This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 29th, 2015

November 29^th, 2015 to December 5^th, 2015

It was fun being with you on the show again this week. And did I ever enjoy playing some great Christmas songs for you for the first time this year. Next week there will be lots more throughout the four hours. I was pleased to hear from Wendy McDougall in Adelaide, Australia again this week. In an email to me she has asked if I could play Gordon Lightfoot, whose early songs did not get played Down Under. She asked if I could play either Early Morning Rain or For Lovin' Me, both of which were covered by Peter Paul & Mary and became big hits for them.  Seeing as I could not decide which one to play, I decided to play both for her. She sent a follow-up note to me after saying the "only things better than one Gordon Lightfoot track is two. Thanks for playing them both". It's my pleasure Wendy. I really do like playing songs that will perk up your ears, jog your memory and make you glad to hear them again. So don't be shy, get in touch with me to ask for your requests. Just click the Requests link or call the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Line at 206-339-0709 and record your request voicemail. I sure look forward to hearing from you.

We're now only a few weeks away from the Annual Christmas Special. Be sure to make a note in your calendar for Sunday, December 20th. That's the date for the Live show, but please note that the Archive of the show will also be available throughout the Holiday Season on the Listen page.

It was a real pleasure to welcome a newcomer to the Chat Room, this week it was Sean from Louisville, Kentucky. He's been listening to the show since this past spring and absolutely loves it. In fact, he mentioned that he and his co-worker listen to the Archive of the show every week and his other co-workers often comment that he plays really good music. He said that's when he starts talking about Treasure Island Oldies and how he really enjoys the show. It seems Sean is on a mission to get as many people as he knows listening to the show. Thanks so much Sean! It was a pleasure meeting you in the chat room and all the regulars look forward to you also becoming a regular Nut in the Hut!

Happy Birthday wishes go out to long time listener Lennert Persson in Gothenberg, Sweden. If your birthday is coming up, be sure to let me know by sending the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.

Congratulations to Mark Schumacker in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the November winner of the Treasure Island Oldies 18th Anniversary Contest. His prize, courtesy of TNJ Poster Creations, is James Brown in Concert. The December and final winner of the contest will be announced on December 13. So you've got just a bit of time to enter to be eligible to win the poster of your choice from our good friends at TNJ Poster Creations. For details click on the Enter the 18th Anniversary Contest graphic link on any page of the website.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing The Ronettes and Be My Baby. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Treasure Island Oldies presents The Rolling Stones on Voice Your Choice. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either As Tears Go By or Dandelion. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.

Here's the Rock & Roll News Podcast for the week of November 29^th.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1964.

That's about all for now. Take care and have a good week.

Bye for now.

Michael

The Rolling Stones - Voice Your Choice

The bad boys of rock and roll, The Rolling Stones, are from London, England. The original lineup was Mick Jagger, lead vocals and swagger, Keith Richards, lead guitar, Charlie Watts, drums, Brian Jones, rhythm guitar, and Bill Wyman on bass.

They became the biggest rock and roll band in the world; and between 1964 and 1998, they appeared on the charts a total of 57 times, including 22 Top Ten hits and 5 Gold Records! It just doesn't get any better than that.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents The Rolling Stones with two of their many hits. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either As Tears Go By or Dandelion. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.

The Ronettes - Be My Baby - Song of the Week

The Ronettes scored a smash hit with Be My Baby and what Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys called the greatest pop record ever made. Using the famous Los Angeles studio musicians, known as The Wrecking Crew and produced by the legendary Phil Spector (in the photo above), Be My Baby was not only a smash hit at the time, but has remained as one of the all-time classic hits.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is pleased to play The Ronettes in a great live performance of Be My baby. It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 22nd, 2015

November 22^nd, 2015 to November 28^th, 2015

It was a pleasure hearing from long time listener California Barb via the Listener Line (206-339-0709). She asked to hear a couple of songs in celebration of the US Thanksgiving happening this week. Her "full meal deal" included Let's Turkey Trot by Little Eva, and for dessert Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie by Jay and the Techniques. a delicious couple of tunes! Thanks, Barb. While I'm at it, I'd like to wish my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. Have a great time celebrating with your family and friends.

Please mark you calendar for Sunday, December 20th. That's the date for the Live Annual Christmas special. This will be the 19th year I have brought you my favourite show of the year. And please note that the Archive of the show will also be available throughout the Holiday Season on the Listen page. And to get you in the mood, I'm going to begin playing some Christmas songs beginning on next week's show.

If your birthday is coming up, be sure to let me know by sending the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.

This is almost a last reminder to enter the Treasure Island Oldies 18th Anniversary Contest. I'll announce the November winner on next week's show and the final winner will be announced on December 13. So you've got just a bit of time to enter to be eligible to win the poster of your choice from our good friends at TNJ Poster Creations. For details click on the Enter the 18th Anniversary Contest graphic link on any page of the website.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing Proud Mary, a real classic from Creedence Clearwater Revival. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

We mellow out on Voice Your Choice, as we present James Taylor. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Fire And Rain or You've Got A Friend. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.

Here's the Rock & Roll News Podcast for the week of November 22^nd.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1960.

Take care and once again, Happy US Thanksgiving.

Bye for now.

Michael

James Taylor - Voice Your Choice

James Taylor was born March 12, 1949 in Boston, Massachusetts, into a very musical family. His siblings, Kate, Alex and Livingston were also recording artists. His first recording contract with with The Beatles' Apple Records no less! Released in 1969 and reissued in 1970, Carolina On My Mind only did marginally well.His fortunes changed when he signed with Warner Bros. Records in the US and his career took off. Between 1969 and 1979, he appeared on the charts a total of 18 times, including 5 visits to the Top Ten and two Gold Records.

Treasure Island Oldies is pleased to present James Taylor with two of his many hits. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Fire And Rain or You've Got A Friend. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.

Creedence Clearwater Revivial - Proud Mary - Song of the Week

The treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing a real classic by Creedence Clearwater Revival. For many fans, this is their signature song. Despite the fact that it never reached Number one, it is still an all-time favourite of fans worldwide.

Here's Creedence Clearwater Revisal and Proud Mary. It';s our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

This Week On Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 15th, 2015

November 15^th, 2015 to November 21^st, 2015

The big question is did you add up the numbers in the song titles in your head or did you use a calculator? LOL Either way the total at the end of the four hours of this week's Music By Numbers Special was high. Here's the totals for each hour: Hour 1 - 3837; Hour 2 - 437.6; Hour 3 - 8121 and Hour 4 had a whopping 7,347,379 for a Grand Total of 7,359,774.6! Now that's what I call a fun special. Sure hope you enjoyed it half as much as I did. And thanks for your requests, which I was able to fit into the special perfectly. Speaking of requests, if there's a song you'd like to hear on the show, be sure to get in touch with me. Send an email to requests@treasureislandoldies.com or call the Listener Line at 206-339-0709 to record your request.

Our last special for this year will be the Annual Christmas Special, Live, Sunday, December 20th, and throughout the Holiday Season on the Archives. It's my absolute favourite show of the year and I know many of you feel the same way. Leading up to that special we will have lots of great Christmas songs, including some wonderful Holiday Lost Treasures. Speaking of holidays, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving this week. Enjoy your celebrations with your family and friends.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to Chris Witmer in Iowa City, Iowa, and to Connie Canode in Madison, Wisconsin. Both are long time listeners! If your birthday is coming up, be sure to let me know by sending the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. 

Don't forget to enter the Treasure Island Oldies 18th Anniversary Contest. It continues for November and December, so you've got time to enter to be eligible to win the poster of your choice from our good friends at TNJ Poster Creations. For details click on the Enter the 18th Anniversary Contest graphic link on any page of the website.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the song that started this week's Music By Numbers Special. It's Edwin Starrf in a really good live performance of Twenty-Five Miles. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice is presenting Motown legend, Stevie Wonder. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday or A Place In The Sun. I'll play the winning song on next week's show. 

Here's the Rock & Roll News Podcast for the week of November 15^th.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1966.

Take care and have a good week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Stevie Wonder - Your Your Choice

Stevie Wonder, was born Steveland Morris on May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan and blind since birth. He was only 13 at the time of his first hit Fingertips Pt 2. He was signed to Motown Records as a backup singer when he was only 10 years old! He was named Little Stevie Wonder by Motown owner Berry Gordy Jr.

Stevie has received many awards, including his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and in 1996 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Awards.

Since his first charting single, Fingertips Pt 2, a number one record for three weeks in 1963 through 1997 1997, he appeared a total of 65 times on the Billboard chart. He has had an astounding 28 Top Ten hits, including 10 Number One songs!

It was no easy task trying to select just two songs from his incredible repertoire for Voice Your Choice this week on Treasure Island Oldies. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday or A Place In The Sun.. I'll play the winner on next week's show.

Edwin Starr - Twenty-Five Miles - Song of the Week

This week on Treasure Island Oldies it's the Music By Numbers Special. And I started off the show with this great Motown memory from the late Edwin Starr. This is a fantastic live performance in England, I believe. Sadly I understand that he died of a heart attack not long after this show.

Fortunately we can enjoy both the song and this excellent performance again and again. Here's Edwin Starr with Twenty-Five Miles. It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

In Recognition of Remembrance Day in Canada and Veteran's Day in the United States

Allen Toussaint, Legendary New Orleans Producer, Songwriter and Musician Has Died At Age 77

Allen Toussaint, the versatile producer, songwriter, pianist and singer who was a fixture of New Orleans R&B, died after appearing in concert in Madrid on Monday night, November 9, 2015. He was 77.

Alison Toussaint-LeBeaux his daughter confirmed his death. Javier Ayuso, a spokesman for Madrid emergency services, told The Associated Press that rescue workers had been called to Mr. Toussaint’s hotel early Tuesday and were able to revive him after a heart attack, but that Mr. Toussaint later stopped breathing en route to a hospital.

In concert, in the studio or around his beloved New Orleans, Mr. Toussaint (pronounced too-SAHNT) was a soft-spoken embodiment of the city’s musical traditions, revered as one of the master craftsmen of 20th-century American pop.

“In the pantheon of New Orleans music people, from Jelly Roll Morton to Mahalia Jackson to Fats — that’s the place where Allen Toussaint is in,” said Quint Davis, the longtime producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where Mr. Toussaint played almost every year since the mid-1970s.

Mr. Toussaint’s career began when he was a teenager in the ’50s and his jaunty piano playing caught the ear of Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino’s producer. It continued to the present, with a late-blooming love for performing live and collaborating with rock and pop musicians like Elvis Costello.

Mr. Toussaint had his greatest impact in the ’60s and ’70s, when, as both songwriter and producer, he worked on records, like Ernie K-Doe’s “Mother-in-Law,” Lee Dorsey’s “Working in the Coal Mine” and Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poo Pah Doo,” that described everyday pleasures and nuisances with empathy, wit and a loose, funky swing.

During the ’70s Mr. Toussaint’s studio, Sea-Saint, which he founded with the producer Marshall Sehorn, became renowned for recordings by the Meters, Dr. John and Labelle, and attracted international pop stars like Paul McCartney and Robert Palmer. Mr. Toussaint, then still a largely behind-the-scenes figure in music, also found his way to No. 1 on the pop charts in 1977 when Glen Campbell recorded a cover of his song “Southern Nights.”

Mr. Toussaint’s inspiration, he often said, was New Orleans itself, and over the years he became an unofficial musical ambassador for the city, where for decades he maintained a modest home in a middle-class neighborhood.

At Jazz Fest, as the Jazz and Heritage Festival is known, he usually performed in a bright and elaborately decorated coat. Even offstage, Mr. Toussaint had an eccentric dandy style; he drove a Rolls-Royce with the license plate PIANO and favored pinstriped suits and purple silk shirts paired with Birkenstock sandals.

“It’s who we are,” Mr. Toussaint said of New Orleans, in an interview last year published by the Red Bull Music Academy. “The food we eat, the history, Mardi Gras Indians who rehearse all year around, the second-line brass bands who strut that stuff, the syncopation, the humor, and the slightly slower pace than the rest of America — the way we mosey along rather than running the race.”

On Tuesday Paul Simon, with whom Mr. Toussaint was scheduled to give a benefit concert in New Orleans on Dec. 8, recalled their long history together, which goes back to recording sessions in the early ’70s, when Mr. Toussaint played piano for him and wrote chord charts for his musicians.

“We were friends and colleagues for almost 40 years,” Mr. Simon wrote in an email. “We played together at the New Orleans jazz festival. We played the benefits for Katrina relief. We were about to perform together on Dec. 8. I was just beginning to think about it; now I’ll have to think about his memorial. I am so sad.”

Allen Toussaint was born on Jan. 18, 1938, in Gert Town, a working-class neighborhood of New Orleans. His parents, Clarence and Naomi, were songwriters. By his early teens he was playing piano with the guitarist Snooks Eaglin, and he got his first break when he substituted for the New Orleans bandleader and pianist Huey Piano Smith on tour in 1957.

The next year, Mr. Toussaint recorded “The Wild Sound of New Orleans,” an album of instrumentals released by RCA Victor under the name Tousan. It was no hit, but it later gave him a taste of success as a songwriter: One song on the album, “Java” — for which Mr. Toussaint shared credit with Alvin Tyler and Freddy Friday — was covered by the trumpeter Al Hirt in 1963 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard pop chart.

In 1960, Mr. Toussaint became the house producer, arranger and songwriter for the Minit label, where he worked with Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Benny Spellman and others. After serving in the Army from 1963 to 1965, he returned to music, establishing Sansu Enterprises, a publishing company and group of record labels, with Mr. Sehorn.

The sound that Mr. Toussaint developed in the ’60s built on the rollicking piano style of earlier New Orleans figures like Professor Longhair, with arrangements that melded deep R&B grooves with touches of pop.

“Allen was the crucible of New Orleans music,” said the producer Leo Sacks, who in the 1990s recorded a gospel singer, Raymond Myles, who was later signed to Mr. Toussaint’s NYNO label. “Allen’s call-and-response choruses were catchy and clever, his harmonics were rich and gospel-flavored. And no one had his handiness with a hook.”

Many of Mr. Toussaint’s songs would eventually be covered widely, including “Fortune Teller,” which became a standard among British Invasion rock bands in the mid-’60s; it was recorded by the Who and the Rolling Stones, among others.

“I was so glad when the Stones recorded my song,” Mr. Toussaint once told an interviewer. “I knew they would know how to roll it all the way to the bank.”

During the ’70s Mr. Toussaint recorded three albums for labels under the Warner Bros. umbrella, but the popularity of his style of R&B waned with the rise of disco. He continued to write and record for independent labels, and in 1998 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

After Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Toussaint’s career took another turn when he relocated to New York. He began to make regular appearances at Joe’s Pub, the intimate East Village nightclub, and recorded “The River in Reverse,” a collaboration with Mr. Costello that was a response to the hurricane and the destruction of New Orleans. He also toured with Mr. Costello, an experience that inspired him to play concerts much more widely than he ever had before, according to Mr. Davis of Jazz Fest.

“The River in Reverse” was nominated for a Grammy Award for best pop vocal album, but it did not win; Mr. Toussaint’s only Grammy was a Trustees Award, a career prize, in 2009. In 2013, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts in a ceremony at the White House.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Toussaint’s survivors include a son, Clarence Reginald; a brother, Vincent; and six grandchildren.

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 8th, 2015

November 9^th, 2015 to November 14^th, 2015

It was great to spend time with you again this week and thanks for the many email requests I received. I enjoyed playing a couple of Chicago groups, the Cryin' Shames and Ides of March for Mike Vercellotti in Downers Grove, Illinois. It was also a nice surprise to hear from Wendy McDougall in Adelaide, Australia. A friend of hers in Sydney had recommended my show to Wendy and she was not disappointed. I surprised her by playing one of her all-time Beatles favourites, Here, There And Everywhere. It was also cool to get another Beatles request. This time it was from Toni Howerton in Middleton, Ohio who asked me to play Here Comes The Sun. I'd love to hear from you too. Send and email to requests@treasureislandoldies.com or call the Listener Line at 206-339-0709 to record your request.

Be sure to list to the show next week when it will be the Music By Numbers Special. Keep your calculator handy, as every song will have a number in the title and it will be fun to keep track and add up the total value of every song played each hour. And at the end of each hour, I'll give you an update as to the running total. Imagine what the final tally may end up being by the end of the show!


It's my pleasure to wish Happy Birthday to Tim Sykes in Cambridge, Ontario and to Dana Van Dine in Blackwood, New Jersey. If your birthday is coming up, be sure to let me know by sending the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.

The Treasure Island Oldies 18th Anniversary Contest continues for November and December, so you've got time to enter the contest to be eligible to win the poster of your choice from our good friends at TNJ Poster Creations. For details click on the Enter the 18th Anniversary Contest graphic link on any page of the website.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing a song I featured on the show this week, and one rarely ever heard today despite it being a big hit. It's Arthur Conley in a clip from the German TV show Beat-Club, with Funky Street. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice is presenting Conway Twitty, an artist who started out in Rock and roll end ended as a very big country music star. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either It's Only Make Believe or Lonely Blue Boy. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.

Here's the Rock & Roll News Podcast for the week of November 8^th.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1965.

Before I leave you for this week, I'd like to let you know that this Wednesday, November 11^th I will be doing a special salute in recognition of Remembrance Day in Canada and other countries in the British Commonwealth, and Veteran's Day in the United States. Please check out the Treasure Island Oldies Blog this Wednesday.

Take care and have a good week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Conway Twitty - Voice Your Choice

Conway Twitty was born Harold Jenkins in Friars Point, Mississippi on November 1, 1933, and raised in Helena, Arkansas. He started out in the 1950s in Rock and Roll and in 1965 he switched to Country music and continued with a very successful career. Sadly, he was only 59 when he died of an abdominal aneurysm on June 5, 1993.

In the late '50s and early '60s he appeared on the Billboard Hot 1090 charts sixteen times, inuding scoring 3 Top Ten hits.

Treasure Island Oldies is pleased to spotlight Conway Twitty for your votes on Voice Your Choice. Cast your vote for either It's Only Make Believe or Lonely Blue Boy. I'll play the winner during next week's show.

Arthur Conley - Funky Street - Song of the Week

Arthur Conley was well known for this smash Sweet Soul Music. But his follow-up single was also really popular. However, it's rarely ever heard anymore today. Well this week on my Treasure Island Oldies radio show I played that great single, so I decided to play it here for you at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog.

Here's Arthur Conley with Funky Street, in a clip from the German TV show Beat-Club, performing Funky Street. It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 1st, 2015

November 2^nd, 2015 to November 7^th, 2015

What a timely show we had this week! With the annual "Fall Back" by one hour, I decided to remind the listeners to be sure they turned back the hands of time by changing their clocks back by one hour.  It's quite interesting and surprising just how many songs have "time" in the song title. Check out the entire playlist for this week's show at the Listen page and then scroll down. And thank you for the great comments on this year's Halloween Spooktacular. They're much appreciated.


I'd like to send out Happy Birthday wishes to California Barb, Andy Desilets in Ottawa, Ontario, and Sue Vercellotti in Downers Grove, Illinois. If your birthday is coming up, be sure to let me know by sending the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.

Congratulations go out to John Donovan in Rockford, Illinois, the October winner in the Treasure Island Oldies 18th Anniversary Contest. His prize, courtesy TNJ Poster Creations, is the Patsy Cline Live In Concert poster. There will be two more winners before the end of the year, so be sure to enter the contest today. For details click on the Enter the 18th Anniversary Contest graphic link on any page of the website.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is continuing with our "Fall Back" theme as featured on this week's show. It's Tyrone Davis with a live performance of the R&B classic, Turn Back The Hands Of Time. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice is presenting Elton John for your votes. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Crocodile Rock or Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.
 
Here's the Rock & Roll News Podcast for the week of November 1st.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1956.

That's about it for this week. Oh one final thought, please mark your calendar for our Music By Numbers Special in two weeks, Live Sunday, November 15th. Every song with have a number in the song title. Will you be able to keep track of all songs played and come up with a final total? 

Take care and have a good week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Elton John - Voice Your Choice

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England and has become one of the most popular singers, songwriters, musicians, performers and entertainers of the 20th Century. Before having a solo career, he was a member of the British group Bluesology, which included Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. It was from those two fellows that he took the name Elton John. In 1967, he teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and then embarked on the career of Elton John.

Between 1970 and 2000 he racked up an impressive 70 appearances on the Billboard charts. Now that is quite a feat! Sir Elton John has also had twenty-eight Number One records, thirteen Gold Records and six Platinum Records; and these are just the singles!

Treasure Island Oldie is pleased to present Elton John  in the Voice Your Choice spotlight. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Crocodile Rock or Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. I'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.

Tyrone Davis - Turn Back The Hands Of Time - Song of the Week

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is continuing with the Spring Forward - Fall Back theme this week on Treasure Island Oldies. We turned back our clocks by one hour and in recognition, I'm pleased to play a great R&B song for you.

Here's Tyrone Davis with a live performance of Turn Back The Hands Of Time.

It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael