Red Robinson's Legends

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.