What do these songs have in common? Rod McEuan’s Love’s Been Good To Me, Jimmy Webb’s Do What You Gotta Do, Say You Don’t Mind by Colin Blunstone, Home Thoughts From Abroad by Clifford T Ward or Gretchen Peters‘ When You Are Old? They are all songs played out by Sir Terry Wogan at precisely the right moment when he presented his Breakfast Radio Two show. These were moments of radio I aspire to; in each case I went home and thought, ‘I need to own that record now!’
Of course it wasn’t just the record, it was what had gone on before or after it. Often it had been a “Pause For Thought” or a simple pithy aside. Often he was the pin required by the pomp of a given recording. I well remember chortling all the way back from the school run as Alison Moyet’s ‘I Go Weak’ was met with Terry’s, ‘I haven’t been so well m’self….” When our Sunday morning programme moved from being an hour in length to two hours and started at seven o’clock I often asked myself the question, ‘What music would Terry pick to make this work?’ I often borrowed but more often stole a song or two. Over and above all that he was the background to my own school journey as we often (quietly ) acknowledged my Dad’s wisdom in ignoring Noel Edmunds Radio One show in favour of tuning into Tel. Then he read letters out from people complaining they’d gone to see Slim Whitman and the man behind them had sung along too loud or he hosted the late great David Kossoff with his Old Testament Tales. I loved all the Terry bits…the music in those days was a pretty odd mix…..and as Terry handed over to Pete Murray I tumbled out of the car wishing I could just stay listening to the radio all day.
I met Terry a good few times. We performed more than anyone else on his TV show and reunited with him on Weekend Wogan. On these programmes he was as affable as ever – I still remember him trying to force chocolate crispy cakes on us just before we sang – and he had a lovely way of putting us at our ease despite having to sing a couple of feet in front of him. Though these were special mornings I, like so many of you,simply miss the the radio company of the man. So, from me, a distant radio fan – thank you and goodbye.
On tonight’s show we’ll play some country music discovered via Sir Terry and we’ll host a programme which will update you on many of the exciting releases of 2016. I’m delighted to introduce you to some new name. Listen out for new names: Dori Freeman, Leland Sundries, XIXA and Lucy Angel. We have new things too from some familiar names: Loretta Lynn, Ashley Monroe and Richmond Fontaine and we go to church with Maren Morris, Johnny Cash and Langhorn Slim. What’s not to love? We’re on air at five past nine this Tuesday evening on BBC Radio Scotland.
On Sunday…
My special guest will be Liverpool’s very own TV Mogul Phil Redmond and we’ll have music from Marvin Gaye, Pieta Brown, Trembling Bells and Ben Howard.
