A mild state of shock

Well I have to say I've had a few unexpected things happen over the last few days. And for a change they've been all good.

Firstly, I received an email the other day asking if I would syndicate my 'Sunday Shake Up' show to another station. And so from this week, it will be going out on Soul Groove Radio, a fairly new station. The show will be airing on Sundays from Midday.

Those of you that know me will know that I'm not just a soul lover, I'm lucky to love many types of music. And for that I have to thank my Dad. He's the one who caused my love of music, even if he didn't do it on purpose. From the minute I was born, music seems to have had a hold on me. My first memories involve a Grundig reel to reel tape recorder and the great sounds I used to hear whenever those reels were turning.

I have a nostalgic love for the hits and songs from the 50s and early 60s because of this. And a couple of days ago, I came across and new radio station called Cruisin' Oldies Radio, which plays oldies from the 50s 60s and 70s. So yesterday morning, I decided to give it a listen. I was happily listening to the tunes from the past when they played a song from one of my Dad's old reel to reels. Hardly surprising when you consider that my Godfather owned a record shop and my Dad was a Pirate.

However, it was a song that I've been looking for for years. The problem as always been that I didn't know who it was by, or the title. I've used the words from the chorus to try and find it and various parts of the verse but to no avail. Anyway, I looked on my media player and guess what, the song title was there with the artists name. Finally after over 35 years of searching I now have the name! I was in a mild state of shock for a while. After a quick search on Youtube I found it. The song is 'You' by the Aquatones from 1958.

I have now found the song and will have it in time for my Flashback show next week.

So while I was on a roll, I put a message on my status asking if anyone could help with another track that was on my Dad's tapes that I've been hunting for. This song is 'Play That Big Guitar' by Bert Weedon. I've hunted for years but never seen it advertised anywhere. If searched record shops, charity shops, been to record fairs, and eBay, but never even had a sniff.

I thought I may get lucky and one of my fb friends might have it. No such luck - however, I then get a message last night from one of my fb friends - and guess what? There's a copy on Ebay! How about that?
So guess what I'll be bidding on this week?

I've got 3 remaining Reel to Reel tapes of my days from the late 50s and 1960 and I've spent years trying to get the records on them. I'm down to the last 10 or so. The biggest problem I have with them is that they're mostly instrumental B sides I think. Or rarish songs like the Aquatones one. But hey, that's half the fun of it.

I've been told for years that I've got a special love for the oldies from that era, and they're right. Just hearing them takes me back to when I was little and I'll not apologise for it I have a great respect for the artists of the time as they were the ones that changed the music we listen to forever. They were the pioneers who followed the R&B roots and brought us to rock and roll and onward.

I've been lucky, I was fortunate enough to remember when Motown hit the UK as my brother was about 15 at the time and loved them, so I remember him playing all the early Motown records (or should I say Stateside and Oriole), and then the sounds of Atlantic. I can even remember how upset he was when Otis Redding died.

And then when I was 16 we had Disco! The great change of my generation. Like I said, my life is all about my music. It always has been and it probably always will be.

What's on the agenda for today? Work on the magazine, sorting some more music for the disco (that's still an ongoing thing) and then I need to sort the play list for this week's Pure Grooves show and then record it later.

While I'm doing this, I'm listening to Cruisin' Oldies Radio and they've played Clarence 'Frogman' Henry's 'But I Do' and now The Poni-Tails 'Born Too Late'. I'm in aural ecstacy here! See you later........