R&B Singer Fontella Bass Has Died

Fontella Bass, whose voice soared in the 1965 hit "Rescue Me," died Wednesday at 72, her family said in a statement.

"She was surrounded by her children and grandchildren when she was called home," the family said, thanking the singer's famiy, friends and fans for their support.

St. Louis TV station KSDK reports that Bass died of a heart attack.

Bass came from a musical family. Her mother was gospel great Martha Bass, and her brother was R&B and gospel singer David Peaston, who died in February.

"Rescue Me" topped the R&B charts for a month in 1965, reached No.4 on the pop charts, and sold over a million copies. Yet Bass' name was never as famous as that of the tune, as many assumed the song was sung by Aretha Franklin instead. The very first line in Bass' entry in the online AllMusic encyclopedia reads, "The 1965 classic "Rescue Me" is widely regarded as the greatest record Aretha Franklin never made."

Her other hits included "Don't Mess With a Good Thing" and "You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)," both with Bobby McClure.
Wrote one fan on the YouTube video for "Rescue Me": "Fontella Bass was one of the greatest soul / rhythm & blues vocalists of the 60's & 70's. Her voice to this day all these decades later still chills my skin each time I hear her singing. She was one of my generation's most recognized yet often mistaken singers. Rest well, goddess of soul & blues, you'll be deeply missed & remembered always darling."

In 1993, she won a lawsuit against American Express for their use of "Rescue Me" in a 1990 commercial.
She is survived by four children.

Iron Butterfly's Lee Dorman Has Died

Lee Dorman, bassist for Iron Butterfly, died on Friday at the age of 70, the Associated Press reports. According to a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Dorman was found dead in a vehicle on Friday morning and may have been on his way to a doctor's appointment.

Dorman was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1942. He joined the Southern California-based Iron Butterfly for its second and best-known album, In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, which was released in 1968. The 17-minute title track helped the album sell more than 30 million copies, and a three-minute version of the song became a Top 40 hit.

During Iron Butterfly's temporary break-up in the 1970s, Dorman and guitarist Larry Reinhardt formed the metal-jazz fusion band Captain Beyond, with Rod Evans from Deep Purple. The group released three albums and had a radio hit with the 1973 song "Sufficiently Breathless."

16th Annual Christmas Special Today On Treasure Island Oldies

I invite you to listen to the 16th Annual Christmas Special later today at 6 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Central and 9 p.m. Eastern time. If you aren't able to hear the Live show, the Archive show will be available at the Treasure Island Oldies Listen Page.

See you later for my absolute favourite show of the year!

Michael

Jimmy "The Walk" McCracklin Has Died

Jimmy McCracklin, best known for his 1958 hit, "The Walk" (#7 pop, #5 R&B), died Thursday (December 20, 2012) at a health facility in San Pablo, California after battling illnesses like diabetes and hypertension for years. Though he often disputed it, he was 91. 

Born in Helena, Arkansas as James Walker, he grew up in St. Louis. Serving in the Navy during World War II, he then returned home to box professionally while singing and playing blues harmonica on the side. Moving to Oakland in 1947, he worked at his sister-in-law's bar there, forming a band called the Blues Blasters in 1949. Recording for over a decade with little success for labels like Globe and Modern, he and his band (billed simply as "his band") recorded "The Walk" for Checker Records while working in Chicago (with distinctive guitar riffs from Lafayette "Thing" Thomas). 

Despite some success on the R&B charts, it was four more years before he reached the pop charts again, with "Just Got To Know" for his own Art-tone Records(#64 pop, #2 R&B in 1962). Joining the Imperial label, he reached the bottom ten of the pop charts three times in 1965 at which time his legacy was already established as a blues great. Perhaps his biggest hit was a song he wrote with Lowell Fulson and later a hit for Carla Thomas & Otis Redding and even later for Salt-n-Pepa- "Tramp." He was given the Pioneer Award by the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1990.

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies - Week of December 16th, 20912

December 16th, 2012 to December 22nd, 2012

Back to Back Christmas hits on the show this week, with a good measure of Lost Christmas Treasures. So good to hear so many Holiday songs, and a great prelude to our 16th Annual Christmas Special next week on Treasure Island Oldies beginning at 6 pm Pacific (9 pm Eastern). I sincerely hope that you will be able to join me for what has become over the years my favourite show of the year. I invite you to call the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Line at 206-339-0709 to record your Christmas Greeting. I'll play it back and share your best wishes with the rest of the listeners around the world. One thing though, your greeting must arrive no later that Saturday, December 22nd in order to be able to be included on the Christmas Special. I look forward to hearing fro you.

Voice Your Choice returns for the January 6th, 2013 first show of the year, our Annual New Year Dance Party. Chubby Checker leads off the new year of the weekly Voice Your Choice feature. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either The Hucklebuck or Limbo Rock. The winning song will be played on the New Year Dance Party Special January 6th.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing a clip from a TV Special that starred Bing Crosby and David Bowie with what has become a Christmas tradition ever after. The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth is our Song Of The Week. Enjoy!

Here is this week's Rock & Roll News for the Week of December 16th, 2012





Listen to the Top 5 Countdown for 1968 on your Real Media player.

Have a great week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Bing Crosby and David Bowie - Song Of The Week

Here is one of the most unlikely combination of singers but boy does it ever work well.

Here is a clip from a TV special with Bing Crosby and David Bowie performing The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth.

It's our Christmas Song Of The Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies Week of December 9th, 2012

December 9th, 2012 to December 15th, 2012

We're right in the thick of the Holiday Season on the Island and I'd like to wish you a very Happy Hanukkah. I hope you enjoy the wonderful Festival of Light. And I'm also pleased to have played even more Christmas songs for you on this week's show. Next week it'll be an all Christmas and Holiday Songs show. There's just so many tunes that I know I won't be able to fit into the Annual Christmas Special on December 23rd, so next week we'll play a "ton of tunes" for you.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing a song written by Burt Bacharach and recorded by another successful songwriter, Paul Evans. The Song Of The Week is The Bell That Couldn't Jingle. Enjoy!

Please note that Voice Your Choice will return in January, and I thank you for your participation in our weekly vote.

Remember if you have a birthday coming up, I'd like to know. Send the details of your name, city and birthday date to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll help you celebrate by wishing you Happy Birthday on the show and I'll also play Birthday by The Beatles.

Here is this week's Rock & Roll News for the Week of December 9th, 2012

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown for 1961 on your Real Media player...

 

Have a great week.

Bye for now

Michael

Paul Evans - Song Of The Week

This week the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing Paul Evans, himself a noted and successful songwriter. You'll discover some of the songs he wrote that became hits for many other artists when you watch the video.

Interestingly, he recorded a Christmas song that he didn't write and I'm pleased to present the original hit recording of the Burt Bacharach song, The Bell That Couldn't Jingle, recorded by Paul Evans. It's our Song Of The Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

Jazz Legend Dave Brubeck Has Died

Dave Brubeck, a jazz musician who attained pop-star acclaim with recordings such as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," died Wednesday morning at Norwalk Hospital, in Norwalk, Conn., said his longtime manager-producer-conductor Russell Gloyd.

Brubeck was one day short of his 92nd birthday. He died of heart failure, en route to "a regular treatment with his cardiologist,” said Gloyd.

Throughout his career, Brubeck defied conventions long imposed on jazz musicians. The tricky meters he played in “Take Five” and other works transcended standard conceptions of swing rhythm.

The extended choral/symphonic works he penned and performed around the world took him well outside the accepted boundaries of jazz. And the concerts he brought to colleges across the country in the 1950s shattered the then-long-held notion that jazz had no place in academia.

As a pianist, he applied the classical influences of his teacher, the French master Darius Milhaud, to jazz, playing with an elegance of tone and phrase that supposedly were the antithesis of the American sound.

As a humanist, he was at the forefront of integration, playing black jazz clubs throughout the deep South in the ’50s, a point of pride for him.

"For as long as I’ve been playing jazz, people have been trying to pigeonhole me,” he once told the Tribune.

"Frankly, labels bore me."

He is survived by his wife, Iola; four sons and a daughter; grandsons and a great granddaughter.

Copyright © 2012 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of December 2, 2012

December 2nd, 2012 to December 8th, 2012

Now that we're in December, our Webmaster, Eddy Fisher, has been busy by getting the decorations set up on the Island. He promises there's still more to come and hope you enjoy the decorations this year. Thanks, Eddy, and looking forward to more as the next couple of weeks unfold. And it was also very nice playing more Holiday Songs and Christmas Music on this week's show. And of course, there'll be much more over the next few weeks leading up to the Annual Christmas Special. This year it will happen Live on Sunday, December 23rd and all week on the Archives. I sure hope you can join me for my favourite show of the entire year.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Debbie Fine in Montreal, Quebec, Alan Oken in Los Angeles, California, and to Lennart Persson in Gothenburg, Sweden. If you have a birthday coming up, send the details of your name, city and birthday date to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll help you celebrate by wishing you Happy Birthday on the show and I'll also play Birthday by The Beatles.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The O'Kaysions with their summer smash hit from 1968, Girl Watcher. It's our Song Of The Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents the multi-talented composer, producer and recording artist. Bert Kaempfert with two of his Christmas holiday hits. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice Page for either Holiday For Bells or Jingo Jango. I'll play the winning tune in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Here is this week's Rock & Roll News for the Week of December 2nd, 2012


Listen to the Top 5 Countdown for 1965 on your Real Media player.

Have a great week.

Bye for now

Michael

Bert Kaempfert - Voice Your Choice

Bert Kaempfert was born in Hamburg, Germany, October 23, 1923. Not only did he start his own orchestra, he also started writing and producing. His many worldwide hit compositions include "Strangers In The Night", "Spanish Eyes", "Wooden Heart", "Danke Schoen", among others.

He also produced the first Beatles recording session in Hamburg ("Cry For A Shadow"/"Ain't She Sweet"), initially hired as a backup musicians for Tony Sheridan.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents two of his Christmas instrumentals. Cast Your vote at the Voice Your Choice Page for either Holiday For Bells or Jingo Jango.

I'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

The O'Kaysions - Song Of The Week

This week the Treasure Island Oldies Blog travels to Wilson, North Carolina, the home of The O'Kaysons.

Here from the summer of 1968 are The O'Kaysions with their only Top Ten Smash, Girl Watcher. It's our Song Of The Week.

Enjoy!

Michael