Red Robinson's Legends

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.