2007. Our next live show will be Sunday, September 21st.

At the Treasure Island Oldies Blog, our Song of the Week is by Bobby Rydell with a pretty rare video clip of him performing Sway. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice will return with our next live show, Sunday, September 21st.

Great to hear from George in Athens, Greece, who listens to the show via our Broadcast Partner Station, Cruisin' Oldies Radio. Thanks for the nice note, George, and a big thanks to Joey at COR for sending the note to me.

A reminder from UpSNAP that you can now listen to Treasure Island Oldies on your mobile cell phone at no cost. Your carrier airtime minutes and long distance rates apply. All you need to do is call (704) 631-4060. You’ll want to select #1 for Mobile Radio from the main menu and then #9. You will then be prompted to enter the following 4-digit ID code: 1765 for the Archive of the latest show, or 1121 to hear the live show Sunday nights. I've listened to the Archive show and it's cool to hear it via the phone.

Ian Chapman played a terrific song by Darlene Love on this week's feature. Be sure to listen once again in two weeks for another great story and song on Ian Chapman's Girl Groups ONLY on Treasure Island Oldies.

Lots of listeners have signed their name to the Treasure Island Oldies World Map. I invite you to sign the map as well. Just click on the World Map, then fill in your name, city and any comment you'd like to make. You'll join the many listeners who have put themselves on the Treasure Island Oldies World Map. Let the world know you're a proud listener!

If you missed the live show, you can enjoy the Archive of September 7th, 2008, click the Listen button on the Menu.

See you in two weeks. Bye for now.
Michael

Bobby Rydell - Song of the Week

Bobby Rydell is in the spotlight this week in a very old and rare video clip of him performing Sway, our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!
Michael

Don LaFontaine - The Voice - Passes

Don LaFontaine, 68; voice of movie trailers
By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 3, 2008
Don LaFontaine, the highly sought-after voice-over artist whose sonorous-voiced narration on several thousand movie trailers earned him the title of "The Trailer King," has died. He was 68.

LaFontaine, who also did voice-over work on countless radio and network television promotional spots and commercials, died Monday of complications after treatment for an illness at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his family said. The illness was not specified.

He was known as "Thunder Throat," "The Voice of God" and "the highest-paid movie-trailer narrator" in Hollywood.

With a rich baritone that was once likened to the sound of someone speaking from the bottom of a well, LaFontaine dramatically narrated the movie trailers for classic films such as "2001: A Space Odyssey" ("A shrieking monolith deliberately buried by an alien intelligence"), "Fatal Attraction" ("A look that led to an evening, a mistake he'd regret all his life") and "The Terminator" ("In the 21st century, a weapon would be invented like no other").

LaFontaine's distinctive voice also was heard on the trailers for "Doctor Zhivago," "MASH," "The Godfather," "Ghostbusters," "Home Alone," "L.A. Confidential," "Independence Day" and nearly 5,000 other movies. He also narrated trailers for the "Indiana Jones," "Rambo" and "Die Hard" series.

"The industry is mourning the loss of a true Hollywood legend," Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," for which LaFontaine was the voice, said in a statement Tuesday.

"Don was not only the reference standard in the voice-over community for his skills, but gave back to all who reached out to him," she said. "Movie trailers and television promos will never be the same."

In a 1995 interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, LaFontaine said, "People think what I do is just like radio announcing, but it's not."

He viewed himself as a voice actor.

"You want to take the audience out of their seats, out of their homes, out of their complacency and pull them into the story," he said. "You want to make that trailer so compelling that they have to go buy a ticket just to find out how the movie ends."

By the early '90s, LaFontaine was so busy -- he once said he could voice about 60 promotions a week and as many as 35 in a day -- that he was saving time by traveling from job to job in a chauffeur-driven limousine. He later began working from a studio in his home, where he received scripts via fax.

LaFontaine's famously melodramatic movie-trailer voice -- he was most often identified with the introductory phrase, "In a world . . ." -- was ripe for parody and spurred sendups from Pablo Francisco and other comedians.

Despite the public's familiarity with his voice and the occasional interview on the subject of voice-overs, LaFontaine worked in relative anonymity.

But that changed in 2006 when he appeared as "that announcer guy from the movies" in a national car insurance commercial to help a "real" customer, "not an actor," tell her story.

There he was, the casually dressed man with the sandy mustache, standing at a microphone in the woman's kitchen with headphones over his bald head.

Woman, speaking matter-of-factly: "When the storm hit, both our cars were totally underwater."

LaFontaine, with deep-voiced dramatic overtones and accompanied by stirring music: "In a world where both of our cars were totally underwater."

Woman: "We thought it would take forever to get some help."

LaFontaine: "But a new wind was about to blow."

The self-parody, in which he was not only seen but also identified by name, racked up tens of thousands of hits on YouTube, prompting one viewer to write: "Finally, I get to the see who the person is with that voice."

LaFontaine was born Aug. 26, 1940, in Duluth, Minn. After working as a recording engineer in the Army, he became a sound engineer-editor at National Recording Studios in New York City.

In the early '60s, he was assigned to work with radio producer Floyd Peterson, who was creating radio commercials for the movie "Dr. Strangelove." He and Peterson joined forces in a two-man operation and Peterson's quickly expanded company became one of the first to work exclusively in movie advertising.

LaFontaine, who wrote much of the copy, launched his voice-over career unexpectedly after the announcer for a radio-spot presentation for the 1964 movie "Gunfighters of Casa Grande" failed to show and LaFontaine stepped in.

After a number of years as a head of production for Kaleidoscope Films Ltd., a top trailer production house, he launched his own production company, Don LaFontaine Associates, in 1976.

LaFontaine joined Paramount Pictures as head of the studio's trailer department in 1978. After leaving Paramount as a vice president in 1981, he returned to being an independent producer. He then became more heavily involved in doing voice-over work.

"I don't think there will ever be another career quite like mine," he once told Swindle magazine. "It can't be duplicated. I came into the field of movie promos just as it was being born. I had the opportunity to work in virtually every style, mostly reading copy that I had written or co-written. Many of the younger narrators of today grew up hearing me. And right or wrong, it became a sort of template for how trailers should be read."

LaFontaine is survived by his wife, Nita; daughters, Christine, Skye and Elyse; and a grandson.

A private funeral service will be held, and a celebration of LaFontaine's life is pending.

dennis.mclellan@latimes.com

Jerry Reed - Singer Actor Dead At 71

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Jerry Reed, a singer who became a good ol' boy actor in car chase movies like "Smokey and the Bandit," has died of complications from emphysema at 71.

Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Jerry Reed was known for his roles in Burt Reynolds films.

His longtime booking agent, Carrie Moore-Reed, no relation to the star, said Reed died early Monday.

"He's one of the greatest entertainers in the world. That's the way I feel about him," Moore-Reed said.

Reed was a gifted guitarist who later became a songwriter, singer and actor.

As a singer in the 1970s and early 1980s, he had a string of hits that included "Amos Moses," "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "East Bound and Down" and "The Bird."

In the mid-1970s, he began acting in movies such as "Smokey and the Bandit" with Burt Reynolds, usually as a good ol' boy. But he was an ornery heavy in "Gator," directed by Reynolds, and a hateful coach in 1998's "The Waterboy," starring Adam Sandler.

Reynolds gave him a shiny black 1980 Trans Am like the one they used in "Smokey and the Bandit."

Reed and Kris Kristofferson paved the way for Nashville music personalities to make inroads into films. Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers (TV movies) followed their lead.

"I went around the corner to motion pictures," he said in a 1992 AP interview.

Reed had quadruple bypass surgery in June 1999.

Born in Atlanta, Reed learned to play guitar at age 8 when his mother bought him a $2 guitar and showed him how to play a G-chord.

He dropped out of high school to tour with Ernest Tubb and Faron Young.

At 17, he signed his first recording contract, with Capitol Records.

He moved to Nashville in the mid-1960s where he caught the eye of Chet Atkins.

He first established himself as a songwriter. Elvis Presley recorded two of his songs, "U.S. Male" and "Guitar Man" (both in 1968). He also wrote the hit "A Thing Called Love," which was recorded in 1972 by Johnny Cash. He also wrote songs for Brenda Lee, Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and the Oak Ridge Boys.

Reed was voted instrumentalist of the year in 1970 by the Country Music Association.

He won a Grammy Award for "When You're Hot, You're Hot" in 1971. A year earlier, he shared a Grammy with Chet Atkins for their collaboration, "Me and Jerry." In 1992, Atkins and Reed won a Grammy for "Sneakin' Around."

Reed continued performing on the road into the late 1990s, doing about 80 shows a year.

"I'm proud of the songs, I'm proud of things that I did with Chet (Atkins), I'm proud that I played guitar and was accepted by musicians and guitar players," he told the AP in 1992.

In a 1998 interview with The Tennessean, he admitted that his acting ability was questionable.

"I used to watch people like Richard Burton and Mel Gibson and think, 'I could never do that.'

"When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies

This week on Treasure Island Oldies
August 31st to September 6th 2008

Thanks for another fun Labour Day Special and for your requests. Every time I put together a special, it amazes me just how many songs fit into that particular theme. With this week's show, there were plenty of work related songs, lots of school related ones as well, plus a few songs added for the end of summer. And it turned into a blend of great music for four hours.

Our next special will be in two weeks time with The Name Game, an Encore Presentation of this popular special Sunday, September 14th. For our other upcoming special shows, be sure to check out the Schedule. Click Listen on the Menu then Schedules.

Over at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog, our Song of the Week is the fantastic Sam Cooke in a performance of You Send Me. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents Gene Pitney with two of his hit songs for your votes. Do you prefer I Must Be Seeing Things or Last Chance To Turn Around? Cast your vote by clicking the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Nice to hear from several listeners about the Walker Brothers clip at the Blog a couple of weeks ago, including my longtime friend from my A&M Records days, James Monaco. Sam Ward in Mississauga, Ontario also sent a very nice note. Gordon from Australia emailed saying how much he is enjoying the show as a new listener and commented how he is hearing so many songs that he has not heard in many years. Thanks, Gordon. Angus Macdonald in Portland, Oregon sent a note to say he enjoys listening to the show as well. John Corbett sent in a request to play Report To The Nation by Winkly and Nutly on the Novelty Tune of the Week feature. They were actually Bob Mitchell and Jim Stag, two disc jockeys from KYA in San Francisco. John, be sure to listen to next week's show!

A reminder from UpSNAP that you can now listen to Treasure Island Oldies on your mobile cell phone at no cost. Your carrier airtime minutes and long distance rates apply. All you need to do is call (704) 631-4060. You’ll want to select #1 for Mobile Radio from the main menu and then #9. You will then be prompted to enter the following 4-digit ID code: 1765 for the Archive of the latest show, or 1121 to hear the live show Sunday nights. I've listened to the Archive show and it's cool to hear it via the phone.

Ian Chapman played a rare song by The Dixie Cups on this week's feature. Be sure to listen once again next week for another great story and song on Ian Chapman's Girl Groups ONLY on Treasure Island Oldies.

Lots of listeners have signed their name to the Treasure Island Oldies World Map. I invite you to sign the map as well. Just click on the World Map, then fill in your name, city and any comment you'd like to make. You'll join the many listeners who have put themselves on the Treasure Island Oldies World Map. Let the world know you're a proud listener!

If you missed the live show, you can enjoy the Archive of August 31st, 2008, our Labour Day Special, click the Listen button on the Menu.

Have a good week. Bye for now.
Michael

Gene Pitney - Voice Your Choice

Gene Pitney was born a few days after Valentine's Day, on February 17, 1941 in Hartford, Connecticut and later raised in Rockville, Connecticut. Prior to his own solo career, he recorded with Ginny Arnell as the duo Jamie & Jane in 1959. A year later he was still in disguise as he went by the name of Billy Bryan. Apart from writing songs for himself, he also wrote Hello Mary Lou, recorded by Ricky Nelson, He's A Rebel for The Crystals, and Rubber Ball, which Bobby Vee recorded.

He scored a very impressive twenty four appearances on the Billboard chart, including four Top Ten hits. This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features Gene Pitney with two of his great hits: I Must Be Seeing Things and Last Chance To Turn Around. Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear by coming to the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Sam Cooke - Song of the Week

Sam Cooke is in the spotlight for our Song of the Week with the beautiful You Send Me. Enjoy!
Michael