Next Live Treasure Island Oldies Show

The next live show will be Sunday, January 8th at the usual time of 6 pm Pacific. I look forward to celebrating the start of the New Year with our annual New Year Dance Party.

In the meantime, I sincerely hope you are enjoys your Holidays and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Back again with the next live show soon.

All the best.
Michael

Program Alert

Hi Folks,

Due to an urgent family situation, I will not be able to do the live show Sunday December 11th.

However, we WILL stream live for you from this week in 2015 and it will be on the Live Stream link Sunday.

I will return for the Christmas Special Sunday, December 18th.

Thank you for your understanding.

Michael

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of December 4th, 2016

Week of December 4^th - December 10^th, 2016

We're in December and what a great way to start the month than with a lot of great Holiday and Christmas tunes on the show. And with the Christmas Village all decorated at the website, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Last night in the Chat Room we were talking about how some places got 5 inches of snow, or as Rick in Madison, Wisconsin calls it, the "white menace" LOL. We were also saying how it rarely ever snows in Vancouver, where the show is based. Think we spoke too soon, as when I got up Monday morning, it was snowing and it kept up on and off all day. Think we got maybe 2 or 3 inches, but for Vancouver that was a major storm LOL So all in all, the Christmas music was perfect to play on this week's show.

Next week on the show it will be all Christmas music throughout the four hours, leading up to the 20th Annual Christmas Special, Live Sunday, December 18th. I look forward to your company over the next two weeks. And please remember that while we don't yet have Archived shows available, the Christmas Special will be available throughout the holidays to listen on demand.

Is your birthday coming up soon? I'd really like to help you celebrate by wishing you Happy Birthday on the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

The final Voice Your Choice for 2016 next week spotlights the King of Rock and Roll with two of his great Christmas songs for your votes. Go to the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote for either Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) or White Christmas. I'll play the winner next Sunday.

Here's the Rock and Roll News Podcast for this week.

That's about it for now.

See you next Sunday for the next live show with all Christmas songs.

Have a good week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Elvis Presley Voice Your Choice Christmas Edition

The King of Rock And Roll is front and centre this week on Treasure Island Oldies, as Elvis Presley is the artist in the spotlight on Voice Your Choice.

Elvis was born Elvis Aron Presley on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. During his lifetime, which was sadly cut short when he died in Memphis, Tennessee on August 16, 1977, he appeared on the charts an unbelievable 153 times! Not only that, but he had 41 Top Ten hits between 1956 and 2002, including 24 Gold plus 21 Platinum Records. Here's an understatement: What an astonishing, astounding and outstanding achievement!

For the final Voice Your Choice of 2016, we spotlight Elvis with two of his many Christmas recordings. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) or White Christmas. I'll play the winner on next week's all-Christmas songs show.

Sam Cooke Number One Song of the Week

This week  on the Treasure Island Oldies Top Five Countdown, we spotlighted the year 1957.

Here's one of the greatest singers of all time, Sam Cooke with the Number One song, You Send Me.

It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 27th, 2016

Week of November 27^th - December 3^rd, 2016

I hope my American listeners and friends enjoyed the long Thanksgiving weekend. It was great to be with you again this week and what a treat to start the holiday music on this week's show. Next week there will be a lot more and the following week, December 11th, will be filled with great seasonal music for your enjoyment. Also, please mark you calendar for Sunday, December 18th when it will be the 20th Annual Treasure Island Oldies Christmas Special. And I am particularly excited to let you know that this year's Christmas Special will be archived and available for listening on demand all throughout the Christmas holidays! I am very aware of your requests to make the archived show available on demand, and I am working on it; and the Christmas Special will be a great start.

I also invite you to come to the Treasure Island Oldies Christmas Village. The decorations you'll see are all from my childhood growing up and I still have them today. The white tree is actually a revolving tree that turns with the heat of the light bulb under the shade, no moto whatsoever. And the wonderful Santa face is also from my childhood. One year my Mom bought the Santa face for me and my sister wanted a Frosty The Snowman decoration with a bubble light. Such wonderful decorations filled with wonderful memories. I hope you enjoy the Christmas Village and my thanks to my webmaster Eddy Fisher for doing such a great job of decorating once again this year.

I was very pleased to hear from a listener in Germany. Hand Godschan, who lives in Cottbus, sent a note saying he heard the show via shortwave on the 3975 kHz frequency. That's IBC, the Italian Broadcasting Corporation, that airs the show weekly. He even provided details of the music he heard. Very cool! I sure enjoy hearing from listeners all around the world. If you'd like to get in touch with me, send your note to michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

My Generation Posters has a great new selection of items in stock just in time for the Holidays. Visit their website and check out what's just arrived.You can be the first to know about new products and specials before you even hear it on the show by signing up for their newsletter. Just go to www.mygenerationshop.com. They are great show sponsors and your support of them is much appreciated.

It's my pleasure to wish long time listener Lennart Persson in Gothenberg, Sweden a very Happy Birthday. He's been listening to the show via Radio 88 in Gothenberg for many years and is frequently in touch. If your birthday's coming up, let me know so that I can help celebrate your special day on the show. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the air and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. All I need is the date of your birthday. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

Voice Your Choice spotlights two very talented guys from the British Invasion period of the '60s. Peter and Gordon had many hits and we spotlight two of them for you. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either A World Without Love or Woman. I'll play the winner next Sunday.

Here's the Rock and Roll News Podcast for this week.

That's a wrap for this week. Take care and hope you can join me again next Sunday for the live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

Peter and Gordon - Voice Your Choice

Peter and Gordon, the British pop duo, were Peter Asher and Gordon Waller. They stormed the charts during the British Invasion. Peter was from London, and Gordon hailed from Braemar, Scotland. Together they created hit songs filled with great harmonies and excellent production and arrangements. They recorded songs written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Del Shannon, Buddy Holly and Norman Petty, some of which were cover recordings, while others were written for them.

In the three years that they maintained chart prominence, they scored an impressive fourteen songs on the Billboard Top 100, eight of which were Top 20. Interestingly, their very first North American single, A World Without Love, reached No. 1.

After they split up, Peter Asher went on to continued success, this time as a producer and artist manager, and worked with James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and 10,000 Maniacs.

Sadly, Gordon Waller suffered a massive heart attack and passed away July 17, 2009 at his home in Connecticut.

Treasure Island Oldies is pleased to present Peter and Gordon in the Voice Your Choice spotlight. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either A World Without Love or Woman. I'll play the winner on next week's show.

Elvis Presley - Number One Song of the Week

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, the Top Five Countdown was from 1960. And the Number One song was originally a number four hit in 1927 for Vaughn De Leath. She was one of the earliest known "crooners" who sadly passed away in Buffalo, New York on May 28, 1943.

I'd guess that most people would have thought that this week's Number One was an original song written for Elvis; no, it was a cover, and an excellent one at that!

So here's the Number One song on the Top Five Countdown from 1960 by Elvis Presley, Are You Lonesome Tonight. It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 20th, 2016

Week of November 20^th - November 26^th, 2016

This will be a very short update this week. Thanks for listening to the show and I apologize for my laryngitis. It started Friday late afternoon and progressed to not much voice left by the time the show started Sunday. Hope to be feeling all back to normal for next week's show. In the meantime, I'd like to wish my American listeners and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving this week. Enjoy your time with family and friends.

My Generation Posters is having a Holiday sale and for every item you select and put into your cart, you'll get 10% off just for insterting the word "holidays" in the promo code box. Simple as that. And check out there new items that have just arrived.You can be the first to know about new products and specials before you even hear it on the show by signing up for their newsletter. Just go to www.mygenerationshop.com.

If your birthday's coming up, let me know so that I can help celebrate your special day on the show. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the air and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. All I need is the date of your birthday. Send the details tobirthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

Voice Your Choice spotlights one of the most successful folk inspired singer songwriters, Joni Mitchell. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Big Yellow Taxi or Free Man In Paris. I'll play the winner next Sunday.

Here's the Rock and Roll News Podcast for this week.

See you next Sunday for the next live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies Week of November 13th, 2016

Week of November 13^th - November 19^th, 2016

It's sad enough to learn of the passing of a recording artist, and it's another when two major songwriters and artists pass away. Such was the case with the news of Leonard Cohen and Leon Russell. Leonard Cohen was 82 while Leon Russell was 74. Both were highly sought after songwriters with so many artists recording and interpreting their own version of songs penned by either Leonard or Leon. I was pleased to play Leonard Cohen's original version of Suzanne. And it was so good to also hear many songs by Leon Russell that he wrote, recorded and produced, along with Delta Lady, which was recorded by Joe Cocker. And what a tour de force to hear The Letter, originally a hit by The Box Tops, with a major interpretation arranged for Joe and Leon's Mad Dogs And Englishmen live album, tour and documentary film. I know I keep saying this, but aren't we so fortunate to have permanent souvenirs of their talent by being able to listen to their records.

As we are half way through November and preparing to start playing Christmas holiday music, I wanted to let you know that this year's Annual Christmas Special will take place live Sunday, December 18th. Please mark your calendar for this special. It's my annual Christmas gift to you.

Be sure to check out all the latest new products now available at My Generation Shop. You can be the first to know about new products and specials before you even hear it on the show by signing up for their newsletter. Just go to www.mygenerationshop.com.

I'd like to send out my best wishes for a Happy Birthday to Connie Canode in Madison, Wisconsin, and to Christ Whitmer in Iowa City, Iowa, and as well to my nephew Andrew Gize in Gatineau, Quebec. Happy Birthday to you all! If your birthday's coming up, let me know so that I can help celebrate your special day on the show. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the air and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. All I need is the date of your birthday. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

Voice Your Choice spotlights one of the most successful artists of all time, Elton John. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Crocodile Rock or Daniel. I'll play the winner next Sunday.

Here's the Rock and Roll News Podcast for this week.

That's about it for now.

See you next Sunday for the next live show.

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 a lifetime as 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 Oldies is pleased to present Sir Elton John  in the Voice Your Choice spotlight. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Crocodile Rock or Daniel. I'll play the winner on ne3xt week's show.

Four Season Number One Song of the Week from 1962

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, the Top Five Countdown was from 1962. And here is the Number One song; it's by The Four Seasons, Big Girls Don't Cry.

It's our Number One Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

Doug Edwards Who Wrote Wildflower Has Died at 71

Guitarist Doug Edwards, famed for writing the music for mega-hit Wildflower, has died at age 71 at his Vancouver home after a long illness.

Former bandmate David Foster lauded Edwards, saying that “he was, always has been and probably always will be the best ‘pop’ musician Victoria has ever produced — a one in a million.”

Born in Edmonton in 1946, Edwards moved with his family to Victoria at 15, taking up guitar and electric bass at a time when no one else was playing bass, said Valley Hennell, who represented him and Wildflower lyricist Dave Richardson. Edwards, a Vic High grad, moved to Vancouver and, within 18 months or so, was touring with the Fifth Dimension as their guitarist, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show and opening for Frank Sinatra. That was before he joined the band Skylark with a teenage Foster.

In 1970, Edwards teamed with Dave Richardson, a Saanich police officer and friend of Foster, to write Wildflower, which became a gold record in Canada, went to No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard chart and went on to be covered by more than 75 artists, from crooner Johnny Mathis to rapper Drake.
“Wildflower is one of the most performed songs in the history of Canadian popular music,” notes the website of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The lyrics are a poem about Richardson’s girlfriend, written in about 30 minutes — about the same amount of time that Edwards took to write the music, Richardson said Friday.

He said the song has been used to treat female military personnel suffering from PTSD and sexual assault, and that he and Edwards had been told that the song had helped suicidal addicts recover.
“We were all blessed by that song,” said Hennell. Edwards, an unassuming self-taught bass player, was “a true pioneer of the music scene in B.C.,” she said.

Foster said there was “no instrument he couldn’t play, no chord he couldn’t access with ease, no musician he couldn’t make immediately comfortable and sound better than they were, no musical situation around the globe that he didn’t belong in — a true world-class talent before we even knew what that meant. “I don’t know where my career would be today if I couldn’t have hung my hat on that first hit that I was associated with because of Doug, Dave Richardson and B.J. Cook, who got us our record deal. It certainly sped up the process of where I was trying to get to.”

Foster recently visited Edwards in Vancouver. “It is a sad day that I knew was coming for some time but you’re still never quite prepared for it,” Foster told the Times Colonist in an email Friday.
“I have always kept in touch with Doug peripherally but of course never as much as I should have, but the last few months we spent a fair bit of time on the phone. “I had the great pleasure of visiting with him about three months ago at his home and we had an incredible afternoon where I got to hear some of his new music and we showered each other with our mutual admiration for each other.

“Writing a hit song puts you in rare air. Writing a standard puts you in even rarer air — Wildflower will live long after all of us are gone. “To say that I admired him would be an understatement,” Foster said. “To say that I always wanted to be as good a musician as him is completely true and was never accomplished. His soft demeanour just made him even more appealing to everyone — he was a gentleman and a gentle man.” Edwards recorded or performed with Ann Mortifee and Olivia Newton-John, and on TV shows with Tom Jones, Paul Anka and Wolfman Jack.

A session musician for six decades, Edwards also worked with Paul Horn, Valdy, Rick Scott, The Hometown Band, Wildroot Orchestra, Roy Forbes, Terry Jacks and the Poppy Family, and Glass Tiger.

For the past two decades, until this year, Edwards performed with the classic rock band Chilliwack, Hennell said. “Doug was a true sideman and made everybody’s music sound great,” she said. But he never wanted to draw any attention to himself. “He was the humblest of the great.”

Edwards underwent triple bypass heart surgery on Feb. 1 and then went into cancer treatment.
He is survived by his wife, Mary, daughter, Jennifer, and sister, Carol.

Leon Russell Has Died At Age 74

From the New York Times

Leon Russell, the longhaired, scratchy-voiced pianist, guitarist, songwriter and bandleader who moved from playing countless recording sessions to making hits on his own, died on Sunday in Nashville. He was 74. His website said he had died in his sleep but gave no specific cause.

Mr. Russell’s health had had significant setbacks in recent years. In 2010, he underwent surgery for a brain fluid leak and was treated for heart failure. In July he had a heart attack and was scheduled for further surgery, according to a news release from the historical society of Oklahoma, his home state.

With his trademark top hat, hair well past his shoulders, a long, lush beard, an Oklahoma drawl and his fingers splashing two-fisted barrelhouse piano chords, Mr. Russell cut a flamboyant figure in the early 1970s. He led Joe Cocker’s band Mad Dogs & Englishmen, appeared at George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangladesh in New York City and had hits of his own, including “Tight Rope.”

Many of his songs became hits for others, among them “Superstar” (written with Bonnie Bramlett) for the Carpenters, “Delta Lady” for Joe Cocker and “This Masquerade” for George Benson. More than 100 acts have recorded his “A Song for You,” which Mr. Russell said he wrote in 10 minutes.

By the time he released his first solo album, in 1970, he had already played on hundreds of songs as one of the top studio musicians in Los Angeles. He was in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound Orchestra, and he played sessions for Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, the Ventures and the Monkees, among many others. His piano playing is heard on “Mr. Tambourine Man” by the Byrds, “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert, “Live With Me” by the Rolling Stones and all of the Beach Boys’ early albums, including “Pet Sounds.”

The music Mr. Russell made on his own put a scruffy, casual surface on rich musical hybrids, interweaving soul, country, blues, jazz, gospel, pop and classical music. Like Willie Nelson, who collaborated with him, and Ray Charles, whose 1993 recording of “A Song for You” won a Grammy Award, Mr. Russell made a broad, sophisticated palette of American music sound down-home and natural.

After his popularity had peaked in the 1970s, he shied away from self-promotion and largely set aside rock, though he kept on performing. But he was prized as a musicians’ musician, collaborating with Elvis Costello and Elton John, among others. In 2011, after making a duet album with Mr. John, “The Union,” he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the ceremony, Mr. John called him “the master of space and time” and added, “He sang, he wrote and he played just how I wanted to do it.”

Leon Russell was born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, Okla., on April 2, 1941. An injury to his upper vertebrae at birth caused a slight paralysis on his right side that would shape his music: A resulting delayed reaction time in his right hand forced him to think ahead about what it would play. “It gave me a very strong sense of duality,” he said last year in a Public Radio International interview.

He started classical piano lessons when he was 4, played baritone horn in his high school marching band and also learned trumpet. At 14 he started gigging in Oklahoma; since it was a dry state at the time, he could play clubs without being old enough to drink. Soon after he graduated from high school, Jerry Lee Lewis hired him and his band to back him on tour for two months.

He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s and found club work and then studio work; he learned to play guitar, and he began calling himself Leon Russell, taking the name Leon from a friend who had lent him an ID so he could play California club dates while underage.

His music-making drew on both his classical training and his Southern roots, and he played everything from standards to surf-rock, from million-sellers to pop throwaways. He was glimpsed on television as a member of the Shindogs, the house band for the prime-time rock show “Shindig!” in the mid-1960s.

In 1967, he built a home studio and began working with the guitarist Marc Benno as the Asylum Choir, which released its debut album in 1968. He also started a record label, Shelter, in 1969 with the producer Denny Cordell. Mr. Russell drew more recognition as a co-producer, arranger and musician on Joe Cocker’s second album, “Joe Cocker!,” which included Mr. Russell’s song “Delta Lady.” When Mr. Cocker’s Grease Band fell apart days before an American tour, Mr. Russell assembled Mad Dogs & Englishmen, a big, boisterous band that included three drummers and a 10-member choir. Its 1970 double live album and a tour film became a showcase for Mr. Russell as well as for Mr. Cocker; the album reached No. 2 on the Billboard album chart.

Mr. Russell also released his first solo album in 1970; it included “A Song for You” and had studio appearances from Mr. Cocker, Eric Clapton, two members of the Beatles and three from the Rolling Stones. But Mr. Russell’s second album, “Leon Russell and the Shelter People,” fared better commercially: It reached No. 17 on the Billboard chart.

Mr. Russell had his widest visibility as the 1970s began. He played the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden with George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton; he produced and played on Mr. Dylan’s songs “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and “Watching the River Flow.” He toured with the Rolling Stones and with his own band.

His third album, “Carney,” went to No. 2 with the hit “Tight Rope”; it also featured his own version of “This Masquerade.” In 1973, his “Leon Live” album reached the Top 10, and he recorded his first album of country songs under the pseudonym Hank Wilson. The fledgling Gap Band, also from Oklahoma, backed Mr. Russell in 1974 on his album “Stop All That Jazz.” His 1975 album “Will O’ the Wisp” included what would be his last Top 20 pop hit, “Lady Blue.”

But he continued to work. He made duet albums with his wife at the time, Mary Russell (formerly Mary McCreary). And he collaborated with Willie Nelson in 1979 on “One for the Road,” a double LP of pop and country standards. It sold half a million copies.

That same year he married Janet Lee Constantine, who survives him, as do six children: Blue, Teddy Jack, Tina Rose, Sugaree, Honey and Coco. Mr. Russell delved into various idioms over the next decades, mostly recording for independent labels. He toured and recorded with the New Grass Revival, adding his piano and voice to their string-band lineup. He made more country albums as Hank Wilson. He recorded blues, Christmas songs, gospel songs and instrumentals.

In 1992, the songwriter and pianist Bruce Hornsby, who had long cited Mr. Russell’s influence, sought to rejuvenate Mr. Russell’s rock career by producing the album “Anything Can Happen,” but it drew little notice. Mr. Russell continued to tour for die-hard fans, who called themselves Leon Lifers.

A call in 2009 from Elton John, whom Mr. Russell had supported in the early 1970s, led to the making of “The Union” — which also had guest appearances by Neil Young and Brian Wilson — and a 10-date tour together in 2010. Mr. Russell also sat in on Mr. Costello’s 2010 album, “National Ransom.” Then he bought a new bus and returned to the road, on his own.

Jonah Bromwich contributed reporting.

Leonard Cohen Has Died At Age 82

Leonard Cohen, the hugely influential singer and songwriter whose work spanned five decades, died at the age of 82. Cohen's label, Sony Music Canada, confirmed his death on the singer's Facebook page.

"It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away," the statement read. "We have lost one of music's most revered and prolific visionaries. A memorial will take place in Los Angeles at a later date. The family requests privacy during their time of grief." A cause of death and exact date of death was not given.

From Rolling Stone magazine.

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of November 6th, 2016

Week of November 6^th - November 12^th, 2016

It was a pleasure to pay tribute to both Bobby Vee and Kay Starr on this week's show. Sadly, they both passed away from complications due to Alzheimer's Disease. It's surprising just how many hits Bobby Vee scored on the charts; and it was good to play both his smashes and lesser heard records, and all of them appeared on the Billboard chart. And it was very fitting to devote this week's Lounge Double to Kay Starr by playing Rock And Roll Waltz and Wheel Of Fortune. Two wonderful artists who we can continue to enjoy their great music.

Be sure to check out all the latest new products now available at My Generation Shop. You can be the first to know about new products and specials before you even hear it on the show by signing up for their newsletter. Just go to www.mygenerationshop.com.

This week's show marked the conclusion of the Encore Presentations of Hits From Across The Pond with Fay Greenwood. The series lasted three years, from 2009 to 2011, and it was great to play this feature all over again, ending this week. Many thanks to Matt Meaney for the great production and wonderfully researched information. And Fay brought a great touch to the stories every week with her warm and lovely English accent. Cheers to you both!

I continue to be asked when the Archives will return. I am afraid that at this point in time, I don't have an answer for you. I do know that Yare Media, our new network, is doing their best to make it happen. All I can tell you is that as soon as I know anything, I will be sure to also let you know.

It was nice hearing from Mike Vercellotti in Downers Grove, Illinois with his two requests, Larry Hall and Sandy, along with the great Jack Scott and What In The World's Come Over You. It was great to play them during this week's Rock and Roll Reunion. It was also nice to hear from Jim Southern in Gladstone, Oregon. Jim has just discovered the show and is looking forward to "gain from the vast knowledge on the site". Thanks Jim, and welcome to the Island! I'd love to hear from you too and your comments. Write to me atmichael@treasureislandoldies.com.

Lots of birthdays to celebrate this week. Best wishes and Happy Birthday to Tim Sykes in Cambridge, Ontario, Andy Desilets, in Ottawa, Ontario, Sunny in Elmhurst, Ilinois, and Dana Van Dine, aka Problem, in Blackwood, New Jersey. If your birthday's coming up, let me know so that I can help celebrate your special day on the show. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the air and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. All I need is the date of your birthday. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

Voice Your Choice spotlights a great British group currently on tour, Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either (What A) Wonderful World or A Must To Avoid. I'll play the winner next Sunday.

Here's the Rock and Roll News Podcast for this week.

That's about it for now. Have a great week and see you next Sunday for the next live show.

Bye for now.

Michael

Hermans' Hermits - Voice Your Choice

Herman's Hermits became of of the most successful of the British Invasion groups of the early-to-mid-1960s. While practically everyone knows Peter Noone, the lead singer and head of the band, not that many know who the rest of the members were. Time to rectify that situation. They were Derek Leckenby and Keith Hopwood on guitars, Karl Green on bass, and Barry Whitwam on drums. The name Herman's Hermits was derived from the cartoon character Sherman on the TV show The Bullwinkle Show.

Before Peter Noone left the group in 1972 for a solo career, Herman's Hermits racked up an impressive 19 charted hits, with 11 in the Top Ten plus 3 Gold Records.

Well he's back with the group again and they are currently on tour; catch them if you can.

Voice Your Choice is pleased to present Herman's Hermits next week on Treasure Island Oldies. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either (What A) Wonderful World or A Must To Avoid. I'll play the winner on next week's show.

Rolling Stones - Get Off Of My Cloud Number One Song of the Week from 1965

The Rolling Stones have the top song on this week's Top Five Countdown on Treasure Island Oldies.
Here they are with the Number 1 song from 1965, Get Off Of My Cloud.

Enjoy!

Michael

40s and 50s Singing Star, Kay Starr, Has Died At Age 94

Kay Starr, the self-described hillbilly singer who crisscrossed jazz, country, pop, blues and rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s with hits like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Rock and Roll Waltz,” died on Thursday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94.

The cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter and only immediate survivor, Katherine Yardley, said.

Ms. Starr, whose career began when she was a teenager and continued into her 80s, was a rarity: a singer who blossomed in the big-band era of the 1930s and 1940s, hit it big as a pop and country artist, and scored one of her biggest hits in the emerging rock scene of the mid-1950s. When her style eventually faded from the pop charts, she continued to tour for decades, performing, to her surprise, to devoted crowds.

“When they brought in rock, hard rock and acid rock, I thought God was trying to tell me it was my turn to get off the stage,” she once told an interviewer. But she never did.

She was born Katherine Laverne Starks on July 21, 1922, in Dougherty, Okla., to an Irish-American mother and an Iroquois father. (She also claimed Cherokee and Choctaw heritage on both sides of her family.)

Her singing career began in childhood. After she moved to Dallas with her family, she began singing to the chickens in the backyard, catching the ear of an aunt, who entered her in a local radio talent contest. Kay became a local radio sensation at age 7 and eventually had her own 15-minute show twice a week, earning $3 a performance.

She changed her last name to Starr because, she said, too many fans misheard it that way.

When she was 15 her family moved to Memphis, where she was chosen to sing with the violinist Joe Venuti’s orchestra during an extended engagement at the Peabody Hotel. Her parents agreed but insisted that she be home by midnight.

"In those days you couldn’t bring a child into a place that sold mixed drinks,” she recalled in an interview with the Seattle radio station KUOW in 2006. “I’d go and get my evening gown and shut my mouth up until it was time to sing, so they didn’t know what age I was. Joe Venuti told everyone that my mother was my sister. She loved that.” Starr’s first records were “Baby Me” and “Love With a Capital ‘You,’” made with the Glenn Miller Orchestra when she was 16 after Miller had hired her to fill in for an ailing Marion Hutton. The records weren’t a huge success. Ms. Starr had had to sing arrangements written in a key too high for her, making her sound like a “jazzed-up Alfalfa,” as she once put it — a self-mocking reference to the child actor known for his earnest but off-key singing.

Ms. Starr moved to Los Angeles after high school and sang with the trumpeter Wingy Manone’s band, then with the saxophonist Charlie Barnet’s. While performing for World War II soldiers one night, she fainted in the wings and was hospitalized for pneumonia. Many, including Ms. Starr herself, felt the infection lightened her voice. 

Ms. Starr took a year off to recuperate, and when she resumed her career her voice had returned to its old, huskier self. After going solo in 1946, she signed with the newly formed Capitol Records the next year. 

For a while she was overshadowed by two more successful female singers on Capitol, Margaret Whiting and Peggy Lee. That changed when Ms. Starr had a breakthrough hit with “You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling in Love)” in 1948, followed by two songs tinged with country and folk, “Oh, Babe!” and “Hoop-Dee-Doo.” 

Her big break came with her recording of the country song “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” shortly after Pee Wee King’s instrumental version became a Top 10 country hit in 1950. Her rendition sold a million copies, and her crossover into country music continued when she recorded four duets with Tennessee Ernie Ford.

“Ernie sang the kind of music I grew up on,” Ms. Starr once said. “He talked the way I did and phrased a song the way I did.” The hits continued: “Come On-a My House” (which had already been a hit for Rosemary Clooney) reached No. 8 on the pop chart in 1952, and that same year she released what is probably her best-known song, “Wheel of Fortune,” which was No. 1 for 10 weeks. The next year brought another hit, “Side by Side,” which went to No. 3. 

Ms. Starr signed with RCA Victor in 1955 and recorded “Rock and Roll Waltz” (“A-one, two, and then rock, / A-one, two, and then roll ...”), which became a huge hit in the early years of rock ’n’ roll, spending six weeks at No. 1. Ms. Starr often said that she never really cared for the song but “liked it because everyone else liked it.” Her last big hit was “My Heart Reminds Me” in 1957.

Still, she retained enough of a following to keep the work coming. She played Las Vegas and Atlantic City and toured the country off and on from the 1960s through the 1990s. In the 1980s she was part of the touring show “4 Girls 4” (sometimes known as “3 Girls 3”), whose often-changing cast variously included Ms. Clooney, Helen O’Connell, Ms. Whiting, Rose Marie and Kaye Ballard. 

Ms. Starr stayed intermittently active, and her fans stayed loyal, into the 21st century: She recorded a duet with Tony Bennett on his 2001 album “Playin’ With My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues.”

Ms. Starr had six husbands (she rarely talked about them in interviews), including, briefly in 1953, the bandleader and composer Vic Schoen.

“I am a firm believer that a singer is no more than an actor or an actress set to music,” Ms. Starr once said. “They learn the story, they tell the story, and if they don’t tell the story right, people are not going to like it no matter what the melody is.”

From the New York Times. 
Christopher Mele contributed reporting.
A version of this article appears in print on November 4, 2016, on page B15 of the New York edition with the headline: Kay Starr, 94, a Singer Spanning Many Genres for Decades, Is Dead .

Bobby Vee Has Passed Away At Age 73

Bobby Vee, best known for hits including Rubber Ball, Take Good Care of My Baby and The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, has died at the age of 73.

Vee released more than 25 albums during his career, retiring in 2011 after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Vee's son Jeff Velline said the singer died peacefully surrounded by family on Monday. It was "the end of a long hard road", Mr Velline said. He described his father as "a person who brought joy all over the world", adding: "That was his job."

Vee's big break came about in 1959 at the age of 15 when he filled in for Buddy Holly after the singer's death in a plane crash. Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were also killed in the accident in Iowa, along with the pilot, Roger Peterson. A call went out for local acts to replace Holly at his scheduled show at the Moorhead National Guard Armory. Vee and his band, which had only formed two weeks previously, volunteered.

Vee, born Robert Velline, also gave a young Bob Dylan his start. Dylan played briefly with Vee's band and he was the one who suggested Velline change his last name to Vee. Bobby Vee and the Shadows were signed in autumn 1959 and Vee had his first hit in the Billboard charts in 1960 with Devil or Angel.

A string of hits followed, including The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Come Back When You Grow Up, Please Don't Ask about Barbara and Punish Her.

Vee and his wife Karen were married for more than 50 years and had four children. She died of kidney failure in 2015, aged 71.

Vee had been in a care home near Minneapolis for just over a year and had been receiving hospice care before his death, Mr Velline said.

From the BBC UK.

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of October 23rd

Week of October 23^rd - 29^th, 2016

To start this week's Island Update, I'd like to thank the over 130 friends, listeners, family and colleagues who took the time to wish me Happy Birthday. I sure appreciate it. It was also cool to hear from several recording artists including Mel Carter (Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me), Paul Peterson (My Dad), Keith Hampshire (First Cut Is The Deepest),  and Larry Chance of The Earls (Remember Then). It's pretty overwhelming to get so many birthday wishes. THANK YOU!

Be sure to join me next week for the 20th annual Halloween Spooktacular. We'll be live from the crypt next Sunday, October 30th  beginning at 6 pm Pacific, 9 pm Eastern time. Aaaaaoooooooooooooooooo!

Speaking of birthdays, it is my pleasure to wish California Barb a very Happy Birthday this week. Barb is a long time listener and a massive music fan; and she sure knows her music too. Happy Birthday, Barb.  If your birthday's coming up, let me know so that I can help celebrate your special day on the show. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the air and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. All I need is the date of your birthday. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

I just heard that Bobby Vee has passed away. I will do an extensive tribute to his music in the show in two weeks.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the Number One Song from the Treasure Island Oldies Top Five Countdown from 1961. It's Runaround Sue by Dion, and it's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice will return to the program in two weeks, as all the regular features are being pre-empted for next Week's Halloween Spooktacular. In the meantime, you can cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either (Down At) Papa Joe's or Southtown, U.S.A. I'll ^play the winner on Sunday, November 6^th.

Here's this week's Rock and Roll News Podcast.

That's all for now. See you next week in the Crypt!

Have a great week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Voice Your Choice Returns November 6th with The Dixiebelles

The Dixiebelles, Shirley Thomas, Mary Hunt and Mildred Pratcher were from Memphis, Tennessee. They only released three singles, in 1963 and 1964, yet two became Top Twenty hits.

Voice Your Choice spotlights The Dixiebelles. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either (Down At) Papa Joe's or Southtown, U.S.A. I'll play the winning song when Voice Your Choice returns November 6th.

Dion - Runaround Sue Number One Song of the Week 1961

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, the Top Five Countdown was from 1962. And in the Number One spot was by Dion.

Here's Dion DiMucci with Runaround Sue, and it's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael

The Intruders' Robert “Big Sonny” Edwards Has Died At Age 74

Robert “Big Sonny” Edwards of The Intruders -- the soul vocal group best known for the chart-topping R&B single “Cowboys to Girls” -- has died. After suffering a sudden heart attack at his Philadelphia home, the 74-year-old Edwards died at a local hospital on Oct. 15.

The news of Edwards’ death was announced Tuesday (Oct. 18) by Philadelphia International Records co-founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. As one of the first acts signed to Gamble & Huff’s fledgling Gamble label, The Intruders scored a string of R&B hits from the mid-’60s through the early '70s -- and simultaneously set the stage for the writing/production duo’s pioneering Philly soul sound and the establishment of the legendary Philadelphia International label.

“The Intruders, featuring Big Sonny and the rest of the original members, helped start our musical career as a team,” said Gamble & Huff in a joint statement. “Not only was the group one of the first artists we wrote for and produced, they were also our close friends.”

Added Phil Terry, The Intruders’ sole surviving original member, “Not only was Big Sonny my longtime friend for over 59 years, he was like a brother to me. He was clearly the heartbeat of the group and had a positive impact on all of us.”

Hailing from Philadelphia, The Intruders -- comprised of Edwards, Terry, Sam “Little Sonny” Brown and Eugene “Bird” Daughtry -- started out as a doo-wop group. The quartet hit the R&B charts for the first time in 1966 with the top 15 single “(We’ll Be) United.” Breaking into the top 10 a year later with “Together,” The Intruders notched its first and only R&B No. 1 with 1968’s “Cowboys to Girls,” which also climbed to No. 6 on the pop chart. The group’s additional top 10 hits include “(Love Is Like a) Baseball Game,” “When We Get Married,” “I’ll Always Love My Mama” and “I Wanna Know Your Name.”

Edwards is survived by his wife Deborah Edwards, son Nijer Edwards and two grandchildren. Memorial services will be held on Oct. 29 at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses (noon ET) in Philadelphia.

Thanks to Billboard.

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - October 16th to 22nd, 2016

Week of October 16^th - 22^nd, 2016

It was great to be back with you again this week for another show and thanks for the emails I've been receiving. My thanks to Hugh Dobbie Jr. and his team at Yare Media. They created a special page that includes both the Yare Media player plus a link to the Chat Room; and we incorporated it into the Listen page. Man y listeners have been asking about whether the Archives will return. I can tell you that I am optimistic that we will have at least the current week's show available to listen on demand. However, I do not yet have any date when it may happen. I'll keep you informed when I have more information.

We are just two weeks away from the 20th annual Halloween Spooktacular. We'll be live from the crypt Sunday, October 30th  beginning at 6 pm Pacific, 9 pm Eastern time. Don't be afraid; you won't be alone in the crypt.

I'm pleased to send out birthday wishes to listener Marcia Moses and also to Mike Dillon, who lives in 100 Mile House, British Columbia. And I'd like to thank you also for the kind birthday wishes in the chat room and via email. I turn 64 this week! Is your birthday coming up soon? If so, let me know so that I can help celebrate your special day on the show. I'll wish you Happy Birthday on the air and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you. All I need is the date of your birthday. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the Number One Song from the Treasure Island Oldies Top Five Countdown from 1970. It's the Jackson 5 with I'll Be There. Enjoy!

They started out as Chicago Transit Authority, eventually shortening it to Chicago and they are in the Voice Your Choice spotlight. Cast you vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Make Me Smile or Colour My World. I'll play the winner on next week's show.

Here's this week's Rock and Roll News Podcast.

That's all for now. Please join me again next week for another four hours of Treasure Island Oldies.

Have a great week.

Bye for now.

Michael

Chicago - Voice Your Choice

They started out as The Big Thing, but when they moved to Los Angeles, California in 1969, they changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority. Later that year, they paired it down to Chicago. Their sound was jazz-oriented rock with a full horn section. And boy they had many hit albums and 45s!

Between 1969 and 1997 they appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart a total of 50 times and scored an astounding 19 Top Ten hits, 4 Gold and 1 Platinum record.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies Voice Your Choice features Chicago. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Make Me Smile or Colour My World. I'll play the winner on next week's show.