This year marks the 60th anniversary of the great music of 1963 – the pivotal year when rock’n’roll, Motown soul. California surf, Greenwich Village folk and ‘The Toronto Sound’ all came together. What a year – when Stevie Wonder and the Four Seasons shared the pop charts with Elvis and Dion, The Angels and Rockin’ Rebels and Wayne Newton too. And our Canadian scene boasted Paul Anka, Bobby Curtola and Tommy Hunter, Ronnie Hawkins and Robbie Lane with his Disciples, as well as Little Caesar and his Consuls.
We’ll hear them and many others as I revisit 1963 with another 21 songs well worth hearing again. And, in our new first-hour feature – ‘Our Sunday Best – A Century of #1 Hits‘ I’ll take us back to 1926 for one of the world’s first ‘million-sellers’. We’ll drop into 1956 and ’66, 1969 and ’79 for the #1 songs this week in those years. And I’ll tell you ‘The Story Behind the Song‘ ‘Down Under’; after all it’s Australia Day coming up soon, and it’s time we learn about ‘vegemite sandwiches’.
So please join me this Sunday (Jan.22) at 2:00 for ‘Vintage Favourites’.