Red Robinson's Legends

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!