Today we revisited some of the guests from 2021, their stories and music choices. All the show blogs featuring them are available in my presenter archive. We also had our regular competition with three artists who had recent birthdays. The vintage chart took us back to this week in 1968.
Playlist
Jon Batiste – Tell the truth – from my Presenter Pick album of the year – We are. It has eight Grammy nominations.
Mike Lindup – Time to let go – my Presenter pick single track of the year. Mike is best known as the keyboard player in Level 42.
Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke. James Van Cleef visited the show on 18th on June to talk about raising ,money for Cancer Research in memory of his son Adam www.ridingforadam.com Then the raised amount stood at £177,000. The planned bicycle ride coast to coast in the USA had to be put on hold; now planned for 2022. Instead, along with Mark Bayliss, they rode between a number of English cathedrals. The total raised now stands at £204,000 and they are confident they will easily beat it. Mark was surprised that they had been named as Cancer Research volunteer fundraisers of the year for 2021. Mark’s hope for 2022 was that justice of every kind, not just a slogan, moves people to action in 2022.
Taron Eggerton – Rocket Man. PhoenixFMs very own Stewart Pink talked about his e-book of Witty ditties that he had published. This was a collection of the poems he had written for his daily Drive show, weekdays between 3-6pm. He chose Rocket man because he had written a ditty about NASA astronaut John Young who in 1965 took a sandwich into space.
Beach Boys – God only knows. Russell Tilbury, Chair of the St. Thomas’ music foundation talked about how during lockdown the choir at St. Thomas’ Brentwood had to learn how to home record. Their tracks were then blended together. He noted that this technique had been used by the Beach Boys in the 1960s.
The Friday Teaser.
Ellie Goulding celebrated her 35th birthday. We heard her 2010 track – lights.
Tracey Ullman in 1983 above and in 2021 below.
Tracey Ullman celebrated her 62nd birthday. We heard her 1983 single release – They don’t know.
John Legend celebrated his 43rd birthday. We heard his 2011 track – All of me.
Bob in Harlow almost swept the board, with two correct answers. Patrick was the closest with Tracey Ullman. Better luck next week to Chris in Harlow who did not score a point this week.
Villene from the Brentwood Art Trail told us that in July and August there were 70 exhibits, produced by 64 artists that were exhibited in 19 exhibits in Brentwood, 8 in Shenfield and 7 in Ingatestone. Her task was to match an exhibit with a suitable venue. She chose Survivor – The eye of the tiger –because one exhibit featured a tiger.
Phil Norton from the Billericay Street Pastors talked about the group of volunteers from local churches who support people in the town on Friday and Saturday nights.
He chose Phil Harris – The bare necessities – because he said this track focussed on what is really important in life.
Ingatestone-based artist Sophie Griffiths chatted about her track – It must be love. She chose to record this Labbi Siffre song because it is her mum’s favourite song.
David Pickthall told us how the David Pickthall Big Band (DPBB) had grown out of the Brentwood School Big Band that he had started whilst teaching there between 1983 – 2011. The the band members had been with him at the school. He told us about an up-coming summer concert, which was held in West Hanningfield. A full programmes of concerts are planned for 2022. The first is in St. Thomas’ Brentwood on 19th of January. We heard DPBB – Midnight in Moscow.
The chart this week in
No 1 Beatles – Hello, goodbye.
No 7 Monkies – Daydream believer
No 10 Four Tops – Walk away Renee.
Jason Mraz – Best friend
London Grammar – Bittersweet symphony
Join me next week when we will take a second look at some of the stories and music choices from guests during the last year.