Al Hirt was born Alois Maxwell Hirt on November 7, 1922 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He died of liver failure on April 27, 1999 at the of 76. Prior to becoming a Grammy Award winning recording artist (for his hit Java), the trumpet virtuoso toured with the likes of Jimmy Dorsey and Tommy Dorsey, Ray McKinley and Horace Heidt. He even formed own Dixieland combo with Pete Fountain in the late 1950s.
Despite the British Music Invasion happening, Al Hirt managed to hit the charts a total of 15 times between 1964 and 1969, including his top five debut.
Next week Treasure Island Oldies has the annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special. So it's very fitting to have Al Hirt, a top instrumentalist, featured on Voice Your Choice. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Cotton Candy or Java. I'll play the winner on next week's show in the 3rd hour.
Share memories of growing up with the great music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. My background includes radio and television personality as well as V.P. A&R for A&M Records, where I signed Bryan Adams. In 1997, I began Treasure Island Oldies, the Home of Lost Treasures. I play the biggies, but extensively feature hard to find rare oldies. Listen live Sundays 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific and also the show archives at www.TreasureIslandOldies.com Let the memories flow!
Monday, July 28, 2014
This week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of July 27th, 2014
July
27th, 2014 to August 2nd, 2014
What a thrill it was to receive a phone call from Dave Boxer! Now if you’re not from Montreal, you may not be
familiar with him. Dave Boxer was a top DJ at CFCF Radio 600. He had a tremendous following and was way ahead of
his time. He even “connected” people and got them chatting together. And this
was in the 1960s. He did it in a novel way. Back then there was no digital
switching for phone company telephone lines; it was all mechanical. So if
everyone dialed the same number at the very same time, there could be several
lines all were switched onto the same phone number together and you’d be
connected with each other. So you can imagine how he influenced me to become a
DJ myself. And amazingly, my first on air position was at CFCF myself. I was music director but wanted
to get on the air so the Program Director, Jim
Kidd, who I heard from this week via email for the first time in decades,
put me on the air weekends. Back to Dave… Dave not only recorded a very nice
phone message on the Listener Line, he then came into the Chat Room and remained for the remainder of the show, chatting away
like an old friend with everyone. I affectionately borrowed Dave Boxer’s
saying, Nut in the Hut, as that’s how
he referred to himself when he would do his show on remote from some location
like a drive-in restaurant, inside a
little hut hoisted up by a crane. Today I refer to the Chat Room Regulars as
the Nuts in the Hut. A big thank you
to Frank Vandeven, my lifelong
friend since I was 19 and former producer/operator for the Dave Boxer Show. He
and I were talking and he invited Dave to stop by the show; and he was also in
the chat room for the entire show. So without taking up the ENTIRE Internet
with my surprise and elation to have Dave Boxer visit the show, suffice it to say
I am truly honoured. He was very flattering by saying he is going to tell
everyone about the show, they MUST listen. Thank you, Dave, and I very much
look forward to getting together with you soon for a great Montreal Smoked Meat
Sandwich and a Mrs. Whyte’s kosher dill pickle. Mmm Just like home in Montreal
back when.
Phew! Next week on the show, Live
Sunday, August 3rd, join me for what has become one of the most
popular and highlighted shows of the year, the annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special. You’ll hear some of the
greatest hits to ever grace the airwaves, and they were all instrumental.
You’ll probably recognize every song you hear throughout the four hours. It all
starts at 6 pm Pacific. Don’t miss this one!
If your birthday is coming up soon, we’d like to help you celebrate in
style! Send the details of your birthday to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com
and I’ll wish you Happy Birthday on
the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles. Now that’s celebrating.
Over at the Treasure Island
Oldies Blog, I’d like to pay tribute to my DJ hero, Dave Boxer, with a real hard to find today little gem. It’s the
rare instrumental Boxer’s Tomcat by the
Big Sixteens spinning on the CFCF Radio 600 label. It’s our Song of the Week. Enjoy!
Next week Voice Your Choice
presents two instrumental classics from Al
Hirt, the big man with the great New Orleans jazz sound. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Cotton Candy or Java. I’ll play the
winner on next week’s Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special.
Here’s the Rock and Roll News
for the week of July 27th
Listen to the Top 5 Countdown
from 1967
Have a great week and I look forward to being with you next week for the
annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special.
Bye for now.
Dave Boxer's Big Sixteen - Song of the Week
Dave Boxer, the Montreal DJ at CFCF Radio 600 who was so good and such an influence on me, I ended up wanted to be a DJ like him, and I did.
It was a fantastic surprise and honour to have him visit in the Chat Room during the Treasure Island Oldies Live Show and he also called in to say hi on the Listener Line. What a time!
I thought I'd pay tribute to Dave Boxer by playing Boxer's Tomcat by the Big Sixteens. It's a cool inctrumnental and super rare and it's our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael
It was a fantastic surprise and honour to have him visit in the Chat Room during the Treasure Island Oldies Live Show and he also called in to say hi on the Listener Line. What a time!
I thought I'd pay tribute to Dave Boxer by playing Boxer's Tomcat by the Big Sixteens. It's a cool inctrumnental and super rare and it's our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael
Monday, July 21, 2014
This Week on the Island - Week of July 20th, 2014
July
20th, 2014 to July 26th, 2014
Well the gremlins were at it again unfortunately. The 24/7 Continuous
stream was down all day yesterday. In addition, the Live stream went down
shortly into the 3rd hour of the live show. The good news is that the first two
hours were not lost and the show continued to be recorded and archived. So when
the Archives are back up and running, the entire Technicolor Special will be available for your enjoyment. I do
apologize for these technical issues. Hopefully, these problems will be
resolved in time for next week’s live
show.
Nonetheless, it was a lot of fun playing all those colourful songs on
the Technicolor Special and my thanks to you for your Requests, whether via email or the Listener Line. Our next special is one that has become one of the
most popular specials and shows of the entire year. Join me for the Live show Sunday, August 3rd for the Annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special. Back in the day,
one could hear a lot of instrumental songs on the radio. Today there is very
little except for the annual tribute to the great instrumentals of all time.
And don’t worry about not knowing the words to the songs…there aren’t any! If
you have a favourite instrumental you’d like to hear be sure to let me know. Click Requests on any page of the website
or Call the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Line at 206-339-0709.
Remember if your birthday is approaching, be sure to let me know and
I’ll play Birthday by The Beatles for you and wish you Happy Birthday on the show. Send the
details to me at birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.
Over at the Treasure Island
Oldies Blog I am playing the song that started off the Technicolor Special
this week. It’s Creedence Clearwater
Revival with a live concert performance of Green River. It’s our Song of
the Week. Enjoy!
Next week Voice Your Choice
presents Helen Reddy, one of the top
female recording artists of the 1970s. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Angie Baby or Delta Dawn. I’ll play the winner in the
3rd hour of next week’s show.
Here’s the Rock and Roll News
for the week of July 20th.
Listen to the Top 5 Countdown
from 1963
Well that’s about all for this week’s update. Join me next week and I
sure hope the gremlins will be long gone by then.
Bye for now.
Helen Reddy - Voice Your Choice
Helen Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia and became a huge hit artist in the United States in the 1907 with fifteen singles hitting the charts. She achieved Top Ten status with six singles, four becoming gold records. I Am Woman, Top Ten and Gold in 1972, became her signature hit.
Next week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Helen Reddy. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Angie Baby or Delta Dawn. I'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Song of the Week
This week on Treasure Island Oldies it's the annual Technicolor Special and the show started with a classic by CCR.
It's such a great song that I thought I'd feature them here at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog.
Here are Creedencce Clearwater Revival with a live concert performance of Green River. It's our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael
http://youtu.be/P4-yugdZUt0
It's such a great song that I thought I'd feature them here at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog.
Here are Creedencce Clearwater Revival with a live concert performance of Green River. It's our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael
http://youtu.be/P4-yugdZUt0
Monday, July 14, 2014
This week on the Island - Week of July 13th, 2014
July
13th, 2014 to July 19th, 2014
Summertime and the living is easy! And the music flows like a cool waterfall.
And boy did it flow this week on the show. It was so good to hear some songs I
haven’t played on the show in some time including a great song by Canadian
artist Barry Allen with Love Drops. It was produced by Norman Petty, the same fellow who
produced all those great records by Buddy
Holly, Patsy Cline, The String-A-Longs, etc. Memories were
also stirred when I played Stay And Love
Me All Summer by Brian Hyland, Playground In My Mind by Clint Holmes, The Who’s Pictures Of Lily,
the beautiful As Usual by Brenda Lee, and many more. Aaah the
memories!
Next week on the show it’s our Technicolor
Special, four hours of very colourful songs like Mellow Yellow, Red Rubber
Ball, Blue Moon, Black Is Black, Green Tambourine. You get the idea. It all begins next Sunday, July 20th for the Live show at 6 pm Pacific. You don’t want to miss it!
If you have a birthday coming up soon, be sure to pass on the details to
me at birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.
I’ll wish you Happy Birthday on the
show and play Birthday by The Beatles for you.
Speaking of Brenda Lee, the Treasure
Island Oldies Blog is playing a terrific live performance of Brenda Lee singing All Alone Am I. It’s our Song
of the Week. Enjoy!
John,
Paul, George and Ringo and in the spotlight next week on Voice Your Choice. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Baby’s In Black or Yellow Submarine. I’ll
play the winning Beatles song in the 3rd hour of next week’s show.
Here’s the Rock and Roll News
for the week of July 13th.
Listen to the Top 5 Countdown
from 1962.
Have a great week and be sure to wear your sunglasses for next week’s
Technicolor Special.
Bye for now.
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