This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

August 29th, 2010 to September 4th, 2010

I thoroughly enjoyed having my good friend Tom Locke in the studio with me for the first hour of this week's show. We celebrated ten years of the Moment In Time feature on the show, which Tom has been researching and writing for all of these years. In fact, we have aired over 350 Moments in Time. The feature originally began when Tom arranged for a new start up company to sponsor a new feature on the show and it became the Sorrells Pickard Pick of the Week. Not only was it a treat to re-live ten of the great Moments, but it was also so cool to hear those great Sorrells Pickard Gourmet Peanut Butter commercials once again. I always loved the last line of the ads, when Sorrells sings "you'll fall in love all over again", followed by "it's mighty good". One of the company's co-founders, Herb Dow, dropped by the Chat Room for a visit to mark the occasion. He indicated that the peanut butter may just make a comeback in the not too distant future. Now that would be great! It was, in fact, it was the best peanut butter I have ever tasted. And judging from the many listeners who either bought the product or won a gift pack through the show, they agreed with me. Incidentally, Tom will have a book published later this fall relating to the Moment In Time. There will be 100 actual scripts from the Moment In time feature. Once I get more details, I will be sure to pass them onto you.

Before I go any further with this week's update, I would like to take a moment to wish our Webmaster, Eddy Fisher, all the very best as he goes into the hospital this week for a complete knee replacement. I know you join me in wishing Eddy a successful operation and a healthy recovery. Just so you know, there may very well be a delay in having the website updated for a few days. In addition, an alert to our Broadcast Partners Network affiliate stations: please note that access to your private pages may also be delayed by a few days. Thanks for your patience as our patient recovers.

I would like to welcome three new stations to the Treasure Island Oldies Broadcast Partners Network: QCCR-FM in Liverpool, Nova Scotia; 1035 Capital FM in Iqaluit, Nunavut; and Selkirkradio.ca in Selkirk, Manitoba. In the past two we have added a total of five new stations including 247 Music Radio in Singapore and HomeTeamSports.ca in Saint John, New Brunswick. Thank you very much!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Carl Fiset in Quebec City, Quebec, who just turned 40 this week. If you have a birthday coming up, send the details to me including your name, birthday date, and your city to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play Birthday by The Beatles for you as well.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the incredible Dusty Springfield with Wishin' And Hopin'; it's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice is featuring one of the early Girl Groups this week, The Essex. Which song would you like to hear: A Walkin' Miracle or Easier Said Than Done? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winning song during the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Speaking of next week's show, be sure to join us for our Annual Labour Day Weekend End of Summer Back To School Special. We'll feature some last songs of the summer, as well as work songs and school tunes. It is always a fun way to wrap up the summer and get ready for the fall season. And we have more specials lined up for you for the remainder of the year including our Canadian Thanksgiving Special, the 14th Annual Halloween Spooktacular, Music By Numbers Special and our 14th Annual Christmas Special. For all dates, go to the Listen page then click Schedules.

Did you know you can download the weekly Rock & Roll News as a Podcast? It's easy; go to iTunes and search for Treasure Island Oldies Rock & Roll News. You'll be among the over 11,00 downloads of the Podcast every month. You can also listen to the Top 5 Countdown, when you only have time to listen to a few songs. Go to the Listen page and click Top 5 Countdown.

The Listener Gallery has is ready to hang your photos. Send in your picture, name, city and province or state to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and our webmaster, Eddy Fisher, will post it on the Listener Gallery page.

I hope you have a great week and see you next Sunday for the live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

The Essex - Voice Your Choice

The Essex had an interesting way of becoming a singing group. They met when they were all members of the U.S. Marine Corps based at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. While only three are shown in the photo, there were in fact five members: the terrific lead vocalist Anita Humes, and Walter Vickers, Rodney Taylor, Billy Hill, and Rudolph Johnson. Their debut single reached the mighty Number One spot on the charts, quite a feat.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features The Essex with two of their three charted hit songs: A Walkin' Miracle and Easier Said Than Done. Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear at the Voice Your Choice page.

We'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Dusty Springfield - Song of the Week

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the fantastic Dusty Springfield in a TV show performance of Wishin' And Hopin'. It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!
Michael

Treasure Island Oldies Welcomes Two New Radio Stations

I am very pleased to welcome HTS - HomeTeamSports.ca in St. John, New Brunswick and 247MusicRadio.com in Singapore to the Treasure Island Oldies Broadcast Partners Network.

We'll be on the air on HomeTeamSports.com every Saturday and Sunday from 8 p.m.to Midnight; and on 247MusicRadio.com, Asia's Premiere Music Radio, every Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 Noon. All times are local.

Many thanks to Don Mabee at HomeTeamSports.com and Jon Saint at 247MusicRadio.com, and I sincerely hope your listeners have many hours of enjoyment and memories while on the Island.

Michael

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

August 22^nd, 2010 to August 28^th, 2010

What a week it's been on the Island! I am very pleased to welcome two new radio stations to the Treasure Island Oldies Broadcast Partners Network. We are now on HTS - HomeTeamSports.ca in St. John, New Brunswick, Saturday and Sunday from 8 p.m. to Midnight. We are also now on 247MusicRadio.com, Asia's Premiere Music Radio - Singapore, every Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 Noon. I know you join me in welcoming the listeners of both stations. I hope you enjoy your stay on the Island.

It's amazing that the weekly feature Moment In Time has already been airing on the show for ten years. In recognition of this milestone, Tom Locke, the research and writer of the Moment In Time, will join me in the studio throughout the first hour of the show. We'll present the Top Ten Moments In Time, ten great stories behind ten great songs. Be sure to listen next week.

In two week's it our Annual Labour Day Weekend End Of Summer Back To School Special. We'll feature some great work songs, back to school themes, and the last chance to enjoy some great summer songs. Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 5th and join in for this annual special.

If you have a birthday coming up , send the details to me including your name, birthday date, and your city to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play Birthday by The Beatles for you as well.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The Ronettes in a great live performance of Be My Baby. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice features a member of the famous Rat Pack, Dean Martin, with two of his signature songs for your votes: Everybody Loves Somebody and Return To Me. Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear by going to the Voice Your Choice page. The winning song will be played in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Did you know you can download the weekly Rock & Roll News as a Podcast? It's easy; go to iTunes and search for Treasure Island Oldies Rock & Roll News. You'll be among the over 11,00 downloads of the Podcast every month. You can also listen to the Top 5 Countdown, when you only have time to listen to a few songs. Go to the Listen page and click Top 5 Countdown.

The Listener Gallery has is ready to hang your photos. Send in your picture, name, city and province or state to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and our webmaster, Eddy Fisher, will post it on the Listener Gallery page.

I hope you have a great week and see you next Sunday for the live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

Dean Martin - Voice Your Choice

Dean Martin was born Dino Crocetti on June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio. He was very versatile as a singer, actor, comedian, and host of his own TV variety show from 1965 to 1974. He teamed up with comedian Jerry Lewis in Atlantic City in 1946 and was a member of the famed Rat Pack, along with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford.

His first big hit was That's Amoré, which went to the #2 spot on the chart in 1953. Between 1955 and 1969, he had thirty charted records on Billboard, including two Number One hits, which were both Gold Records as well.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features Dean Martin with two of his big hit songs for your votes:  Everybody Loves Somebody and Return To Me. Cast your vote for the song you would like to hear by coming to the Voice Your Choice page. The winning song will be played in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

The Ronettes - Song of the Week

There were quite a number of Girl Groups during the 1960s, but one of the standouts was definitely The Ronettes. Here they are in a live vocal performance of the all-time classic Be My Baby, our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael

Cannibal And The Headhungters Founder Richard "Scar" Lopez Has Died At Age 65

Richard "Scar" Lopez, founding member of the East Los Angeles group, Cannibal and the Headhunters, died of lung cancer July 30 at the age of 65 in a hospital in Garden Grove, California. Formed along with Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia, Robert "Rabbit" Jaramillo and his brother Joe "Yo Yo" Jaramillo, Cannibal and the Headhunters were discovered and signed by Rampart Records, who released their version of Chris Kenner's "Land Of 1000 Dances" in 1965. While it only rose to #30 on the charts, it allowed the group to appear on "American Bandstand" and "Hullabaloo" as well as open for the Beatles at their legendary Shea Stadium concert n New York. Scar (named for the result of an accident he suffered at a Los Angeles Boy's Club at age 13) reportedly left the group when he was reprimanded for gambling on the Beatles' tour and the remaining three members broke up two years later. A re-release of "Land Of 1000 Dances" bubbled under (#106) for the group in 1966, as did "Nau Ninny Nau" (#133) that year. But the lasting contribution of Scar and the others would be as the role models they served to a generation of hispanic musicians. They were inducted into the Chicano Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Kenny Edwards of The Stone Poneys Has Died

Kenny Edwards-- founding member of the Stone Poneys who played behind artists like Linda Rondstadt, Don Henley and Warren Zevon-- died Wednesday (August 18) at a Santa Barbara, California hospital from prostate cancer and a blood disorder. Kenny was 64. He had been airlifted from a Denver hospital August 13 after collapsing there while in concert with Karla Bonoff. A benefit concert in Ventura, California Sunday (August 22) will now be a memorial, instead.

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

Week of August 15th, 2010 to August 21st, 2010

As the hot summer continues, we also continued to play some cool summertime tunes, including some Lost Treasures. Be sure to check out the Playlist, located on the Listen page, for all the great songs played on the show this week.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to 99.9 The Crow in McKinney, Texas, celebrating their 1st year at The Crow and 2nd year for the station itself. Congratulations to Jim the owner and station manager. Also Happy Birthday to two great friends and show contributors, Matt Meaney and Fay Greenwood. Matt produces Fay's weekly feature on the show, Hits From Across the Pond with Fay Greenwood. If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com I'll play Birthday by The Beatles for you on the show and wish you all the best.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing Brewer and Shipley with a live performance and story behind their famous One Toke Over The Line. As a bonus, be sure to also watch a clip from the Lawrence Welk Show with Dale and Gail also performing the song. Pay attention to their introduction and then the comments from Lawrence Welk himself a the end. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice spotlights R&B legendary singer Clyde McPhatter with two of his great solo hits: Lover Please and A Lover's Question. Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear by going to the Voice Your Choice page. The winning song will be played in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

I am so pleased with the number of people who enjoy the Rock & Roll News Podcast every week. You can download it at the iTunes Store by searching for Treasure Island Oldies Rock & Roll News Podcast. There have been over 11,000 downloads of this popular Podcast in the past 30 days! Thank you. You can also enjoy the Top 5 Countdown. While not available for download, you can listen to it at any time on the Listen page.

The Listener Gallery has is ready to hang your photos. Send in your picture, name, city and province or state to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and our webmaster, Eddy Fisher, will post it on the Listener Gallery page.

I hope you have a great week and see you next Sunday for the live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

Clyde McPhatter - Voice Your Choice

The Drifters were an R&B group formed in 1953 as a showcase for singer Clyde McPhatter. Prior to their first hit on the pop charts, they had eleven Top Ten songs on the R&B charts. The original lineup consisted of Clyde McPhatter, Gerhart and Andrew Thrasher, and Bill Pinkney.

When Clyde McPhatter left for a solo career, manager George Treadwell disbanded the rest of the group brought in The Five Crowns, and renamed them The Drifters (perhaps The New Drifters would have been more like it). This new lineup included Ben E. King, Doc Green, Charlie Thomas and Elsbeary Hobbs. The majority of their Top 100 chart hits were sung by three different lead singers: Ben E. King (1959-60), Rudy Lewis (1961-63), and Johnny Moore (1957, 1964-66).

Clyde was born Clyde Lensley McPhatter on November 15, 1932 in Durham, North Carolina and sadly, he died of a heart attack at the young age of 39 on June 13, 1972. DCuring his solo career, he charted 21 times, had 2 Top Ten hits and 1 Gold Record.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights the great Clyde McPhatter with two of his solo hits: Lover Please and A Lover`s Question. Cast your vote for the song you`d like to hear at the Voice Your Choice page. The winning song will be played in the 3rd hour of next week`s show.

Brewer And Shipley - Song Of The Week

Brewer and Shipley became infamous with One Toke Over The Line when it was first released. Here they are many years after the song's release in a live acoustic performance of the song. They tell the story of what happened when it was first released and also how funny it was that Lawrence Welk had two of his show's singers Dale and Gail perfom the song as a "modern spiritual".

I am pleased to play both clips for you: Brewer and Shipley performing One Toke Over The Line and from the Lawrence Welk Show, Dale and Gail also performing it.

Enjoy!
Michael

The Diamonds Singer Ted Kowalski Has Died

Ted Kowalski, one of the original members of the Canadian quartet The Diamonds, died Aug. 8 after a long battle with heart disease.
Formed in Toronto in 1953, The Diamonds became a singing sensation, scoring three gold records in two years for the songs Little Darlin', Silhouettes and The Stroll -- the latter of which spawned a dance craze by the same name.
Mr. Kowalski -- the group's tenor -- and the other original members received the Juno Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984. They were also inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame.
"He was very modest. When he first moved to Whitby, no one really knew who he was, because he didn't talk about his music," said family friend Steve Biagi, who recalled Mr. Kowalski regaling him with rock n' roll stories. "He was also one of the kindest people I've ever met. He gave me one of the shirts he wore when he performed with the Diamonds in 1957 ... I framed it with one of his records."
In an October 2009 interview with This Week, Mr. Kowalski reminisced about meeting Elvis Presley in Los Angeles in the 1950s. The rock n' roll legend sent his manager to ask out Mr. Kowalski's soon-to-be wife Valare and the local man was quick to send him packing.
Elvis wasn't the only celebrity Mr. Kowalski rubbed shoulders with over the years. He said it was Gene Kelly who gave him the idea to put a handkerchief over his head while singing Little Darlin' and remembered hanging out with Buddy Holly.
"When we went on bus tours, we used to sing together with Buddy Holly, who played his ukulele; he was still with The Crickets then. He was a great, talented guy, very humble, very down to earth," he said in the interview.
His time with The Diamonds was short lived. Five years after the group formed, Mr. Kowalski left to pursue a more practical career path.
"I decided there was no real future in it," he said. "So I resumed my studies in engineering."
But the lure of the stage pulled him back. After graduating in 1964, he returned to music, first singing with a big band then becoming the featured soloist for a Toronto-based ensemble called The Generations.
More recently, he sang with the Whitby Seniors' Centre Jubilee Choir.
"He was a valued member of the choir and we will certainly miss him," said choir director Barbara Breckenridge. "He had a vibrant sense of humour and a wit that's second to none."
A celebration of Mr. Kowalski's life takes place Saturday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. at the Whitby Seniors' Centre, where members of the Jubilee Choir will be honouring Mr. Kowalski life by singing songs requested by his wife.

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

August 8th, 2010 to August 14th, 2010

I am still getting comments on our Annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special from two weeks ago; thank you very much. I've also still been receiving requests for several instrumental songs that I did not play on the special. I will play as many as possible as soon as possible. I know that Scott in Phenix City, Alabama was really happy to hear Satin Soul by the Love Unlimited Orchestra. That was the follow-up to the classic Love's Theme, and one hardly played anymore. I love playing these Lost Treasures, not obscure records by someone you never heard of, but artists that had major hits but that never get played anymore. Somewhere along the line, consultants convinced radio programmers that listeners only wanted to hear the biggest hits of an artist or group, and perhaps even suggesting that listeners couldn't remember anything else. I say utter nonsense. Please, people have memories, not just their Top Ten memories. Tons of things, places, events, people, etc. come back to you from time to time. I love playing songs that bring back those great memories for you. And judging from your feedback, the songs I play do just that for you. Thanks for letting me know.

It was 35 years ago this week that the radio station I most enjoyed working at, CFOM in Quebec City, went off the air. Guylaine Cote had been a regular listener to CFOM as a very young girl and after many years, she discovered I am still around and listens to my show today. You could say she has been listening to me for longer than anyone else, at least over a long period of time. I was pleased to play a few songs on this week's show that I used to play when I was a DJ and Music Director at the station. CFOM may be gone, but the memory of that station will go on forever for many people.

I really like wishing listeners a Happy Birthday on the show; so if you are having a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandOldies.com and I'll play our official birthday song for you, Birthday by The Beatles.

Speaking of the Fab Four, the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The Beatles, live at Shea Stadium with Twist And Shout. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice features Miss Toni Fisher with two great songs: The Big Hurt and West Of The Wall. Which song would you like me to play? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page and I'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

There's only a couple of weeks before the Reunion of Petaluma High School Class of 1974. The 36 Year Reunion of this Petaluma, California high school is taking place the weekend of August 20th. Better hurry for information. Contact Diane at PetalumaHigh1974@gmail.com. And if your Alma Mater is planning a Reunion, be sure to let me know and I'll pass the information on to you on the show and on the website too. Send the details to reunion@treasureislandoldies.com.

I am so pleased with the number of people who enjoy the Rock & Roll News Podcast every week. You can download it at the iTunes Store by searching for Treasure Island Oldies Rock & Roll News Podcast. There have been over 11,000 downloads of this popular Podcast in the past 30 days! Thank you. You can also enjoy the Top 5 Countdown. While not available for download, you can listen to it at any time on the Listen page.

The Listener Gallery has is ready to hang your photos. Send in your picture, name, city and province or state to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and our webmaster, Eddy Fisher, will post it on the Listener Gallery page.

I hope you have a great week and see you next Sunday for the live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

Miss Toni Fisher - Voice Your Choice

Miss Toni Fisher hailed from Los Angeles, California, where she was born in 1931. She died of a heart attack on February 19, 1999 at age 67. She had three songs on the Billboard chart between 1959 and 1962. Despite such a short career on the charts, two of her songs have made lasting impressions. Her first hit, The Big Hurt was the first hit record to feature "phasing", an electronic gimmick that bends and distorts the sound waves. Her third hit single, West Of the Wall was inspired by the Berlin Wall crisis in August of 1962.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights those two songs by Miss Toni Fisher: The Big Hurt and West Of The Wall. Which song would you like me to play? Cast your vote by coming to the Voice Your Choice page and selecting the song you prefer. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Click here for more information on Miss Toni Fisher.

The Beatles - Song of the Week

This week the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the greatest group of all time, The Beatles. John, Paul, George, and Ringo are introduced by Ed Sullivan in front of tens of thousands of fans at Shea Stadium in New York City in 1965. Here then are The Beatles, live, with Twist And Shout. It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!
Michael

Bobby "Sunny" Hebb Has Died Of Cancer At Age 72

Bobby Hebb, who propelled "Sunny" to #2 Pop, #3 R&B and a gold record in 1966, died of lung cancer Tuesday (August 3) in a Nashville hospital. He was 72. Born in Nashville in 1938 to musician parents who were both blind, Bobby joined with two of his seven brothers in a vaudeville act that got them on a local TV show. This was the beginning of a remarkable career that included playing trumpet in the U.S. Navy Jazz Band (performing for Madame Chiang Kai-shek in Hong Kong), singing backup for Bo Diddley at Chess Records in Chicago, a spot on country singer Roy Acuff's show (only the third African-American to perform on the Grand Ol' Opry) and singing with Sylvia Vanderpool in a later incarnation of Micky & Sylvia. The death of Bobby's brother Harold (who had a #12 R&B hit of his own with "Rollin' Stone" as part of the Marigolds in 1955) in an attempted robbery just a day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led Bobby to write the poignantly optimistic "Sunny." It was two years before Bobby's demo of the song would earn him a recording contract and a tour with the Beatles. Bobby followed up the song with "A Satisfied Mind" (#39 Pop, #40 R&B) and "Love Me" (#84 Pop). He also wrote the Lou Rawls hit, "A Natural Man"-originally intended for a Broadway musical. He later reprised his first hit as "Sunny '76," which only reached #94 on the R&B charts that year.

Mitch Miller Has Died At Age 99

NEW YORK – Mitch Miller, the goateed orchestra leader who asked Americans to "Sing Along With Mitch" on television and records and produced hits for Tony Bennett, Patti Page and other performers, has died at age 99.
His daughter, Margaret Miller Reuther, said Monday that Miller died Saturday in Lenox Hill Hospital after a short illness.
Miller was a key record executive at Columbia Records in the pre-rock 'n' roll era, making hits with singers Bennett, Page, Rosemary Clooney and Johnny Mathis. As a producer and arranger, Miller had misses, too, famously striking out on projects with Frank Sinatra and a young Aretha Franklin and in general scorning the rise of rock.
"Sing Along With Mitch" started as a series of records, then became a popular NBC show starting in early 1961. Miller's stiff-armed conducting style and signature goatee became famous. The TV show ranked in the top 20 for the 1961-62 season, and soon children everywhere were parodying Miller's stiff-armed conducting. An all-male chorus sang old standards, joined by a few female singers, most prominently Leslie Uggams. Viewers were invited to join in with lyrics superimposed on the screen and followed with a bouncing ball.
"He is an odd-looking man," New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson wrote in 1962. "His sharp beard, twinkling eyes, wrinkled forehead and mechanical beat make him look like a little puppet as he peers hopefully into the camera. By now most of us are more familiar with his tonsils than with those of our families."
Atkinson went on to say that as a musician, Miller was "first rate," praising "the clean tone of the singing, the clarity of the lyrics, the aptness of the tempos, the variety and the occasional delicacy of the instrumental accompaniment."
An accomplished oboist, Miller played in a number of orchestras early in his career, including one put together in 1934 by George Gershwin. "Gershwin was an unassuming guy," Miller told The New York Times in 1989. "I never heard him raise his voice."
Miller began in the recording business with Mercury Records in the late '40s, first on the classical side, later with popular music. He then went over to Columbia Records as head of its popular records division.
Among the stars whose hits he worked on were Clooney, Page, Bennett, Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford. His decision to have Mathis switch from jazz to lushly romantic ballads launched the singer as a superstar. Bennett credits Miller with helping him become a superstar.
"Mitch Miller put me on the map by producing some of my very first million-selling records, and he was a great friend and a magnificent musician," Bennett said in a statement.
Miller had a less rewarding collaboration with Sinatra, whose recording of the novelty song "Mama Will Bark," featuring dog imitations, was considered the nadir of the singer's career. Still, Miller became known for his distinctive arrangements, such as the use of a harpsichord on Clooney's megahit version of "Come On-a My House." He used dubbing of vocal tracks back when that was considered exotic.
"To me, the art of singing a pop song has always been to sing it very quietly," Miller said in the book "Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music."
"The microphone and the amplifier made the popular song what it is — an intimate one-on-one experience through electronics. It's not like opera or classical singing. The whole idea is to take a very small thing and make it big."
Miller and a chorus had a No. 1 hit in 1955 with "The Yellow Rose of Texas," and that led to his sing-along records a few years later.
The years of Miller's biggest successes were also the early years of rock 'n' roll, and many fans saw his old-fashioned arrangements of standards and folk favorites as an antidote to the noisy stuff the teens adored. As an executive at Columbia, Miller would be widely ridiculed for trying to turn a young Aretha Franklin into a showbiz diva in the tradition of Sophie Tucker. She left Columbia in the mid-1960s, signed with Atlantic Records and was soon transformed into the "Queen of Soul."
But Miller was not entirely unsympathetic to rock 'n' roll, or to the counterculture. In 1969, he attended a massive demonstration in Washington against the Vietnam War. In a 1955 essay in The New York Times magazine, he said the popularity of rhythm and blues, as he called it, with white teens was part of young people's "natural desire not to conform, a need to be rebellious."
He added: "There is a steady — and healthy — breaking down of color barriers in the United States; perhaps the rhythm-and-blues rage — I am only theorizing — is another expression of it."
"Miller has often been maligned as a maestro of 1950s schlock ... Yet Miller injected elements of rhythm and blues and country music, however diluted, into mainstream pop," Ken Emerson wrote in his book "Always Magic in the Air."
In the Martin Scorsese documentary on Bob Dylan, "No Direction Home," Miller acknowledged that he was dubious when famed producer John Hammond brought the nearly unknown Dylan to the staid Columbia label in the early '60s. "He was singing in, you know, this rough-edged voice," Miller said. "I will admit I didn't see the greatness of it." But he said he respected Hammond's track record in finding talent.
Miller's square reputation in the post-rock era brought his name and music to unexpected places. In 1993, one of his "Sing Along" records was used by the FBI to drive out the Branch Davidian cult from its Waco, Texas compound.
In recent years, Miller returned to his classical roots, appearing frequently as a guest conductor with symphony orchestras.
In 2000, he won a special Grammy Award for lifetime achievement.
Reuther said her father died of "just old age."
"He was absolutely himself up until the minute he got sick," she said. "He was truly blessed with a long and wonderful life."
Miller was born in 1911, in Rochester, N.Y., son of a Russian Jewish immigrant wrought-iron worker and a seamstress. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester.
Reuther said there will be a memorial service for her father in the fall.
___
Associated Press Writer David Bauder and AP National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report. Biographical material in this story was written by former AP staffer Polly Anderson.

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

August 1st, 2010 to August 7th, 2010

What a treat is was to play such great instrumental music for you on the Annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special again this year. I managed to play a whopping 77 songs in 4 hours; fortunately instrumentals were relatively short in those days. An interesting aspect to all these instrumental hits is they were from all music styles including pop, orchestral, jazz, dixieland, etc. And that is one reason why Top 40 radio was so popular; it presented the best of all styles of music: pop, rock, folk, foreign language, etc., and from countries around the world including United States, Canada, England, Australia, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, and so many other places. You sure heard a great variety in those "good old days". And it is exactly that variety that I really enjoy bringing to you every week on Treasure Island Oldies. And thanks very much for your requests. They were both plentiful and great suggestions. And for those songs I was unable to get to, I will do my best to play them on next week`s show.

One of the neat aspects of the show are the regular weekly features, particularly those from listeners. Hits From Across The Pond with Fay Greenwood, Rick`s Rare Rock and Roll Relic from Rick Canode, and the Music Link from Paul Carter Jr. all generate lots of conversation in the Chat Room. This week was no exception. This week Fay spotlighted Right Said Fred by Bernard Cribbins, Rick had The Fireballs with Gunshot, and Paul linked Popcorn by Hot Butter with Saturday Night At The Movies by The Drifters. All these songs had the Nuts in the Hut chatting about these tunes. Well done! I invite you to become part of the interesting, informative, and at times very humourous threads of conversation. Click Chat on the Menu during the live show Sunday nights from 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific time and follow the instructions for logging on. As The Beatles sang, " a splendid time is guaranteed for all".

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is continuing with our instrumental theme this week with a rare live performance of Sleep Walk by Santo and Johnny. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice features the Los Angeles pop vocal group The Association with two of their many hits songs: Never My Love and Along Comes Mary. Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Here is a reminder to the Alumni of Petaluma High School Class of 1974. The 36 Year Reunion of this Petaluma, California high school is taking place very soon, the weekend of August 20th. For information contact Diane at PetalumaHigh1974@gmail.com. If your Alma Mater is planning a Reunion, be sure to let me know and I'll pass the information on to you on the show and on the website too. Send the details to reunion@treasureislandoldies.com.

I am so pleased with the number of people who enjoy the Rock & Roll News Podcast every week. You can download it at the iTunes Store by searching for Treasure Island Oldies Rock & Roll News Podcast. There have been over 11,000 downloads of this popular Podcast in the past 30 days! Thank you. You can also enjoy the Top 5 Countdown. While not available for download, you can listen to it at any time on the Listen page.

The Listener Gallery has is ready to hang your photos. Send in your picture, name, city and province or state to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and our webmaster, Eddy Fisher, will post it on the Listener Gallery page.

I hope you have a great week and see you next Sunday for the live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

The Association - Voice Your Chouce

The Association were a pop vocal group from Los Angeles who scored many hits between 1966 and 1981. In fact, they appeared on the Billboard charts a total of 13 times and attained Top Ten status on five of their hits, including two Number One songs and three Gold Records.

The group consisted of singers Gary Alexander, Russ Giguere, Jim Yester, who also played guitar; and all shared vocals. The rest of the musicians were Terry Kirkman (keyboards), Brian Cole (bass), and Ted Bluechel (drums).

Next week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features two songs by The Association: Never My Love, a gold record and Top Five, and Along Comes Mary, their debut top ten single. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Santo And Johnny - Song of the Week

In keeping with our Annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special on Treasure Island Oldies this week, I am pleased to play for you one of the greatest and memorable instrumental hits of all time.

Santo and Johnny were from Brooklyn, New York and their debut single, Sleep Walk became a classic, reaching Number One on the charts for two weeks in 1959. It also became a Gold Record.

Here are Santo and Johnny in a live television performance of Sleepwalk. It's our Instrumental Gem Wordless Wonders Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael