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The very best Elvis judges anywhere The following story appeared in the Hamilton Spectator on June 9, 2003
Burt (left) and Robin in the studio Duo does doo-wop radio Your favourite doo-wop ditty is just a mouse click away, thanks to the passion of two veteran radio disc jockeys who still get their groove from the oldies. Burt Thombs and Robin McMillan, who goes by the moniker Rockin' Robin, have teamed their impressive record collections and encyclopedic knowledge of '50s and '60s music to create an Internet radio station they hope will recapture their glory days as announcers at FM 108. "This is exciting because we've never had the opportunity to be heard by such a wide range of listeners," says Thombs, 51. "It makes the world a smaller place." The pair worked for the Burlington station, CING-FM, from 1978 to 1989, with its trail-blazing oldies musical format that was eventually mimicked by countless radio stations across Canada. And though Hamilton's CJJD (now CHAM) was the first to debut its Golden Greats format in 1976, it never took off the way it did at FM 108. "They helped establish oldies radio," says CKOC program director Nevin Grant. "(FM 108) pioneered the format, and they were the masters of the house until CHUM came along in about 1987. They have a passion about the business."
Listeners get a wide assortment of music, much of which includes lesser- known songs of the era such as Trickle, Trickle by The Videos or Elvis Presley's Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello. Each new show features segments on doo-wop, country music classics and British hits. Comedy bits, original television and radio commercials and jingles are also aired. The show pays homage to the late Norman Blakely a.k.a. Norman B, FM 108's program director and morning man, broadcasting interviews he conducted with music legends of the '50s and '60s. "Norm was extremely popular with those stars, many of whom would seek him out each time they came back to this area," says Muir, whose sister also worked at FM 108. "A number of his original recordings were lost in the '90s, but a fan of Norm's had recorded them when they aired and has loaned us her collection." But perhaps most interesting is the breadth of rock 'n' roll stories and music trivia McMillan and Thombs cull from their treasure chest of memories. What famous rocker, for example, played harmonica on Millie Small's 1964 hit, My Boy Lollipop? The surprise answer? Rod Stewart. And how about this local bit of trivia.: Gene Track was the bass guitar player for Robbie Lane and The Disciples, who were hired to replace Ronnie Hawkins' The Hawks when the group headed to the United States to form The Band. Track is a retired Stoney Creek chiropractor and his wife, Lena Track, is a French teacher at Winona Public School. Thombs and McMillan effortlessly play off each other, kibitzing like old college buddies out on the town. One lines up a song without telling the other what it is. Within a few notes or a subtle cue the other jumps in with a joke or anecdote about the tune. That, say the DJs, comes with 25 years of working together. "A lot of people say I calm him down and he brings me up," says Thombs, whose low-key Dean Martin type of delivery complements McMillan's zany Jerry Lewis announcer style. Although the two have been in radio for years, it's always been in a part-time capacity. Thombs is a production analyst at Dofasco, and McMillan, who lives in Niagara Falls, runs his own disc jockey service. The pair launched their Internet station in February after Thombs was unsuccessful in his bid to purchase the financially ailing St. Catharines radio station, CHSC. It seems they're doing something right. Of the roughly 35,000 radio stations their Internet provider hosts, they are 10th in their music genre and about 1,400th overall. In addition, the two are currently negotiating a deal with a Toronto station, but are mum on the details. Listeners can chat live via the Internet with Thombs and McMillan every Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. Go to www.goldandgreatrevival.com and follow the prompts. They've heard from listeners in Japan, Brazil and Germany, although most are in North America. Over McMillan's radio career, he's rubbed shoulders with many rock greats, hosting performances and emceeing various gigs. He was once a drummer with the Rising Sons, a '60s band whose 1967 hit Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore made the Canadian charts. He also was also selected to stand in for Charlie Watts during the Rolling Stones' 1964 Toronto concert. McMillan, who met his second wife in a radio phone-in contest, has also announced for CHML, AM 740 and the CRN, a coast to coast satellite station. "I don't want to do anything other than oldies," says the high-energy announcer who doesn't want to reveal his age. "I would never sell out for country music. Your peers like you as a '50s and '60s guy." Thombs' CD collection comprises a staggering 45,000 songs. In it is every tune that made the charts between 1950 and 1969. Over his career, he's interviewed numerous icons, from Roy Orbison and Wilson Pickett to Gene Pitney and Del Shannon. To call Thombs an aficionado of the '50s and '60s is an understatement. The wall of his in-home studio features posters from The Andy Griffith Show and Three Stooges. A $5,000 classic RCA microphone decorates his desk. This oldies thing is for real. "The '50s and '60s are the love of my life," says the radio DJ. Kelly Putter lives in Beamsville. |
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