Red Robinson hangs up his headphones later today

Radio News from British Columbia

Red Robinson hangs up his headphones later today

Postby radiofan » Sun Aug 27, 2017 7:47 am

Radio legend Red Robinson prepares to hang up his headphones
by JOHN ACKERMANN
Posted Aug 26, 2017 9:24 am PDT


VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A radio legend is getting ready to switch off the microphone one last time. Red Robinson is preparing his final broadcast after more than 60 years in broadcasting.

“63, believe it or not. I started in 1954. Oh boy!”

After this weekend, that will be it for Vancouver’s original rock ‘n’ roll disc jockey. Robinson celebrated his 80th birthday in March and was inducted into the Order of BC last month. But it was the news that CISL 650, his longtime radio home, was changing to a sports format that made him decide now was the time to move on.

“[There’s] nothing wrong with that, except I don’t want to do sports. If I had, I probably could have transferred over, but I didn’t,” he jokes.

“I believe in signals. And when they sold CISL, it was sort of a, well, where do we go from here? The answer is nowhere. Just retire. Enjoy life.”

Still, Robinson isn’t retiring completely. He plans to keep his downtown office and says he has projects he’s working on too.

“You can’t get up and do nothing. You have to keep moving.”

Red reminded his wife what David Letterman recently said about retirement.

“His line was, ‘Before you retire and spend more time with the family, check with the family first!'”

As for the guys and gals taking over his old AM frequency, he has but one request.

“Do me proud!”

Red’s final show is from noon til 4:00 p.m. Sunday August 26th on CISL 650. On Monday morning, the station will become Sportsnet 650, an all-new format.

Rogers is the parent company of both Sportsnet 650 and NEWS 1130.

http://www.news1130.com/2017/08/26/radi ... eadphones/
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
User avatar
radiofan
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 13719
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:24 pm
Location: Keremeos, BC

Re: Red Robinson hangs up his headphones later today

Postby radiofan » Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:34 am

Ad for Red's arrival at CKWX May 31, 1957 ...

Image
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
User avatar
radiofan
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 13719
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:24 pm
Location: Keremeos, BC

Re: Red Robinson hangs up his headphones later today

Postby aflem » Sun Aug 27, 2017 4:38 pm

Red Robinson's last song after more than 6 decades on air was ["I've Had} The Time Of My Life" from Dirty Dancing.

Nice summary of an incredible career.
aflem
Member
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 11:17 am

Re: Red Robinson hangs up his headphones later today

Postby kal » Sun Aug 27, 2017 6:34 pm

It was reasonably engaging programming. Bruce Allen kept it going. Pat O'Day rambled a bit but there is no denying the collective history assembled for this final broadcast of the Red Rock Diner.

The likes will never be seen again.

In some ways you could say that Red Robinson was instrumental (pun not intended) in laying the groundwork for Vancouver's vibrant music scene.
kal
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 590
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Red Robinson hangs up his headphones later today

Postby radiofan » Sun Aug 27, 2017 7:15 pm

Red Robinson's time at CISL comes to an end but he's not sure he's going anywhere
Patrick Johnston
Published on: August 27, 2017 | Last Updated: August 27, 2017 2:49 PM PDT


When The Beatles played Vancouver’s Empire Stadium in 1964, John Lennon had a question for Red Robinson: what’s Buddy Holly like?

Talk about being able to put together a double-ended anecdote, which actually adds two further angles on top.

“When The Beatles were backstage, John Lennon wanted to know all about him,” the retiring disc jockey recalled Sunday. The question surprised Robinson. Still he replied he didn’t know him well but said he’d found him to be a friendly, straightforward guy.

He asked Lennon why he was curious about singer known for late ’50s hits That’ll Be The Day and Peggy Sue
.
“He said when (Holly) came on he was playing a Fender Stratocaster. ‘We’d never seen anything like that,’ Lennon said.’

At that time, manufactured goods that weren’t made in the U.K. were very difficult to find in Britain. The Fab Four told Robinson how they’d often have to pay friendly merchant sailors to pick up American musical instruments on their behalf, then bring them back to Liverpool.

Lennon had also been taken by Holly’s style. The Texas rocker was known for his black, thick-rimmed eyeglasses.

“He was a star and he wore glasses,” Robinson said. “Lennon had terrible eyesight and said he should learn from Holly

Robinson, 80, said he’s found himself thinking about Holly last week as he prepared and recorded his final radio show for CISL, which aired Sunday afternoon. The station, which has broadcast at 650 AM since the early 1980s, will be re-launched Sept. 4 as Sportsnet 650, ditching music for sports talk.

“He was like a guy I’d grown up with,” Robinson said of the Holly, who died in a 1959 plane crash along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper — known as The Day The Music Died.

“He was down to earth, just full of fun.”

Another famous anniversary comes later this week: the 60th anniversary of Elvis Presley playing in Vancouver.

Presley rarely played outside the U.S. — indeed Canada was the only foreign country where’d he’d ever played — and was drafted into the army in early 1958, putting the 1957 Vancouver show on a rather special pedestal.

A massive crowd turned out to Empire Stadium Aug. 31, 1957. Robinson said gate receipts confirmed it as nearly 26,000 people.

The King of Rock and Roll was 22 at the time; Robinson, was just 20. He had been a radio DJ for four years already and at that time he was working for CKWX. He was at Empire as emcee.

“To stand on that stage and look out at that crowd, it was out of this world,” he said.

It was the first proper stadium concert in Vancouver history. The plan had called for the crowd to sit in the stands ringing the football field, but the fans had a differently plan and rushed on to the field, getting close to the stage.

Twice the police stopped the show because of safety concerns. Presley played just 22 minutes that night before escaping the crush.

“It’s been an amazing journey,” he said.
 
With a laugh he said he felt a bit like he was on “death row.”

“You’re reflecting on your life; on everything that’s happening.”

He called listening to the pre-recorded show on Sunday, which also featured longtime colleagues Pat O’Day, Wink Martindale and Bruce Allen.

“Poignant,” was the first word out of his mouth.

“It’s interesting, sitting here listening to the show. It’s bittersweet.”

But he said recording the show hadn’t been difficult, “because I had good friends with me.”

He’s delighted that much of the memorabilia he’s collected over the years is going to the Museum of Vancouver. And while he officially retired earlier this year, he suggested he’s probably not going far.

“I learned years ago you have to adapt with the times.”

So, does that mean a podcast?

“You never know,” he replied, after pausing for a moment to ponder the idea.

He might be looking at options, but he also admitted he’s tired of having a routine.

There’s still 60 boxes of mementoes to go through — give him a ring if you’re interested in taking a look, he said — and there’s also lots of time ahead with his children and grandchildren.

Finally, there was another word to the wise:

“I think the best line I’ve ever heard was from David Letterman. He’s going back on TV and he was asked about what happened to his retirement. He said, ‘If you’re going to retire, one lesson I’ve learned is you should check with your family.’ ”

pjohnston@postmedia.com
twitter.com/risingaction

Read the full story plus pics and video at: http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news ... g-anywhere
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
User avatar
radiofan
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 13719
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:24 pm
Location: Keremeos, BC


Return to British Columbia

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 127 guests