The “Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band” is a British brass band formed around 1881 through public donations given by the townsfolk of the adjacent villages of “Brighouse” and “Rastrick” that face each other across the River “Calder” in West Yorkshire, England. Today, the band still continues to be supported through public subscriptions and its own fund raising efforts. One such fundraising effort in the 1970’s was their Recording of The Floral Dance with which they reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The instrumental recording stayed at number 2 for an astonishing 6 weeks, only prevented from reaching number 1 by “Paul McCartney and Wings” with Mull of Kintyre, the first UK single to sell more than two million copies, and third best selling UK single of all time.
English musician and songwriter “Christine McVie” has passed away at the age of 79. She died in hospital after a short illness. The singer and songwriter is best known for her time with the band “Fleetwood Mac” in which she sang and played keyboards. She left the band in 1998 after 28 years but returned in 2014. Between 1970 and 1976, she was married to singer and bassist John McVie. Outside of Fleetwood Mac, Christine was also an accomplished solo performer, releasing several solo albums as well as a collaboration with longtime Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham.
“dArtagnan” is a German folk rock band from Nuremberg.The band’s name references the 17th century French soldier made famous by author “Alexandre Dumas,” particularly in the novel “The Three Musketeers.” Founded in 2015 the band describe their style of music as “Musketeer Rock,” a blend of modern rock sounds interwoven with folk rhythms “some of which echoed through the land hundreds of years ago”, together with lyrics that celebrate “love of life, compassion, friendship, camaraderie and courage.” You can hear what Musketeer Rock sounds like on dArtagnan’s new album, Felsenfest. Their single, We’re Gonna Be Drinking, which features “Candice Night” from the band “Blackmore’s Night,” is new this week on RadiJohan.
This week in 1975 Fly Robin Fly by “Silver Convention” hit number 1 in America for the first of three weeks. The song was written with very few lyrics because the German group couldn’t speak English which made memorizing a page of lyrics in a language unfamiliar to them too difficult. The disco classic contains only six unique words. It simply repeats “fly, robin, fly” three times, with an ending of “up, up to the sky!” Initially the song was titled Run, Rabbit, Run, but the writers changed it moments before the recording took place. Fly Robin Fly won the 1975 Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance.
| TW | LW | Artist | Title |
| 10 | New | David Paich | Willibelongtoyou |
| 9 | New | John Waite | Anything |
| 8 | 6 | Richard Marx | Same Heartbreak Different Day |
| 7 | 4 | The Head and The Heart | Hurts (But it Goes Away) |
| 6 | 5 | Rosa Linn | Snap |
| 5 | 9 | The Lightning Seeds | Emily Smiles |
| 4 | 7 | Simple Minds | Solstice Kiss |
| 3 | 2 | Queensrÿche | Forest |
| 2 | 1 | Parsons, Durbin & Bonamassa | Give ’em My Love |
| 1 | 3 | KT Tunstall | Private Eyes |
Watch this week’s Top 10 by clicking the play button below.
The debut album, Ballad Of A Misspent Youth, by Nashville-based rockers “Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts” was released this month. Talking about their new single, Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead, Tuk Smith said:
“I was channeling my favourite 70’s glam gods on this track, for sure. I woke up one morning with the phrase ‘…everybody loves you when you’re dead’ running through my head, so I sat down at the piano and the song kind of wrote itself. I had been struggling with the death of a friend and I was flooded with existential thoughts. It’s not necessarily a song about death per se, it’s a bit more layered with some social commentary thrown in there. Personally, I look at it as more a freedom song.”
Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead is new this week on RadiJohan.
This week in 1987 the “Dirty Dancing” hit (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life went to number 1 in America while the “Swayze-lift” became a popular dance move. The song plays during the movie’s big finish when Jennifer Grey leaps into Patrick Swayze’s arms. The song also topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and South Africa and won a number of awards including the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Irish singer-songwriter “Dermot Kennedy” has been described as a master storyteller who marries poignant lyrics about love’s intensity with an infectious, hook-laden melody that immediately draws the listener in. Dermot started playing guitar at age 10, and writing songs at age 14. His parents were very supportive. Dermot credits his father for frequently driving him into Dublin to perform at open mic nights when he was underage. His mother submitted an application for him to study classical music at “Maynooth” University where he spent three years. He released his debut album, Without Fear, in 2019. His new album, Sonder, is out now and the single, Kiss Me, is new this week on RadiJohan.
“The White Buffalo” is the stage name of American musician and singer-songwriter Jake Smith. He is a baritone from Oregon influenced by folk singers like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. A previous single by The White Buffalo, Problem Solution, featured on RadiJohan in 2020 and made it to number one on the RadiJohan Top 10. His eighth studio album, Year Of The Dark Horse is out now and has been described as his “most ambitious and well-rounded work to date.” The first single to be unveiled from the album, Not Today, is new this week on RadiJohan.
If you enjoy the sound of bands like “Chicago” and “Journey” you will more than likely enjoy “Generation Radio.” With band members from Chicago, Journey, Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and Rascal Flatts, Generation Radio delivers a classic 80’s sound. Why Are You Calling Me Now, from their self-titled debut album, is new this week on RadiJohan.