Since Saturday 28 March 2009 I ceased my regular Coast shift from being sacrificed to the shareholders wishes for cost cutting. Part of my redundancy notice included the paragraphs;
“This proposal is to discontinue the night show on Coast and to voice track the Afternoon Drive day part.
As part of this proposal we would utilize the *existing night announcer, at no additional cost, to voice track the Afternoon Drive Show on Coast as part of his standard day to day work requirement. This is better utlilisation of our current resources and offers a significant cost benefit to the company.”
Then I read about Justin Brown and how he had been laid off from the Classic Hits Breakfast Show and determined to remain positive, he set up a website highlighting firms who have so far managed to keep their staff.
Being laid off sure makes one feel valued (not), however I was offered regular part time work doing the Saturday afternoon shifts on Coast and the occasional covering shift for when one of the regular announcers is away on leave. So my first such covering shift was the Thursday before Easter and doing the 3 to 8pm slot for Rick*, I played as my ‘Ray’s Song Pick Of The Day’
Gilbert O’Sullivan
Get Down, UK#1(2) from 7 April 1973, A plea for to his dog to get down off the furniture. The artist’s second consecutive and final UK number one represented the peak of his popularity. (He did make #1 in the US with “Alone Again, Naturally”). Only one more UK Top 10 hit was to follow and two years later the hits stopped. O’Sullivan’s first No. 1 was Clair, about babysitting the daughter of his manager, Gordon Mills. Later there was bitter court battle with his producer and manager Mills, over earnings from his recordings, which was widely reported early in 1982. The court decided in favour of O’Sullivan who had not received a just proportion of the income his songs earned.
Tease for 1pm 11 April
The second Merseybeat group to be signed by Brian Epstein but, they were the first of his acts to make No 1. This was a song that producer George Martin had in mind for John, George, Paul and Ringo but they had wanted to do one of their own compositions, "Please Please Me", so the Mitch Murray composition went to this group and it became a UK#1(3) from 11 April, Au#1(1) 5 July 1963 and a Monster Hit in NZ
Tease for 2pm
The 3rd million-seller for this artist was US#13, 12 weeks in Top 100 from 11 April 1964, and the title was used for another of his albums, which became a million-seller. MODERATE HIT in N.Z.
Tease for 3pm
Adapted from a traditional air (Will You Be Mine) for the film 'Battle Cry' by Paul Francis Webster and Max Steiner. US#6, 17 weeks in Top 100 from 23 April 1955 and the 4th million-seller for this artist and a Big Hit in N.Z.
Tease for 4pm
US#6 in 1956, 20 weeks in the Top 100 from 28 April and UK#8, 9 weeks in Top 30 from May 1956. A million seller globally and written by this artist who was Beijing, China born late 1922, his father then Head of Department, Medicine at Peking Union Medical College. When he was four, the family moved to Chicago and that is when his mother began teaching him piano.
Composing since age seven, in the early 1950s he decided to make songwriting his career. With more than 30 of his songs figuring in the careers of Eddy Arnold, Hank Locklin, Carl Smith, Faron Young, Kitty Wells, Jerry Wallace, Nancy Wilson, The Chordettes and others. He wrote 12 songs for Elvis, 5 of which were included in Elvis’ films
Tease for 5pm
Written by Robert Allen (music) and lyrics by Al Stillman, for the 1957 movie 'Lizzie' in which our artist sang the title song and his recording was the biggest hit version of the song. Martin Scorsese used this song in his 1990 film 'Goodfellas'. US#5 in 1957, 34 weeks in Top 100 from 29 April and a HUGE HIT in N.Z.
And the songs;
1pm, Gerry & The Pacemakers – How Do You Do It?
2pm, Al Hirt – Cotton Candy
3pm, Art Mooney – Honey-Babe
4pm, Don Robertson – The Happy Whistler
5pm, Johnny Mathis – It’s Not For Me To Say
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