Red Robinson's Legends: Recent Episodes
Red Robinson
Red Robinson interviewed everybody from Buddy Holly to Michael Bublé over a 60 year radio/TV career. Thanks for visiting Red Robinson's Legends, and keep coming back for more!
Red recalls how his career started around this time in 1954, meeting Elvis, retirement, voicing Michael Buble's Christmas specials, Red Rock Diner, and his plans for his vast archive. Recorded in Vancouver, November 2014.
Rich Elwood was a Vancouver radio personality, actor, stand-up comedian and comedy club owner. His comedy career started doing Bill Cosby routines in front of his Grade 7 class and he polished his act in Toronto's notorious Yonge Street strip clubs. "They were a good training ground," he told the Vancouver Sun's Lee Bacchus, "You would have about 200 guys out there all yelling 'Bring out the broads!' You had to be good or you'd be doing the last 10 minutes to heckles and boos." Rich says, "Doing standup was always a blast. However, bands typically didn't care for standup warmups. In one case, the last thing they said to me before going on was 'Keep it short and don't touch our equipment.' I was only going to do five minutes and would not need to touch their gear, but it became a twenty minute set that ended in me giving myself a cymbal crash. 'Don't say don't to a comedian', I said to them coming off. I opened for many acts over the years including Tom Jones (a class guy and very gracious), The Righteous Brothers (quiet but nice), Howie Mandel (a super person and very funny), Dennis Miller (very bright), The Temptations (very cool people) and Ray Charles, who was so nice to me and I was very much in awe of him. Man, did he have stories!"Punchline's was the first real comedy club in Vancouver. Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Norm Macdonald, Howie Mandel and other greats all headlined. Rich also opened the door to up-and-coming comics Ryan Stiles, Rick Ducommun, Patrick McKenna and many more. His Vancouver radio career in Vancouver included CFUN (as DJ Rich Kelly) and CKNW as a talk show host. He was MC for Red's 50th Anniversary In Radio celebration in 2004, and he would also step in for Red on CISL's morning show. Among Rich’s acting roles over the years was a part in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore in the mid-1990s. After getting out of the club business, he was an in-demand corporate comic and producer. Rich wrote comedy for the hit political series Double Exposure, and he developed several TV projects with writing partner Patrick McKenna.Rich Elwood died on December 2, 2021 at the age of 67. Old friend John Oliver says, "One of the funniest people I have ever known and a true friend. A risk-taker, an entrepreneur who never quit in his efforts to bring quality comedy to Vancouver." Tom Jeffries replaced Rich at CFUN: "He was most gracious and we had so much fun when he ran Punchline's. A very talented and hilarious man ― I miss him. I was blessed to call him a friend."Recorded in Vancouver in 2013.
Glen Campbell was a fantastic 12-string guitar player who became part of a group of studio musicians later known as The Wrecking Crew. Glen played on hits by The Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, and many more.Red says, "I recall Glen coming to Vancouver as part of the annual C-FUN Teen Fair in the early Sixties. He had only two or three songs out at the time and none were in the Top 10, but his single 'Universal Soldier' (penned by Canadian artist Buffy Sainte-Marie) was charted in Billboard magazine along with a version by Donovan. I could not get him an interview with anyone in the media. A couple of summers down the road, 'Gentle On My Mind' became a major hit, followed by 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix' and 'Wichita Lineman'. Suddenly everyone wanted an interview with Glen.Anyway, years later when he achieved superstar status, he returned to Vancouver and played to a sell-out audience at the Coliseum. Toward the end of the show he picked up the mike and said, ‘It’s nice to be back after all those years. When I first came to Vancouver I couldn’t get arrested, but there was one man who believed in me. He’s here in the audience tonight, and I want him to stand up.’ He meant me! I was startled, but I stood up and the Coliseum crowd cheered.”Glen was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011, and he was still well enough to embark on his final tour, which was documented in the award-winning film Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me. Red says, "The last time I saw Glen was onstage at Vancouver's PNE. I asked for an interview and he said he wasn't up to it, but he relented in the end. Glen was going through the early stages of Alzheimer's and did not want to ignore me, but he was uncomfortable. He remembered me and the PNE dates from the past. We had such a great trip down memory lane."Glen Campbell died in Nashville on August 8, 2017, at the age of 81. Glen's wife Kim founded the I'll Be Me Alzheimer's Fund with director James Keach, who directed Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me. For more information, please visit ibmaf.org. Planning a trip to Nashville? Make sure you visit the Glen Campbell Museum and celebrate the life of a pop/country giant!Recorded in Vancouver, 2012
Concert photographer Dee Lippingwell's very first concert was a Pink Floyd show in Vancouver back in 1973. Over a 50 year career she photographed some of rock's royalty: The Rolling Stones, Queen, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Eric Clapton, KISS, Van Halen and many more. Her first book, “The Best Seat in the House,” was followed by the self-published “First Three Songs… No Flash,” and Dee and Red sat down to talk about her new book. Dee was inducted into the BC Country Music Association's Hall of Fame in 2011, an honour in part based on her extensive work with the Merritt Mountain Music Festival. “I don’t think I was ever tired of rock and roll, I love rock and roll,” Dee said, “but country music opened my eyes to other music out there.” Her photos of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and other country stars were documented in her third book, 2021's “Memories From the Mountain”.Dee Lippingwell died May 9 after a battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband Paul, sons Marc and Chris, grandchildren Shauna and Tyler, and her brother David.Bryan Adams' writing partner Jim Vallance told music trade magazine Billboard Canada, "If you were lucky enough to live a hundred years, you wouldn't come across a lovelier, more classy, more talented, more humble person than Dee Lippingwell."For a wide selection of Dee's work, including books, prints, scarves, tees and tote bags, visit deelippingwell.net. Recorded in Vancouver, 2012
Sad music news... Chad Allan passed away on November 21 at age 80. He is survived by his wife, Christine. Chad was born Allan Kowbel in Winnipeg and took his stage name, Chad Allan, in tribute to a favourite 1950s singer, Chad Mitchell. His first band was Allan and the Silvertones and then Chad Allan and the Reflections/Expressions, which evolved into the Guess Who. Chad left the Guess Who in 1966 to attend college. In 1967, he hosted the Winnipeg version of the weekly CBC TV music program Let's Go. Chad was a guest at the grand opening of the Red Robinson Show Theatre, and Red interviewed him on the September 21, 2000 edition of CISL Radio's "Wakeup Club". Here, they talk about the early days, some of the people Chad worked with, and the first time he heard "Shakin' All Over". In 2015, he was inducted as a Member of the Order of Manitoba for his contribution to Canadian music. A true rock'n'roll pioneer. RIP Chad!
Every year C-FUN counted down the Top 300 listener favourites in our "Soundathon". Over 150,000 votes decided which songs would appear, and we usually played them from 7:00am December 29 until midnight New Year's Eve. This annual tradition was so popular we started running "Summer Soundathons", celebrating the biggest summertime hits of the Sixties. The final C-FUN Soundathon ran in summer 1967: the #1 song was The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby", followed by Bryan Hyland's "The Joker Went Wild", "Monday Monday" by The Mamas & Papas, "Wild Thing" from the Troggs and "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones.To promote Soundathon 1964, we decided to produce a series of promos taking a light-hearted jab at some of the C-FUN Good Guys and our news staff. Big laughs all around, and we've included some of our favourite 1964 C-FUN "Channel 14" jingles. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!
Diana Ross and The Supremes had just finished a two-week run at the legendary Cave Supper Club in October 1967, touring on the strength of their #1 hit "The Happening". Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson heard a Motown cover band at an after-hours club and alerted Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy. Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers signed a recording contract with Motown, and Gordy produced “Does Your Mama Know About Me,” their debut single.
The song was written by band members Tommy Chong and an old friend from my "Let's Go" TV show, Tom Baird. Tommy went on to huge success with comedy duo Cheech & Chong, and Tom Baird made a name for himself as a songwriter, arranger and producer for a number of Motown acts like Rare Earth, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. At a 1968 Chicago concert, The Jackson 5 opened for Bobby and he arranged for them to audition for Berry Gordy and other Motown executives. The group was signed to Motown, and Bobby Taylor became their first producer. Bobby left Motown three years later after a financial dispute, recording sporadically into the mid-1970s.
In 2006, Bobby dropped by my CISL/Vancouver morning show for this interview. We covered a lot of ground: our early days together at CBC-TV's "Music Hop" and "Let's Go"; an early band member named Jimi Hendrix; the real meaning behind “Does Your Mama Know About Me”; the musical genius of Tom Baird; a young Bruce Allen proteged named Michael Bublé; and my meeting with Sam Cooke and Bumps Blackwell. These were special moments with an old friend.
Bobby Taylor died in 2017 at a hospital in Hong Kong, where he’d been undergoing treatment for leukemia. Tommy Chong remembered him as an extraordinary singer: “He used to do 'Danny Boy' and make everybody cry in the audience. He would hit notes that were unbelievably high and he could sound like anybody he wanted to sound like – Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey. I’ve been with a lot of singers, but nothing like Bobby.”
Image: Nora Tam, South China Morning Post
"WKRP in Cincinnati" premiered this week in 1978 on CBS-TV, airing for four seasons and 90 episodes. My late friend Terry Moore sat down with Gordon and his wife Anna in 1981 for this CKNW interview.
The show, created by Hugh Wilson, featured the staff of a struggling radio station and was based on his experiences in sales at WQXI/Atlanta. New program director Andy Travis switches WKRP's format from easy-listening music to rock with help from deejays Dr. Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap, station manager Arthur Carlson, sales manager Herb Tarlek, news director Les Nessman, receptionist Jennifer Marlowe and producer Bailey Quarters.
Gordon reflects on his broadcast background and the inspiration for his character; the strengths of the show's cast; the advantages of syndication; he and Anna discuss how success has changed their lives; the truth behind Hollywood's "Tinseltown" myth; the importance of good management; and how they spend their free time.
Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson was Gordon's signature role, and he starred in a short-lived revival of the show, "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" which ran in syndication from 1991 to 1993. He also appeared in the final season of Seinfeld, in which he played George Costanza's boss at a playground equipment company. You probably also remember when he took over the Maytag repairman role from Jesse White.
Gordon Jump died at his home in Glendale, CA on September 22, 2003. He was 71.
It's August 31, 1957 in Vancouver and Elvis Presley is about to take the stage for his first — and only — visit here.
With my heart pounding with excitement, I left Elvis in his dressing room and walked toward the stage at the north end of Empire Stadium. A huge curtain hung from the rear of the stage, and it was in this area that I waited for my turn to appear on the platform and bring on the legendary Elvis Presley. The acts on stage at this time were the Jordanaires, a gospel group from the US South who had recently been added to the background sound of Elvis' RCA recordings. They gave a more well rounded sound to the drums of D. J. Fontana, the bass of Bill Black and the incredible guitar of Scotty Moore.
Road manager Tom Diskin stood with me on the backstage platform, and when the Jordanaires completed their set I walked out on stage. I can't describe the feeling of standing at one end of a stadium and looking out at a sea of 25,000 faces. I had to gather up every ounce of courage. Tom had told me to point to the right of the stadium when introducing Elvis, and he would run out of the tunnel and step into a large black Cadillac limousine. My introduction was brief. An off stage announcer shouted my name as MC, I walked out to thundering applause, and said "On behalf of the Teen Canteen, Canada’s largest teen show, I'm proud tonight to present to you, ELVIS PRESLEY!!!" With that short announcement I pointed to my right, and right on cue Elvis came running out of the tunnel and hopped into the waiting limo.
The crowd went berserk. It sounded like a city of a million all screaming and yelling in unison. My greeting had been generous, and I knew that it was more for the fact that I had been instrumental in getting Elvis to Vancouver than for my own appearance, but the ecstatic greeting for Elvis was pure joy for seeing the one man who had brought the whole world of Rock'n'Roll together. Elvis Presley was the centerpiece of the art form and the idol of their generation and here he was — in the flesh!
Elvis wore only the top jacket from his solid gold suit. When I asked him backstage in the dressing room why he hadn't worn the whole gold suit, he explained that the creases in the pants caused them to look terrible and unsuitable to wear. The gold suit had been a Colonel Tom Parker concept. Here was the golden boy of music in the Fifties and the Colonel was going to have him appear in gold, real gold, to show the world just how big his boy was. "The Colonel" knew the value of glamour and he used it masterfully.
What follows is a recording of my introduction, Elvis' entrance, and the reaction of 25,000 fans. A night I'll never forget.
We're celebrating the life of Jerry Allison, drummer for Buddy Holly and The Crickets, who died this week. (8/22). This extended interview was recorded at Vancouver's Legends of Rock'n'Roll show at EXPO 86. One of my favourite lines in the interview is when Jerry says, “I think we were the first ugly band... and then The Rolling Stones just took it and went all the way with it!”
Jerry and Buddy met in high school in 1956 and the two began playing as a duo — Allison on drums, Holly on guitar and vocals. One year later, they linked up with bassist Joe B. Mauldin and guitarists Niki Sullivan and Sonny Curtis to become The Crickets. Jerry also co-wrote a couple of The Crickets’ biggest hits: “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue”.
After Buddy left The Crickets in 1958, the group continued to tour and record into the Sixties and beyond, with Jerry Naylor replacing Holly after his death in 1959. Jerry Allison’s career flourished as a studio musician at The Crickets’ label, Liberty Records in Los Angeles, working with artists like Eddie Cochran, Bobby Vee and Johnny Rivers.
Along with fellow original Crickets Mauldin, Sullivan and Curtis, Jerry Allison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Smokey Robinson at a special ceremony in 2012. Smokey said, “Buddy Holly wasn’t just Buddy Holly. He was a Cricket. One day they gave us ‘That’ll Be the Day,’ on another ‘Maybe Baby’. They were indeed the original rock’n’roll band.”
Jerry Allison’s drums are the best part of some of my favourites: “Peggy Sue,” “Everyday” and especially “Not Fade Away”. “That’ll Be The Day” was Jerry’s favourite. It was the first song he and Buddy recorded together.
I first met Susan Jacks on the set of Let’s Go, Vancouver’s weekly contribution to the CBC TV series Music Hop. The show allowed Canadian talent to get exposure from coast-to-coast on television. Susan was a wonderfully talented, stunningly beautiful lady with a voice like silk.
Susan and husband Terry created some of Canada’s most memorable hit records as the Poppy Family. Their hit song “Which Way You Goin’, Billy?” was Vancouver's first million-seller! My friend John Mackie said "She was a natural singer, with a cool, clear voice that fell somewhere between Karen Carpenter and Tammy Wynette." Susan was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2010.
I loved playing Susan's music on the radio, and my listeners loved our very own homegrown talent. She was a frequent guest and we've managed to preserve those interviews. Here, in 2006, she talks about growing up in Haney, BC and auditioning for Let's Go.
Susan faced many personal traumas and health issues in later years, but her inner strength always kept her moving forward. She was one of the most positive, warm and friendly people I ever met.
I will always remember Susan's voice, her stage presence and her love of music. In our interview she mentions a couple of her influences, Dusty Springfield and Jackie deShannon. And I know that somewhere out there, a little girl is listening to Susan's music and being inspired by that beautiful voice.
Susan, you'll be missed by all of us who knew and loved you. I'd like to say goodbye by remembering the lyrics of one of your best songs: "I Thought Of You Again":
"The train moved on... and with my nose against the glass... I hummed a song. It made me smile... and for a while... I just forgot that you were gone."
Rock'n'roll pioneer Rick Nelson would have celebrated his 82nd birthday today - May 8.
This photo of Rick and me was taken in his car when I worked at KGW in Portland, OR in 1959. Notice the tape recorder. It was called a Mohawk, and like the haircut of the same name, it cut out the interview. When I got back to the station there was nothing on the tape. The same thing happened in 1958 backstage at the PNE Forum, no sound. It wasn’t until 1976 when he returned to Vancouver for a concert at the PNE Star Spectacular that I was able to get an interview. I showed Rick the picture and we had a laugh about my bad luck.
Rick was the first teenage idol, and there is no doubt about that, but in those early days in the 50’s he had no stage presence. He would sing a song and then take a drink of Coca-Cola. Having seen the dynamic Elvis on stage at Empire Stadium, the audience booed him. He didn’t deserve to be booed. He was a great guy and one of the early rockers who really could rock and roll. He was a very quiet man. Many people said if James Dean could sing, he would have sounded like Rick Nelson.
I had booked Rick for the Legends Of Rock'n'Roll show at Expo 86, but sadly he was killed in a plane crash near Dallas on December 31, 1985. Rick Nelson was just 45.
Here's a Christmas favourite from Vancouver's Stonebolt. The "news" voice you hear is another Vancouver favourite: legendary CFUN deejay Daryl B!
Stonebolt's David Wills has the story:
"I can’t recall exactly whose idea it initially was — likely Daryl's. He was a good friend of our managers at the time, and was very supportive of the band; so much so he even helped promote some of our shows. I believe we recorded this in the late fall of either 1977 or 1978.
We were all familiar with the Simon & Garfunkel version, and since it wasn’t something our record label was involved with, we decided to do it as a special Christmas promo at our own expense. The recording of the music and vocal tracks was done in a hurry, at the original Ocean Sound back when they had their first studio in North Vancouver.
As with the original version, Daryl chose a bunch of the really sad and disheartening news stories of the day, and wrote and voiced the nameless ‘newsman’ copy, which was then mixed to gradually fade in over the top of our song, just like AM radio stations' signals used to drift in late at night. CFUN played the heck out of it that Christmas season, and I think other stations across the country picked it up too.
Stonebolt reunited in 1997 to play some events, and had so much fun that we did it off and on afterwards, between our other music projects. Around the time of our Regeneration/Best of CD in 2000, Ray Roper and I decided to record an updated version of Silent Night, with updated news copy. Ray tracked the new keyboards and strings at his home studio, and he, I, and Brian Lousley did all new vocals. Since Daryl was in Winnipeg and in very poor health by then, we recruited Tom Lucas — another CFUN alumnus — to be the news guy. We did updates again in 2001, and once more in the late 2000’s, this time using Tom Jeffries (yet another CFUN-er) to voice the news.
There never seems to be a shortage of bleak news stories to update the Silent Night broadcast. Maybe next year the guys and I will produce a ‘good news’ version!
RIP Daryl B! Love - the Stonebolt boys."
Happy Birthday, Andy Kim!
Andy is from Montreal, where he began singing at parties and school functions as a kid. When he was 14, he traveled to New York, where he met producer Jeff Barry. They produced a dozen chartmakers including "Baby I Love You", Andy's first million-seller. In 1969, Andy had a #1 record, but not under his own name. He was a member of The Archies, and that monster hit was "Sugar, Sugar". Andy continued recording throughout the early 70's and once again had a Number One hit with 1974's "Rock Me Gently". The song sold three million copies and it was Andy's second gold record.
A couple of years later he "rebranded" himself as Baron Longfellow and continued to record, but the big hits were behind him. When I interviewed Andy in 1990, we talked about meeting Jeff Barry, his influence on Andy's music, and how Andy thought his songs stood up in a new era.
Andy Kim is truly a Canadian legend! In 2017 performing rights organization SOCAN honoured Andy with their Cultural Impact Award. In recognition of his 50-year career and sales of over 30 million records, Canada's Walk Of Fame inducted him in 2018. Andy is also member of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. He continues to perform, and he's hosting The 17th Annual Andy Kim Christmas Special on Wednesday (12/8) at Toronto's Massey Hall. All proceeds support @camhfoundation Gifts of Light. You can help people experiencing mental illness on their journey to recovery at give.camh.ca. Visit Andy and see what he's up to these days at andykimmusic.com
Happy birthday, Freddy Cannon!
Freddy's music was a rock'n'roll radio staple in the late 50's and early 60's. His first hit "Tallahassee Lassie" was written by Freddy and producers Bob Crewe and Frank Slay. As Freddy tells me in the interview, the idea for the song came from his mother!
Dick Clark (who co-owned Freddy's label Swan Records) suggested the record be edited to highlight the pounding bass drum, and Freddy became known as Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon for the thumping power of his music. "Tallahassee Lassie" hit the Top Ten in July 1959, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.
His next record, "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", rocketed up the charts in January 1960. It was his biggest hit and also sold a million.
One of Freddy's biggest hits came in June 1962 with "Palisades Park", written by Chuck Barris. The song was originally written for Dion and it was called "Amusement Park" but producers Crewe and Slay changed the title. Another Top 10 million seller!
Freddy came to Vancouver in 1963 for a show with Gene Pitney, The Chiffons, and Bobby Vinton. He signed with Warner Brothers that same year and he recorded his last two hits "Abigail Beecher" in 1964 and "Action" (the theme song to the TV series "Where the Action Is", a spin-off of American Bandstand) in 1965. Both failed to crack the Top 10. After leaving WB in 1967, he continued to work with Dick Clark at his Bandstand reunion concerts and to tour all over the world. Did you know Freddy appeared on "Bandstand" more than 100 times?
Freddy returned to Vancouver in 1985 for The Legends Of Rock'n'Roll preview show. That's where we recorded this interview. Freddy lives in sunny Oxnard, CA today and you can keep in touch at freddycannon.com
On this day in 1964, three months after the Beatles' Empire Stadium concert, British hitmakers The Dave Clark Five arrived in Vancouver! A month after the Beatles smash February performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, the DC5 visited Sullivan and performed their first hit "Glad All Over". They returned the next week with two more songs and an encore of "Glad All Over". The group appeared on Ed Sullivan twelve times over a span of three years.
Rock'n'roll competitor CKLG was just getting established and they were eager to take away some C-FUN listeners. To counter this I arranged for the Dave Clark Five to be available for an exclusive press conference right in the radio station's studio. Preparations were carefully made to ensure a minimum of interruption from avid fans who might invade the station. The first knowledge that fans had of the Dave Clark Five's presence in the studios was when they hit the air with their live press conference. CKLG complained bitterly to the show promoters... but to no avail.
The Dave Clark Five — Dave Clark, Mike Smith, Rick Huxley, Dennis Peyton and Lenny Davidson — racked up some major hits between 1964 and 1967: "Glad All Over", "Bits and Pieces", "Do You Love Me", "Can't You See That She's Mine", "Because", "Any Way You Want It", "I Like It Like That", "Catch Us If You Can" and "Over and Over"
Their last big hit, 1967's "You Got What It Takes", was released a couple of months before the Beatles' landmark "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. Suddenly, music had changed and the formula hits stopped coming. The group disbanded in early 1970. Exactly 44 years after their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dave Clark Five was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 by Tom Hanks.
They might have lacked the originality of The Beatles, but The Dave Clark Five did make a contribution. They were among the most memorable of the British acts that played Vancouver.
Just a coincidence, but The Dave Clark Five just reissued their debut US album “Glad All Over” today! Remastered by Dave Clark at Abbey Road Studios and released on limited edition white vinyl, it includes the hit singles “Glad All Over”, “Do You Love Me”, “Bits and Pieces” and more. Pre-order your copy now at DC5.lnk.to/GladAllOverFA
With all the excitement surrounding my 2000 "retirement" from the CISL Wakeup Club, another finale last week almost escaped my attention. On the 30th anniversary of my first radio show, I "retired" from the morning show at CKWX (now @CityNewsVAN) to concentrate on my ad agency and other projects.
I treasure this photo taken with some old friends on my final day on the air. Sadly, they're all gone now but the memories are still vivid!
While twirling across the Vancouver radio dial as a kid I became a steady listener to a different kind of deejay, CKNW's Jack Cullen. That's Jack on my right. Cullen talked to his listeners on a one-to-one basis and had a total disregard for convention. He was a character and an incredible performer. If you didn't listen to Jack Cullen, the next day your friends would say, "Did you hear what Cullen did last night?" He was my idol.
While I was still in high school I made a new discovery. In addition to Cullen's CKNW "Owl Prowl", I was fascinated with Al Jordan's "Theme for Teens" on CJOR. Al played the hits of the day and invited listeners down to the studio to take part in the show. I visited after school one day and stayed on to join in the fun each afternoon. It was the most exciting moment in my young life and it inspired me to work harder to get my own show. Al Jordan made my career possible. That's him on my left.
That's former C-FUN Good Guy and old friend Tom Peacock in the background. Tom moved on from C-FUN to CKWX in 1967 and by now was General Manager of the station. Tom was a homespun guy from Nanaimo, a great DJ with a booming voice who will be remembered by local hockey fans as the first PA announcer for the Vancouver Canucks.
CKWX program director Ted Farr says, "We saw Red's 'retirement' as an opportunity. We had always played a smattering of hits from the 50s in our country music mix. I suggested he recreate his original 1957 CKWX program, Teen Canteen. We called it 'The 50s at 5' and the ratings went through the roof. When Red did leave the airwaves, 'The 50s at 5' became the centerpiece of our afternoon show.
This was about the same time that we were having conversations about changing formats on our FM station. CISL had not yet relaunched itself as the Oldies Station, JR Country didn't exist, and we were enjoying the unexpected success of The 50s at 5. We thought 'why not take country music to the FM dial and relaunch CKWX as the Oldies Station?' I don't remember who got cold feet over such a bold move, but it didn't happen. CISL subsequently made a huge impact on Vancouver radio with the Oldies format. March of 1986 saw the launch of JR Country, and the beginning of the end of CKWX as a music station."
Thanks, Ted! Now, let's return to those final moments of my CKWX morning show... on November 12, 1984.
Happy birthday, Petula Clark! Petula's huge hit "Downtown" started climbing the charts about this time in 1964, and by January 1965 it was #1 everywhere.
Petula followed up with a string of hits emphasizing the softer side of the British Invasion: "I Know a Place", "My Love", "A Sign of the Times", "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love", "Who Am I", "Colour My World", "This Is My Song", "Don't Sleep in the Subway", "The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener", and "Kiss Me Goodbye".
Petula visited the River Rock Casino Resort in 2008 and we sat down to talk about her music and her long and illustrious career in the entertainment business.
An amazing talent and a genuinely nice person. Stay in touch with Petula at petulaclark.net
Twenty-one years ago last week, I retired from day-to-day radio and we celebrated with friends on CISL's Wakeup Club. Ra McGuire was one of those friends and we talked just before Trooper's 25th anniversary show at the Commodore. In this interview, we cover some of Ra's favourite Trooper music and he comes up with a great retirement project for me!
Now it's Ra who's taking life easy. Just got word that he and Trooper guitarist Brian Smith are "officially" retiring. This from Trooper's Facebook page:
"They've already been unofficially retired for a year and a half, so they've just decided to continue not working, since they've realized that they're getting pretty good at it."
Trooper keyboard player Paul Gogo, bassist Scott Brown and drummer Clayton Hill will keep rockin' with new singer David Steele and guitarist Steve Crane. Best of luck to Ra and to Brian! And take it from me - this "retirement" thing rocks!
Bill Henderson has been part of my musical background since the early days, as part of Vancouver bands The Collectors and Chilliwack. Three members of The C-FUN Classics - Howie Vickberg, Claire Lawrence and Glenn Miller - along with Bill and the late Ross Turney - formed The Collectors in 1966. Howie left the group in 1969, and Chilliwack was born the next year.
The group played together for more than 30 years, and produced some of my favourite hits: "Lonesome Mary", "California Girl", and "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)". Bill and Chilliwack were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2019. Lots more Collectors and Chillwack lore (and some amazing photos) at gonegonegone.com
It was a thrill to have Bill as a guest during my final week of day-to-day radio on CISL's Wakeup Club, and so great to have him at Red's Rockin' Gala! We had a great time comparing notes on our kids and talking about the musical memories we shared. Hope you enjoy it too!
Mel Carter's smooth singing voice propelled his million-seller "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" to the #3 spot on the C-FUNtastic 50 in July 1965. His followup single "Band Of Gold" charted in May 1966, but by then the musical tide had turned and Top 40 radio was focused once again on harder-edged rock'n'roll.
Mel was a special guest during my final week of CISL Wakeup Club shows and we reminisced in this 2000 interview. Catch up with Mel at mel-carter.com
Ray Peterson's RCA teen tragedy "Tell Laura I Love Her" topped the charts in 1960. Many radio stations refused to play "Tell Laura I Love Her", fearing the song would incite teens to commit suicide. It was songwriter Jeff Barry's first big pop success. Ray's other hits included "The Wonder of You" (later covered by Elvis), "Missing You," and "Corinna, Corinna" (produced by Phil Spector).
"Tell Laura I Love Her" was a CISL listener favourite, and every time I played it the song got great reaction. When I retired from day-to-day radio and CISL's Wakeup Club in 2000, Ray was nice enough to take part in the celebrations from his home in Tennessee. Ray passed away in 2005. He was three months shy of his 70th birthday.
Jimmie Rodgers was the foremost folksinger and hitmaker of the late 50's. His first smash was "Honeycomb" on Roulette Records in 1957. In the midst of the first stages of rock'n'roll, Jimmie was a winner with his own unique versions of standard folk songs. His version of folk emphasized a background beat that made his music unique. Starting with "Honeycomb" his string of hits lasted until 1967.
It's interesting to note that "Honeycomb" was the only number one hit he ever had although his 10-year string of hits was impressive. I met Jimmie Rodgers years later when he came to perform at Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre. He was most sincere and his folk songs offered a definite balance to the outpourings of hard rock.
During my final week of daily radio in CISL's Wakeup Club this week in 2000, Jimmie was part of a group of special guests who made an impact on my career. Jimmie passed away January 18 at 87. I found him to be one of the warmest young singers I had ever met. I will always remember him and the influence he had on the music we loved!
As I wrapped up my daily radio career on CISL's Wakeup Club this week in 2000, I took the opportunity to catch up with some of the friends I met along the way. Howie Vickers and I go all the way back to around this time in 1958 when he and his group The Four Quarters opened for Ritchie Valens at the old International Cinema Theatre on Vancouver's Granville Street.
I worked again with Howie on CBC Vancouver's "Let's Go" from 1964-1966. This was not your typical dance party show. The program involved local talent and ended up being an excellent showcase for promising newcomers.
The Vancouver Sun's Les Wedman wrote, "If producer-director Ain Soodor isn't grooming Red Robinson to host a teen-age show, he should be because this venerable DJ turned 'Let's Go' into the swingiest of shows at the weekend in the unavoidable absence of regular host Fred Latremouille. Having an array of strong talent to back him up didn't hurt Robinson any, and if that's what teenagers like musically they got it for the first time in the series."
Wedman was also partly responsible for my demise on the show. By late 1965 he was having second thoughts. His Vancouver Sun column stated, "Teenage shows don’t have to be run by fellows their own age — Dick Clark and Red Robinson, for example. But it helps to have someone in charge not yet of voting age." I was 28.
In this interview, Howie and I reminisce about our time on "Let's Go", the Ritchie Valens shows, and Howie's experiences with the C-FUN Classics and the Collectors. Thank you, Howie, for being a friend all these years!
It's the twenty-first anniversary of the final week of my day-to-day radio career, and we're catching up with some of the hitmakers on CISL's Wakeup Club! Lenny Welch's wistful romantic ballad "Since I Fell For You" was a huge hit around this time in 1963 and it's a perennial favourite with CISL listeners. In this November 2000 interview, Lenny and I talk about Archie Bleyer, the creative genius behind Cadence Records. You'll instantly recognize two of Lenny's Cadence labelmates: The Everly Brothers and Andy Williams. I pass along a compliment from a mutual friend, and Lenny and I talk about my retirement. Keep in touch with Lenny at lennywelch.com
When I wrapped up my daily radio career on CISL's Wakeup Club this week in 2000, old friend Lesley Gore was among the first to get in touch.
Lesley topped the charts in 1963 with her debut single "It’s My Party,” produced by the legendary Quincy Jones! The song sold more than a million copies. Lesley followed up with "Judy's Turn to Cry", “That’s the Way Boys Are,” “She’s a Fool,” “Maybe I Know,” “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” and another million seller, “You Don’t Own Me.”
Lesley was part of the lineup for the Legends Of Rock’n’Roll at EXPO ’86, and she was my guest on Timmy’s Christmas Telethon in 1989. In this 2000 interview, Lesley talks about how her career started, working with Quincy Jones, the shows we've done together over the years, and the enduring appeal of her music.
Lesley Gore died of cancer at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan in February, 2015. She was 68. Her credentials speak volumes. One of the great ladies of rock and roll.
Terry Jacks (pictured here with legendary Vancouver DJ Fred Latremouille at Red's Rockin' Gala) is probably best known for his 1974 international multi-million seller "Seasons In The Sun" but he and I go all the way back to 1965 and CBC-TV's Music Hop/Let's Go. In this interview during my final week on CISL's Wakeup Club, Terry tells me how the Poppy Family got started, we reminisce about the "good old days" in his career and we talk about my impending retirement.
The Crystals were one of the most successful "girl groups" of the early 60's with hits like "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", "Uptown", "He's Sure the Boy I Love", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me" and "He's a Rebel", which hit #1 around this time in 1962.
In this 2000 interview, Dolores talks about legendary producer Phil Spector and the enduring success of their Christmas album.
Dolores says "I am still singing today! We do theme parks, concerts halls/theatres, private parties for lots of high profile people, many cruises, theme parties and even some weddings! We've done lots of corporate dates, political parties etc. We have done them ALL over the years! We get kids of all ages in our audiences and they are well pleased. We have a lively, fun show! The girls with me are singers and actors.They've been in movies,TV and Broadway shows. We would love you to contact us to see if you'd like us to sing for your special affair."
Contact Dolores on her Linkedin page: linkedin.com/in/dolores-kenniebrew-40262a28 and read more about the Crystals at thecrystals.net
On November 8, 2000, I retired from daily radio and CISL's Wakeup Club morning show. One of the many friends we talked to that day was legendary Canadian singer Anne Murray. Anne had just taken a year off, and I asked her what I should be doing with all this "free time".
On this day back in 2000, I retired from daily radio and CISL's Wakeup Club morning show. We celebrated all week with calls from Anne Murray, Lesley Gore, Spencer Davis, Terry Jacks, and many more. I couldn't think of a better person to celebrate with than my old friend Pat O'Day. We grew up together in radio, Pat in Seattle and me in Vancouver, and our paths crossed frequently. We were both among a group of pioneer DJ's recognized by the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1995, and Pat was an honored guest on my final CISL Red Rock Diner broadcast in 2017. Sadly, Pat left us last August, but not a day goes by that I don't think of our friendship and the good times we spent together. Hope you enjoy this snippet from my on-air retirement celebration!
September 30, 1973 — #14CFUN is back! Program Director Chuck McCoy has an interesting story about the promotion:
"I selected veteran DJ Daryl 'B' to be the MC and star of our call letter change. I asked Daryl to announce that all regular programming on the new CFUN would be suspended while he dialed randomly selected numbers waiting for the first person to answer 'CFUN is back'. That person would then instantly win $5,000.
I’m not sure most people know why we selected September 30 as our launch date. Wouldn’t October 1, the beginning of a new month be the right day to announce the 'beginning' of a new CFUN? CRTC regulations prohibited any radio station from giving way more than $5,000 in promotional winnings in any given calendar month. What if we gave away no cash prizes from September 1-September 29? In that way, the entire month’s allowable $5,000 prize could be awarded on September 30. It was a tricky way to stay within the law and the very next day, being able to go back and start giving away more cash prizes."
Thanks, Chuck! A big "thanks" also to Doug Thompson and the late Mike Cleaver for their help with this audio composite of the big night and a sample of the amazing radio that followed.
We honour the voices of #14CFUN in 1973: Fred Latremouille, Daryl 'B', Bob Magee, John Rode, Peter Benson, Tom Jeffries, Russ Tyson, J. Lee Smith, Jim Hault, Bill Edwards, Tom Lucas, Jack Casey, Russ McLoud and Bob Merchant.
American radio legend Pat O'Day, a huge influence and dear friend, passed away a year ago today and I'm constantly reminded of his brilliance. Enjoy this snippet from Pat's onstage introduction of Herman's Hermits at the Seattle Center Coliseum in July 1967. O'Day's KJR dominated Seattle radio and Pat's concert business was a huge success. Here, Pat takes time to acknowledge and thank the people who made it possible.
Author Robin Brunet wrote this tribute to my late friend in his book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, from Friesen Press. Pat would want me to mention it's out on Amazon Kindle at amzn.to/3dMGkK5
"Like Robinson, O’Day distinguished himself from other top-rated deejays in Seattle by possessing that 'magic something' of being able to talk to his listeners as if they were old friends. Since first going on the air in Astoria, Oregon in 1957, he understood that any radio station should strive to help listeners create a theatre of the mind, and in the book 'The Hits Just Keep Coming' by Ben Fong Torres, his communication prowess is revealed in a brief broadcast excerpt;
"Number One in Seattle, this is KJR, and is this great 'Soul and Inspiration,' the Righteous Brothers, 75 degrees from All-American, All-Request Radio. My soul and inspiration is Jerry Kaye, who, on a warm day like today, he’s in the newsroom, and he’s taken all his clothes off. He’s sitting on the teletype, and the machine is printing the farm news on his behind. Let’s see if I can read it. It says: There’s a difference between fryers, and that’s why Washington Fryers are easily the freshest of all chickens."
Torres notes that in 30 seconds, O’Day delivered an intro and identified the record, plugged his station, gave a basic weather report, mentioned a fellow deejay, and conjured a visual image via a joke that tied seamlessly into live commercial copy.
Extend that 30 seconds to an entire broadcast, and repeat this degree of off-the-cuff creativity everyday for years, and that’s why O’Day, Robinson, and many other deejays of their generation are respected as masters of the medium."
Ladies and gentlemen... Pat O'Day!
Comedy legend Jackie Mason has died at 93. Known for his quick-witted observational humor, he entertained us for decades with stories from his orthodox Jewish background. His family moved to New York City, where he became an ordained rabbi. He broke into comedy in the Catskills in upstate New York in the 1960s and his career started to take off.
Jackie enjoyed success in the 1980s with a solo show called "Jackie Mason's The World According to Me!" Other successful one-man shows followed, including "Jackie Mason: Brand New" in 1990-91; "Jackie Mason: Politically Incorrect" in 1994-95; "Love Thy Neighbor" in 1996-97; "Much Ado About Everything" in 1999-2000 and "Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed" in 2005. His final show was called "Jackie Mason: The Ultimate Jew."
Mason also had a recurring role as the voice of Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, the father of Krusty the Clown, on "The Simpsons". Jackie was promoting "Much Ado About Everything" when we recorded this interview on CISL/650.
On July 20, 1986, partner Les Vogt and I presented Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, The Righteous Brothers, at the Legends of Rock'n'Roll show at EXPO 86. Their music was referred to as "Blue-Eyed Soul" and their worldwide smash ballad "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", produced by Phil Spector, made a huge impact on radio.
We first met at the Cave Theatre Restaurant back in 1962 and again in 1964 when The Righteous Brothers opened for the Beatles at their Vancouver show. Other hits included three 1965 Top Tens – "Just Once in My Life", "Unchained Melody", "Ebb Tide", and the massive 1966 #1 hit "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration", plus the 1974 comeback hit "Rock and Roll Heaven".
My friend John Mackie, writing for the Vancouver Sun, applauded the duo's "solid, well-paced performance" and noted "Medley has to have the deepest voice this side of Gary Puckett, and when he leans into a lyric, he leans into a lyric, goin' way, way deep down blue."
Bobby Hatfield died in 2003 and Bill Medley continued to perform as a solo artist. It was a thrill to have Bill perform at the Red Robinson Show Theatre’s grand opening in 2008 and again in 2010 and 2012. And who else but Bill could wrap up my final CISL radio show in 2017 with his huge hit "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life"?
The Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. Bill Medley re-formed The Righteous Brothers with Bucky Heard and they continue to perform as a duo. Visit Bill and Bucky at righteousbrothers.com
Coming up: a one-week break for the Legends, and what a surprise, Chuck Berry cancels! Tenth in a series celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Legends of Rock'n'Roll.
During one of my frequent 1961 visits with Gary Bruno at KMBY/Monterey, he introduced me to Mark Carroll, who had been stationed at Fort Ord but was now the morning DJ at the station. Gary thought that Mark was one of the finest voices he had ever heard. Just before I left Fort Ord, Gary made arrangements for the three of us to get together for dinner at a restaurant on Cannery Row opposite KMBY. Mark was a natural talent, forthright in his approach and had a most personable way about him. I liked him immediately.
During our dinner conversation I asked him why he was using the name Mark Carroll. At the time there was a proliferation of "Marks" on the airwaves in America. It seemed like every little dot on the map had a "Mark": Mark Richards, Mark Jones, Mark Elliott, ad nauseam. He said he used the name "Mark" because he wasn't happy with his given name, "Robert Morgan". I insisted that this was a good, easy to remember name — so why not go with it? He said he would consider resorting to his own name.
@OfficialRobertWMorgan moved to Fresno the next year, where worked with legendary programmer Ron Jacobs and old buddy "Big Daddy" Dave McCormick at Top 40 pioneer K-MAK. Morgan went on to KHJ/Los Angeles in the mid Sixties and Angelenos soon caught on to the expression "Good Morgan", the calling card for Robert W's morning show. "Boss Radio" was first introduced to the citizens of Los Angeles on May 5, 1965 and within six months KHJ ruled Top 40 radio in Southern California.
Morgan, with his quick wit and clear intelligence, quickly rose to the heights of success on KHJ. His radio voice was rich and clear, you might say almost perfect. In 1973 Robert W. Morgan was named Top 40 air personality of the year by Billboard Magazine. Morgan was one of the original KHJ Boss Jocks and he also co-produced and narrated the first-ever “rockumentary”, the 48-hour History of Rock and Roll. Robert W. Morgan retained his incredible following upon the demise of KHJ. He worked many markets in the following years before ending up at Oldies KRTH in L.A. He was the number one morning man in Los Angeles until 1997, when he retired for health reasons. Morgan died on May 22, 1998. He was only 60.
A fantastically talented and hard working radio guy. One of the very best ever as a deejay. Ladies and gentlemen… here’s Robert W. Morgan on K-EARTH in 1993. Listen and enjoy!
Lesley Gore topped the C-FUNtastic Fifty for the third straight week on this day in 1963 with “It’s My Party,” produced by the legendary Quincy Jones! The song sold more than 1 million copies. Lesley followed up with "Judy's Turn to Cry", “That’s the Way Boys Are,” “She’s a Fool,” “Maybe I Know,” “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” and another million seller, “You Don’t Own Me.”
Lesley was part of the lineup for the Legends Of Rock’n’Roll at Expo ’86. She was a guest on Timmy’s Christmas Telethon in 1989 and that's where we recorded this interview. In the early 2000’s Lesley played the Silver Reef Casino south of the border. She called me from her home in New York and asked if I would introduce her at the Silver Reef. I agreed and said it would be an honour. Her credentials speak volumes.
Lesley Gore died of cancer at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan in February, 2015. She was 68. One of the great ladies of rock and roll.
On this day in 1961, Del Shannon's first hit "Runaway" hit # 1 on Vancouver's C-FUNtastic 50. The song held the top spot for five weeks. In this interview, Del talks about the unique sound keyboard player Max Crook brought to "Runaway".
Del had other hits with "Hats Off to Larry", "Little Town Flirt", "Handy Man", "Do You Wanna Dance?" and "Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun)". Del's 1963 version of the Beatles "From Me To You" was the first Lennon–McCartney composition to make the American charts. C-FUN played both records, with "From Me To You" peaking at #14 that August.
Del Shannon died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 8, 1990 at his home in California. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 by Everclear frontman Art Alexakis. Billy Joel and Bonnie Raitt performed "Runaway" at the induction ceremony.
Sadly, "Runaway" co-writer Max Crook recently passed about a year ago. Max and Del kept a long-standing friendship over the years and collaborated as co-writers again on a few songs. Check out delshannon.com for details on the making of "Runaway" and a great profile of Max Crook.
A comprehensive Del Shannon box set in the works from the UK's Edsel Records will comprise all of Del's output from 1961-1990, including unreleased titles, lost tracks, and demo recordings.
Music historian Harvey Kubernik, along with Del Shannon archivist Brian Young, Del's estate manager Dan Bourgoise, and film producers Todd Thompson and Mark Bentley, are working on a Del Shannon documentary for Stars North. Old friend Andrew Loog Oldham will narrate the film. More at starsnorth.com/portfolio-item/del-shannon-the-runaway/
In early 1962, I had returned to CKWX and I was trying to regain my following. It was a hopeless cause. The action was now with C-FUN and I knew it. I approached Program Manager John Ansell with the question, "Are you going to be carrying baseball live this Spring?" Ansell said he had been thinking about it but nothing definite had been decided. I went to the sales department of the station and they said that they had signed contracts and baseball would definitely be carried on CKWX. Baseball was going to cut into my nightly program and I felt that CKWX had no hope of competing with C-FUN for the Top 40 audience with this mixed bag of programming.
Station management didn't see it quite this way. A simple memo was posted on the wall at CKWX: "It is with regret that we announce the resignation of Red Robinson. He will be leaving us on March 31. His exact plans for the future are not yet definite but I am sure you all join with me in wishing him the very best of luck in whatever he pursues. Sincerely, Bill Speers, Station Manager."
CKWX did not realize that I had made arrangements with Dave McCormick and new C-FUN Station Manager Doug Greig to move to their operation. I started at C-FUN on April 1, 1962 and remained until the end of 1967. It was an era like no other and I was glad to be a part of it. It was a new decade, a new station, a new era for the growth of rock'n'roll and the delicious call letters, the best in Canada, made it even more fascinating.
Here's my final CKWX Platter Party, broadcast March 16, 1962.
When Gene Vincent performed in Vancouver in 1958, the opening act was Bonnie Guitar. Bonnie started her career in Seattle. She recorded "Dark Moon" on Dot Records in March of 1957, an instant hit even though initially she had strong competition from singer-actress Gale Storm. Her next smash was "Mister Fire Eyes" and her stage presentation was smooth as glass.
Bonnie sat down with me at CKWX the day before the concert for this interview.
When I look back it was a good balance at the time. There was much interest in Bonnie Guitar in those days because she was one of the very few female singers to make a hit record. I was to enjoy many visits with Bonnie over the years as she later became involved with Bob Reisdorff and Dolton Records, based in Seattle. The label fostered groups like the The Ventures and the Fleetwoods, songs by Bonnie herself, Vic Dana, and others.
Bob had a good ear for music. The Fleetwoods - Gary Troxel, Barbara Ellis and Gretchen Christopher - were students at Olympia High School. They wrote a song called "Come Softly To Me" and it was a smash number one song in the Spring of 1959. Their gentle sound preceded The Carpenters by a dozen years. Their last Top Ten hit was a revival of the Thomas Wayne classic "Tragedy" in 1961.
In a 2006 interview with No Depression magazine, Bonnie said "Because they had so much air in their voices, I had to do a lot of different fooling with microphones to get enough sound on the tape to saturate the tape.” You'll hear a Fleetwoods promo for my CKWX show right after the interview.
Bonnie left Dolton in 1960 and became part owner of Jerden Records with my old friend, the late Jerry Dennon. Dolton was merged with Liberty Records in 1966. Liberty had distributed Dolton releases since "Come Softly to Me" became a hit, but discontinued the Dolton label in 1967, transferring its artists to the parent label.
Bonnie Guitar retired from performing in 1996. She died in 2019 at the age of 95. She'll always be remembered as a multi-talented businesswoman who made an impact in the male-dominated music industry.
Dean Torrence and partner Jan Berry were a couple of California boys who produced many hits together. Dean credits Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys for arranging and writing many of their songs. They pioneered the surfing sound with the 1963 Wilson-penned hit Surf City. It went to the top of the charts that year, and paved the way for all that followed. They continued their association with Wilson until 1966 to great success. You can hear Jan and Dean singing on the Beach Boys' Barbara Ann, an improvised live version that wasn't supposed to be released.
Jan was partially paralyzed in a car accident in Beverly Hills in 1966. He was in a coma for two months. I greatly admired both: Dean for standing by his friend on stage and Jan for the courage to continue touring. Dean was a talented graphic artist who created album covers for the Beach Boys, the Ventures, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson and many others.
I booked them for The Legends Of Rock'n'Roll at Expo 86 (where we recorded this interview) and I worked with them at again at Music ‘91. They were great friends and they even allowed me to sing some of their hits with them on stage in Osoyoos that year. They also appeared at the PNE later that summer.
I talked many times with Dean after the passing of his buddy Jan in 2004. You'll want to check out Dean's book Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story at amazon.com.
In this segment, Dean sets the scene: the beach at Malibu, the impact of surf music and the early days.
Dean Torrence and partner Jan Berry were a couple of California boys who produced many hits together. Dean credits Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys for arranging and writing many of their songs. They pioneered the surfing sound with the 1963 Wilson-penned hit Surf City. It went to the top of the charts that year, and paved the way for all that followed. They continued their association with Wilson until 1966 to great success. You can hear Jan and Dean singing on the Beach Boys' Barbara Ann, an improvised live version that wasn't supposed to be released.
Jan was partially paralyzed in a car accident in Beverly Hills in 1966. He was in a coma for two months. I greatly admired both: Dean for standing by his friend on stage and Jan for the courage to continue touring. Dean was a talented graphic artist who created album covers for the Beach Boys, the Ventures, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson and many others.
I booked them for The Legends Of Rock'n'Roll at Expo 86 (where we recorded this interview) and I worked with them at again at Music ‘91. They were great friends and they even allowed me to sing some of their hits with them on stage in Osoyoos that year. They also appeared at the PNE later that summer.
I talked many times with Dean after the passing of his buddy Jan in 2004. You'll want to check out Dean's book Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story at amazon.com.
In this segment, Dean covers working with Brian Wilson, his interest in graphics, Jan's accident and the movie "Dead Man's Curve".
Dean Torrence and partner Jan Berry were a couple of California boys who produced many hits together. Dean credits Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys for arranging and writing many of their songs. They pioneered the surfing sound with the 1963 Wilson-penned hit Surf City. It went to the top of the charts that year, and paved the way for all that followed. They continued their association with Wilson until 1966 to great success. You can hear Jan and Dean singing on the Beach Boys' Barbara Ann, an improvised live version that wasn't supposed to be released.
Jan was partially paralyzed in a car accident in Beverly Hills in 1966. He was in a coma for two months. I greatly admired both: Dean for standing by his friend on stage and Jan for the courage to continue touring. Dean was a talented graphic artist who created album covers for the Beach Boys, the Ventures, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson and many others.
I booked them for The Legends Of Rock'n'Roll at Expo 86 (where we recorded this interview) and I worked with them at again at Music ‘91. They were great friends and they even allowed me to sing some of their hits with them on stage in Osoyoos that year. They also appeared at the PNE later that summer.
I talked many times with Dean after the passing of his buddy Jan in 2004. You'll want to check out Dean's book Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story at amazon.com.
In this segment, Dean talks about the future, enjoying being a performer and the business of music.
Twenty years ago today (2/24) we lost a great friend and a cherished radio companion when Rick Honey lost his courageous battle with cancer.
Rick left CKNW in 1997, but afternoon host Jon McComb asked a group of Rick's friends to join him in this tribute shortly after his passing. I was honoured to be there along with Wayne Cox, Neil Soper and Mel Zajac. Another Vancouver broadcast legend, Fred Latremouille, joined us by telephone from Hawaii. My thanks to Larry Gifford, CKNW and Corus Entertainment for permission to replay the show.
How do you sum up Rick's life and the impact he had on all of us? His old friend Wayne Cox said it best:
"I first met Rick when he joined NW to host the 3 to 6 'Road Show' when Brian Forst moved to the morning show. I was hosting the noon to 3 shift, so we crossed over every day, and developed a strong off air relationship as the years went along. Rick would arrive for his shift more often than not, dressed in a jacket and tie. I had to remind him that he didn't have to do that, it was radio! But the truth was, he was usually coming to work after attending meetings or luncheons downtown, and was dressed more for that than his work on the radio. He had a wonderful list of contacts in the city. Rick knew all the powerful and influential people in town, and they all knew him.
Nobody could throw a house party quite like Rick. He had a marvelous way of attracting friends from all walks of life. When you went to a Rick Honey party you never knew who you would meet. There were the obvious radio and TV friends, but you could also be partying with a fisherman from Richmond, a car dealer from Surrey... you just never knew, and it was always a fun night with lots of music and lots of laughs.
I was witness to the early days of Rick's passion for magic. Every day before his shift, and while mine was ending, he'd try out the vanishing coin trick on me, then it was the vanishing foam balls, the silks, it went on and on and he got very good. He started using his magic act as part of his MC work at dinners and conventions. Add to that his gift of comedy, and Rick became the Master of all the masters of ceremonies in this city.
Rick was one of the only 'NW staffers who reached out to me after I left. Always checking in to see how things were going, making sure everything was alright. Something I've never forgotten about him. He was a terrific talent, and a wonderful friend. And he left us way too early."
Here’s a rare recording of the legendary Daryl B on CHUM/Toronto with good friend and fellow Winnipegger Burton Cummings in 1990, followed by a composite of Daryl's show. You'll love the ending, where Daryl honours a listener request for "Rainy Night In Georgia"!
I brought Daryl to work at C-FUN in late 1965 from CKY/Winnipeg when Fred Latremouille left to move to CKLG. Daryl and his family lived at our house for a while until they could find accommodation. We had many good times at C-FUN. And the listeners loved his brand of radio! Myles Murchison remembers:
"In 1965 C-FUN had a massive playlist consisting of fifty songs, an R&B Top Ten, a Country Top Ten and Twin Pick Hits. You wouldn't believe the amount of homework I had to ignore every day just to soak all this up! To hear Daryl segue from 'I Can Never Go Home Anymore' by The Shangri-Las into The Beatles 'Day Tripper' with an economy of words that was truly astounding in its brevity was pure magic. Then, as the fading record slammed into a five second-long shotgun stinger followed by 'She's Just My Style' by Gary Lewis and the Playboys - making its debut on the CFUNTASTIC FIFTY chart that week ... well, time and temperature never sounded so good."
In 1967, he moved to CKLG, staying until he got the opportunity to join “The Big 8” CKLW/Windsor in 1969. Daryl returned to CKLG in 1970. Just before arriving, he put in a word for his good friend Rick Honey to 'LG management. It was on Daryl’s recommendation that Rick, then working in radio in Sydney, Nova Scotia, was flown into Vancouver for an audition. Honey became a very popular personality at CKLG. Daryl moved back to C-FUN shortly after CHUM bought the station in 1973.
In 1974, a throwaway line Daryl tossed out on his show became the inspiration for a massive hit record for Randy Bachman's band Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Apparently Randy was listening to the radio one day when he heard B say, "It's Daryl B, and we're takin' care of business on C-FUN!" Miraculously a song that Randy had been plugging away at for awhile called 'White Collar Worker' had a new title, all thanks to Daryl.
Daryl headed to CHUM in 1977. He was back at C-FUN from 1979-84, and then CHUM again from 1984-92 until post polio syndrome forced his retirement. Daryl B died in Winnipeg February 27, 2001 after suffering a stroke. He was only 58. He was a fantastic talent and I never really felt he knew how good he was. Daryl's boss at CFUN, Chuck McCoy, summed it up beautifully:
"Listening to Daryl B as a teen, working with him as a DJ at CKY/Winnipeg then acting as his PD at CFUN/Vancouver are radio memories that stand out among all the others over my 52 years in broadcasting. He was an amazing talent but more than that, a good friend over all those years. I spoke to Daryl just days before his passing back 20 years ago on the special toll free phone that NABS had initiated so we could all call and talk with him in his last year. His influence on me and so many other broadcasters will always be treasured. To this day I follow Daryl's advice: 'Stay out of trees!'"
Longtime CKNW afternoon host Rick Honey called it a day after 24 years on May 30, 1997. Rick came to Vancouver in late 1969 from Nova Scotia to work at Top 40 CKLG and quickly developed a following.
Rick was also a top-notch MC and an accomplished magician! I loved Rick's sense of humour, and it was evident when I called him from my CISL morning show to check up on him.
Rick was named Broadcast Performer of the Year by the BC Association of Broadcasters in 2000. He died in Vancouver February 24, 2001. Rick Honey was only 53. A tremendous loss for his loyal listeners and his many friends in the radio business. RIP Rick!
Happy Birthday thesmokeyrobinson, celebrating 82 today!
The Miracles' "Shop Around" was Motown's first million seller in 1960. Over the next 10 years Smokey gave us some truly memorable music: "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (1962), "Mickey's Monkey" (1963), "Ooo Baby Baby", "Going to a Go-Go", "The Tracks of My Tears" (1965), "(Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need" (1966), "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage", "I Second That Emotion", "More Love" (1967) and "The Tears of a Clown" (1970). Smokey topped the charts again as a solo artist with "Cruisin'" (1979) and "Being With You" (1981). "Just to See Her" and "One Heartbeat" were Top 10 hits for Smokey in 1987. Smokey was also a major writer and producer for Motown. He has written over 4,000 songs in his distinguished career!
Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and was awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music. Smokey was just inducted into the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame as a Foundational Inductee along with Berry Gordy, Cicely Tyson and Ray Charles. He's busier than ever, and he's involved in "Temptations 60", a YouTube documentary series celebrating the group’s 60th anniversary and their new album.
Catch up with Smokey at smokeyrobinson.com. Happy Birthday, old friend!
In this interview, recorded at the Legends Of Rock'n'Roll show at EXPO 86 in Vancouver, Smokey recalls meeting Ray Charles, his early days at Motown, working with Mary Wells, the success of "Shop Around", his perspective on Motown founder Berry Gordy, and how having kids changed his work ethic.
Little Anthony and the Imperials were named for lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his high-pitched voice. The group signed with End Records in 1958 and their first single, "Tears on My Pillow", was an instant hit. The group followed up with "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop" in 1960. One of the highlights of my brief Portland Bandstand TV hosting appearances in 1960 was offering dance sheets to KGW-TV viewers so they could learn the new dance craze based on the song.
With the help of record producer/songwriter Teddy Randazzo (a childhood friend of the group), the Imperials found success on the new DCP (Don Costa Productions) label with the dramatic pop-soul records "I'm on the Outside (Looking In)" (1964), "Goin' Out of My Head" (1964), "Hurt So Bad" (1965), "I Miss You So" (1965), "Take Me Back" (1965), and "Hurt" (1966). They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009 by longtime friend Smokey Robinson.
In this interview, recorded at the Legends Of Rock'n'Roll show at EXPO 86 in Vancouver, Anthony tells me how pioneering DJ Alan Freed came up with the "Little" part of his name; how Freed helped popularize black music; how rockabilly and R&B combined to form rock'n'roll; Don Costa's influence on his music; and why he loves entertaining.
Anthony just turned 80 and he lives in Florida with his wife, Linda. Visit him at littleanthonyandtheimperials.org.
Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly were both born in West Texas: Buddy in Lubbock, and Roy in Vernon, 180 miles east. They never toured together (except as holograms in 2019's "Rock'n'Roll Dream Tour"), but Buddy recorded two Orbison songs on his debut album with the Crickets. Here, Roy tells me about meeting Buddy and hearing his first record on the radio.
30 years ago today, on January 18, 1991, Brian Beirne was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Brian was a DJ for K-EARTH 101 in Los Angeles. "Mr. Rock'n'Roll" is considered one of the foremost historians on rock music. His 40 year radio career included stints in San Francisco, Chicago, Cleveland, and Sacramento. Brian retired from KRTH in 2004 but he continues to host and produce rock and roll shows around the country. Visit Brian at legendaryshows.com.
Chubby Checker's “The Twist” was a #1 song not once but twice — in 1960 and again in 1961. The song that started a worldwide dance phenomenon was a cover of an old Hank Ballard B-side.
Chubby had more big hits with “Let’s Twist Again” in 1961, “Slow Twistin’” (with Dee Dee Sharp) in 1962, and “Twist It Up” in 1963. Checker followed his success with with popular songs about other dances, including “The Hucklebuck,” “Pony Time,” “(Dance the) Mess Around,” “The Fly,” “Limbo Rock” and “Let’s Limbo Some More.”
You'll find them all on Dancin’ Party: The Chubby Checker Collection (1960–1966) a reissue from Philadelphia-based Cameo-Parkway.
"The Twist" spawned a host of hits including "Twistin' the Night Away" with Sam Cooke, "Peppermint Twist" featuring Joey Dee and the Starliters, "Dear Lady Twist" with Gary US Bonds and "Twist and Shout" with the Isley Brothers.
In our interview, Chubby talks about his influences, the impact of The Twist, visiting Vancouver in the Sixties, his lasting success and his real name. Recorded at The Legends of Rock at EXPO 86 in Vancouver
When Pat O'Day died August 4, I lost a great friend and the Pacific Northwest said goodbye to a genuine legend.
Son Jeff O'Day wrote a fitting tribute to his father in a Facebook post:
“The Pacific Northwest will always seem a little empty without the legendary Pat O’Day. All we can do is focus on the incredible role he had in making the Emerald City a better place to live, and the difference he made in people’s lives.“
The son of a coal miner turned preacher, Pat was born in Norfolk, Nebraska, on September 24, 1934. When he was 7, his father accepted a job with a Tacoma church and soon landed a radio ministry show on Tacoma’s KMO.
“He didn’t pound the pulpit, but he could move people emotionally,” O’Day remembered in a 2018 Seattle Times story. “I knew then that I wanted to be on the radio. Every night I’d go into the bathroom and practice announcing into the bathtub because it made my voice resonate.”
While attending radio and TV school in Tacoma, Pat landed his first radio job as a studio engineer at KTAC. After spending three years at small-market stations, he made his Seattle debut on KAYO in 1959.
A year later, O'Day moved to KJR, his favorite station growing up in Tacoma. Pat combined rock'n'roll music with the personality, drama and theatrics of pre-TV radio. He was promoted to program director of KJR and felt that all of his childhood dreams had come true.
Pat O’Day owned the Seattle afternoon airwaves, averaging 35% of the radio audience. KJR moved into #1 in the ratings and stayed there for almost 15 years. Pat says, "Other stations would attempt to compete now and then, but we had the talent, we had the momentum and we had a tradition. We believed radio had to make people laugh, or cry. It needed to be perpetual motion."
Pat was named the nation’s top program director in 1964 and 1965, and “Radioman of the Year” in 1966.
Pat began calling hydroplane races on KJR in 1967. That was the beginning of a 46 year stretch broadcasting the hydros on Seattle radio and TV. As Pat explains, "A hydroplane race is like a rock 'n' roll festival with Rolls-Royce engines instead of guitars. Young people were re-energized about the sport because their favorite radio station was right in the middle of it."
O’Day & Associates staged teen dances all over the Pacific Northwest, showcasing local bands and touring acts like Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1967 Pat's dance business became Concerts West, staging shows for Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Chicago, the Beach Boys, the Moody Blues, the Eagles, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, and many others.
After undergoing treatment at Schick Shadel Hospital in 1986, he became its radio and TV spokesman. Pat always said it was his second passion, and he loved talking about the thousands of lives Schick Shadel helped to save.
In 1989, Pat moved to San Juan Island, where he operated a real estate brokerage. I'll always treasure visiting him in Friday Harbor, our lunches at Downriggers and the clam chowder in Roche Harbor!
Pat O'Day was among a group of pioneer deejays honoured by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. It was the thrill of a lifetime to be there with Pat, Dick Biondi, Cousin Brucie and many others that day.
A guest of honour on my final radio show in 2017, Pat was in vintage form. He regaled our audience with tales of Frank Sinatra's visit to KJR, falling victim to an elaborate Paul McCartney wedding prank, his role in the success of "Wooly Bully"... you can hear them all in my series "The Last Broadcast".
In the closing moments of that last show, Pat left me with some advice that still resonates today: "We waste so much time saying 'no', and we accomplish nothing with the word 'no'. But the word 'yes' can open the doors to magic."
Thanks, Pat O'Day, for opening the doors to so much magic - and for inviting us in to watch a true magician at work!
The highlight of 1957 had a date: August 31. The place: Empire Stadium, Vancouver. The occasion: The live appearance of Elvis Presley.
More than 26,000 tickets were sold for the event. Presley arrived in Vancouver by train as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, did not want Elvis to fly. The train arrived in the morning at the Great Northern Railway station, catching the media off guard as they had anticipated he would be arriving by plane. He was then driven by limousine to the Georgia Hotel. I took the elevator to the 12th floor and started walking down the hall toward Elvis’ room. I knocked on the door, it flew open and Tom Diskin, Elvis Presley's road manager, greeted us. The meeting was brief: a handshake, a question here, an answer there. Elvis was cautious at our initial meeting but when he realized that I was not there to interview him, he was most cordial. We talked about his success, the types of music we both enjoyed and his enjoyment of live performances where he could see immediate reaction to his stage act.
I guess one of the main reasons I have always been a Presley fan is that I discovered a down to earth individual who had not been affected by the incredible success that fell upon him. We said goodbye and I said that I was looking forward to his show and would see him later that day at the stadium.
The next scene opens at the Elvis press conference. I discovered that only the newsmen had brought tape recorders. The other deejays had not. I hadn't been used to doing interviews with a press group and was determined to get my piece in. As the microphones were pushed into Presley's face I fought to ask him questions mostly related to his music. He seemed to understand that I was not out to gather any sensational news. When the press conference ended, Elvis and I were joined by two Vancouver policemen. We stayed there together for what seemed like an eternity waiting for the stadium to fill up with fans. These were intimate moments with the "King".
We talked about growing up poor. We discussed the changing world, his family, my family, his love of rhythm and blues, country and gospel music. Elvis discussed at great length his ambitions with regard to his music. He asked me about my radio show, the kids that listened, how they reacted to his television appearances and his records.
Just before I left the dressing room to go out and bring on the opening acts, Elvis stood up, stretched out his hand and said, "It was nice meeting you. Good luck with your radio career and I hope we get to see each other again down the road."
With my heart pounding with excitement I left Elvis and walked toward the stage at the north end of Empire Stadium. I can't describe the feeling of looking out at a sea of 25,000 faces. I had to gather up every ounce of courage. My introduction was brief: I walked out to thundering applause and said "On behalf of the Teen Canteen, Canada’s largest teen show, I'm proud tonight to present to you, ELVIS PRESLEY!" The crowd went berserk.
Elvis performed for only 25 minutes. He sang many of his hits including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", and "Hound Dog". As the crowd grew more alarming, Presley was ordered by his manager to wrap up the show and depart in his Cadillac, now parked conveniently behind the stage. It was truly an unforgettable evening.
On August 31, 1982, to mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis' visit to Vancouver, CBC's Vicki Gabereau sat down with me and we covered some of the highlights of the concert. I thought I'd lost this interview, and it was a treat to hear it again. Hope you enjoy my recollections of one of the greatest days of my life.
We dedicate the final episode of The Last Broadcast to the memory of a true radio legend: our friend Pat O'Day, who passed away August 4. Pat was an inspiration to everyone he met, and his passion for entertainment burned brightly right to the end.
Here's another excerpt from the book:
"Bruce Allen glances at the faces peering at them from the adjacent studio and through the small square window of the closed door, and he suddenly realizes the end has come. He says into his mike, 'It's been a thrill for me, Red, to sit here with you guys and talk to you, because these stories... this should be eight hours. They should have given us the whole damn day.'
'Agreed, Bruce.' Pat O’Day leans into his mike, intent on making his final words count.
'I want to say something else about Red, and his phenomenal success from the time he was in high school on through the years. The key to his success - and everybody listen to this - was his ability to use that magical word, "yes". We waste so much time saying "no", and we accomplish nothing with the word "no". But the word "yes" can open the doors to magic. Look what it's done for Red Robinson, as we celebrate his last big radio show.'
Robinson introduces Aretha Franklin, but the song that closes the final broadcast couldn’t be more appropriate: "The Time of my Life," covered by Bill Medley.
But just as they remove their headsets and stand up, producer Art Factora has a small surprise: through the speakers he plays what will be the coda to the show."
Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017. In this excerpt, the guys reflect on Elvis' untimely death on August 16, 1977.
"Pat O’Day chimes in. 'It’s as good a time as any, Red, to spell one thing out. Why did Elvis pass away? It was really simple when you get down to it: he suffered from an inflammation in the lining of his heart. The same thing that had cost his mother her life. He'd had rheumatic fever in his youth, back when rheumatic fever was untreated, and he was left with heart inflammation that eventually brought on the end of his life - not a drug overdose.'”
Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
We'll return August 27, on the third anniversary of the Last Broadcast, with our series finale.
Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
In this episode, Pat salutes Ray Charles, Bruce plays a favourite by Dean and Jean, the guys pay tribute to Roy Orbison.
The Last Broadcast podcast is taking a summer vacation!
We'll return August 27, on the third anniversary of the Last Broadcast, with our thrilling Series Finale! Keep rockin' and stay safe!
Here's another excerpt from Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
In this episode, the guys pay tribute to John Fogerty; Pat and Bruce recall a scary incident from their past.
"O’Day suspects Robinson may forget to ask him to recount how Allen almost killed him, an incident that stemmed from Allen in the 1970s allowing Concerts West to book Bachman-Turner Overdrive in the U.S.
So he raises the topic himself on air. “That relationship turned out to be dangerous for me, because we concluded a tour in Dallas, and at the end of a tour back then you always threw a party for the group, right? With Led Zeppelin you got drugs and hookers, but Bachman–Turner Overdrive, those kids were mostly Mormons, so I had to come up with some clean activity to conclude the tour.”
O’Day’s solution was to rent a new, high-speed go kart track in Arlington for the occasion and took over the facility at midnight for an event he called The BTO 500, complete with scoreboard, checkered flags, and time trials. He also persuaded the army veteran who had built and operated the track to remove the speed governors from the karts.
The event unfolded flawlessly until four in the morning and the last lap of the last heat. “I was on the outside and Bruce was on the inside, and we were fighting for the lead,” O’Day recalls. “In the final turn, side by side, engines racing at full power, we collided, and I went through a chain link fence at 60 miles an hour.”
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
Antoine "Fats" Domino first began recording in 1949. His first national hit didn't come until 1955 when he recorded "Ain't That A Shame". It was a bigger hit for Pat Boone, but Pat's cover introduced white audiences to the music of the Fat Man. Fats' string of hits was enormous. Believe it or not, he never achieved a number one hit song on the pop music charts!
In late 1956 and early 1957 two "Show of Stars" presentations came to Vancouver. The first was an all-Black show in the sense that the stars were basically Rhythm and Blues stars and not mixed up with white Rock and Roll, except that now that Rock and Roll music was acceptable to everyone they were packaged together to perform for a mixed audience. On the first "Show of Stars" the line-up included Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter, Bill Doggett and The Five Satins
Most of these stars were listed in the "Rhythm and Blues" section of the trade publications. Rock and Roll was going to change that, but in 1955 these were the R&B hits and hit makers. Bill Doggett had "Honky Tonk", a classic instrumental that is one of the most danceable tunes of all time. Fats Domino had a string of hits: "Ain't That A Shame", "Blueberry Hill" and "I'm in Love Again". Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers were riding high with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?", Clyde McPhatter had "Treasure of Love", and so on. These were all danceable. As a matter of fact, they were the best damn dancing songs around.
In my October 1956 Vancouver Sun column I previewed a new movie: "Another Rock and Roll show is coming your way. 'Mr. Rock and Roll' stars Fats Domino, Little Richard, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter and many more top Rock'n'Roll stars."
These low-budget formula movies were meant to be instant box office smash hits and forgotten. The movie people were anxious to cash in on the Rock'n' Roll craze and many felt that this music form would be short lived, therefore they rushed these ’quickies' into production to grab the money while they could. They were wrong about the longevity of the music and in retrospect they should have taken more time to produce worthwhile shows on the music.
I've always felt it was interesting that a "domino" is a black object with little dots of white, while the reverse would have been true in the music world in those days. The musical "domino" was all white with many dots of black. There is no doubt that racial equality began with this music.
Here's another excerpt from Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"Robinson has a reputation of being a nostalgia king, but he is also a prime example of the difference between what broadcasters were during his heyday and what too many are now. 'Back then, deejays were bigger celebrities than the bands, and they didn’t just broadcast, they talked to their audience,' he has explained on many occasions. 'I don’t mean they took calls from listeners, I mean they got behind the mike and truly spoke to them, instead of focusing exclusively on delivering all the contents of a script within certain time parameters.
I was lucky that I entered the business as a teenager. My audience was mainly teens, so I knew their language, and I spoke to them plenty.'
Although he hasn’t said so since announcing his retirement, Robinson is frustrated that too many deejays today aren’t characters who know how to put on a great show, but puppets whose strained antics barely conceal a blind obedience to convention – which in the new millennium takes the form of political correctness so pervasive that broadcasters tend to censor themselves before regulators have a chance to do so. 'As the old joke goes, you know you’re a veteran deejay if you can remember playing practical jokes on the air without fearing lawsuits.'”
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017. In this episode: Red pays tribute to Buddy Holly, the guys discuss how the relationship between artists and DJs has changed; Elvis picks a classic for "Blue Hawaii", Bruce plays an obscure favourite.
Here's another excerpt from Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"When Red Robinson arrived in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (for the Rockabilly Hall of Fame induction ceremony) and the diminutive Brenda Lee approached him, he was momentarily wary. She had been charted in more music categories than any other female in the history of recorded music since her stint in Vancouver, and that was just one of her accomplishments. She had been gracious back then, but what if she was now another Bobby Darin?
The worry was obliterated when Lee hugged him and asked, 'How’s Terry Jacks doing?'
Of all the things she could have said, this was most unlikely. Jacks was a Vancouver songwriter whose 'Seasons in the Sun’ had been premiered by the broadcaster on CKWX in 1974, leading directly to it selling over 13 million copies worldwide. 'He’s doing great,' Robinson replied, surprised that Jacks was at the forefront of Lee’s mind on this special occasion.
Jacks had attended one of her performances at The Cave and went backstage later on to introduce himself and tell her of his ambitions. 'Even though he was just another of thousands of hopefuls Lee had encountered, something compelled her to contact Nashville producer Owen Bradley, who in turn assessed Jacks and awarded him with a recording contract.'
Robinson couldn’t shake the fact that Lee, swarmed by the press and facing an auditorium full of fans who had come to witness her induction, was thinking about a protege in the wilds of western Canada. 'I love telling stories about famous people like Lee, because sometimes the more important people become, the more they care for the wellbeing of others,' he says. 'Occasionally it goes the other way, but I’ve been fortunate enough to know more of the good people than the ones who are self-absorbed. Their behaviour is life-affirming.'”
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017. In this episode, a tribute to Glen Campbell; the guys highlight Lloyd Price's contribution to the new rock'n'roll era.
In early 1962 Canadians were searching for our own musical identity. It finally happened. A second generation Canadian of Italian lineage came roaring out of Port Arthur, Ontario. His name: Bobby Curtola. Bobby's managers Dyer and Basil Hurdon had taken the young singer to Nashville where arranger Bill Justis put the commercial touch to his voice and a Canadian star was born. Bobby possessed a fine clear voice and good looks. He was well mannered, soft spoken and every mother's idea of what a teenage idol should be. The material he sang was aimed directly at young girls. Bobby took the youth of the day by storm. He was the Justin Bieber of his time... without the tattoos!
Through our exposure of his hits at C-FUN, KJR in Seattle picked up on the activity that he was generating in Vancouver. Through the airplay of KJR, Del-Fi Records in Los Angeles picked up the rights to his recordings for the U.S. market. Although Bobby had a whole series of hits in the Canadian market, only two made it on the U.S. charts. Those hits were "Fortune Teller" in May of 1962 and "Aladdin" in October of the same year.
C-FUN put together a massive promotion for Bobby's first appearance in the city and allowed Vancouver teenagers to meet and greet their Canadian star at the Kitsilano Showboat. This outdoor stage was located in an amphitheatre right on the shore of one of Vancouver's beaches. The turnout for the C-FUN Good Guys' presentation of Bobby Curtola was so massive that he had to be brought in by boat to the back of the stage. It was an incredible evening in the Summer of '62. There was no doubt that the teenagers of the early sixties were looking for their own thing and they found it in part with Bobby Curtola.
Bobby was the first Canadian to earn a gold record. Curtola had an incredible 31 consecutive pop singles in the Canadian Top 40, including a dozen Top 10s. He is a member of the Order of Canada. Four years after his death, Bobby Curtola was finally recognized for his contributions to pop music in Canada by the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in March 2020.
Interview recorded at The Legends of Rock'n'Roll at EXPO86 in Vancouver. Bobby opened that night for Roy Orbison.
Happy Birthday, Canada! up next in my salute to some of my favourite Canadian artists is Randy Bachman (pictured here with fellow Winnipeg legend Daryl B). Photo taken at CFUN/Vancouver by Dee Lippingwell.
Talk about a musical prodigy: Randy won a singing contest at age 3 and by 5 he was playing the violin! Randy is quoted by John Einarson in the Winnipeg Free Press: "Winnipeg in the '60s was like that movie That Thing You Do, only multiplied by a thousand. It was so exciting and alive with music." In 1962 Randy hit it big with Chad Allan and the Expressions "Shakin' All Over". Early radio pressings of the single were simply labeled "Guess Who?" and that's where the name originated.
Between 1969 and 1970, The Guess Who sold more records than the entire Canadian music industry combined. My friend Bruce Allen took an interest in Randy's fledgling band Brave Belt, which morphed into Bachman-Turner Overdrive. BTO became one of the most successful bands of the Seventies. The Guess Who and BTO deserve a place in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame!
In this 1982 interview with Terry Moore, Randy reflects on his success and putting fame into perspective; the downside of music industry promotion; life after music.
Randy hosts CBC and Sirius XM radio program Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap and he's authored two books: Vinyl Tap Stories and Tales From Beyond The Tap.
Sony Music is releasing "The Bachman-Cummings Collection" limited edition box set, and Randy and Burton are planning to celebrate the music of the Guess Who and BTO with a rescheduled North American reunion tour! "Together Again - Live In Concert" kicks off next summer. They'll be at Rogers Arena here in Vancouver June 15, 2021. Check bachmancummings.ca for details. Stay up to date with Randy at randybachman.com.
Burton Cummings is a genuine Canadian musical icon. Best known for his decade with the Guess Who and "Clap For The Wolfman", "These Eyes and "American Woman", he's also enjoyed a solo career with "Stand Tall", "My Own Way To Rock", "Break It To Them Gently" and many other hits. I refer to him as “King of the Keyboards” and he does not disappoint.
Burton and fellow Guess Who alumnus Randy Bachman grew up in Winnipeg, where they were heavily influenced by radio: particularly by one of Canada's premier Top 40 radio stations, 50,000 watt CKY (home of Peter Jackson, Daryl B and Chuck McCoy). Burton also remembers listening to old buddy Dick Biondi playing "Da Doo Ron Ron" by the Crystals on Chicago's WLS! Legend has it the band's "Albert Flasher" was inspired by a visit to Vancouver's C-FUN.
Burton is in the Juno Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has the Order of Canada. In addition Burton has a theatre named for him in Winnipeg. Great honors for a great Canadian.
You'll want to check out Burton's Facebook page facebook.com/burtoncummings. Lots of great stories from his career, Winnipeg memories and Burton's take on the music we grew up with. Well worth a visit!
This photo with Burton Cummings was taken backstage at the Red Robinson Show Theatre. The B.C. Lions sweater was a gift from the late Bobby Ackles on my 70th birthday. It says “ROBINSON” and the number 70 on the back and just the number on the front. I wore it on stage in honour of the Lions’ first outdoor win since 1982.
After the last four decades mostly in the United States, Burton now calls Moose Jaw, SK home. How Canadian is that?
Audio courtesy Global TV's Close Encounters series.
I can’t take any credit for Michael Bublé’s amazing worldwide success, unfortunately, but I can take credit for appreciating his talent very early on, in the early 1990s, when I went to see him sing at the BaBalu Nightclub in Vancouver. He was only a teenager, but he reminded me of Bobby Darin, who I love, and I figured he would achieve some measure of fame.
Robin Brunet has a great story in Red Robinson: The Last Deejay:
"Shortly after the Bobby Darin biopic Beyond The Sea commenced production, Bruce Allen told Robinson that Michael Bublé was being visited by Kevin Spacey nightly at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, where the young singer was performing. 'Spacey keeps telling Bublé he reminds him of Bobby Darin,' Allen said.
Robinson sent Bublé (who, in his pre-fame days, played an Elvis-type soda jerk in the stage hit about Robinson’s life, Red Rock Diner) a tape of an interview he had conducted with Darin. Part of the interview featured Darin doing spot-on imitations of celebrities such as Jack Benny and Walter Winchell, much the way Spacey would entertain people off-set decades later.
Bublé gave the tape to Spacey when he next appeared at the Blue Note. 'He said he appreciated the gesture, and that was that,' says Robinson. 'Flash forward a year later: I’m with Carole and another couple at Hy’s steakhouse in Vancouver for my birthday. Carole is peering at a dark corner of the restaurant, and she nudges me: 'Do you see who that is? That’s Kevin Spacey.'
Robinson got a waiter to give the actor his business card along with a note asking if he had listened to his interview with Darin. No sooner did they resume eating than Spacey appeared at their table. 'I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m Kevin Spacey.'
Carole, who has been exposed to more than her fair share of celebrities over the decades, looked at him from head to toe and beamed. 'Of course you are; who else would you be?'
We should have declared May 5 to 10, 2008 Anne Murray Week in Vancouver. Canada’s first lady of song played to a full house at the 3000-seat Queen Elizabeth Theatre. I was asked to emcee the opening and told the crowd that I had discovered that during this, her final coast-to-coast tour, the longest applause was in Ottawa with a three minute standing ovation at the end of the show. I urged everyone in the audience to beat Ottawa and they did by 30 seconds. Later that week at the Red Robinson Show Theatre (another sellout), the audience there beat them all with a 5 minute standing ovation.
After the show we met Anne in the Green Room for this interview. We were joined by photographer Kevin Statham, TV camera person Sharron Bates, Carole, and some of Anne’s people. Bruce Allen, Anne’s manager, was on the speaker phone from backstage at Michael Buble’s Santa Barbara concert.
I told Anne that we had a special gift for her: the audio of Anne’s complete show at the Cave Theatre Restaurant in 1971- recorded illegally. It is one of a kind and might have been lost over the decades but it was discovered in the late deeay Jack Cullen’s collection. My friend Owen Coppin rescued it and copied it onto a disc. We had the pleasure of presenting it to Anne. She was awestruck as she had no idea anything like this existed. It was a special evening with a special lady.
During 1957's "Show of Stars" in Vancouver, it was my job to introduce each act as they appeared on stage, then I would rush backstage and tape a quick interview with one of the stars. The show was literally a live jukebox presentation, hit artist after hit artist and song after song. Eddie Cochran, Jimmy Bowen, Buddy Knox, Don and Phil Everly, Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, George Hamilton IV, Buddy Holly and the Crickets - an incredible assortment of talent, a Who's Who of early rock and roll.
Paul Anka was just fifteen when I first met him during this tour. He was arrogant but to me this was his way of covering up his obvious inferiority complex. After all, he was the youngest on the show, the shortest and had to compensate. His first hit "Diana" had just been released in the summer of 1957 and it launched his career. It came across as arrogance but there was no question about his talent and his stage presence. He was, at the time, the only Canadian who had made it into the international arena of Rock and Roll. On my taped interview with him during this time he sounds cocky but if he hadn't been, who else would have listened to him, who else would have promoted him?
Paul Anka was, and always has been, his own best promoter. He works at this as much as he works at songwriting and everything that he involves himself with. One of the differences with Paul Anka was his ability to write most of his own material. He has not only written hits for himself, but for others. He wrote "My Way" for Frank Sinatra and "She's A Lady" for Tom Jones and many other hits for many other singers. His lasting power is proven with these contributions to the world of music. I have talked with Paul many times over the years and he has never forgotten our first meeting in Vancouver in those early days. He is an incredible person and a talent Canada can shout about.
Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com. Here's another excerpt:
"First up as their mikes go live is a discussion about how radio stations used to be advertised by jingles, complete with catchy lyrics. 'They were infectious,' Robinson tells listeners.
'We wanted them to be in block chords so everybody could sing them and have emotional impact,' says O’Day. 'We didn't do it just to identify the station, we did it as a commercial for the station. We wanted them to be love songs, if you will, about the radio station.
'With the World’s Fair coming to Seattle in 1962, our jingles at KJR were old-fashioned and we needed to do something different; so I sat in the basement and wrote a jingle, which I stole from the Los Angeles station Channel 98. That resulted in a jingle still sung by people in Seattle!'
The KJR jingles are played, and then Robinson plays jingles from C-FUN. The short segment is capped by O’Day acknowledging that the jingles may sound corny in retrospect, but they caused people to whistle the melodies in public: the best mass market advertising any station could hope for."
In this episode, a medley of classic KJR and C-FUN jingles; Red and Pat swap Jerry Lee Lewis concert stories.
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017. Here's another excerpt from Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"Meanwhile, in the lounge, there is joking about the guest format of Robinson’s final broadcast. Someone says to program director Stu Ferguson, 'Whose broadcast is this, anyway?'
Ferguson takes the comment in stride. 'Red’s in his element when he lets others with his experience do the talking.' Although the spotlight has shone on Robinson since his teenage years, he’s part of a tightly knit community of fellow travellers and loves when the attention directed at him is disseminated to include them.
At this point in the broadcast, younger people at CISL may well have wondered why so much attention was being paid to singers who are merely recognizable names in the 21st century, nostalgia value notwithstanding.
But in a sense, what Robinson, O’Day, and Allen are conducting is a history class. The subject may be pop culture, but as with any subject it’s impossible to fully appreciate today’s trends without understanding what led to them.
In the case of Elvis Presley, he fused the country-western music of the South with the rhythm and blues of African Americans to form rockabilly, which became one of the key sounds in rock and roll. Without him, musical entertainment today would be entirely different."
In this episode, Pat and Red share their memories of Paul Revere and The Raiders; Bruce tells the story behind Elvis' "If I Can Dream".
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
O’Day, who is emerging as the trio’s prime storyteller and who shares Robinson’s knack for shifting gears, interrupts. “Speaking of funny Hawaiian twists, Tom Rounds was the music director of KPOI in Honolulu,” he says in his melodious manner of speaking. “I’m over there on vacation, I think it’s ’64, and we were sitting in his office opening packages of new records, and we put on this thing from MGM and listened to it. I said, 'God, that is the strangest thing. I think it’s a hit.’
“Tom Rounds says, 'I agree.’ So, I called the station in Seattle right away. I said, 'There’s a record on MGM, you got to get it out of the envelope, get it on the air right now. I am telling you it’s a hit.’”
O’Day gets to the punch line: “It was Sam The Sham, 'Wooly Bully’. Not one of the greatest artistic achievements of our time, but it went to number one.” Allen and Robinson laugh.
Also in this episode, Red and Bruce talk Neil Diamond; the guys remember an appearance by Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast is out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
I first met Susan Jacks (then Susan Pesklevits) on the set of Let’s Go, Vancouver’s weekly contribution to the CBC-TV series Music Hop. I co-hosted with Fred Latremouille. The show allowed Canadian talent to get exposure from coast-to-coast on television. Susan was a wonderfully talented, stunningly beautiful lady with a voice like silk.
Susan married and divorced another Let’s Go performer, Terry Jacks, but in between they created some of Canada’s most memorable hit records as the Poppy Family. Terry was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2004 and Susan was inducted in 2010.
50 years ago this week, the Poppy Family’s “Which Way You Goin’, Billy?” reached #1 on music trade magazine Cashbox and #2 on Billboard (right behind The Beatles' The Long And Winding Road). It was Vancouver's first million-seller! Susan Jacks remembers how the song's title came about.
You've heard the radio, now read the book! Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
In this episode, the guys recall Ray Charles' roots in Seattle; Red and Pat share how they helped make Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" a multi-millon seller in 1963.
My friend and pop music legend Pat Boone is celebrating his 86th birthday today! We go back a long way. My November 29th, 1957 Vancouver Sun column saluted Pat:
"Pat Boone, contender for the top vocalist of 1957, was on hand for the gala premiere last week at the Roxy of his second motion picture 'April Love'. It was one of the biggest premieres ever staged in New York. The show will be seen in Vancouver for the Christmas season. In conjunction with this movie, Dot Records has released an album of songs from 'April Love'. Besides having a big contract with Twentieth Century Fox, Pat has his own television show."
I didn't meet Pat until 1963, when his biggest days as a hit recording artist were behind him. I found him to be one of the most likeable people in or out of show business. Those who were not around in the early days of Rock don't realize that next to Elvis Presley, Pat Boone was the most consistent and most popular of the teenage idols of that era. Pat sold more than 45 million records and he had 38 Top 40 hits. According to Billboard, Pat Boone was the second-biggest charting artist of the late 1950s, behind only Elvis.
Some have said he was a bland artist. I hardly think so. When Pat Boone burst forth it was a time when black artists couldn't break the charts. His initial success came about through his "covering" of Rhythm and Blues hits like Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti". Some say he took the guts of the R & B music and diluted it. It is my opinion that he sang it as he felt it. Regardless of opinion, this man did a hell of a lot to advance the black music of the Fifties and his string of hits proves that the public at large liked him. After his initial fling with R&B, he moved toward ballads where he continued to be a success. Pat was a wholesome image for Rock and Roll and maybe he kept it from being wiped out.
Like Presley, he made movies: "Bernadine", "April Love" and "State Fair". These were family shows in the true sense of the meaning of that expression. They did well at the box office but not quite in the same league as the sensational Elvis Presley. Whether he was too good to be real or not, the wild frenzy of the Sixties was to take its toll. The public stopped buying Pat Boone records. His last chart action came about in 1969 with a version of "July You're A Woman". Like Elvis, his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is assured if for no other reason than he made it possible for black music to be bought and heard. Are you listening, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
In our interview, Pat shares the story of his early career with Dot Records; the changing relationship between artists and radio; how he met a kid named Elvis Presley in Cleveland; Pat encourages a young Roy Orbison; his often misunderstood role in our wider acceptance of black music; his movie career; facing challenges as an entertainer and making a spiritual commitment; the enduring success of rock'n'roll; what he'd like to remembered for. Recorded in 1989 in Vancouver.
Visit Pat and stay in touch at patboone.com, @patbooneofficial on Facebook, or @ThePatBoone on Twitter. The Pat Boone Hour, "music and memories that fit a dedicated theme each week", airs Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday on SiriusXM's 50's on 5. Check siriusxm.com/50son5 for details and show times.
The book you can listen to, Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
"Robinson happily includes The Beatles in his playlist for the final broadcast, and instead of recounting yet again the pandemonium at Empire Stadium 53 years and two days ago, he asks O’Day if he emceed the band in Seattle for KJR.
'Yes I did, but my story goes back before that,' O’Day replies. 'Little known, Murray the K in New York claims he was the first to play The Beatles in the U.S. Not true! The first Beatles record played on the radio in the U.S. was by KJR, and it was 'Please Please Me.'"
In this episode, Pat recalls his part in the instant success of the record, and he shares a story about how Paul McCartney's wedding to actress Jane Asher after the Beatles' 1966 Seattle concert turned out to be an elaborate prank.
The Show of Stars for 1957 featured the changing appearance of Rock and Roll. The line-up for this event included Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Frankie Avalon, George Hamilton IV, Buddy Knox, The Everly Brothers, Paul Anka and Eddie Cochran. Anyone even remotely interested in Rock and Roll today can appreciate the significance of this show. Even by today's standards it was big. The line-up was not only impressive in its day, it was historic.
I was most anxious to meet Buddy Holly. There was special meaning here. The Show of Stars was held in September and Buddy and the Crickets had their first hit in August. The song was "That'll Be The Day".
In those early days of Rock and Roll, I loved the music and I would listen to every single new release. Both sides. I liked "That'll Be The Day" and played it for months on CKWX before it ever made a mark on the national charts. In those days Cash Box magazine had a page filled with top ten records from various deejays. I was one of the few Canadians on that page. I had listed "That'll Be The Day" on my top ten hit list for six weeks running.
In this interview, Buddy and I talk about how my listing of the song brought it to the attention of other radio stations across North America. His record company made a special presentation to me thanking me for playing "That'll Be The Day" and listing it week after week in Cash Box.
From the moment Buddy Holly and I met there was a bond. He was a country boy with much enthusiasm. He was happy to have had a hit and was intent on adding to his success. In our interview I ask him what he has coming out and he says they had just recorded a song called "Oh, Boy". It was soon to be another Holly hit with the Crickets. In late 1957 it rose to the Top 10.
Buddy Holly was a diamond in the rough. In this photo you can see that his teeth are in bad shape and his glasses are not as stylish as they might be. It didn't matter to the audience that night in Vancouver. The music of the Crickets filled the hall and Buddy Holly was recognized by the crowd as something original.
Buddy Holly grew up in Lubbock, Texas and was featured with Bill Haley and the Comets on a show in his hometown. A Decca record scout saw Buddy perform and signed him. This arrangement didn't work out. It wasn't until later when Holly recorded "That'll Be The Day" for Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, that it all came together.
In many ways I can see now what writers mean when they say a man becomes a legend after he has passed on to his final reward. The stories of Buddy Holly's life are blown all out of proportion to the real man. As a young deejay, I was impressed only with the sincerity, the energy, the youth and the happiness of a young man doing something he obviously loved to do more than anything on this earth — to sing his song.
Buddy Holly was a giant for what he offered the world in the form of his music, but he was just like you and me in person. My memory of Buddy is one of a warm, average guy you would like to call your friend. He was extraordinary by being ordinary in an entertainment world filled with giant egos. I could see all of Buddy Holly that night in Vancouver so long ago because he was unguarded, he was a real flesh and blood human being. He wasn't a star someone had manufactured for mass consumption. Buddy Holly was an honest to God talent.
Playing straight man to Jonathan Winters was one of the most wonderful experiences of my career. Jonathan and I cut a series of TV commercials for Hudson’s Bay Company in Vancouver in 1976. Neither one of us worked with a script, just a general outline of the commercial. Jonathan threw me a line and I ad libbed the wrong line in reply. Realizing what I said, I fell to one side and Jonathan broke up. I am the collapsing Santa and Jonathan is playing a kid, albeit smoking a Cuban cigar.
Jonathan Winters was not only a great funny man but a wonderful human being. We spent many hours together and he loved to collect Indian art (being part native himself). When Jonathan died in 2013 at 87, my friend and Seattle radio legend Pat O’Day wrote:
“I am so saddened at the departure of Jonathan Winters. I guess I dreamed he would always be alive somewhere. His was a mind and style that somehow always typified the way characters he introduced would think and talk with others. He always painted those mental pictures, taking you to the scene of the conversation. He was never politically concerned. He always told his stories just to me! He had that delightful mind that he could convert to being whatever character he was at the time. You always knew he was such a nice guy in person due to the loving characters he employed. Not the future, nor the past, will ever develop another Jonathan Winters. Truly, one of a kind! I hope up in heaven they book him to do some shows. Even they would love some Winters laughs.”
I miss him as does the world. He brought us the greatest gift of all: humour. Next time you see a stand-up comic, think of Jonathan... because some of the routine you are witnessing most likely began with Jonathan Winters. If there was a Mount Rushmore for comics he would be up there.
Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits was one of the freshest acts to visit Vancouver from England. His group had a humourous approach to the music of the day. Material like "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter", "I'm Henry VIII, I Am", and "Silhouettes" made them acceptable both to the youth of the day and the adult population.
Peter toured North America as part of the British Invasion. He has visited Vancouver many times, appearing at EXPO 86 where he did this interview.
Peter came to the Red Robinson Show Theatre in 2008, 2011 and again in 2013. He always brought good cheer, great music and great humour. Greeting Peter at the 2013 show was old friend and original Hermits manager... the one and only Andrew Loog Oldham.
Peter is touring the US this summer, and he's doing a Concerts At Sea cruise in the Caribbean next January with Paul Revere's Raiders, B.J.Thomas and the Fifth Dimension! More at concertsatsea.com
Visit Peter at peternoone.com. He's on Facebook @HermansHermitsStarringPeterNoone and Twitter @peternoone.
Don't touch that dial! The radio show in a book, Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
"Defining a certain era as 'the good old days' is entirely subjective, but while show producer Art Factora expects decades from now to tell his son how magical the early years of the 21st century were, he appreciates that Robinson and his contemporaries back in their time thrived on achievement rather than entitlement, and that everyone’s skins were a lot thicker, and that adversity was viewed as a necessary part of the game.
'I envy a lot of things about their era,' he says. 'You could talk freely and express a whole range of ideas. You were responsible for your own success or failure – there was no nanny state to make excuses on your behalf. Things didn’t seem so watered down back then.'”
In this episode, Pat and Bruce recall the recording of Strangers In The Night, the guys swap stories about Jimmy Bowen, Bruce tells the story behind Elvis' biggest hit Suspicious Minds, and Red and Bruce pay tribute to the late Charlie Rich.
How lack of distribution and promotion affects exposure of a hit record; the music industry needs to be aware of an artist's enduring appeal to his audience; how badly the press treated Elvis until his death; Roy looks ahead to the next step in his career. Recorded in Vancouver, July 1978
Roy Orbison was one of the original Sun Recording stars, but his long stay with Monument Records brought his greatest success. By the time we booked Roy into Vancouver his list of top sellers was most impressive: memorable songs like "Uptown", "Only The Lonely", "Blue Angel", "I'm Hurtin'", the classic "Running Scared", "Crying" and "Candy Man". Roy Orbison charted 29 hits, establishing him as one of the biggest chartbusters of the early Sixties.
Friend and business partner Les Vogt and I became good friends with Roy over the years and he appeared in Vancouver many times. When we were not the promoters we always found time to get together during his visits. Les became his de facto manager during a period when Roy was without a record contract. Roy was not alone at that particular time as the record business was going through some major changes. The artists who started rock and roll suddenly found themselves out of favor.
Les suggested Roy move from Nashville to Los Angeles. He did and his shows in and around the L. A. area were sold out. After the first show backstage, Roy was surprised to find people like Linda Ronstadt and others in the industry praising his talent. This gave him a new lease on life and he began his creative process all over again. From this “second wind” came his collaborative effort with the Traveling Wilburys and his new hits like I Drove All Night and You Got It.
When Les and I were planning the acts for EXPO 86 we thought our old friend Roy Orbison would be a great headliner. Roy was on the comeback trail with the Traveling Wilburys and his Mystery Girl CD was enjoying success. He agreed without hesitation, saying “I will cancel some appearances and work with you, as you and Les were the only people to give me a bonus in my entire career.”
Roy Orbison was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by Bruce Springsteen. He died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988, at the peak of his renewed popularity. Roy gets my vote as the nicest performer I ever met. He was a wonderful, honourable guy. We miss him and his music.
Roy recalls his early days at Sun Records; Elvis' Texas performances and the unique sound of Scotty Moore's guitar; Johnny Cash puts Roy in touch with Sam Phillips; the secret of the Sun Sound; Roy works briefly with Chet Atkins at RCA before signing with Monument Records in 1959; the success of "Uptown" and "Only The Lonely"; Roy tells the story behind recording "Running Scared". Recorded in Vancouver, July 1978
Roy Orbison was one of the original Sun Recording stars, but his long stay with Monument Records brought his greatest success. By the time we booked Roy into Vancouver his list of top sellers was most impressive: memorable songs like "Uptown", "Only The Lonely", "Blue Angel", "I'm Hurtin'", the classic "Running Scared", "Crying" and "Candy Man". Roy Orbison charted 29 hits, establishing him as one of the biggest chartbusters of the early Sixties.
Friend and business partner Les Vogt and I became good friends with Roy over the years and he appeared in Vancouver many times. When we were not the promoters we always found time to get together during his visits. Les became his de facto manager during a period when Roy was without a record contract. Roy was not alone at that particular time as the record business was going through some major changes. The artists who started rock and roll suddenly found themselves out of favor.
Les suggested Roy move from Nashville to Los Angeles. He did and his shows in and around the L. A. area were sold out. After the first show backstage, Roy was surprised to find people like Linda Ronstadt and others in the industry praising his talent. This gave him a new lease on life and he began his creative process all over again. From this “second wind” came his collaborative effort with the Traveling Wilburys and his new hits like I Drove All Night and You Got It.
When Les and I were planning the acts for EXPO 86 we thought our old friend Roy Orbison would be a great headliner. Roy was on the comeback trail with the Traveling Wilburys and his Mystery Girl CD was enjoying success. He agreed without hesitation, saying “I will cancel some appearances and work with you, as you and Les were the only people to give me a bonus in my entire career.”
Roy Orbison was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by Bruce Springsteen. He died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988, at the peak of his renewed popularity. Roy gets my vote as the nicest performer I ever met. He was a wonderful, honourable guy. We miss him and his music.
Roy shares the story of "Lana" and its success a couple of years after leaving Monument; working with songwriter Joe Melson and writing solo; how great music makes a simple emotional connection; Roy moves to LA from Nashville and Linda Ronstadt records "Blue Bayou". Recorded in Vancouver, July 1978
Roy Orbison was one of the original Sun Recording stars, but his long stay with Monument Records brought his greatest success. By the time we booked Roy into Vancouver his list of top sellers was most impressive: memorable songs like "Uptown", "Only The Lonely", "Blue Angel", "I'm Hurtin'", the classic "Running Scared", "Crying" and "Candy Man". Roy Orbison charted 29 hits, establishing him as one of the biggest chartbusters of the early Sixties.
Friend and business partner Les Vogt and I became good friends with Roy over the years and he appeared in Vancouver many times. When we were not the promoters we always found time to get together during his visits. Les became his de facto manager during a period when Roy was without a record contract. Roy was not alone at that particular time as the record business was going through some major changes. The artists who started rock and roll suddenly found themselves out of favor.
Les suggested Roy move from Nashville to Los Angeles. He did and his shows in and around the L. A. area were sold out. After the first show backstage, Roy was surprised to find people like Linda Ronstadt and others in the industry praising his talent. This gave him a new lease on life and he began his creative process all over again. From this “second wind” came his collaborative effort with the Traveling Wilburys and his new hits like I Drove All Night and You Got It.
When Les and I were planning the acts for EXPO 86 we thought our old friend Roy Orbison would be a great headliner. Roy was on the comeback trail with the Traveling Wilburys and his Mystery Girl CD was enjoying success. He agreed without hesitation, saying “I will cancel some appearances and work with you, as you and Les were the only people to give me a bonus in my entire career.”
Roy Orbison was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by Bruce Springsteen. He died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988, at the peak of his renewed popularity. Roy gets my vote as the nicest performer I ever met. He was a wonderful, honourable guy. We miss him and his music.
Paul Revere and The Raiders sign with Columbia; the band visits Vancouver in 1962; Mark remembers booking agent Pat Mason and Seattle radio legend Pat O'Day; his career after the Raiders; performing live; his appearance on "Married With Children"; what he's been up to lately, including a book. Recorded at CISL/Vancouver in 1997.
It was 1775 and Paul Revere rode his horse yelling “The British are coming!” In the 1960’s another Paul Revere noticed that the British Invasion was starting all over again. He rode the charts and was successful while many bands collapsed during the invasion.
The band was discovered by jock Roger Hart of Portland’s KISN. In 1962 they had just experienced breakout success thanks to their regional hit "Louie Louie" (written by Rchard Berry in 1955, and covered by The Kingsmen in 1963). We flew them in to Vancouver to entertain at the annual C-FUN Night at Kits Showboat, an outdoor theatre that has showcased local and international talent for over eighty years. That night the streets were so choked with traffic we had to bring the band onto the beach by barge. Paul never forgot that incident.
Paul Revere and the Raiders were the first rock group signed to Columbia Records. Their first national hit was "Steppin' Out" in September 1965. Lead singer Mark Lindsay and the Raiders brought about some of America's hardest Rock to be heard in a decade.The visual effect of the group was enhanced by their American revolutionary war uniforms. TV exposure was helpful in pushing their image across to the young. Dick Clark's TV show "Where The Action Is!" gave them the added advantage. For the next six years they forged ahead with some very strong material: "Kicks", "Hungry", "Good Thing", Him or Me – What's It Gonna Be?" and their biggest hit, their cover of John D. Loudermilk's "Indian Reservation", in 1971.
In August 1986, Paul Revere and the Raiders rocked the Legends of Rock'n'Roll show at EXPO 86 in Vancouver with fellow Northwest music favourites the Ventures and Merrilee Rush. That's where we sat down to record this interview.
I also saw Paul in 2010, when I took a busload of listeners to Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri. Ever gracious, Paul invited the whole group backstage for autographs and photos. Paul’s last appearance in Vancouver was in March 2013 at the Red Robinson Show Theatre, where he signed the celebrity wall downstairs. He had previously appeared with Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers during the theatre’s grand opening in 2008. Ace photographer Steve Pesant captured Paul performing in this outstanding image. Thanks, Steve!
My last encounter with Paul came during a 2013 trip on the Where the Action Is! Rock & Roll Cruise, a Caribbean travel excursion organized by Concerts at Sea. He performed well but struggled noticeably here and there; his manager later disclosed to me the sad news that he had brain cancer. Paul was an unforgettable character, always having fun onstage and off. He died October 15, 2014.
One glaring omission in this story: Paul Revere and the Raiders have yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, despite scoring seven chart hits between 1965 and 1967. Paul Revere and the Raiders sold nearly 50 million records over the course of their career. They had 15 consecutive hit singles, 6 of which were top 10, four RIAA certified gold albums, one gold single ("Let Me") and one platinum single ("Indian Reservation").
The Raiders appeared on over 500 episodes of ABC's Where the Action Is. They hosted It’s Happening, Happening ’68 and Happening 69, also on ABC. They appeared on many other TV shows including Ed Sullivan, The Smothers Brothers, Hollywood Palace, and as themselves in a Batman episode "Hizzonner the Penguin", making Paul Revere and The Raiders the most televised musical group in the world.
Three Raiders songs were included in Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster 2019 movie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
According to the RRHF, "Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll." Let's hope they recognize the tremendous contribution Paul Revere and the Raiders made, and soon!
In this episode, Bill tells Red how he got started: the origins of the term "rock'n'roll"; his early success, how he managed his money, and how he kept his enthusiasm.
It’s hard to put a finger on the first Rock and Roll record but there is no doubt Bill Haley made it happen all over the world. Here was a Country and Western singer playing "Western Swing" much like the music of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. The novel part of Bill Haley's music - its rhythm - was the dominant factor that made Rock and Roll. At Bill's first session with Decca, he recorded "Rock Around the Clock" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll", which were to transform the concept of what popular music could be.
"Rock Around the Clock" was featured in a youth-oriented movie called "Blackboard Jungle" and all hell broke loose. This movie and the song "Rock Around the Clock" became the focal points of the young and gave greater thrust to the popularity of this new hybrid of music, "Rock and Roll".
In July of 1955 I had just graduated from High School and I was a young, high-voiced, rapid-patter deejay on CJOR/Vancouver. It all came together when a Decca recording landed on my desk. It was Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" and it changed music - and radio - forever.
Bill Haley arrived in Vancouver to play the first real Rock and Roll concert at the Kerrisdale Arena in June of 1956. When he arrived in Vancouver for his concert it was sheer bedlam. The show had been sold out for weeks before his arrival. I stepped out on to that stage and felt the electricity in the air immediately. I thanked Jack Cullen for asking me to MC the show and introduced Bill Haley. The screams started just after I said "And now the man you've been waiting for..."
I thought the roof was going to be ripped off by the sheer weight of the noise. While Bill Haley played through his set I waited backstage for my first interview with the man who brought it all together. He was an utter surprise to me. He was kind and friendly, he was aware of my nervousness in his presence, but made me feel comfortable instantly. We talked for about an hour, had a few photographs taken together (by renowned Vancouver photographer John McGinnis) and he vanished into the night like so many of the stars I was to meet over the years. I knew then that here was a man of significance in the history of North American music.
One of the most fascinating stories from that meeting was his almost prophetic offering to me. Bill said in the midst of the conversation, "Red, we have just about reached the end of our time in the spotlight." I could not understand this thinking; he was at the height of his career and the hits just kept on coming.
Yet, he insisted that he and the Comets were about to be overtaken by a young man from Memphis. Haley said, "Red, the next giant of Rock and Roll is going to be Elvis Presley. He's got the looks, the talent and the magic to make him very, very important in the months and years ahead."
Bill Haley was right. You know that, I know that, but in that dressing room at the Kerrisdale Arena during that hot Summer night in 1956 standing there with the world's number one Rock and Roll artist, it was hard to conceive of anyone bigger than Bill Haley and the Comets.
In this episode, Bill records two albums in Mexico; the high price of success; touring the Pacific and Europe and its effect on him and the Comets.
It’s hard to put a finger on the first Rock and Roll record but there is no doubt Bill Haley made it happen all over the world. Here was a Country and Western singer playing "Western Swing" much like the music of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. The novel part of Bill Haley's music - its rhythm - was the dominant factor that made Rock and Roll. At Bill's first session with Decca, he recorded "Rock Around the Clock" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll", which were to transform the concept of what popular music could be.
"Rock Around the Clock" was featured in a youth-oriented movie called "Blackboard Jungle" and all hell broke loose. This movie and the song "Rock Around the Clock" became the focal points of the young and gave greater thrust to the popularity of this new hybrid of music, "Rock and Roll".
In July of 1955 I had just graduated from High School and I was a young, high-voiced, rapid-patter deejay on CJOR/Vancouver. It all came together when a Decca recording landed on my desk. It was Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" and it changed music - and radio - forever.
Bill Haley arrived in Vancouver to play the first real Rock and Roll concert at the Kerrisdale Arena in June of 1956. When he arrived in Vancouver for his concert it was sheer bedlam. The show had been sold out for weeks before his arrival. I stepped out on to that stage and felt the electricity in the air immediately. I thanked Jack Cullen for asking me to MC the show and introduced Bill Haley. The screams started just after I said "And now the man you've been waiting for..."
I thought the roof was going to be ripped off by the sheer weight of the noise. While Bill Haley played through his set I waited backstage for my first interview with the man who brought it all together. He was an utter surprise to me. He was kind and friendly, he was aware of my nervousness in his presence, but made me feel comfortable instantly. We talked for about an hour, had a few photographs taken together (by renowned Vancouver photographer John McGinnis) and he vanished into the night like so many of the stars I was to meet over the years. I knew then that here was a man of significance in the history of North American music.
One of the most fascinating stories from that meeting was his almost prophetic offering to me. Bill said in the midst of the conversation, "Red, we have just about reached the end of our time in the spotlight." I could not understand this thinking; he was at the height of his career and the hits just kept on coming.
Yet, he insisted that he and the Comets were about to be overtaken by a young man from Memphis. Haley said, "Red, the next giant of Rock and Roll is going to be Elvis Presley. He's got the looks, the talent and the magic to make him very, very important in the months and years ahead."
Bill Haley was right. You know that, I know that, but in that dressing room at the Kerrisdale Arena during that hot Summer night in 1956 standing there with the world's number one Rock and Roll artist, it was hard to conceive of anyone bigger than Bill Haley and the Comets.
In this episode, Red and Bill talk about all the hits, starting with Rock Around The Clock and finishing up with the story of Crazy Man, Crazy; Bill moves into the Sixties to talk about his foray into Spanish music.
It’s hard to put a finger on the first Rock and Roll record but there is no doubt Bill Haley made it happen all over the world. Here was a Country and Western singer playing "Western Swing" much like the music of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. The novel part of Bill Haley's music - its rhythm - was the dominant factor that made Rock and Roll. At Bill's first session with Decca, he recorded "Rock Around the Clock" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll", which were to transform the concept of what popular music could be.
"Rock Around the Clock" was featured in a youth-oriented movie called "Blackboard Jungle" and all hell broke loose. This movie and the song "Rock Around the Clock" became the focal points of the young and gave greater thrust to the popularity of this new hybrid of music, "Rock and Roll".
In July of 1955 I had just graduated from High School and I was a young, high-voiced, rapid-patter deejay on CJOR/Vancouver. It all came together when a Decca recording landed on my desk. It was Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" and it changed music - and radio - forever.
Bill Haley arrived in Vancouver to play the first real Rock and Roll concert at the Kerrisdale Arena in June of 1956. When he arrived in Vancouver for his concert it was sheer bedlam. The show had been sold out for weeks before his arrival. I stepped out on to that stage and felt the electricity in the air immediately. I thanked Jack Cullen for asking me to MC the show and introduced Bill Haley. The screams started just after I said "And now the man you've been waiting for..."
I thought the roof was going to be ripped off by the sheer weight of the noise. While Bill Haley played through his set I waited backstage for my first interview with the man who brought it all together. He was an utter surprise to me. He was kind and friendly, he was aware of my nervousness in his presence, but made me feel comfortable instantly. We talked for about an hour, had a few photographs taken together (by renowned Vancouver photographer John McGinnis) and he vanished into the night like so many of the stars I was to meet over the years. I knew then that here was a man of significance in the history of North American music.
One of the most fascinating stories from that meeting was his almost prophetic offering to me. Bill said in the midst of the conversation, "Red, we have just about reached the end of our time in the spotlight." I could not understand this thinking; he was at the height of his career and the hits just kept on coming.
Yet, he insisted that he and the Comets were about to be overtaken by a young man from Memphis. Haley said, "Red, the next giant of Rock and Roll is going to be Elvis Presley. He's got the looks, the talent and the magic to make him very, very important in the months and years ahead."
Bill Haley was right. You know that, I know that, but in that dressing room at the Kerrisdale Arena during that hot Summer night in 1956 standing there with the world's number one Rock and Roll artist, it was hard to conceive of anyone bigger than Bill Haley and the Comets.
Wink Martindale's career spans six decades. His first TV series was the WHBQ-TV children’s show Wink Martindale of the Mars Patrol. As a Memphis deejay and host of the TV show Teenage Dance Party, he is credited for giving Elvis Presley his first major break. He's best known as a game show host ("Tic Tac Dough", "Trivial Pursuit") and television producer (Vancouver-based "Second Honeymoon").
Wink and I met in Nashville in 2001 at Brenda Lee's induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. When the Red Robinson Show Theatre opened in 2006, Wink and his wife Sandy were honoured guests. That same year he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Wink and Sandy joined us at Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition in 2008 for our annual Salute to Elvis. The PNE fairgoers appreciated Wink and so do I. He was kind enough to guest on my final radio show on CISL/Vancouver in 2017. He is a very special man. I recently told him "Wink, except for the outfit, you really haven't changed that much since the early days in Memphis." (Photo: Special Collections, University of Memphis Libraries)
In this interview, Wink tells Terry where he got his unusual name; the success of "Tic Tac Dough", "Gambit" and other TV game shows; his foray into the restaurant business; why he hasn't pursued an acting career; the resurgence of "standards" on radio and the "Music Of Your Life" format on KMPC as contemporary artists cover the classics; what's new in his career. Recorded in 1984 in Los Angeles.
It's the book with its own radio show, and Wink Martindale is on the phone from Los Angeles!
Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
"As Robinson smiles, Martindale says, 'Someone asked me yesterday, 'Do you ever think about retiring?’ And I think about Art Linkletter’s line and reply: 'Retire from what? Hell, I'm not tired.’
What Robinson thinks about this remark is anyone’s guess, but speculation is cut short by Red stating, 'Wink, I appreciate all of this, the great stories: that’s what radio used to be all about.'
'Yes. We used to be able to get on the air and talk like that. It didn't matter whether it took five seconds, or five minutes. We would tell a story and tie it to the music, and unfortunately these good days are gone forever.'
In this episode, Wink tells the story of his 1959 million-seller 'Deck of Cards', and working with Vancouver broadcaster Wayne Cox on a couple of TV game shows.
In this 1981 interview with Vancouver broadcaster Terry Moore, Kirk shares the secret to staying in shape; the changing role of movie actors; working with Johnny Cash; playing in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on Broadway; reflections on his early movies and comments on the Oscars.
Kirk's movie career spanned six decades. He was best knowh for Spartacus (1960), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), and Seven Days in May (1964). He is on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema. Kirk Douglas died in February 2020 at the age of 103.
In this 1981 interview with Vancouver broadcaster Terry Moore, Kirk talks about his upcoming project The Man From Snowy River; how he handles money; the perception of Hollywood as "Tinseltown"; winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom; how his background prepared him for success and his personal take on some of his fellow actors.
Kirk's movie career spanned six decades. He was best knowh for Spartacus (1960), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), and Seven Days in May (1964). He is on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema. Kirk Douglas died in February 2020 at the age of 103.
Carl recalls the early crossover success of "Blue Suede Shoes"; his 1956 car accident and subsequent recovery; the story behind Elvis' cover of "Blue Suede Shoes"; on a 1964 UK tour with Chuck Berry, Carl meets "them long-haired boys", the Beatles.
Recorded at the EXPO 86 "Legends of Rock'n'Roll" show in Vancouver in 1986. Carl was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Sun Records founder Sam Phillips in 1987. Carl Perkins died in January 1988 in Jackson, Tennessee. He was 65.
Carl visits the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios and records "Honey Don't", "Matchbox" and "Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby"; his enduring friendship with Johnny Cash; how "four old broken down rockabillies" recorded the "Class of '55" album; a chance to work with Rick Nelson is cut short by tragedy; Carl wraps up with some inspirational advice.
Recorded at the EXPO 86 "Legends of Rock'n'Roll" show in Vancouver in 1986. Carl was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Sun Records founder Sam Phillips in 1987. Carl Perkins died in January 1988 in Jackson, Tennessee. He was 65.
It's Mother's Day and I want to salute my Mom, Alice Robinson, who struggled to bring up my brother Bill and me, but never complained.
Here's a true Mother's Day story from Red Robinson: The Last Deejay (from our friends at harbourpublishing.com):
"One time, Robinson and his brother made a slingshot from an old inner tube tied to two tree trunks and an ornamental spear taken from a cemetery. When they fired the contraption, the spear shot through a wooden fence and impaled a chicken. The chicken’s owner confronted Alice shortly afterwards on her doorstep; Alice listened patiently to the allegations, declared, 'My little angels had nothing to do with it,' and hustled her boys inside. 'Then she got out the wooden spoon,' Robinson recalls."
She was a wonderful mother and she supported both of us in our careers. She even helped me with this 1994 CISL promotional spot for Mother's Day brunch at Seasons In The Park.
How can you forget a Mom like that?
Little Richard, a true rock'n'roll original, passed away this morning (5/9/2020). He was 87. This interview was recorded June 12, 1957. Little Richard was appearing at the PNE Exhibition Gardens, and I persuaded him to visit CKWX. There, Richard submitted to the interview, but it wasn’t long before he walked over to a piano sitting in the corner of the studio. He sat behind it and entertained a bunch of us for about fifteen minutes. I worked with Little Richard many times over the years. I'll always treasure my autographed copy of this Rolly Ford photo.
It's the book that talks! Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
It’s 11:11 a.m., and the second hour of Robinson’s final broadcast when Wink Martindale phones in from California. Listeners don’t know the backstory of his relationship with Robinson, but that’s not important. The only thing that matters is the sharing of stories and name-dropping that, due to their sheer volume, demonstrate how exciting life can be when one follows one’s passions, no matter how unusual they are.
O’Day’s eyes light up upon hearing Martindale’s cultivated southern accent. “It’s a joy hearing your voice again,” he says. “The last time you and I were together was at a poker game at Helen Noga’s house. She was Johnny Mathis’s manager, and he was upstairs asleep. Do you remember that?”
“I certainly do, and I remember losing,” Martindale replies. “That’s what I remember the most about that poker game.”
In this episode, Wink shares a great story about Glen Campbell working with Frank Sinatra and updates us on his game show career.
In this 1981 interview with Vancouver broadcaster Terry Moore, Charlton recalls his childhood in Illinois and Michigan; his early acting career in New York and Hollywood; the reason for his activism; working with director Cecil B. De Mille.
Charlton Heston appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. Among the most memorable: The Greatest Show on Earth (1952),The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and Planet of the Apes (1968). Charlton Heston died in April 2008. He was 84.
In this 1981 interview with Vancouver broadcaster Terry Moore, Charlton talks about his personal life; his role as a quarterback in Number One; working with son Fraser (who appears in the interview).
Charlton Heston appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. Among the most memorable: The Greatest Show on Earth (1952),The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and Planet of the Apes (1968). Charlton Heston died in April 2008. He was 84.
Gene recalls working with the Rolling Stones and George Jones; balancing career and family; a couple of great Phil Spector stories. Recorded in 1987 in Vancouver.
Gene talks about the enduring appeal of early rock'n'roll; the real story behind his first record; some of the biggest hits of his songwriting career; the background story of Town Without Pity. Recorded in 1987 in Vancouver.
Ron Townson and Florence LaRue on touring, their favourite Fifth Dimension hits, and carrying on without original members Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. Recorded at the Legends of Rock'n'Roll at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.
Ron Townson and Florence LaRue talk about the role Johnny Rivers and Jimmy Webb played in their careers and the increased popularity of softer music. Recorded at the Legends of Rock'n'Roll at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.
Fabian talks about growing up with his friends Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell in Philadelphia, his touring schedule and the pressures of the road, and his TV and movie career. Recorded at the Legends of Rock'n'Roll at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.
Here's the latest from Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
O’Day suddenly asks, “Do we have time for a Sinatra story?”
“Sure.”
O’Day leans into the microphone lovingly. “Originally, KJR in Seattle was owned by Frank Sinatra and Danny Kaye, but Sinatra had never been to the station. Now, the year is 1962, the Seattle World’s Fair is going on, and Frank Sinatra says he’s coming to Seattle to the fair and to visit his radio station.
“Well, everybody panicked because the station was so outmoded. So big money was spent. Frederick & Nelson's interior decoration department came in and installed carpets and a new kitchen, and it was just glorious, and now comes the day Frank Sinatra is supposed to visit. Everyone has their coats and ties on. There are flowers on the desks. There are little sandwiches and snacks, and the staff is waiting in breathless anticipation for his 2:00 p.m. arrival.”
We wrap up a week of Portland memories as Red reads a sponsored spot, plugs the request line, promotes an appearance by KGW's Merle Lingle and tells us about "the fastest rising club in the country today".
Here's the latest from Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.
As the final note of 'Fortune Teller’ wafts through the speakers, Robinson tells his listeners, "I remember that record. Bobby was known in Canada and I thought this was such a hit. It was recorded in Nashville, not here. We didn’t have the infrastructure then, did we, Bruce?"
'No.'
“And so I said, 'give me a copy of that’. And I sent one to you, and Pat, you played it and it charted in Seattle.”
“Yes, it did.”
“And I sent another copy to KPOI in Hawaii, to Ron Jacobs. And between the two of you, Curtola got on the charts in America.”
Also in this episode, Pat recalls a great story about "Wooly Bully" and the guys reminisce about one of Bruce's favourites, a one-hit wonder by the Redwoods.
Sad to hear of the death of British-born singer Ian Whitcomb at 78 in Los Angeles on Sunday (4/19/2020). You might remember Ian's only Top 10 single, "You Turn Me On", produced by old friend Jerry Dennon.
Ian Whitcomb defied the "one hit wonder" stereotype. An erudite Brit with a love of vaudeville and an accomplished author, he talks about working with Mae West and his love for the music of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran and the roots of rock'n'roll. As Ian says, "That, to me, was like being around when the Bible was being written..."
This interview was recorded at the Legends Of Rock’n’Roll show at EXPO 86. Ian was a special guest at the Donovan concert along with Peter Noone, Billy J. Kramer and Spencer Davis.
Dinah Washington came to Vancouver in 1961 to appear at the Cave Theatre Restaurant. She had the air of a major movie star and loved to flash her expensive jewelry. Cave owner Ken Stauffer and I showed up at Vancouver International Airport for what was probably my most difficult interview. I don't know what was bothering her that day, but you can hear the result for yourself! She went on to do a series of great shows at the Cave. A temperamental star, but there is no questioning her amazing talent.
Here's another excerpt from Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"Robinson’s internal clock hits zero, coinciding with the digital readout on the glass wall facing them. 'Hey, this is the Red Rock Diner, it’s the final show. My guests, Bruce Allen and Pat O’Day; I'm so happy to have them here. Coming up: Roy Orbison, after this break.'"
In this episode, Red talks about his friendship with Roy Orbison and Roy's life, Bruce salutes rock pioneer Dion DiMucci.
Kelly is the late Fred Latremouille's younger brother. We worked together at Rogers Media's FUN-FM and he's now doing mornings at Stingray's 104.3 The Breeze, Kelly called me to wish me a happy birthday, and if you missed it "live" here's the call. Thanks Kelly!
Here's another excerpt from Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
"But as soon as he enters his studio and sees O’Day and Allen glance up at him, the wave of emotion settles. He’s back in his element with two old pros.
Immediately they launch into the next talk segment, on the heels of Roy Hamilton’s 'You Can Have Her' and Elvis Presley’s 'Don’t Be Cruel'. “Perfect,” Robinson intones as the last note of the Elvis song is piped through the speakers. “Bruce, I threw in Elvis because you and I and Pat worked with him. I know you booked him across the country; did you ever spend any time with him?”
In this episode, Bruce and Pat remember Elvis, the guys talk about "race music", Pat tells us about Elvis' health issues, Bruce on Colonel Parker's role in Elvis' career.
I can't believe it's been five years since Vancouver radio legend Fred Latremouille left us way too early on March 5, 2015.
When Fred and partner Cathy Baldazzi signed off their KISS-FM show in April 2000 I had a chance to celebrate with them on my CISL morning show. Miss you Freddie!
"On the hot summer morning of August 24th, 2017, 62 years and nine months after he first leaned into a radio station microphone and spoke to British Columbians as a bona fide deejay, Red Robinson is about to become unemployed – again.
But if losing Red Rock Diner, his six-year old show on CISL, weighs heavily on him, he keeps it to himself as he drives to the Richmond station one last time from his home in Vancouver, with wife Carole in the back seat and Seattle deejay Pat O’Day beside him. The glass and metal clutter of downtown recedes in his rear view mirror as he crosses the Oak Street Bridge onto Highway 99, and he keeps the conversation breezy, tells jokes, and occasionally swears at tailgaters."
In this episode, Red and Bruce Allen reminisce about one of Elvis' favourite artists, the late Roy Hamilton.
Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now in paperback and ebook from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com
Canadian rockabilly legend Jack Scott has died from congestive heart failure in suburban Detroit. He was 84 years old.
According to old radio buddy Warren Cosford, between June of 1958 and November of 1961, Jack Scott had 19 records on the Billboard charts. Eight of the 12 songs on his first LP became hit singles. Only Justin Bieber has done as well.
This interview was recorded in 1986 at The Legends Of Rock'nRoll show at EXPO 86. Jack had never played Vancouver before, as airline travel was rare in those days and it was simply easier to stick to his home in Windsor.
Despite his hits, Jack's career suffered from poor management and he changed record labels frequently.
Jack was a guest performer at Brenda Lee's induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in 2001. I was at the show and I was surprised to bump into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame president Terry Stewart. He told me he'd come from Cleveland just to see Jack Scott perform. He was a huge fan!
Jack Scott was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. Enjoy the interview, and please take some time to enjoy the sound of a true rock pioneer. RIP Jack!
Robinson, O’Day, and Allen banter as they consult their music sheets (each have selected their own songs to be played over the next several hours). At 10:25, Factora gives them the go ahead, and through the speakers an announcer introduces Robinson, followed by the first few bars of `Rebel Rouser’ by Duane Eddy. Effortlessly, Robinson chimes in;
“Hey, my favourite theme over the years: `Rebel Rouser’ with Dwayne Eddy, and that’s what I was: a rebel rouser. But it didn’t matter, I was doing what I loved. And here we are, the final show on this Sunday, and I have two very special guests here: Pat O’Day, who used to be the program director of KJR in Seattle, and we exchanged a lot of things over the years….”
“Had a lot of fun,” O’Day interjects. “And a lot of mutual respect.”
“That’s true, very much so.”
O’Day shoots his old friend a cocked eyebrow. “You tried to make inroads into my audience in Seattle, and I resented that, but forgave you.”
Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now in paperback and ebook from friesenpress.com and chaptersindigo.ca
Listen to a medley of classic CFUN jingles as your favorite jocks tell the 1410 story... all the way from Big Daddy to the return of Daryl B and the Fun Sticker!
Special thanks to Ted Wendland and Mike Cleaver for the interview material. Dedicated to the memory of Fred Latremouille.
Red Robinson, Ed Karl, Roy Hennessy, Doc Harris, John Tanner, Terry David Mulligan, Chuck McCoy and Tom Jeffries remember the great radio that came out of 1900 West 4th Avenue. Host: Stu Ferguson. Recorded October 9, 2019
On August 31 1957, Vancouver hosted the appearance of the King of Rock'n'Roll, Elvis Presley. The concert had been anticipated with great fanfare. For the first time in history, a performer was appearing in a venue that would hold 25,000 people, Empire Stadium. Up to this point in music history no one would have dreamed that a performer could command this much attention from the public. Elvis' first tour of the U.S. and Canada was unprecedented.
More than 26,000 tickets were sold for the event. Presley arrived in Vancouver by train as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, did not want Elvis to fly. The train arrived in the morning at the Great Northern railway station, catching the media off guard as they had anticipated he would be arriving by plane. He was then driven by limousine to the Georgia Hotel where he took over an entire floor. I spent part of the afternoon with Elvis in his room, and then later that day at Empire Stadium during the press conference and afterward in his dressing room. We waited together in the room while the warmup acts performed on stage.
At 8 p.m. I left him to go to the stage at the north end of Empire Stadium to make the announcement of his appearance. He drove out of the area used to house the BC Lions' football equipment in a Cadillac and circled the stadium before arriving at the backstage area. Elvis performed for only 25 minutes. He sang many of his hits including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", and "Hound Dog". As the crowd grew more alarming, Presley was ordered by his manager to wrap up the show and depart in his Cadillac, now parked conveniently behind the stage.
The Vancouver Sun's John Kirkwood was less than enthusiastic:
"It was like watching a demented army swarm down the hillside to do battle in the plain when those frenzied teen-agers stormed the field. Elvis and his music played a small part in the dizzy circus. The big show was provided by Vancouver teen-agers, transformed into writhing, frenzied idiots of delight by the savage jungle beat music. With something over 16,000 at the stadium, it was billed as the largest theatrical entertainment in western Canada. Don't kid yourself. This was not entertainment. Not when children as young as nine, 10 years, glaze their eyes, unhinge their hips and fling themselves into wild orgies of lunatic ecstasy.""
After his departure from Empire Stadium he retired to his hotel room where he stayed overnight. He left town the following morning and continued with his tour. Elvis only performed once outside the U.S. - two April dates in Ottawa and Toronto, and the August 31 appearance in Vancouver. The memories live on.
Originally released on Jerden Records.
Two years after their 1964 Vancouver and Seattle appearances, the Fab Four returned to the Pacific Northwest for two shows at the Seattle Coliseum. The press conference was held at the Edgewater Inn before the afternoon show. For me, the highlight was a series of questions (at 4:37) from C-FUN's "Jolly" John Tanner - dressed as the Jolly Green Giant! Enjoy this recording, originally released on Jerden Records.
It's the 56th anniversary of the Beatles' August 22, 1964,appearance at Vancouver's Empire Stadium
The late Jack Wasserman covered the event for the Vancouver Sun: "The Beatles were on stage for a total of 29 minutes and 12 seconds. It took 35 minutes for the welcoming scream to die down enough for them to start. At one point Red Robinson, the local radio personality, who M.C.'d, had to go on stage and tell the crowd to stop pressing forward. John Lennon snarled at him, 'Don't ever get on our stage again!'"
People still ask me, "What did John Lennon say to you on stage at the Empire Stadium Beatles' performance?"
Brian Epstein asked me to step on stage during their act because of the mad scene in front of the stage. On his directions, the show was momentarily stopped. When I appeared at the edge of the stage, Paul McCartney waved me off — he thought that I thought the show was over. When I arrived at the stage left microphone, near John Lennon, he said, "Get the f**k off our stage — no one has ever interrupted a Beatles performance." I explained that their Manager asked me to interrupt the show and he said, "Oh, why?" I explained to him that quite a commotion was going on.
He said, "Fine, but it's so unusual. No one has ever done this before. There has never been a need." At that point the show was stopped, things brought to reasonable order and the performance continued. Let me explain why John couldn't tell what was going on. Any entertainer can tell you that when on stage during a performance, the bright lights in front do not allow an artist to see more than a few feet. The Beatles could not see anyone in the audience while the stadium lights were out. All they could see in front of them was a dark black screen, caused from the effect of the glaring stage lights. Lennon and the others smiled when they left and Paul said, "Quite a night, Red", as they tore off stage to leave the stadium, so I doubt if there were any hard feelings about the situation — just some misunderstandings.
Enjoy this recording, originally released on Jerden Records.
56 years ago today, on August 22, 1964, the Beatles held a press conference before their show at Vancouver's Empire Stadium.
Maclean's magazine reviewed the event:
"The Beatles press conference has become as memorable an institution as President Roosevelt's fireside chats, and at the Vancouver session, Paul, John, George and Ringo were at their flippant best. Eighty-nine newsmen crowded into a room designed for forty, including the traveling Beatles experts from the Liverpool Echo and London Daily Mirror, the CBC's Royal Tour expert, several writers from the U.S. and Eastern Canada, a score or so of electronic journalists and Disc Jockeys, five reporters from Victoria — the empire's last anti-Beatle outpost and a thirteen year old Beatlemaniac named Susan Lomax whom The Sun sent along to get the youthful viewpoint.
All of them were aware that the craze has now reached the stage where the press needs The Beatles much more then the Beatles need the press, and all of them were charmed by their now-familiar Liverpudlian cockiness. When a reporter asked how the boys felt "now that Britannia rules the airwaves," Paul McCartney jeered: "Oo, you worked that one out, didn't you!" Asked about the customs delay, John Lennon replied, "We had to be deloused."
Most disarming of all was the Beatles’ cheerful admission that, when nubile young girls throw themselves at their feet, they have no compunction about picking them up. (Question: “What is the most unusual request you've had from your fans?” Lennon’s leering answer: “Well, I wouldn't like to say.”)
Enjoy this recording, originally released on Jerden Records.
Tim Conway died this morning (5/14) in a Los Angeles care facility after a long illness. He was 85. Tim won four Emmy Awards on Carol Burnett's TV variety show, starred aboard "McHale's Navy" and later voiced the role of Barnacle Boy for "Spongebob Squarepants". I interviewed Tim for my CISL morning show in 2011 and he was in fine form. Join me as we celebrate a true comic genius. RIP Tim Conway!
In 1956 and early 1957 two "Show of Stars" presentations came to Vancouver. The first was an all-Black show in the sense that the stars were basically Rhythm and Blues stars and not mixed up with white Rock and Roll, except that now that Rock and Roll music was acceptable to everyone they were packaged together to perform for a mixed audience. On the first "Show of Stars" the line-up included Bill Doggett, The Five Satins, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cooley, Laverne Baker and Clyde McPhatter.
Of the group of stars the one that impressed me the most musically was Chuck Berry, but next to him, the friendly and shy Clyde McPhatter. Clyde formed a new singing group with singers from many groups that had drifted together in 1953. They called the group "The Drifters" for this very reason. Their first hit was a Jesse Stone classic called "Money Honey". Clyde wrote the deliciously controversial "Honey Love", which was a big hit for the group in those early days.
Clyde went out on his own after coming out of the service and had a few hits such as "A Lover's Question" in 1958. The Drifters went through a series of lead singers including Bobby Hendricks, Ben E. King and others. The group became one of the legendary singing organizations in the history of contemporary music. Clyde McPhatter died of a heart attack in 1972. He was just forty-one at the time.
Out of this show grew my admiration for the true roots of Rock and Roll. I could appreciate Bill Haley and the Comets and Elvis Presley, but after this dynamite show I realized where it had all begun. The black man had given us jazz and had now spun out his newest offering... and it was taking the world by storm.
We lost Joe Terry yesterday (4/15/2019) at 78, Joe was a founding member of Danny & the Juniors, who recorded the late-50's classic dance hits 'At the Hop’ and 'Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay'.
Joe and the group came to Vancouver in 1986 for the Legends of Rock'n'Roll at EXPO 86 and we sat down together for this interview. Enjoy!
Recorded February 15, 2019 at Hearts, Horses & Hope, Elements Casino, Surrey, BC. Part 1 of 4.
Recorded February 15, 2019 at Hearts, Horses & Hope, Elements Casino, Surrey, BC. Part 2 of 4.
Recorded February 15, 2019 at Hearts, Horses & Hope, Elements Casino, Surrey, BC. Part 3 of 4.
Recorded February 15, 2019 at Hearts, Horses & Hope, Elements Casino, Surrey, BC. Part 4 of 4.
If you watched WB's Looney Tunes cartoons it was hard to miss Mel Blanc. Mel was the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Tweety and Sylvester, Pepe Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales and many more.
We share a common background: we both worked at Portland's KGW, Mel in 1927 and me in 1959. Mel was a guest on my CISL morning show in 1980. He was promoting his stage show Bugs Bunny Meets The Super-Heroes. We talked about his career and he entertained us with a medley of those classic cartoon voices.
Mel Blanc, The Man of 1000 Voices, died in 1989. I love the inscription on Mel's grave marker: "That's All Folks"!
Did you know Bobby Darin started his career as a songwriter for Connie Francis? He recorded his first million-selling single, "Splish Splash", in 1958, followed by "Dream Lover" and "Mack the Knife" in 1959 and "Beyond the Sea" in 1960. Bobby and I met in 1959 while I was a deejay at KGW/Portland. He came by to promote his upcoming show. I handed Bobby the mike and let him play deejay. This man was a solid entertainer.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this, My real name is Robert but I changed it in high school so the kids in my class wouldn't know it was me. How close can you get? Thanks to Terry Beatty for permission to reprint panels from his Rex Morgan, MD comic strip... and to Don Everly for helping out way back in 1957!
My friend Terry Moore passed away in Victoria yesterday. We have lost one of the radio greats. We worked together at CKWX where he hosted a talk show. Terry interviewed Kirk Douglas, George Burns, and so many other stars, and he truly loved to work. He was still on the air at C-FAX/Victoria at 82! He was so versatile as a performer and we both admired Mario Lanza. He was a truly shy man in many respects but stepped up when the occasion called for it. Terry Moore was a singer, an impersonator, a great cook, and a wonderful and caring husband. He will be missed. Here's one of my favourite interviews with Terry Moore, on C-FAX in January 2003
It's the end of an era in Chicago as radio veteran Dick Biondi and WLS-FM part ways. Chicago is going to miss him. He was a major radio performer, a great deejay and a solid human being. The airwaves are losing a legend. What a career! From WKBW/Buffalo in 1958, WLS in 1960 and KRLA/Los Angeles in 1964-65... all the way to his return to Chicago in 1984 to WJMK and back to WLS-FM in 2006. Dick and I were among a group of pioneer deejays honoured by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. We got to know each other in 2002 in Memphis during Elvis Week where he broadcast from the grounds of Graceland. Enjoy this Dick Biondi interview, from a project called Knights Of The Turntable.
Can't believe it's been three years since Fred Latremouille died. One of the greats in Vancouver radio and TV and a true talent. Miss you Fred! Couldn't say it better than this item from redrobinson.com posted just after his death at 69:
"Years ago when I was Program Director at C-FUN someone asked me about Fred Latremouille. My response was “Once in a lifetime someone comes along with great talent, great looks and an all round professional who could do just about everything. But why did he have to come along in my lifetime?” It was a joke because Fred and I were friends and I could get away with it.
Carole and I returned from Palm Springs Thursday night to hundreds of emails with the news that Fred had died. It was a shock… and yet in a way it wasn’t. Fred emailed 10 days before we took off for the desert that he had bad news from his doctor. His liver was damaged and he would have to stop drinking wine or pay the ultimate price. In typical Fred fashion he concluded the email by saying, “But I love my wine!” That last sentence was scary. The habit started years ago when he suffered from various ailments related to his early cancer radiation. It eventually prevented him from playing golf as the post-radiation affected his bones. He never gave up swimming and made a habit of going every day.
When Fred was first diagnosed with cancer, he must have been in his early 20’s. My late son Jeff and I would visit him at his mother’s home in West Vancouver. Fred never forgot the visits. He really took a liking to Jeff and always asked about him.
In the early 60’s Fred and I co-hosted CBC‘s national TV show Let’s Go. It was a great opportunity for the two of us to work together, and we became friends with many on the show including Terry and Susan Jacks, Howie Vickers, Miles Ramsay and so many great and talented people.
In 1993 I decided to do morning radio again, this time on CISL. By that time AM was losing music listeners to FM. Fred was a great competitor on KISS FM and by then he was the number one radio personality in the city.
One of Fred’s closest friends was Wayne Cox, and when Wayne heard that Fred was slipping away he flew to Arizona to spend time with his ailing friend and to support Fred’s wife Cathy. Now that is a true friend and Wayne is that kind of a guy. I have never met anyone so sincere. A great guy.
Many images have appeared in my mind since the news hit me yesterday. Pictures of the C-FUN Good Guys, our time together on Let’s Go and the good times we shared in Hawaii. I will cherish his memory for the rest of my life.
I especially liked this tribute from another Vancouver radio legend, Doc Harris:
“Here was a guy with a mind so huge he did it all out of his head. The rest of us lugged in notebooks, scraps of paper, and scrawls on napkins to keep our ideas in front of us. Fred stored all his stuff in his frontal lobes. He was also the most charming man you ever met, unless you were in management and incompetent (and too thick to know you were seriously outgunned). I always enjoyed working and playing with him, because you knew whatever happened it would be entertaining. The worst thing about this: his health problems were a result of primitive medical treatment he received decades ago. Gonna miss ya, Freddie. You were always a ray of sunshine when things got dark.”
Fred Latremouille was truly… one of life’s Good Guys."
It happened sixty years ago today! On October 23, 1957 Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, Paul Anka, Buddy Knox, the Drifters, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and Jimmy Bowen and the Rhythm Orchids come to Vancouver's Georgia Auditorium for the Biggest Show of Stars. I was the show MC and spent time interviewing many of these rock'n'roll pioneers. Return with me to the halcyon days of rock'n'roll and let's talk to some of the biggest musical stars of the era!
I became friends with Johnny Cash in 1959 when I worked at KGW and he appeared at Portland’s Division Street Corral. After returning to Vancouver I brought him into CKWX for an on air interview. This continued for years. I can’t remember how many times I was emcee for his shows. He was always a warm man and treated everyone like we mattered.
Johnny sold more than 90 million records worldwide. You’ll remember some of his biggest hits: “I Walk the Line”, “Ring of Fire” and “A Boy Named Sue”. Johnny died in 2003 aged 71, but his legacy lives on to this day. The Johnny Cash Heritage Festival will be held in Dyess, Arkansas (where his family settled when he was 3) this week (October 19–21).
Enjoy this 1959 backstage interview from Portland's Division Street Corral.
I became friends with Johnny Cash in 1959 when I worked at KGW and he appeared at Portland's Division Street Corral. After returning to Vancouver I brought him into CKWX for an on air interview. This continued for years. I can't remember how many times I was emcee for his shows. He was always a warm man and treated everyone like we mattered.
Johnny Cash sold more than 90 million records worldwide. You'll remember some of his biggest hits: "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire" and "A Boy Named Sue". Johnny died in 2003 aged 71 but his legacy lives on to this day. The Johnny Cash Heritage Festival will be held in Dyess, Arkansas (where his family settled when he was 3) this week (October 19–21). Details at http://johnnycashheritagefestival.com/
August 22, 1964... 53 years ago on this date, the Beatles appeared at Vancouver's Empire Stadium for their first Canadian concert. I was the MC and it was my job to settle the 20,000 screaming fans down so I could introduce the Beatles. In this 1989 demo for Western International Communications/CKNW you'll hear concert audio, musical snippets and my memories... including the moment John Lennon told me to "Get the **** off our stage!" Enjoy this piece of musical history!
A celebration of the life of Elvis Presley is going on in Memphis this week. I was the emcee for Elvis Week in Memphis for five years, and had the pleasure of being emcee for his Vancouver appearance in August 1957. This is the 40th anniversary of his death. Over the years I became friends with some of his friends including Joe Esposito, who sadly died earlier this year. Here is a small excerpt from my salute to Elvis 20 years ago. What special cherished memories. (Copyright 1997 Drew Marketing)
Hearing that one of my favourite performers had died shook me. I knew Glen Campbell had dementia and it would eventually take his life, but the reality of his passing hit me hard. Here is one of the most talented performers ever. He was a much in-demand session player, admired by his peers and a genuinely nice person. I did many interviews with Glen over the years and the last time was at Vancouver's PNE where he appeared with his daughter. You could see that he was struggling but he presented his show like the professional he was. I miss him greatly.
Hearing that one of my favourite performers had died shook me. I knew Glen Campbell had dementia and it would eventually take his life, but the reality of his passing hit me hard. Here is one of the most talented performers ever. He was a much in-demand session player, admired by his peers and a genuinely nice person. I did many interviews with Glen over the years and the last time was at Vancouver's PNE where he appeared with his daughter. You could see that he was struggling but he presented his show like the professional he was. I miss him greatly.
My friend and entertainment industry legend Bruce Allen has accepted my invitation to join Pat O'Day and me on the Red Rock Diner finale Sunday, August 27 from 12-4pm on 650 CISL!
Bruce and I go way back: he was an 11-year old kid in the audience when I presented Bill Haley and The Comets at Vancouver's Kerrisdale Arena in 1956! He's been a true friend over the decades, but he tells me he's had enough of me retiring!
We recorded these promos in his Vancouver office yesterday. Just for "fun" I've included a finger-snapping classic C-FUN jingle from the "Go-Go" era in 1966.
Bruce Allen, Pat O'Day and the music we love... a once-in-a lifetime event you won't want to miss. Sunday, August 27 from 12-4 pm on 650 CISL! Streaming worldwide at http://player.cisl650.com/CISLAM
I'm thrilled to announce that old friend and legendary KJR/Seattle jock Pat O'Day will be my guest on the final Red Rock Diner show Sunday, August 27 from 12-4pm on 650 CISL! Join me won't you? Pat and I had a lot of fun together over the years, and we had more fun yesterday in beautiful Friday Harbor recording these promos for the show. Bonus: a couple of those unforgettable KJR jingles so we can all sing along. Enjoy!
Jimmy Wakely was one of the last "singing cowboys". According to Wikipedia, "he released records, appeared in several B-Western movies with most of the major studios, appeared on radio and television and even had his own series of comic books." In 1958 he had his own CBS Radio show based in Los Angeles, and his guest this night was a young up-and-coming Vancouver deejay.
Sir Roger Moore replaced Sean Connery when he tired of the James Bond series. Roger had been very successful on British television with a couple of highly rated series including "Ivanhoe" and "The Saint". He played the British secret agent in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985.
Roger became an ambassador for the United Nations which brought him to Vancouver in the late 90's. I took my trusty tape recorder and a camera person with me and interviewed this charming English gentleman. And that's what he was.
In 1959 "Big Daddy" Dave McCormick was hosting the Hi Fi Club, a syndicated radio show, on C-FUN. The producers would send the package but the local deejay would run the contests, read the commercials and follow the scripts supplied. Dave’s show became so popular station management suggested he take over programming, and Dave took C-FUN to its very first Top 40 format. Dave was creative and went up against established CKWX and won the ratings battle. He was inventive, promotion minded and saw the future. He knew what the kids wanted and delivered with great deejays and music. Dave hired Frosty Forst, Jerry Landa, Brian Lord, Andy Laughland and Al Jordan and called them the Good Guys. He was the first in North America to use this phrase.
When I returned from working in the US in 1961, I returned to CKWX but times had changed and C-FUN was now King of the Hill. When Dave quit C-FUN in 1962 to take a job in California radio, we worked together on the transition. We both introduced C-FUN's top 50 songs of the week on a 4 hour radio show. Dave returned in later years to CFMI with his new show and a feature he called Discumentary.
Dave McCormick passed away yesterday and the radio people who knew him loved him as listeners over the decades will long remember his gifts to Vancouver radio. We all will miss him. Rest in Peace old friend.
Back in December 2009 I wrote about this painting on redrobinson.com.
"The timing couldn’t be better for the genius of Bruce Stewart to strike again with this brand new “fantasy” painting of Dave McCormick and the original C-FUN deejays. Bruce has the ability to capture the essence of an era. This period at C-FUN was the first fling at Top 40 that was totally driven by Dave. He left in early 1962 and that is when I joined the illustrious group. Brian “Baby Blue” Lord left at the same time.
For more on C-FUN, visit Jim Bower’s FUN-tastic site Vancouver Top 40 Radio http://www.vancouvertop40radio.com/. Jim was kind enough to pass along Bruce’s note:
'Late evening – summer of 1961. I, as a boy of almost fifteen, in hospital for a small procedure, but bed-bound for almost two weeks. Nothing to do but count the holes in the acoustic ceiling tiles, over and over — and listen to C-FUN, when Roy the Boy was ‘Crying’, and Paul Anka was ‘Kissing on the Phone’… all I could think of was the hot days and how they were passing me by, outside my window.
And that imaginary summer view inside another window: the ‘Control Room’ and the board, where mischief was afoot, with Big Daddy at the controls, the Good Guys providing backup, awaiting their turn at the mike, taking requests, spinning the disks and weaving the magic! A fantasy image of what the listener (me) imagined just what the DJ board at C-FUN might look like amid the chaos of a Summer Soundathon week — if radio had pictures! Only in the mind’s eye of a listener, out there, everywhere around a place called Funland!
In the late 60s, when I was working summers at UBC, I did an illustration for a dual Ampex tape deck module (reel to reel) commissioned by Stan Davis, whose company Broadcast Technical Services produced the module. Long after, I learned that Stan (now sadly passed) designed and built the technical end of C-FUN in the early 60s. I guess he was my inspiration for this piece, although a lot of my ‘technical’ input was made up — part of my ‘imagining’ concept. It IS a change from the other illustrations on the Vancouver Top 40 site, however! I kept adding more and more ‘stuff’, until it became a bit of a MAD magazine piece with subplots abounding... cats keeping the mice population down, and Frosty passing a chipped 45 to a harried and overworked Dave!'”
Don Everly turns 80 tomorrow (2/1/17). I have known Don and his late brother Phil since 1957 when we first met at The Biggest Show of Stars in Vancouver.
Their harmony was second to none and the Beatles admired them. As a matter of fact it took Paul McCartney to bring them together for a reunion at the Royal Albert Hall. Paul wrote their last major charted hit On The Wings Of A Nightingale.
True icons in the music world and now the last man standing is Don Everly.
We talked many times over the years. As we salute Don on his 80th, here's an interview from November 1966, taped at C-FUN/Vancouver when the Everlys appeared at Isy's Supper Club.
Don Everly turns 80 tomorrow (2/1/17). I have known Don and his late brother Phil since 1957 when we first met at The Biggest Show of Stars in Vancouver.
Their harmony was second to none and the Beatles admired them. As a matter of fact it took Paul McCartney to bring them together for a reunion at the Royal Albert Hall. Paul wrote their last major charted hit On The Wings Of A Nightingale.
True icons in the music world and now the last man standing is Don Everly.
We talked many times over the years. As we salute Don on his 80th, here's an interview from November 1966, taped at C-FUN/Vancouver when the Everlys appeared at Isy's Supper Club.
Don Everly turns 80 tomorrow (2/1/17). I have known Don and his late brother Phil since 1957 when we first met at The Biggest Show of Stars in Vancouver.
Their harmony was second to none and the Beatles admired them. As a matter of fact it took Paul McCartney to bring them together for a reunion at the Royal Albert Hall. Paul wrote their last major charted hit On The Wings Of A Nightingale.
True icons in the music world and now the last man standing is Don Everly.
We talked many times over the years. As we salute Don on his 80th, here's an interview from November 1966, taped at C-FUN/Vancouver when the Everlys appeared at Isy's Supper Club.
The Teen Canteen was a name I used for my radio show when I moved from CJOR to CKWX in 1957. The CJOR show was called Theme for Teens and they owned the name so I changed it. When the Biggest Show of Stars came to Vancouver I took my trusty tape recorder and a professional photographer down to the Georgia or Denman Auditoriums. I would go on stage and introduce one of the acts and then rush backstage to conduct interviews. By the time I moved to Portland in 1959, I had 50,000 members with cards good for discounts at various retailers.
This photo of Rick Nelson and me was taken in his car when I worked at KGW in Portland, OR in 1959. Notice the tape recorder. It was called a Mohawk, and like the haircut of the same name, it cut out the interview. When I got back to the station there was nothing on the tape. The same thing happened in 1958 backstage at the PNE Forum, no sound. It wasn’t until 1976 when he returned to Vancouver for a concert at the PNE Star Spectacular that I was able to get an interview. I showed Rick the picture and we had a laugh about my bad luck.
Rick was the first teenage idol, and there is no doubt about that, but in those early days in the 50’s he had no stage presence. He would sing a song and then take a drink of Coca-Cola. Having seen the dynamic Elvis on stage at Empire Stadium, the audience booed him. He didn’t deserve to be booed. He was a great guy and one of the early rockers who really could rock and roll. He was a very quiet man. Many people said if James Dean could sing, he would have sounded like Rick.
I had booked Rick for the Legends Of Rock'n'Roll show at Expo 86, but sadly he was killed in a plane crash near Dallas on December 31, 1985. Rick Nelson was 45.
This photo of Rick Nelson and me was taken in his car when I worked at KGW in Portland, OR in 1959. Notice the tape recorder. It was called a Mohawk, and like the haircut of the same name, it cut out the interview. When I got back to the station there was nothing on the tape. The same thing happened in 1958 backstage at the PNE Forum, no sound. It wasn’t until 1976 when he returned to Vancouver for a concert at the PNE Star Spectacular that I was able to get an interview. I showed Rick the picture and we had a laugh about my bad luck.
Rick was the first teenage idol, and there is no doubt about that, but in those early days in the 50’s he had no stage presence. He would sing a song and then take a drink of Coca-Cola. Having seen the dynamic Elvis on stage at Empire Stadium, the audience booed him. He didn’t deserve to be booed. He was a great guy and one of the early rockers who really could rock and roll. He was a very quiet man. Many people said if James Dean could sing, he would have sounded like Rick.
I had booked Rick for the Legends Of Rock'n'Roll show at Expo 86, but sadly he was killed in a plane crash near Dallas on December 31, 1985. Rick Nelson was 45.
Within days recently two iconic artists passed away, and they were related to each other. Debbie Reynolds was 84 and her daughter Carrie Fisher was 60. Carrie was best known as Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies. Debbie was a major Hollywood actress at 19, just like Carrie! She starred in many musicals including Singing In The Rain with Gene Kelly.
I met the engaging Debbie during a November 1989 appearance at Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre. She was here promoting her show The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and she had much to say about the Hollywood system of yore and her relationship with her kids.
Kay Starr was 94 when she passed last week. She began her singing career in the Big Band era and went solo when she joined Capitol Records. She was a terrific singer and had some major hits: "Wheel Of Fortune" and "Rock And Roll Waltz". I met Kay when she came to Vancouver in late 1982. I introduced her when she performed with Frankie Laine and The Four Aces for a fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Kay Starr was one of my favorite singers. I will miss her distinctive voice.
CKNW's Jon McComb with Red and Red Robinson: The Last Deejay author Robin Brunet. Red talks about his start in radio and the influence of a new sensation - rock'n'roll.
Red talks to author Robin Brunet about his new book "Red Robinson: The Last Deejay" coming October 21 from Harbour House. The book details the life and career of one of Canada's most celebrated pioneers of rock and roll. "Red Robinson: The Last Deejay" recalls the highs, hurdles and triumphs of a celebrated time in rock and roll history, presented by the man who dug into the guts, glory and glitz that only a champion of the frontlines of music really can.
Where did they learn to play guitar? Recorded at The Biggest Show of Stars in Vancouver.
Terry tells Red about some of his influences. Recorded at the Red Robinson Show Theatre.
Career highlights; why she loves Australia; thoughts on making a career in music today. Recorded at the Red Robinson Show Theatre, 2007
Martha talks about her early career at Motown Records. Recorded at the Georgian Court Hotel, Vancouver
Merrilee tells Red about her first hit "Angel Of The Morning". Recorded at EXPO 86, Vancouver
Lou tells Red the stories behind "Lightning Strikes", "Rhapsody In The Rain" and "Two Faces Have I". Recorded at EXPO 86, Vancouver.
The group's Leon Hughes talks about their humorous approach to making music. Recorded at EXPO 86, Vancouver
Tommy talks about the success of his first hit "Sheila". Recorded at EXPO 86, Vancouver
Bobby talks about Buddy Holly's influence on his music. Recorded at EXPO 86 in Vancouver
Herman's Hermits lead singer Peter Noone recalls his early career. Recorded at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.
Donovan talks about being compared to Bob Dylan, the folk music connection between the US and Britain, the unique nature of his music, and his impact on his audience. Recorded at the Legends of Rock'n'Roll show at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.
Johnny talks about his own label and his success with the Fifth Dimension; the story behind "Poor Side Of Town". Recorded at EXPO 86, Vancouver
Donnie tells Red about his hits, the success of "Mission Bell" and the original idea for his name; Red and Donnie reminisce about touring with Dorsey and Johnny Burnette. Recorded at EXPO 86 in Vancouver.
Bobby talks about filling in for Buddy Holly after Buddy's tragic death in February 1959.
Frankie tells Red how he got started; the story behind his early hits. Recorded at EXPO 86.
Joe tells Red how Danny and the Juniors ("At The Hop", "Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay") got their start. Recorded at EXPO 86, Vancouver
Johnny remembers Archie Bleyer, the genius behind Cadence Records; his country roots. Recorded at EXPO 86, Vancouver
Johnny and Red talk about the "Class Of 55" album; Johnny's son John Carter Cash; his love of collecting memorabilia
Charlie talks about his musical influences. Recorded at the Purple Steer/Vancouver, June 1970
Liberty recording star Gene McDaniels arrived on the scene in 1961. His dynamic voice and soul were reminiscent of the late Sam Cooke. His first hit "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" was controversial and was banned from British radio. The song was simply a story about God making man and woman from clay. The British apparently found something wrong with the concept.
Gene was part of the gap that filled the period leading up to The Beatles. His other hits include "Tower Of Strength", "Chip Chip", "Point Of No Return", "Spanish Lace" and "It's A Lonely Town". These songs were written by some of America’s best including Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Gerry Goffin and Carole King and Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.
In early 1962 Gene was in Vancouver for a date at Isy's Supper Club. He was kind enough to drop by my CKWX Platter Party for a chat, and we talked about his music and some of his influences in this expanded interview on Red Robinson's Legends: Gene McDaniels.
Paul tells Red how he got his start. Recorded in Vancouver at The Show Of Stars, October 1957.
Back when rock was young I had the pleasure of being the MC for The Show of Stars at Vancouver’s Georgia Auditorium on October 23, 1957. The all-star cast included Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Frankie Avalon, George Hamilton IV, Buddy Knox, The Everly Brothers, Paul Anka and Eddie Cochran. All this for three bucks!
Typical of the anti-rock attitude of the day, The Vancouver Sun’s Alan Hope wrote: “What the audience lacked in mobility they made up for in rapt attention. Occasionally the jungle beat caught them and they strained forward, hands clapping.”
Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen called their band The Rhythm Orchids. Buddy had the first rock and roll million-seller with Party Doll. He went on to record and sell millions of records. Jimmy Bowen switched from performing to become a very successful record producer. Here we are in this time capsule, young and positive. Oh, the memories!
In praise of the piano; where he got the name. Recorded at CKWX /Vancouver studios, 1957
Ernie Freeman came to Vancouver in 1956 as bandleader and arranger with the first "Show Of Stars". I chatted with Ernie backstage, we talked about rock'n'roll and I learned the meaning of the word "zeitgeist"!
Ernie released "Jivin' Around" in 1956 and he appeared in Columbia Pictures' classic teen flick "Rock Around The Clock" Ernie's cover version of Bill Justis' "Raunchy", his biggest solo success, reached #4 on the pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart in 1957.
Ernie played piano on a couple of classic early Sixties instrumentals: B. Bumble and the Stingers' first hit, "Bumble Boogie" and "Percolator (Twist)" by Billy Joe & the Checkmates. He also performed with and arranged for the Routers ("Let's Go") and the Marketts ("Out Of Limits").
As a staff arranger for Liberty Records, Ernie worked with Liberty stars Bobby Vee, Johnny Burnette, and Gene McDaniels. Ernie Freeman went on to work with Jimmy Bowen, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Connie Francis, Johnny Mathis and Petula Clark. He won Grammy awards for his arrangements of Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" (1966) and Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (1970).
Ernie Freeman died in 1981 in Los Angeles but he left an indelible mark on pop music.
Guy tells Red why things are different in Canada; his roots and how he spends his free time.
Bill shares his thoughts on rock'n'roll. Recorded at the "Show Of Stars" at Vancouver's PNE Forum, 1956