Emperor Rosko
Talk about turning the fox loose in the chicken shack!! Turning a music fanatic like me on to this catalogue and saying pick your Top 10, it is agonising. Perhaps if it was only one genre like doo wop it could be done, but between jazz-rockabilly-doo wop-rock and roll-funk-jive-big bands etc I am at a loss, why not ask for my top 100! I am copping out in advance to all who did not make the Top 10 list, by the time you read this I hope my 24 hour a day internet radio outlet of oldies will be running and I can just play most of them and relieve the frustration of the current restriction. Watch this space. I guess it could have been worse, Ace could have said, "Pick one"!! Here is the crème de la crème, songs I can listen to anytime anywhere!
Selected releases
-
The Staple Singers - Respect Yourself
This is the mother lode of soul music. Whenever you play this it’s a ‘win’. What a great song to start off with.
-
The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love
A rock’n’roll classic - but they had a lot of them; I’m surprised you can fit them on one release! When you get the Everly Brothers we’re talking Hitsville. These are timeless teenage love songs. Don and Phil: the greatest.
-
The Impressions - It's All Right
With the Impressions, ‘It’s All Right’ instantly comes to mind. You cannot go wrong with the Impressions.
-
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Born on The Bayou (now deleted)
I was the first DJ - I think - to play Creedence Clearwater Revival at least on Radio 1. I used to fly to the States every 6 months and come back with my suitcase full of 45s - I was a nutcase! And I just lived to discover new music to play for everybody. I remember when ‘Down On the Corner’ and ‘Bad Moon Rising’ and ‘Proud Mary’ came out; it was like I’d died and gone to heaven. I thought this is the greatest ever.
-
Born On The Bayou
-
-
Eddie Floyd - Knock on Wood
This takes me back to the days of the great soul tours of the ’70s. Eddie is an amazing guy. He’s in his 80s and he’s still touring and doing gigs.
-
The Ikettes - Peaches 'n' Cream
Be still my heart! I lived the Ikettes; they were the dream. When I was in the military, I came back from boot camp and the Ikettes were on with Ike & Tina Turner on the Sunset Strip. That was the first time I was exposed to the Ikettes. Because we were in the military they gave us a space in the front and they sang for us - they were singing to the rest of the room too, but they were looking at us. I just fell in love. I’d never seen such action in my life. These girls were dynamite!
-
Little Richard - The Girl Can't Help It
A lot of people ask me what my favourite Little Richard song is, because I toured with Little Richard, I know little Richard, worked with Little Richard - the BBC were terrified of him because he was so outrageous! He’s one of those guys who just takes over but, knowing him as I did, I was able to wrestle oh, 50% control of the show back. My favourite is ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ because it takes me back to that rock’n’roll movie with Jane Mansfield, and I always like a song that isn’t the most in demand.
-
The Girl Can't Help It
-
-
Wynonie Harris - Bad News Baby
Wynonie is one of the originals. Back in those days he wasn’t played west of Chicago. Talking to people like B.B. King and people like that, they’d all listen to Wynonie. He was one of the innovators of the Blues. And it wasn’t really Blues as it was Rockin’ Blues.
-
Bad News Baby (There'll Be No Rockin' Tonite
-
-
Larry Williams - Bony Moronie
Larry Williams didn’t have as many hits as some of the others, but what he did have was ‘Bony Moronie’, and that was such a big hit. He was the consummate rock’n’roller: great stage person. He was on Specialty, of course, and they had the best of the best. He was almost a Little Richard clone.
-
The Rockin' Rebels - Rockin' Crickets
I’ve been playing their music forever and ever. They were like a Tex-Mex, surf mix with rock and pop. They will always be at the roots of us old people’s music, if I could put it so politely. They made some great rock instrumentals. And all us DJs knew them because we had to play an instrumental so they could fade out the show.
