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 m...

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 a...

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 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...

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 B...

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 th...

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 "Sho...

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...

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...

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 fin...

Happy Birthday, Canada! up next in my salute to some of my favourite Canadian artists is Randy Bachman (pictured here with fellow Winnipeg legend Daryl B). Photo taken at CFUN/Vancouver by Dee Lippingwell. Talk about a musical prodigy: Randy won a singing contest at age 3 and by 5 he was playing the violin! Randy is quoted by John Einarson in the Winnipeg Free Press: "Winnipeg in the '60s was like...

Burton Cummings is a genuine Canadian musical icon. Best known for his decade with the Guess Who and "Clap For The Wolfman", "These Eyes and "American Woman", he's also enjoyed a solo career with "Stand Tall", "My Own Way To Rock", "Break It To Them Gently" and many other hits. I refer to him as “King of the Keyboards” and he does not disappoint. Burton and fellow Guess Who alumnus Randy Bachman g...

I can’t take any credit for Michael Bublé’s amazing worldwide success, unfortunately, but I can take credit for appreciating his talent very early on, in the early 1990s, when I went to see him sing at the BaBalu Nightclub in Vancouver. He was only a teenager, but he reminded me of Bobby Darin, who I love, and I figured he would achieve some measure of fame. Robin Brunet has a great story in Red R...

We should have declared May 5 to 10, 2008 Anne Murray Week in Vancouver. Canada’s first lady of song played to a full house at the 3000-seat Queen Elizabeth Theatre. I was asked to emcee the opening and told the crowd that I had discovered that during this, her final coast-to-coast tour, the longest applause was in Ottawa with a three minute standing ovation at the end of the show. I urged everyon...

During 1957's "Show of Stars" in Vancouver, it was my job to introduce each act as they appeared on stage, then I would rush backstage and tape a quick interview with one of the stars. The show was literally a live jukebox presentation, hit artist after hit artist and song after song. Eddie Cochran, Jimmy Bowen, Buddy Knox, Don and Phil Everly, Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Frankie Lymon and the Teen...

Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com. Here's another excerpt: "First up as their mikes go live is a discussion about how radio stations used to be advertised by jingles, complete with catchy lyrics. 'They were infectious,' Robinson tells listeners. 'We wanted them to be in block chord...

"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017. 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 "Meanwhile, in the lounge, there is joking about the guest format of Robinson’s final broa...

"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017. O’Day, who is emerging as the trio’s prime storyteller and who shares Robinson’s knack for shifting gears, interrupts. “Speaking of funny Hawaiian twists, Tom Rounds was the music director of KPOI in Honolulu,” he says in his melodious manner of speaking. “I’m over there on vaca...

I first met Susan Jacks (then Susan Pesklevits) on the set of Let’s Go, Vancouver’s weekly contribution to the CBC-TV series Music Hop. I co-hosted with Fred Latremouille. The show allowed Canadian talent to get exposure from coast-to-coast on television. Susan was a wonderfully talented, stunningly beautiful lady with a voice like silk. Susan married and divorced another Let’s Go performer, Terry...

You've heard the radio, now read the book! Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now from 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 episode, the guys recall Ray Charles' roots in Seattle;...

My friend and pop music legend Pat Boone is celebrating his 86th birthday today! We go back a long way. My November 29th, 1957 Vancouver Sun column saluted Pat: "Pat Boone, contender for the top vocalist of 1957, was on hand for the gala premiere last week at the Roxy of his second motion picture 'April Love'. It was one of the biggest premieres ever staged in New York. The show will be seen in Va...

The book you can listen to, Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now from 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. "Robinson happily includes The Beatles in his playlist for the final broadcast,...

The Show of Stars for 1957 featured the changing appearance of Rock and Roll. The line-up for this event included Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Frankie Avalon, George Hamilton IV, Buddy Knox, The Everly Brothers, Paul Anka and Eddie Cochran. Anyone even remotely interested in Rock and Roll today can appreciate the significance of this show. Even by today's standard...

Playing straight man to Jonathan Winters was one of the most wonderful experiences of my career. Jonathan and I cut a series of TV commercials for Hudson’s Bay Company in Vancouver in 1976. Neither one of us worked with a script, just a general outline of the commercial. Jonathan threw me a line and I ad libbed the wrong line in reply. Realizing what I said, I fell to one side and Jonathan broke u...

Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits was one of the freshest acts to visit Vancouver from England. His group had a humourous approach to the music of the day. Material like "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter", "I'm Henry VIII, I Am", and "Silhouettes" made them acceptable both to the youth of the day and the adult population. Peter toured North America as part of the British Invasion. He has visi...