Radio Fun with The Radio Ranger

Monkee mania on the next RadioLand! Join us as we honor Davy Jones along with his band mates Mike, Mickey and Peter. All your favorite Monkee tunes plus a few surprises. Wed 6p, Sat 9a -89.9fm www.wvru.org

2012-03-07T04:35:00.001-08:00

Take a chance on the next RadioLand as we make the LEAP! Wed 6p, Sat 9a 89.9 fm www.wvru.org

2012-02-29T15:31:00.001-08:00

What will you choose to take a chance on? What can be new in your life?

R.O.C.K. On the next RadioLand! Wed 6p, Sat 9a 89.9fm www.wvru.org

2012-02-22T15:05:00.001-08:00

We're in New Orleans for Mardi GRAS on RadioLand! We'd 6p, Sat 9a 89.9fm www.wvru.org www.theradioranger.com

2012-02-15T15:15:00.001-08:00

Romance is in the air on RadioLand as we celebrate the LOVE show - Wednesday at 6p, Saturday at 9am 89.9 fm, www.wvru.org

2012-02-08T15:15:00.001-08:00

New RadioLand today! The theme is "Jukebox Heroes: AMY WINEHOUSE EDITION The inspirations and adulations of her life."

2012-02-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

We'll have music from Amy, but in addition we'll feature some of her favorite artists such as Frank Sinatra, James Moody and Etta James. We'll also have a couple somgs by the Amy-Inspired artists Adele and Rumer. Wednesday 6p, Saturday 9a http://www.wvru.org/ 89.9fm in the greater Radford metropolitan area! Meet you there!

Tonight! Fun with the fab four on the Beatle-ology edition of RadioLand. 6pm est Wednesday and 9am est Saturday www.wvru.org 89.9fm in the NRV of Virginia. Meet you in RadioLand!

2012-01-25T12:54:00.001-08:00

New RadioLand tonight! We are featuring a Salute to SUN Records, founded in February 1952. Great music from legendary artists in a Rock-A-Billy romp! Meet you in RadioLand! Wed @ 6p, Sat @ 9a - www.wvru.org 89.9fm!

2012-01-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

RadioLand 1/18/12 Salute to SUN records featuring Chris Isaak's "Beyond the SUN" recordings. Indicated with *

RadioLand theme - Cadillac by Combustible Edison

Ring of fire *
That's alright mama- Paul McCartney
Great balls of fire *
Everybody's in the mood *
Blue moon of Kentucky - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
It's now or never *
Who will the next fool be? - Sheryl Crow
Folsom prison blues - Johnny Cash
Sittin on top of the world - Van Morrison and Carl Perkins
Breathless - Jerry Lee Lewis
I forgot to remember to forget *
When the Saints go marching in - Elvis and the Million Dollar Quartet
My baby left me *
Don't be cruel - Bryan Ferry
Can't help falling in love *
Blue Suede Shoes - Johnny Hallyday
Live it up *
Oh Pretty Woman *

RadioLand closing theme There's a great big beautiful tomorrow by They Might Be Giants

Links:
http://www.sunrecords.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Sun-2CD-Chris-Isaak/dp/B005KMX866 - Beyond the Sun CD

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Rockin-Tonight-Legacy-Records/dp/B00005NZX7/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1326981165&sr=1-7 - Good Rockin Tonight CD

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Million-Dollar-Quartet/dp/B000HEVALC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1326981208&sr=1-1 - Complete Million Dollar Quartet

http://www.covermesongs.com/

Time for RadioLand! All American Heroes - www.wvru.org 89.9 fm

2012-01-14T06:01:00.001-08:00

New RadioLand alert! We're LIVE on the air right now with a new show for the new year. Great new recordings from The Puppini Sisters, Ranger Doug, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops plus much more! 89.9fm and www.wvru.org online. We rebroadcast each Saturday at 9am. See you in RadioLand!

2012-01-04T15:19:00.001-08:00

Some of the great stuff on this edition of RadioLand:

Hollywood by the Puppini Sisters

Art of the Archtop by Ranger Doug

Here we go again by Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and Norah Jones

Meet the Gregory Brothers

Preservation featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and many guest artists

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying 2011 cast album featuring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroqutte Plus more!

Check it out!

Tick tock, the clock is counting down to 2012. We will mark the passage of time on the next edition of RadioLand Wed @ 6p, Sat @ 9a 89.9 fm www.wvru.org worldwide!

2011-12-28T05:36:00.001-08:00

Hope you enjoyed our special Christmas Concert with the Brian Setzer Orchestra on RadioLand this week! We have an encore airing on Saturday, 12/17 at 9am. 89.9fm www.wvru.org

2011-12-15T11:57:00.001-08:00

Get your inner nerd on tonight and kick back with a Geek Chic Christmas on the next RadioLand! Wednesday 6pm & Saturday 9am - 89.9fm www.wvru.org

2011-12-07T11:35:00.001-08:00

Synthesized joy in this hour of power for the Holiday season! We'll visit the stars and beyond as well celebrate the geeky side of Christmas!

It's the Holiday season in RadioLand - which shows would you want to hear?

2011-12-01T11:53:00.001-08:00

In the past we've featured great holiday shows on RadioLand such as:

Cowboy Christmas - Featuring America's Favorite Cowboy Band - RIDERS IN THE SKY! http://www.ridersinthesky.com/

Geek Chic Christmas - You have to hear all the synthesized joy to believe it! What DO you get a Wookie for Chrstmas when he already owns a comb?! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_the_stars , http://www.spaceagepop.com/mannsy.htm

Red and Greeny, Pink Martini, Sisters Puppini Christmas - http://pinkmartini.com/ , http://www.facebook.com/puppinisisters

Dig that Crazy Santa Claus - A Christmas Concert with Brian Setzer - http://www.briansetzer.com/

Or would you just care for all new shows this Holiday season?

Please vote in our poll to the right! - - - - - >

HOHOHO!

Hope you enjoyed our holiday on Broadway on the latest RadioLand! It will air again this Saturday at 9a on www.wvru.org 89.9fm Join us!

2011-11-30T18:09:00.001-08:00

Holiday on Broadway is our feature this week. Many of the tunes come from the 2011 Carols for a cure CD. Sales of this CD as well as other products help fund "Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids".

You can find out more at

http://www.broadwaycares.org/

Hohoho!

Happy Thanksgiving! Our Turkey Day spectacular airs on the next RadioLand! Wed 6p & sat 9a 89.9 fm www.wvru.org.

2011-11-23T14:21:00.001-08:00

In the next RadioLand we've got music about New York that has been featured in the films of Woody Allen - Wed 6pm, Sat 9am 89.9fm www.wvru.org

2011-11-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

Woody Allen and New York. Until recently, Allen would shoot almost exclusively in the city and his images of the Big Apple paired with some of the greatest jazz, classical and pop music of all time make for some of the most striking moments in cinema history. We'll begin with Rhapsody in Blue from the film "Manhattan". I would suggest that there has rarely been a more fitting and stirring combination of image and sound on screen than the opening and closing moments from "Manhattan".

Featured soundtracks from other films:
Radio Days
Manhattan Murder Mystery
Bullets over Broadway
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Celebrity
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion

RadioLand update: We're heading to the city that never sleeps for a Big Apple Bonanza on the next RadioLand. NYC - here we come! Wednesday at 6pm, Saturday at 9am - 89.9fm in Virginia and www.wvru.org worldwide!

2011-11-02T10:18:00.001-07:00

We've got a lot of great tunes for this week's RadioLand.

First up, one of my all time favorites, Mel Torme - The Velvet Fog - brings "Songs of New York" including his renditions of "Autumn in New York" and "Let me off uptown".

Harry Connick Jr. is featured with tunes from the 1989 classic soundtrack from "When Harry Met Sally".

We round things out with Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett's duet rendition of "New York, New York".

Albums and Artists featured:

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Lounge-Big-Apple-Martini/dp/B002DDBG7S

http://www.ultralounge.com/

http://www.meltorme.com/

http://www.sinatra.com/

http://www.harryconnickjr.com/us/home

Things get spooky this week on "HAUNTED" RadioLand. Trick ot treat tunes! Wednesday at 6pm and Saturday at 9a - 89.9fm www.wvru.org

2011-10-27T14:44:00.001-07:00

Hope you enjoyed last night's Hallowwen Spectacular on RadioLand. It re-airs this Saturday at 9am. BOOOOOOO!

The World Famous RadioLand Rock and Soul Review on the next edition of RRRADIOLAND! Wed 6p, Sat 9a www.wvru.org 89.9 in the NRV of VA.

2011-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Cats, kittens and assorted mammals we hope you can join us on the main stage of the jungle room in the "Blessed house of Ill Repute" for the World Famous RadioLand Rock and Soul review! We've got great music from The Blues Brothers, Wilson Picket, Sam and Dave, The Coasters, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and more! Tune in!

Spaced Out Shatner on the next RadioLand! Wed 6pm, Sat 9am, 89.9fm in the NRV and www.wvru.org worldwide!

2011-10-11T10:42:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love "the Shat" ? William Shatner, best known for his role as Captain Kirk on the Original STAR TREK tv series, is certainly a cultural icon and has had an amazing career. Check out cuts from his latest album "Seeking Major Tom" on the next RadioLand.

Here's more information about the album:

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/entertainment/news/article/160117--william-shatner-releases-new-album-seeking-major-tom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeking_Major_Tom

http://www.allmusic.com/album/seeking-major-tom-r2280300/review

The next RadioLand is cool! Wed 6p sat 9a www.wvru.org

2011-10-05T15:00:00.001-07:00

Cool music, cool poetry! Put on your shades for this one...Show listOol ya koo - Dizzy GillespieMy baby - Ken NordineHot like lava Faces in jazzmatazz - Ken NordineRoute 66Da ting he growSarah Vaughn live at birdlandSoul bossa nova - Quincy JonesFlibberty jib - Ken NordineMisirlou - Dick DaleGimmie some lovin - Spence Davis GroupBoulevard of broken dreams - Tony BennettGirl, you'll be a woman soon - Urge OverkillMiss Cone - Ken NordineHollywood swinging - Kool and the gangGreen Onions - Booker t and th mg's

Tonight on RadioLand - we make our way to the RadioLand Lounge for great vocals from Louis Prima, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee and more! Swing out with us Wednesday at 6p and Saturday at 9a www.wvru.org 89.9fm in the NRV!

2011-09-28T13:59:00.001-07:00

Show list:
Just one of those things - Louis Prima
You gotta give it up - west coast jive

Jumping Jack - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Tik a tee, tick a tay - Gordon MacRae

Istanbul - Chapter 6

Ding dong daddy of the d car line - cherry poppin daddies

Triche Trache - Dean Martin

Bills Bounce - Bill Elliot Swing Orchestra
Listen to the rockin bird - Peggy Lee

Caravan - Lambert, Hendricks , and Ross

Mr Zoot Suit - Flying Nutrinos

I got Rythmn - Sarah Vaughn

Heebie jeebies - the Puppini sisters

Roller coaster - Les Baxter

Bebop the beguine - Sammy Davis Jr.

Sing sing sing - Louis Prima

Links of interest

http://www.ultralounge.com/

http://www.louisprima.com/

http://www.spaceagepop.com/esquivel.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Puppini_Sisters

QUEEN- in Concert on the next RadioLand! Wed. 6pm, Sat. 9am www.wvru.org 89.9fm

2011-09-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

"Somebody to Love", "We are the Champions", "Killer Queen" and all the great hits of one of the greatest bands in the history os Rock and Roll are featured in this RadioLand concert. In addition, we've got some rare covers of rock classics performed by QUEEN and the one and only Freddie Mercury.

Information on Ray Charles

2011-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Good day to all the citizens of RadioLand! Our next show features one of the all-time greats in the world of music- the legendary Ray Charles. His birthday is September 23, so we are celebrating a little early with some rare Ray tunes and some of our favorite hits including his jazz work, early soul, modern sounds in country and western and more!

Ray was an enigma! He lived his life on his own terms, playing the hand that was dealt and chaning the course of music for all time. He basically invented soul by taking gospel tunes and melodys and creating non-religious lyrics. When he turned to country, he reinvented it in a way that simply had never been conceived before. You have to hear Ray sing country to really "get it".

Ray's bio from http://www.raycharles.com/:

Ray Charles was not born blind. In fact, it took almost seven years for him to lose his sight in its entirety, which means he had seven years to see the joy and sadness of this big wonderful world – a world he would never see again. As a seven year old child, in searching for light, he stared at the sun continuously, thereby eliminating all chances of the modern-day miracle, cornea transplants – a surgery unheard of in 1937.

Perhaps the reason that Ray Charles made music his mistress and fell madly in love with the lady is that music was a natural to him. Ray sat at a piano and the music began; he opened his mouth and the lyrics began. He was in absolute control.

But the rest of his life was not quite so simple. Ray was born at the very beginning of the Great Depression – a depression that affected every civilized country in the world. Ray was born in 1930 in Albany, Georgia, the same year that another Georgia native by the name of Hoagy Carmichael, was already making his mark on the world. In 1930, the year of Ray’s birth, Hoagy recorded a song that became an all-time classic and remains so to this day; a song titled “Stardust.” It’s ironic that these two Georgia natives would someday cross paths again, as they did 30 years later when Ray Charles was asked by the State of Georgia to perform, in the Georgia Legislative Chambers, the song they had selected as their state song. That song was Ray’s version of “Georgia,” written by Hoagy Carmichael. Hoagy, who unfortunately was too ill to attend the event, was listening via telephone/satellite tie-up.

Ray’s mother and father, Aretha and Bailey, were “no-nonsense” parents. Even after Ray lost his sight, his mother continued to give him chores at home, in the rural area in which they lived, such as chopping wood for the wood burning stove in the kitchen in order for them to prepare their meals. Chores such as this often brought complaints from the neighbors, which were met with stern words from Mrs. Robinson. She told them her son was blind, not stupid, and he must continue to learn to do things, not only for himself, but for others as well. Unfortunately, Ray lost the guidance of his mother and the counseling of his father at a very young age. At 15 years old, Ray Charles was an orphan, but he still managed to make his way in this world under very trying conditions; living in the South and being of African-American heritage, plus being blind and an orphan.

Ray refused to roll over and play dead. Instead he continued his education in St. Augustine, at Florida’s State School for the Deaf and Blind. A few years later, Ray decided to move. His choice was Seattle, Washington. It was in Seattle that Ray recorded his first record. It was also in Seattle that the seed was planted for a lifelong friendship with Quincy Jones.

In the decades since Seattle, Ray Charles made his contributions to the many facets of music in which he excelled. His awards are too numerous to mention all of them, but we would like to acknowledge eight honorary doctoral degrees, seventeen Grammys, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, President’s Merit Award and his Playboy Jazz Awards. He has been recognized repeatedly by Heads of State, Presidents, Premieres, Political Dignitaries and members of Royal families. He was chosen, by the King and Queen of Sweden, to receive the Polar Music Award, which is that country’s most prestigious award and is, recognized the world over. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #10 on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and #2 on their list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.”

Ray Charles died at 73 years old on June 10, 2004, two months before the release of his final album “Genius Loves Company”, which sold over 5 million copies earning 8 Grammys, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year and 4 months before the release of his Academy Award winning feature film Ray, portraying his life and career. Not only was the film critically acclaimed, but it earned more than $125 million worldwide and landed Jamie Foxx an Academy Award for Best Actor. Ray remains the most critically acclaimed musical bio-pic because of the manner in which it told the story of one of America’s greatest entertainers.

New RadioLand tonight! Ray Charles: Rarities and Righteous Hits! Wednesday - 6pm edt 89.9fm in the NRV of Virginia and www.wvru.org worldwide!

2011-09-14T08:53:00.001-07:00

More information on Buddy Holly!

2011-09-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Buddy Holly Bio:

Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley was born in Lubbock on September 7, 1936, the fourth child and third son of Lawrence Odell "L.O." Holley and his wife, the former Ella Pauline Drake. He was nicknamed "Buddy" because, as his mother once confided, "Charles Hardin was just too long a name for such a little boy."

Buddy Holly was raised in a musical household. His mother Ella was an excellent vocalist, having sung duets with her sister from an early age. Oldest brother Larry studied classical violin, Travis played accordion, and Pat played piano and sang. Buddy's father, "L.O.," was the designated listener. "He couldn't carry a tune in a bag," Travis recalls.
Buddy, however, was quite another story. As a child, he showed a quick aptitude for music, taking violin and piano lessons, and later steel guitar lessons.

When Buddy entered J.T. Hutchinson Junior High School in 1949, he was already an accomplished guitarist, banjo player and mandolinist. He and fellow 7th grader Bob Montgomery listened to the radio religiously, learning the repertoires of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Jim & Jesse and the entire casts of the Louisiana Hayride and Grand Ol' Opry. A local group, The Mayfield Brothers, were also an early influence.

Buddy and Bob would form several country groups during their junior high and high school years that included Larry Welborn, Don Guess, Jack Neal, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison and other young Lubbock area "pickers." The boys would play at school functions, talent shows, car dealerships, grand opening promotions, parties -any venue that would give them experience in front of an audience and exposure for their music. "We'd play for the opening of a pack of cigarettes," says one former bandmate.

If there was a single influence that indelibly shaped Buddy Holly's life and music, it was Elvis Presley. By the time Elvis first barnstormed through Lubbock in early 1955, Buddy and Bob (along with Larry Welborn) were starring on their own Buddy & Bob Show on Lubbock's KDAV radio Sunday Party. They were also opening shows for the big country acts at the Fair Park Coliseum and local clubs.

The boys were familiar with Presley's early Sun Records That's Alright Mama and Good Rockin' Tonight, as well as black rhythm and blues picked up from powerful late night radio stations in Memphis and Shreveport. But seeing "The Hillbilly Cat" in person at Fair Park Coliseum and the Cotton Club was something else. "Presley just blew Buddy away," recalls Sonny Curtis. "None of us had ever seen anything like Elvis, the way he could get the girls jumping up and down, and that definitely impressed Holly. But it was the music that really turned Buddy around. He loved Presley's rhythm --it wasn't country and it wasn't blues --it was somewhere in the middle and it suited just fine. After seeing Elvis, Buddy had only one way to go." Buddy himself would later tell Billboard columnist Ren Grevatt that "without Elvis Presley none of us would have made it." Rock 'n roll had taken hold of Buddy Holly -- and vice versa.

Buddy Holly was no overnight sensation. His first recording contract, with Decca Records in Nashville, was the result of being in the right place at the right time. In October of 1955, Buddy & Bob performed as the opening act for a country package show at the Fair Park Coliseum that included Bill Haley & The Comets. Also in attendance was Eddie Crandall, a Nashville talent agent and Marty Robbins' manager, who liked what he saw and heard in Holly's spirited performance. Crandall quickly helped broker a Decca recording contract for Buddy (Bob was not included) through music publisher Jim Denny.

Buddy would record only a dozen tracks for the label, primarily using veteran session players under the direction of producer Owen Bradley. While Sonny Curtis, Don Guess and Jerry Allison would also be used on various tracks, Bradley pushed for a formula country sound with predictable arrangements -- and, sadly, received predictably disappointing results. Holly's two single releases, Blue Days Black Nights/Love Me and Modern Don Juan/You Are My One Desire went nowhere and his Decca contract was not renewed. Years later, Owen Bradley would reflect, "We had been very successful with a country format; we were all into country, and it's hard to change patterns. Buddy couldn't fit into our formula any more than we could fit into his -- he was unique, and he wasn't in a pattern. We didn't understand, and he didn't know how to tell us."

John Wayne's famous line from The Searchers was more than just the inspiration for Buddy Holly & The Crickets' first big hit. That'll Be The Day really sums up the spirit of determination -- the refusal to quit -- that sustained Buddy Holly after the Decca debacle. Returning from Nashville, Buddy began an intensive period of practicing, performing and songwriting with drummer and best friend, Jerry Allison. The two were well known at various independent studios around the West Texas area where they would cut demos. One such studio was owned by Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, a hundred miles northwest of Lubbock. Built in 1955 to record his own group, the Norman Petty Trio, the studio was considered state-of-the-art by 1956 standards. Petty was a gifted engineer as well as musician, and would record numerous hopeful singers and local bands, including Buddy Holly and his friends. And it was there in the early morning hours of February 25, 1957 that Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Larry Welborn, Niki Sullivan and Gary and Ramona Tollett met to record That'll Be The Day. The rest really is rock 'n roll history.

No mention of Buddy Holly or his music is complete without The Crickets. The original lineup included Buddy Holly, vocal & lead guitar; Jerry "J.I." Allison, drums; Joe B. Mauldin, bass; and Niki Sullivan, rhythm guitar. Sullivan would leave the group after their first national tour in the fall of 1957, and the band continued as a threesome.

The Crickets were not simply back-up musicians. The Buddy Holly "sound" is built around the close interplay of Holly's voice, open-chord guitar strumming and Jerry Allison's syncopated drumming. There is a tightness, a oneness to Buddy and J.I.'s playing that has rarely been equaled. "We listened to the same music, played the same licks, and had the same job of filling up the holes in our sound that we just knew what the other was going to play," says J.I. Although some records would be issued under Buddy Holly's name alone, it was The Crickets who played on most of them. The sound of the Crickets inspired legions of young rockers worldwide, including two lads from Liverpool who named their group, The Beatles, after the boys from Lubbock.

On March 1, 1958, Buddy Holly and The Crickets began a 25-day tour of England.

Many rock historians point to this tour as a major turning point in popular music. The British loved American rock ‘n roll, and the personal appearance of one of their favorite groups gave young English rockers a first hand look at how the music was actually made.

Paul McCartney would later recall watching Buddy Holly perform on Sunday Night at The London Palladium television program just to see which chords Holly used and where he placed his guitar capo.

Drummer Bob Henrit, who played with Adam Faith, would also add: "Jerry Allison was a schooled drummer and we weren’t. Every drummer played Peggy Sue hand to hand, but he played as a paradiddle. We didn’t even know what a paradiddle was! And the way he played Oh Boy was subtle. He was putting something into rock we weren’t seeing. We were emulating him without realizing what he was doing."

Even Holly’s physical appearance –– black horn-rimmed glasses and 3-button Ivy League jackets –– would influence early English rock fashions.

When the "British Invasion" began in the early ‘60s, it was led by musicians such as Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Keith Richards and others who were forever moved by Buddy Holly and The Crickets’ visit to England a few years earlier.

It is entirely fitting that the Rolling Stones’ first big hit was Buddy Holly & The Crickets’ Not Fade Away.

In June of 1958, he met and fell in love with Maria Elena Santiago, a receptionist at Peer Southern Music in New York. The two were married on August 15, 1958.

As Holly became more sophisticated in the business of music, he was no longer content to have his affairs managed by Norman Petty, and the two ended their business relationship in October.

The Crickets and Buddy would also part ways. Pressures of the road, business dealings, and Holly’s recent marriage had caused dissension between Buddy, Jerry and Joe B., and the three severed their relationship after a final tour in the fall of 1958.

Discouraged, but still very determined, Buddy and Maria moved to an apartment in New York City’s Greenwich Village where Buddy concentrated on songwriting, developing his solo career, and producing young, upcoming artists.

While Buddy’s financial affairs were being resolved, General Artists Corporation, his booking agency, offered a temporary source of cash –– a 3-week tour through the frozen Midwest beginning January 27, 1959.

Because of his split from The Crickets, Holly recruited guitarist Tommy Allsup (who had played on several of Buddy’s recordings and tours), drummer Carl Bunch, and KLLL disc jockey turned bass player, Waylon Jennings. Dubbed the "Winter Dance Party," the tour also included Ritchie Valens (a 17-year old Californian whose record Donna was at the top of the charts), J.P. Richardson, a 28-year old disc jockey from Beaumont, Texas better known as "The Big Bopper," and Dion and The Belmonts, a popular teenage vocal group from New York City. A young unknown singer named Frankie Sardo and several horn players rounded out the entourage.

Almost immediately, the tour was plagued with problems. The busses were poorly heated and prone to frequent breakdowns. Below-zero weather dogged the group as it criss-crossed Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. Holly’s drummer would eventually suffer frostbite, and colds and flu quickly spread among the performers.

By the time the tour limped into Clear Lake, Iowa on the evening of Monday, February 2, Holly had decided to charter a small plane for himself, Allsup and Jennings to fly to the next venue in Fargo, North Dakota following two shows at Clear Lake’s Surf Ballroom. At the last minute, Jennings gave up his seat to The Big Bopper (who had the flu); Tommy Allsup lost his seat to Ritchie Valens with a flip of a coin.

At approximately 1:00 a.m., the Beechcraft Bonanza plane took off from the nearby Mason City airport. It crashed less than five minutes later, literally flown into the ground by a pilot blinded by bad weather. One of the greatest rock ‘n roll artists of all time lay undiscovered in a frozen Iowa wheat stubble field until well after dawn.

Buddy Holly’s influence on popular music is enormous. The recordings he made in Clovis are extraordinary for their ingenuity and high level of engineering. Long before overdubbing became a common practice, Holly was "layering" his records with multiple vocal and instrumental lines (as he did on Words Of Love and Listen To Me).

He was an experimenter as well. Anything was fair game –– J.I.’s drumming on a cardboard box, playing electric guitar through an organ speaker, adding a delicate celeste –– if it fit the musical textures Holly was painting.

That Buddy Holly and The Crickets could make it all sound so easy that any high-school garage band could play right along is a testament to their genius. Holly’s trademark "chord lead" style of rhythmic guitar playing can be heard in every rock ‘n roll band since, from the Beatles to the kids next door.

For musicians, his spirit and creativity remain basic lessons on how rock ‘n roll music should be played. The enormous joy that his music still brings is an inspiration for why it is worthwhile to do so. His friend Sonny Curtis expressed it best when he said that Buddy Holly lives whenever rock ‘n roll is played.

Bio from: http://www.buddyhollycenter.org/

More on the album featured on RadioLand: Listen to Me: Buddy Holly

http://sacurrent.com/music/various-artists-em-listen-to-me-buddy-holly-verve-forecast-em-1.1198526

Buddy Holly on the next RadioLand! Wednesday at 6pm edt and Saturday at 9am edt - www.wvru.org 89.9fm in the NRV of Virginia!

2011-09-07T11:54:00.001-07:00

We've got a great new album called: LISTEN TO ME - featuring wonderful covers of Buddy Holly and the Crickets' songs. Meet you in RadioLand!

Back to school on the next RadioLand! Wednesday at 6p, sat at 9a www.wvru.org 89.9 fm

2011-08-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

Western Swinging on the next edition of RadioLand with a new acoustic guitar album called "Art of the Archtop" Wed 6p, Sat 9a www.wvru.org 89.9 fm

2011-08-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

We've got music from Ranger Doug Green, Riders in the Sky and the Time Jumpers! It's a Ranger Doug-a-palooza on the next RadioLand! See you on the air!

New RadioLand alert! Awesome early 80's on the air! Wed 6p, sat 9a wvru.org 89.9fm

2011-08-10T15:06:00.001-07:00

All new RadioLand this week featuring music from Captain America: the first avenger! Check it out before you head to the theatre. Wed 6p, sat 9a www

2011-07-20T14:23:00.001-07:00

HOCUS POCUS! We visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on the next RadioLand! Wed. 6p, Sat. 9a, www,wvru.org 89.9fm.

2011-07-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

P.S. We have songs from the Deathly Hallows part 2 soundtrack! Check it out early!

Celebrate the USA on the next RADIOLAND! Patriotic tunes for all! Wed. 6p, Sat. 9a, www.wvru.org 89.9fm in the NRV!

2011-06-29T08:26:00.001-07:00

Checking in from RadioLand! We've got car songs on this week's episode! Wed 6p. Sat 9a www.wvru.org 89.9fm

2011-06-22T15:14:00.001-07:00

It came from outer space! On the next RadioLand we'll have celestial tunes! Wed 6 p sat 9 a wvru.org 89.9fm

2011-06-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

RadioLand Summer 2011 schedule - what do you think?

2011-05-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hey RadioLanders! The planning team in RadioLand have put together a schedule for summer based on some of our favorite things but as Mayor of RadioLand, I want to know what the people think!

Here's the schedule - let's have some feedback! Of course - everything is subject to change on a whim or due to the rapture - one or the other! ; )

May 25 – The RadioLand Time Machine – Travel back to each decade over the last 100 years

June 1 – The New Frontier – A look at future past . . .

June 8 – Broadway – Wonderful Moments from the Great White Way

June 15 – It Came from Outer Space – A Celestial Spectacular

June 22 – Hitting the Highway - CARTUNES

June 29 – Patriotica! An All Star Salute to the USofA

July 6 – RadioLand Travelogue – Great places in America!

July 13 – Hocus Pocus – A musical salute to our favorite wizards and witches!

July 20 – All American Heroes

July 27 – Cowboys and Aliens

August 3 – Riding the Rails

August 10 – The RadioLand Time Machine – Awesome 80s!

August 17 – Spy

August 24 – School Daze!

August 31 – Take this Job . . .

We're going to fire up the Rockn' Jukebox on the next edition of RadioLand! Wed 6p, Sat 9a 89.9fm, www.wvru.org

2011-05-18T12:28:00.001-07:00

Big Bands on the next edition of RadioLand - Wed 6p, Sat 9a, www.wvru.org 89.9fm

2011-05-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

A Central and South American Flair on the Next RadioLand as we celebrate Cinco De Mayo! Wed. 6p, Sat 9a 89.9fm www.wvru.org

2011-05-04T14:59:00.001-07:00

Music from the odd robot on this week's RadioLand!

2011-03-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Geek chic on the next RadioLand! Wed 6p Sat 9a www.wvru.org. 89.9fm

2011-03-25T21:01:00.001-07:00

Geek chic on the next RadioLand! Wed 6p Sat 9a www.wvru.org. 89.9fm

2011-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with us this week! Paddy O'Pardy is your guest host. Wed 6p. Sat 9a. www.wvru.org

2011-03-16T04:30:00.000-07:00

Rock n roll on the next RadioLand! Each song is connected to the next in one hr long stream! Sat 9a Wed 6p www.wvru.org

2011-03-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Ray Charles is our featured artist on RadioLand! Wed 6p Sat 9a www.wvru.org 89.9fm

2011-02-17T02:40:00.000-08:00

A tribute to composer John Barry on the next RadioLand! Today at 9 am est 89.9 fm, www.wvru.org

2011-02-05T05:06:00.001-08:00

John Barry was a talented musician and composer who scored 11 James Bond pictures and dozens of others including Born Free, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves. He passed away recently and is featured in our tribute this week! Enjoy!

RADIOLAND AHEAD! Tonight at 6p est & Saturday at 9a est - www.wvru.org 89.9fm in the NRV!

2011-01-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

Tune in - you will be surprised by what you hear! I'll meet you in RADIOLAND!

Inspiration, imagination, evolution and revolution on the next RadioLand! Wed 6p sat 9a www.wvru.org. 89.9fm in the Nrv!

2011-01-11T17:27:00.001-08:00

NEW RadioLand for the NEW YEAR! Today at 6pm, Saturday at 9am 89.9fm, www.wvru.org

2011-01-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

All about TIME on the next RadioLand just for the New Year. Wed 6p, Sat 9a - www.wvru.org 89.9fm.

2010-12-27T15:07:00.001-08:00

Hope you enjoyed the red and greeny, Pink Martini, sisters Puppini Christmas on RadioLand this week!

2010-12-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Check it out again this weekend! Classic RadioLand Christmas shows all over WVRU this Friday and Saturday. 89.9 fm www.wvru.org

Have yourself a merry GEEK CHIC Christmas on RadioLand this week! Wed 6p, Sat 9a www.wvru.org 89.9 fm

2010-12-15T05:10:00.000-08:00

In the next edition of RadioLand we celebrate the nerdy side of the holidays. Music from Sy Mann on the Moog Synthesizer, Christmas in the Stars - a Star Wars Christmas Album, Jingle Bells - Batman Smells, and a few surprises. Get your geek on for RADIOLAND!

Dig that crazy Santa today on RADIOLAND! We've got a special concert in RadioLand featuring the Brian Setzer Orchestra. 6pm Wed, 9am Sat www.wvru.org

2010-12-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

89.9fm in the New River Valley and www.wvru.org online. Lots of good Christmas music with a rockabilly flair! Be there Daddio!

We hit the Holiday Road this week on RadioLand - the FIRST of our month of Christmas specials! Wed 6pm, Sat 9am - www.radford.edu 89.9fm in the NRV

2010-11-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Thanksgiving with the RadioLand Turkey Day spectacular - this week! Wed 6pm, Sat 9am - 89.9fm www.wvru.org

2010-11-22T07:29:00.001-08:00

Harry Potter on the next RADIOLAND! Wed 6pm, Sat, 9am www.wvru.org 89.9fm

2010-11-17T15:05:00.001-08:00

Check out the RadioLand archive @ http://www.wvru.org/Radioland.html .

2010-11-12T03:19:00.000-08:00

We have a swinging salute to Veterans on the next RadioLand! Wed 6p, Sat 9a, www.wvru.org 89.9fm. Be there or be square!

2010-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

Pizzarelli, Prima, Paul, & Parker on Radioland this week. Great swing Wed 6pm Sat 9am www.wvru.org 89.9fm. Meet you there!

2010-11-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Up next in RadioLand: Haunted Radio! Spooky tunes for the season. Wed 6p. Sat 9a 89.9fm www.wvru.com

2010-10-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Superhero tunes on this week's Radioland! Put on a mask and turn up your radio. Wed 6pm Sat 9am 89.9 fm www.wvru.org

2010-10-21T02:59:00.000-07:00

Fire up the Hi-Fi stereo set for the next edition of RadioLand!

2010-10-13T11:58:00.001-07:00

Hey folks, it's time for a visit to the RadioLand Lounge so put on that Tiki shirt and let's enjoy some great Space Age Bachelor Pad Music featuring Combustible Edison and Esquivel!

89.9fm on the radio in the New River Valley of Virginia, www.wvru.org worldwide online!

6pm Wednesday, 9am Saturday

Great tunes from commercials on the latest Radioland! Wed 6p sat 9a www.wvru.org

2010-10-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

New show this week! Make way for tomorrow today! Check it out Saturday, Oct 2, 9am www.wvru.org

2010-10-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

TV on the radio! Great television songs on the next RadioLand!

2010-09-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

WKRP on RadioLand this week. Catch it Saturday at 9am.

2010-09-16T02:46:00.000-07:00

Rhapsody on a Blue Beach!

2010-09-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Beach Boy Big Kahuna Brian Wilson reimagines Gershwin on the next RadioLand!

Saturday, Sept 11, 9am www.wvru.org 89.9FM

Check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/officialbrianwilson

BUH!

2010-08-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

I've had a scene from The Office running through my head for days: "Beets, Bears, Battlestar Gallactica!" (Yeah, I know . . .)

Soooooooooo, the most recent edition of RadioLand was the BUH show. Beatles, Buckaroos, Backman Turner Overdrive and so on.

Check out the replay on Saturday 9am, 89.9fm www.wvru.org

TODAY ON RADIOLAND!

2010-07-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Revolution, Evolution, Imagination and Inspiration are the themes for the next edition of RadioLand! Join us at 6pm on Wed - 7-14-10 and 9am on Sat 7-17-10.

89.9FM, www.wvru.org

Special feature from RadioLand - Melody Gardot!

2010-01-27T20:17:00.001-08:00

I hope you enjoyed the "State of Mind" edition of RadioLand today. As I mentioned during the show, Melody Gardot is a new favorite of mine. She's a young artist with a great sound and an amazing story of recovery! Literally rising from the ashes of her former life after a serious accident, Melody is a soaring Pheonix on the jazz and pop vocal charts. Please check her out at www.melodygardot.com

RadioLand gets inside your head this week!

2010-01-27T08:38:00.001-08:00

Imagination, hopes, dreams, fears, moods, etc are all a part of the big show today as we explore "State of Mind" on the next edition of RadioLand. We'll have tunes from John Lennon, Elvis Costello, Duffy, the First Edition, and more! 6p Wed, 9a Sat. 89.9 FM, www.wvru.org online!
Meet you in RadioLand!

Soundtrack FUN on this week's edition of RadioLand!

2009-11-03T06:44:00.001-08:00

Music from the movies will be our focus - don't miss it - we'll have good stuff from the last 100 years or so.

Wed 6p, Sat 9a. - Meet you there!

Visiting Vegas on this week's RadioLand!

2009-10-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

Swingin' on the Las Vegas strip in our next edition of RadioLand, Tonight at 6p and Saturday at 9a. www.wvru.org 89.9 FM In the greater Radford Metropolitan Area!

Our flight leaves right at the top of the hour, so don't be late! See you then!

The NINES on the new edition of RADIOLAND this week.

2009-09-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

It sure seems like a lot of monumental things happened in years that ended in 9 doesn't it? 1929 - stock market crash, 1939 - the World of Tomorrow at the Worlds Fair, 1969 - Woodstock, man on the moon. We will celebrate all those big events and others in the next edition of RadioLand. Wednesday 9-9-09 at 6p and Saturday 9-13-09 at 9!

Our Salute to the workers of the world on this week's RadioLand!

2009-08-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

2009-08-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

This week on RadioLand - Flashback to Woodstock! Great performances from the legenday festival.

Welcome to all our friends out there on the air!

2009-07-29T11:26:00.001-07:00

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To travel to the Radio Ranger Ranch, click here!