-
Danny O’Keefe: A Best Friend in Good Time Charlie
Danny O’Keefe may be one of the most underappreciated and overlooked American folk singer/songwriters of the 1970s. Photo Credit: Davis Freeman My introduction to his music was the 1972 Top 10 Billboard hit Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues. The song has been recorded by many, including Elvis Presley. O’Keefe says that Waylon Jenning’s version…
-
Felix Cavaliere: Still Groovin’ After All These Years
Photo Credit: Leon Volskis As a member of The Rascals, Felix Cavaliere is music royalty. Along with Dino Danelli, Eddie Brigati, and (Canadian) Gene Cornish, the group has been enshrined in The Grammy Hall of Fame, The Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were (satirically) inducted into…
-
Sandy Deanne: Still Making Magic Moments with Jay and the Americans
My interview with Sandy Deanne almost never happened. First, there were email issues. When we actually meet on Zoom, my Internet router reset itself halfway through the interview. A couple of days later, flooding in New York City knocked out his internet. The following day, we finally connected and had a great conversation. The interview…
-
Crazy Man, Crazy: Bill Haley Jr. Talks About His Dad
One night I was channel surfing and came across the 1956 movie Rock Around the Clock with Bill Haley and the Comets. During the movie, I noticed that while Haley was quite the outgoing entertainer when he was singing/playing, he looked uncomfortable while acting. I began digging a little deeper into the life of the…
-
Vintage Voices From Hamilton Radio Nine: Gordie Tapp
A graduate of the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts, Gordie Tapp’s radio and television career began in Guelph at CJOY, but he’d soon move to CHML and host Main Street Jamboree. The idea for the show, which featured comedy and live country music on Saturday nights, was the idea of Tom Darling, one of…
-
Alan O’Day: “One Hit Wonder” or “Undercover Songwriter?”
Please don’t call Alan O’Day a one hit wonder. He is largely known for his 1977 solo hit Undercover Angel. However, the quirky singer-songwriter was also responsible for writing some classic 70’s AM Gold that others have recorded. O’Day was born in Hollywood in 1940. Both of his parents worked in the newspaper industry. Alan…
-
Vintage Voices From Hamilton Radio One: CKOC’s Dave Smith
Dave Smith’s began his radio career in Simcoe – his first gig was working as the morning personality at CFRS. After some time at CKBB in Barrie, Dave moved to Hamilton and CKOC career in 1972 working evenings. Over the next 30 (or so) years, he many positions at CKOC, including both morning and afternoon…