Music from my past

10/08/2011 DATELINE: London, Ontario-  Friday night I went to see an old friend, oh, he's not a personal friend, he's a man who influenced my life via the vinyl records of my past, but because of him (in part) I made a choice to believe in Jesus Christ, because of him I went to the Country of Haiti when I was 21 years old,

 

because of him I value artistry and songmanship (is that a word?)

His name is RANDY STONEHILL, I first heard Randy when I was 9 years old, I purchased his record "Welcome to paradise" and the songs blew me away, "king of hearts" was my favorite...listen to these lyrics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDJOZEN3HUo&feature=related 

Randy had a unique comedic approach to faith, he didn't slam it down your throat and he basically said to be a Christian "the least of these" must come first, you can't "brag" about being a follower of Jesus if you don't reach out to the hungry and downtrodden, Loving those in need begins the journey...another lesson Randy taught me was that sincereity and transparency are crucial elements to integrity and representing your Faith. sadly I placed folks like Randy on a pedastal back then and as I began to work in Christian radio I witnessed my musical heroes failing, falling or freaking out and not one of them today is on my manmade pedastal, but I must tell you that Randy Stonehills recent visit to London, Ontario did my soul a world of good, you see, Randy played to about 40 people! a far cry from opening for Petra in 1985 at Pine knob to about 9,000 of us...yet he was gracious, he performed many songs from his huge catalogue from all four decades, he even did an encore of one of his first recordings from back in 1971 (called "I Love you")  he hung around after the concert to discuss anythinig and everything from his career to his wonderful wife, he just treated all of us with respect and humility. WOW! was that refreshing. it gave me hope for this Christian music industry again, perhaps they could learn some things from pioneers like Randy Stonehill. never forget why you do this, never forget Who you do this for and most importantly, never forget how blessed you are to still be doing it. Godspeed Uncle Rand. the new album "Spirit walk" is spectacular and your voice is still in fine form. now let the world tour begin again :)

Randy's "Wild frontier" cover AARP edition

http://www.randystonehill.com/ 

MY TOP TEN STONEHILL SONGS

1. Thankful
2. Light of the world
3. King of hearts
4. Hymn
5. Keep me Runnin
6. Life is tough, God is good
7. Celebrate this heartbeat
8. Christmas at Denny's
9. When I look to the Mountains
10. That's why we don't love God

ST. PATRICKS DAY TRIBUTE

TODAY IS ST. PATRICKS DAY! SO THIS POST IS IN HONOR OF THE LATE LEGENDARY BROADCASTING IRISHMAN JP McCARTHY, MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THE DETROIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM FOR THE EXHIBIT HONORING JP!

NEW DETROIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM EXHIBIT FEATURING
CLASSIC RADIO VOICES OPENS SATURDAY, MARCH 8TH

DETROIT – A new exhibit opening at the Detroit Historical Museum on Saturday, March 8th features six of our city’s most notable radio personalities of the past and present. Entitled Detroit’s Classic Radio Voices, the exhibit features artifacts, photos and audio from the following:
· Bob Allison – the folksy host of the “Ask Your Neighbor” radio program since 1962, originally on WWJ-AM and now on WNZK-AM, he also gained fame as the host of “Bowling for Dollars” and as the Twin Pines milkman on “Milky’s Party Time” on Channel 4 (then WWJ-TV).
· Sonny Eliot – billed on WWJ Newsradio 950’s website as a “wonder of wit and weather,” he has broadcast his inimitable weather forecasts on the station since 1950, in addition to his lengthy stints doing weather on Channel 4 (then WWJ-TV) and WJBK-TV2 and his hosting of the popular “At the Zoo” television show for 17 years.
· Ernie Harwell – a member of both the Radio and Baseball Halls of Fame, this broadcasting legend became the voice of the Detroit Tigers in 1960 and continued with only one brief interruption through his retirement at the end of the 2002 season, endearing himself to fans of all ages with his signature calls like “LOOOOONG GONE.”
· J.P. McCarthy – the immortal morning man at News/Talk 760 WJR, this Detroit institution and Radio Hall of Famer woke up Detroit with his friendly conversational style and unequaled talent as an interviewer from the early 1960s through his untimely death in 1995.
· Dick Purtan – the quintessential morning radio funnyman, this Radio Hall of Famer has taken his highly rated show to a succession of stations over more than 40 years in the Detroit market, starting with WKNR-AM in 1965 through his current 12-year stint at Oldies 104.3 WOMC-FM.
· Martha Jean “The Queen” Steinberg – a trailblazer for both Blacks and women in broadcasting, she came to Detroit from Memphis in 1963 and became a sensation as an R & B disc jockey and social commentator at WCHB-AM and WJLB-FM before buying a station in 1982 that became gospel and talk WQBH-AM, where she starred until her death in 2000.
The exhibit continues in the Museum’s Kresge Gallery through Sunday, August 24th. The supporting sponsor for the exhibit is Big Boy Restaurants, and the Japanese Business Society of Detroit Foundation is a community sponsor, with media partners WWJ Newsradio 950, News/Talk 760 WJR and Oldies 104.3 WOMC.The Detroit Historical Museum, located at 5401 Woodward Ave. (NW corner of Kirby) in Detroit’s Cultural Center area, is open to the public Wednesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the Museum is not open to the public but available for group tours by calling (313) 833-7979. Adult admission is $6. Seniors (60+), college students with valid college ID, and youth ages 5-18 pay $4. Admission for children ages four and under is free. Parking in the Museum’s lot is $3 at all times. Permanent exhibits include the famous Streets of Old Detroit, Frontiers to Factories, The Motor City, and The Glancy Trains. For more information, call the Museum at (313) 833-1805 or check out our website at www.detroithistorical.org.