This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

May 27th, 2012 to June 2nd, 2012

The Chat Room was the place to be this week on the show. We had lots of the regular Nuts in the Hut along with listeners and friends including three of our Broadcast Partners Network radio stations, Jim from 99.9 The Crow in McKinney, Texas, WKTH-FM's Duane in Terra Haute, Indiana, and Tom from BackSpinRadio.net in Edmonton, Alberta. And everyone had a great time. Next week be sure to stop by for a visit. Go to the Chat Page and follow the instructions. I look forward to seeing you soon.

On a technical note, the LIVE Real media feed is not available, However the Archive Real media is working fine and the current week's show is available by Monday following the live Sunday show. I want you to have a great listening experience and the recent technical problems with the live Real Media stream have resulted in a decision to stop using it. Please note the Windows Media stream works great and sounds great too.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Bruce Toews in Winnipeg, Manitoba. If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com  and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play Birthday, our official birthday song by The Beatles, for you.

Mark your calendars for more specials coming your way. We present the Annual Father's Day Special Live June 17th and then the following week, June 24th, be sure to join us for the Annual Summer Beach Party Special. You can check out the complete list at the Specials Page. Click Listen then Specials. And next week, Tom Locke, the creator, researcher and writer of our weekly Moment In Time feature, will join me in the studio during the first hour of next week's show. We'll play some songs that were recorded by artists before they became famous. You Got To Start Somewhere is the theme. I know this is going to be fun and interesting.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing A Group Called Smith, later shortened to just Smith. Gayle McCormick was the powerful lead vocal for the group, and she later went on to record a couple of solo hits. This week's Song of the Week is Baby It's You, originally a hit for The Shirelles, Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents Timi Yuro with two of her signature hits: Hurt and What's A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You). Cast your vote at theVoice Your Choice page for the song you'd like me to play. I'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Here is this week's Rock & Roll News for the Week of May 27^th, 2012

Show the world you're a proud Islander!  Send your photo and we'll post it to the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Send it to listenergallery@treasureislandoldies.com

Enjoy the show while you're on the go this summer with your iPhone, or other smartphone, and the Tune In Radio app. You can listen to the Latest Show, the Rock & Roll News Podcasts, and the Live Show as well. Just be sure that to do a search for the live show, it will have to have started in order for the show title to appear in the live stations results. Get more out of your iPhone or other smartphone with the Tune In Radio app, available at the iTunes Store.

Hope you have a great week. See you on next week's show.

Bye for now.

Michael

Timi Yuro - Voice Your Choice

Timi Yuro was born Rosemary Timothy Yuro August 4, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois. She had an extremely powerful voice that some dubbed "Leather Lungs". Sadly she died at age 63 on March 30, 2004.

She had a fair number of songs reach the Hot 100 Billboard charts, 15 in fact. She also co-wrote Make The World Go Away with Eddy Arnold, who also had a hit with his recorded version.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents Timi Yuro with Hurt and What's A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You), two of her signature songs.  Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. I'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

A Group Called Smith - Song Of The Week

That's how they were initially billed: A Group Called Smith. The powerful lead vocals were handled by Gayle McCormick, who later had a brief solo carer.

This week the Treasure Island Oldies Blog presents Smith and their hit cover version of the Shirelles classic hit song, Baby It's You. It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

May 20, 2012 to May 26, 2012

It's amazing how one can adapt and make last minute changes. Just minutes before the show started I learned that Robin Gibb had died. He was the co-founder of The Bee Gees, along with brothers Maurice (Robin's twin) and Barry. I immediately adjusted the playlist for this week's show to ensure there was going to be some great Bee Gees songs played in tribute to Robin and his family. And what a week it was with the other sad news of the passing of Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco. So this week's show also needed to have some of Donna Summer's hits played. As it turned out, I had requests come in for both Donna Summer and The Bee Gees. Thanks for the calls and the requests. I sure hope there will be no more deaths; there's been too many with Whitney Houston, Donald "Duck" Dunn from Booker T. & The MGs, Levon Helm from The Band, and now Robin Gibb and Donna Summer. Enough already!

Last week I indicated that we are not going to have the Real Media LIVE feed available due to technical problems. Well it appeared to have been solved and the live link button was reinstated, only to discover that it now had one channel coming out on both left and right sides of the stereo mix. That's unacceptable; you can't listen to only 'half a song'. So once again, we are removing the LIVE Real Media link until such time as the problem can be resolved. We may just need to completely retire the Real Media stream. I will be sure to let you know. If it becomes the case, rest assured that the Windows Media stream sounds excellent and is, in fact, at an even higher bandwidth than the Real stream. Stay tuned for more details.

If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play Birthday, our official birthday song by The Beatles, for you.

Mark your calendars for a couple of specials coming your way. We present the Annual Father's Day Special Live June 17th and then the following week, June 24th, be sure to join us for the Annual Summer Beach Party Special. You can check out the complete list at the Specials Page.

As a tribute to Robin Gibb, the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The Bee Gees performing I Started A Joke. It's our Song Of The Week.

Voice Your Choice presents The Buckinghams with two of their hits vying for your votes. Would you like me to play Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song) or Mercy, Mercy, Mercy? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice Page. I'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Here is this week's Rock & Roll News for the Week of May 20^th, 2012

Show the world you're a proud Islander!  Send your photo and we'll post it to the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Send it to listenergallery@treasureislandoldies.com

Enjoy the show while you're on the go this summer with your iPhone, or other smartphone, and the Tune In Radio app. You can listen to the Latest Show, the Rock & Roll News Podcasts, and the Live Show as well. Just be sure that to do a search for the live show, it will have to have started in order for the show title to appear in the live stations results. Get more out of your iPhone or other smartphone with the Tune In Radio app, available at the iTunes Store.

Hope you have a great week. See you on next week's show.

Bye for now.

Michael

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The Buckinghams - Voice Your Choice

The Buckinghams were a pop-rock group from Chicago, Illinois.  Imagine starting out as a band and having your debut single reach the Number One spot on the charts. That's what happened with their first release, Kind Of A Drag. What an amazing feat!

The group consisted of lead vocalist Dennis Tufano, Carl Giammarese on guitar, along with Dennis Miccoli (keyboards), Nick Fortuna (bass), and Jon Poulos. Sadly Jon Poulos died at the tender age of 32 in 1980 of a drug overdose.

When the group broke up in 1973, Dennis and Carl remained together as a duo under the banner Tufano & Giammarese and they had a moderate sized hit with Music Everywhere.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents The Buckinghams with Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song) and Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice Page for the song you'd like to hear. I'll play the winner in the 4rd hour of next week's show.

Bee Gees - Song Of the Week

In tribute to Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees who died May 20, 2012 of cancer at age 62, the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is pleased to play one of their many hits for you.

In this clip from a live concert performance, here are The Bee Gees with I Started A Joke. It's our Song Of The Week.

Robin Gibb, R.I.P.

Michael

Robin Gibb, Bee Gees Co-Founder, Has Died

By Todd Cunningham

 

Bee Gees co-founder Robin Gibb has died after a battle with cancer of the colon and liver. He was 62.

"The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," a note on his web site said Sunday. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."

Gibb had intestinal surgery 18 months ago for an unrelated condition, but a tumor was discovered and he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon and of the liver.

In February, Gibb announced he had made a “spectacular” recovery from cancer, but in March he underwent further surgery on his intestines. He was forced to cancel all engagements, including the world premiere earlier this month of his first classical work, co-written with his son Robin-John, called “The Titanic Requiem.”

The Bee Gees soundtrack to the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever," helped propel disco music into a worldwide phenomenon.

Among the band's hits were "I've Gotta Get A Message To You," "Lonely Days," "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Stayin' Alive."

Gibb last performed on stage in February, supporting injured British servicemen and women at a charity concert held at the London Palladium.

Gibb's twin brother and Bee Gees bandmate Maurice died from the same bowel condition that initially led doctors to operate on Robin.

Donna Summer, Disco Queen, Has Died At Age 63

Donna Summer, the singer who came to be known as the “Queen of Disco” during her 1970s heyday, died today after battling cancer, a family member confirmed to ABC News. She was 63.

Summer was a five time Grammy award winner who was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart. Her hits like “Last Dance,” “Bad Girls,” and “Love to Love You Baby” made her a disco icon.

Born outside of Boston, Summer was raised by devout Christian parents who introduced her to both gospel and classical music. In a 2008 interview with ABC News’ “Nightline,” Summer remembered her mom singing songs to her before going to bed each night.

“As long as the classical station was playing on the radio, I wouldn’t cry,” she said. “If it was on for 20 hours, I would sleep for 20 hours. I would be calm. So I think that my mother probably helped my sense of musicality just by doing that.”

Summer left home at age 18 to audition for the Broadway production of “Hair” and got a role in the show when it moved to Germany. There, she met producer Giorgio Moroder, who would launch her solo career. She went on to produce hits like “Bad Girls,” “Last Dance,” and “She Works Hard for the Money,” a song that was inspired by a washroom attendant.

“I was at a Grammys party … and I went to the ladies room and on my way in I saw this little old lady sitting at the end of the bar. And she was asleep,” Summer told “Nightline.” “She was the bathroom attendant. And at that same moment, a group of ladies walked into the room and started spraying their hair and doing all these things. And my first thought was ‘God, she works hard for her money, that lady.’
“And then I thought, ‘man, that’s a song,’” she said. “So I went and grabbed my manager and we went back into the bathroom and started writing the song on a piece of toilet paper.”

Summer’s last album, “Crayons,” was released in 2008. In 2010, she told AllVoices.com that she was working on an album of disco standards.

Summer is survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, three children, and four grandchildren.

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies

May 13th, 2012 to May 19th, 2012

I hope you enjoyed our Annual Mother's Day Special. It's always a special treat to play songs dedicated to and about our Moms. And this year was no exception. In case you missed the Live show, be sure to listen to the Archive at the Listen Page of the website.

We are experiencing some technical issues with our Real Media LIVE feed. Until further notice, there will not be a live feed in Real Media. However, there WILL be a Real Media Archive, available on the Monday following the live show. Please note that there are no technical issues with the Windows Media Live feed; and it is actually at an even higher bandwidth and sounding great. Please remember to click on the Windows Media Live feed in the coming weeks on Sunday nights.

In keeping with our Mother's Day theme this week, the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing Paul Simon in a live performance of Mother And Child Reunion. It's our Song Of The Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents Pat Boone, a singer that Elvis Presley said was a favourite of his. We've got Bernadine and Don't Forbid Me for your votes this week. Make your decision for the song you'd like me to play by going to the Voice Your Choice Page and casting your vote. The winning song will be played in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play Birthday, our official birthday song by The Beatles, for you.

Here is this week's Rock & Roll News for the Week of May 13th, 2012

A couple of listeners have sent in updated photos for the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery and I invite you to send in yours as well. Show the world you're a proud Islander! Send your photo to listenergallery@treasureislandoldies.com

Enjoy the show while you're on the go with your iPhone, or other smartphone, and the Tune In Radio app. You can listen to the Latest Show, the Rock & Roll News Podcasts, and the Live Show as well. Just be sure that to do a search for the live show, it will have to have started in order for the show title to appear in the live stations results. Get more out of your iPhone or other smartphone with the Tune In Radio app, available at the iTunes Store.

Hope you have a great week. See you on next week's show.

Bye for now.

Michael

Pat Boone - Voice Your Choice

Pat Boone has had one of the most amazing careers of anyone from the Rock and Roll era. Here's a few stats for you: he is the artist with the longest chart career of anyone - he had songs on the chart from 1955 to 2003. He is the #2 male artist of the rock era, right behind Elvis Presley (who said in an interview that Pat Boone was his favourite singer), he's the #10 artist with the most charted hits; of all recording artists, he is #6 with the most Top Ten hits, he even had 21 double-sided hits. What a career!

Some people have criticized Pat Boone for 'stealing' hits from artists such as Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ivory Joe Hunter, and others. The fact is that these R and B artists recorded at the time for small regional labels with very limited distribution and airplay, certainly not on a national basis. Were it not for white artists such as Pat Boone, there is a good chance the rock and roll era would have turned out completely different. By recording these Rhythm and Blues hits, the white listening audience was exposed to some exceptional music, which opened the door to the black R&B artists getting the opportunity to have their own hit records from coast to coast. There is no denying the success and impact Pat Boone has had on the Rock and Roll era.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights two of Pat Boone's biggest hit songs: Bernadine and Don't Forbid Me. Make your decision for the song you'd like me to play by going to the Voice Your Choice Page and casting your vote. I'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Paul Simon - Song Of The Week

In keeping with our Mother's Day Special this week on Treasure Island Oldies, it's my pleasure to play one of the great American singer/songwriters.

Here is Paul Simon in a live concert performance from Webster Hall in New York of Mother And Child Reunion.

It's our Song Of The Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

Legendary Bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn Has Died

Bass guitarist Donald "Duck" Dunn, who played with Booker T and the MGs, has died in Tokyo aged 70.

The MGs were the house band for Stax Records, and Dunn can be heard on songs such as Otis Redding's Respect and Sam and Dave's Hold On, I'm Comin'.

He was in Japan for a series of concerts, and had played two shows on Saturday night. His friend and fellow musician Steve Cropper, who was on the same tour, said Dunn had died in his sleep. "Today I lost my best friend," Cropper wrote on his Facebook page. "The World has lost the best guy and bass player to ever live". Miho Harasawa, a spokeswoman for Tokyo Blue Note, the last venue Dunn played, confirmed he died alone early Sunday. She had no further details.

Born in Memphis on November 24, 1941, Dunn started playing bass at the age of 16."I tried the guitar but it had two strings too many," he wrote on his website. "It was just too complicated, man! Plus, I grew up with Steve Cropper. There were so many good guitar players; another one wasn't needed. What was needed was a bass."

His distinctive grooves underpinned dozens of hit records for the legendary Stax label - including Soul Man and Try A Little Tenderness. The MGs scored their own hit with Green Onions in 1962.

 

The MGs were so enamoured with The Beatles' Abbey Road that they recorded their own version. "We were recording almost a hit a day for a while there," he said. "But I never knew how popular that music was until I came to England with Otis Redding in 1967." 

 

That tour, which also featured Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd, and Arthur Conley, was feted by Britain's rock royalty - many of whom had been influenced by the Stax house band.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Mayall, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townsend, and The Beatles all attended shows and, according to legend, The Beatles sent limousines to pick up the Stax crew each night after the shows.

In return, Booker T and the MGs covered the entire Beatles' Abbey Road album. Their version was called McLemore Avenue, which was the address of the Stax studio complex, and the cover mimicked the Fab Four's famous zebra crossing photo.

The band later provided backing for the John Lennon solo track Beef Jerky.

In his later career, Dunn worked with the likes of Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart. He played himself in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers, and its 2000 sequel.

The MGs were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and Dunn received a lifetime achievement Grammy award in 2007.

15th Anniversary This Week Of Treasure Island Oldies

May 6th, 2012 to May 12th, 2012

Wasn't that a party! The 15th Anniversary Special of Treasure Island Oldies was a huge success. I'd like to thank you for the very many emails, phone calls, facebook messages, etc. that I received. Even the Chat Room was packed and only two Nuts In The Hut shy of tying the record for the most folks in the Chat Room! What a great time we had together. I was truly taken by the outpouring of congratulations and best wishes from everyone. These wishes came from both long time and recent listeners as well as some very well known broadcasters. I'm flattered. It was also fun reminiscing and sharing memories of the early days of the show and to play a couple of clips from the very first show back on May 4, 1997. And I'm very proud of how much the show has grown. I would never have thought that from its small beginnings back in 1997 that the show would grow to include many radio stations around the world that air it weekly via the Broadcast Partners Network. I sincerely hope to continue to bring you the best music anywhere for many more years to come right here on "The Island". Finally, my thanks to our excellent Webmaster, Eddy Fisher, for creating our 15th Anniversary logo. You'll be seeing it throughout the website and the Blog.

Be sure to join us for our yearly tribute to moms everywhere next Sunday, May 13th for our Annual Mother's Day Special. There'll be tons of songs for and about Mom, Mother, Mum, Mammy, Momma; all next week on Treasure Island Oldies.

I can't think of a more fitting song to play for you this week at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog. It's the very first song I played on the show when it debuted May 4, 1997. From Spain, it's Los Bravos with Black Is Black. And on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of Treasure Island Oldies, it's our Song Of The Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents The Chambers Brothers. These guys didn't have that many hits, but we have two of their best for your votes. Would you like to hear Time Has Come Today or I Can't Turn You Loose? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice Page. I'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour during next week's Mother's Day Special.

If you have a birthday coming up, be sure to let me know. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and play Birthday, our official birthday song by The Beatles, for you.

Here is this week's Rock & Roll News for the Week of May 6th, 2012

Check out the show while you're on the go with your iPhone, or other smartphone, and the Tune In Radio app. You can listen to the Latest Show, the Rock & Roll News Podcasts, and the Live Show as well. Just be sure that to do a search for the live show, it will have to have started in order for the show title to appear in the live stations results. Get more out of your iPhone or other smartphone with the Tune In Radio app, available at the iTunes Store.

Hope you have a great week. See you on next week's show.

Bye for now.

Michael

The Chambers Brothers - Voice Your Choice

With the exception of drummer Brian Keenan, who sadly died of a heart attack at the young age of 42 in 1985, the rest of the band were, in fact, the Chambers Brothers. They were from Lee County, Mississippi. It's not hard to tell in the picture who Brian Keenan is. :-)

Interestingly, they all shared vocals, both lead and background. Pretty impressive. George played bass; Willie,   and Joe played guitar; and Lester played harmonica.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents The Chambers Brothers with two of their hits for your votes. Would you like me to play Time Has Come Today or I Can't Turn You Loose? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice Page. I'll play the winning song in the 3rd hour of the Mother's Day Special.

Los Bravos - Song Of The Week

When Treasure Island Oldies debuted Sunday, May 4, 1997, the very first song I played on the show was Black Is Black by Los Bravos.

So it's very fitting that on the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of Treasure Island Oldies we bring you the very first song ever played on the show.

Here are Los Bravos from Spain with their international smash hit Black Is Black. It's our Song Of The Week.

Enjoy and Happy 15th Anniversary!

I invite you to join me later today at 6 pm Pacific time for a special edition of Treasure Island Oldies. We'll be celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the show.

We'll have all our regular features including the Rock & Roll News, Top 5 Countdown, Moment In Time, Rick's Rare Rock & Roll Relic, the Rock & Roll Reunion and much more.

I look forward to celebrating with you! Join me for the Live show beginning at 6 pm Pacific and on the Archives for the rest of the week.

Bye for now.
Michael