June 2009: I am ashamed that it has taken so long to bring about this update to you so please accept my apology. I continue to be passionate about the music and as many of you know I still heavily collect those great lost 45's that deserve a second chance to be heard on radio.
After leaving XM I have continued producing a 1 hr syndicated Relics & Rarities radio show similar to the XM show but a bit more radio friendly to keep program directors (PD) happy by integrating cooler well known hits into the mix of great sounding shoulda been a hit tunes. This format for my show is actually more similar to what the show was originally before XM asked that I play just rarities, or at least very few hits.
WQMA-1520 AM, www.q1520radio.com, located in Clarksdale, Mississippi was one of the first stations to add Relics & Rarities post XM. This is a cool oldies station that runs some big name syndicated shows as Casey Kasem, Dick Clark, and Dave the Rave on Saturday mornings at approxilately 845am to 945 am eastern time. Okay, I am not one for radio shows that count down the big hits, but at least I am in the company of some Hall of Fame broadcasters.
WMOZ-FM, 106.9 in the Duluth, Minnesota area streams their signal just on Saturday mornings for 2 very cool oldies shows. Jiffy Jeff's Lost Oldies and my Relics & Rarities Show can be heard Saturday mornings via www.jiffyjeff.net. Jiffy Jeff is on 10am-1pm followed by Relics & Rarities from 1pm-2pm eastern.
WIBG-FM, 94.3 in the Wildwood/Atlantic City, NJ area is the newest station to carry a special 2 hour edition of Relics & Rarities unique for this legendary station. The show airs Saturday nights 7pm-9pm eastern and is filled with cool Philly soul, garage, and lost 45's. This show will eventually be expanded to either a 4 or 5 hour show with live phone requests. Prior to my show and beginning at 5pm-7pm is my good friend Bobby Emmon's Music and Memories show. Bobby and I worked real well together at a great little oldies station in Central NJ, WPDQ-FM. Bobby is also the voice of many of the cool jingles heard on Relics & Rarities. This station also streams at www.943wilw.com.
I hope to announce the addition of Relics & Rarities to the #1 oldies station in one of America's major markets in the near future and I always hold out hope that XM\Sirius will one day desire to offer paying customers a weekly 1 hour show that goes deeper than what current paying subscribers are currently receiving and as a result reach back out for Relics & Rarities.
Abie's DooWop Taxi Stand, a site dedicated to the oldies, particularly doowop, has also become a fan of Relics & Rarities, even though it is NOT a doowop show exclusively. Abie has been kind enough to archive "new" Relics & Rarities shows at his site although I hope to have shows archived at my website in the near future also. Please check out Abie's site and my archived shows by going to www.doowoptaxi.com.
As for the project with Tommy James to produce "American Jukebox", that project has been put on a long term hold. Tommy and I did have tremendous fun along with Jimmy Wisner in producing several shows and a Christmas special before Tommy realized that such a commitment was not possible being that his schedule was too hectic because of Tommy's touring, recording,book deal, and movie deal. Tommy and I remain great friends and please check out all the latest Tommy James news by visiting his website at www.tommyjames.com.
And speaking of busy, another reason for delay in getting any updates to my website for such a long time is that my webmaster, James Hannon, who created the great documentary on Richard & the Young Lions, has been very busy working on several video projects as well as production of a music group known as the Riffsurfers. Please visit my webmaster and friend, James Hannon at his website, www.lantern-media.com.
I hope many of you are still enjoying Relics & Rarities and I hope to hear from some of you taking the Relics & Rarities challenge by thinking of a tune that deserves that second chance on the radio.
March 2007: On March 3rd 2007, I caught up with Dick Coughlin, the drummer of the Cherry Slush, who had several cool tunes but none cooler than their national USA label release of "I Cannot Stop You" which many first heard on Dick Clark's American Bandstand Show when the song was being rated.
Although the song was a regional hit, and #1 in the Cherry Slush's hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, the 45 release only peaked at #119 on the Billboard national charts. I know when I first heard the song, I thought then and even now, that it was simply the coolest tune ever. I never understood how this song, as many that I feature on my show, was never a Top Hit!!
Talking with Dick Coughlin for me was a real honor as I learned so much about the song that I fell in love with back in 1968, the Cherry Slush, and how good so many of their other songs were.
If you missed the March 3rd 2007 broadcast, or simply wanna hear it again, please enjoy this: mp3 replay of that magical night.
-----Dave the Rave
