Showing results by author "Wink Martindale" in All Categories

An in-depth examination of the career of Wayne Newton featuring extensive interviews with Newton.

Roberta Flack gained national recognition with her song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". The singer, songwriter, and musician performed a wide variety of music including jazz, classical, folk, soul, pop and R&B. She was the first to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years. Wink Martindale speaks with Flack and provides a comprehensive overview of Flack's numerous accomplishments and successful career.

Despite his first orchestra being a complete failure, Glenn Miller grew to become arguably one of the most famous big band leaders. Following this early stumble, Miller launched his second band in March of 1938 and went on to achieve great success before his tragic disappearance in 1944. George T. Simon, big band expert, critic, author, and a close friend to Glenn Miller, provides listeners with on an overview of Miller's career. In his conversation with Wink Martindale, Simon provides an expert look at Miller's music, career, and personal life.

The second part of our Hall of Fame spotlight on Rodgers and Hammerstein details the phenomenal success Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had as partners after joining forces in 1943. Throughout their long career in theater, the pair helped to start the careers of many now famous singers, dancers, and musicians.

Roger Williams stood alone in the world of popular music. He was just three years old when he first sat in front of a piano and played a song. He went on to study piano at Drake University and Julliard and had his first success with the single "Autumn Leaves". Williams sat down for a conversation with Wink Martindale in 1972 to discuss his career and passion for playing music. He talks about his early life and musical journey, the importance of hard work and practice, and the toll life on the road takes.

Eddy Arnold dominated popular and country music from the late 40s to the 60s, despite changing tastes over those two eventful decades. In a conversation with host Wink Martindale, Arnold recounts his early life as a farm boy that earned him the nickname "The Tennessee Ploughboy" and his eventual rise to arguably become the king of country. Arnold continues to discuss his work as a musician, his leap from country to pop, and the struggles and triumphs of his career and personal life.

When Kenny Rogers started singing in high school, he went through numerous gimmicks and phases trying to find a way to make his voice identifiable. Audiences didn't respond to what he was doing, and on the advice of a friend, he dropped the gimmicks and started to embrace his own sound. Many awards, hit songs, and decades later, and there is no doubt of his gift for storytelling and distinctive sound.

Perry Como's career started with a dare. The teenage owner of a barbershop had done some singing locally, but when his friends dared him to get onstage and sing a few songs with Freddy Carlone, he was offered a job. Following touring, recording, and a brief return to the barber business, Como went on to host his own radio show and sign a recording contract with RCA records, where he would sell millions of albums.

Though his work was often classified as just "arrangements", Percy Faith's work went well beyond that and could be more accurately described as "recompositions". He got his start as a child studying piano and eventually made his mark as an instrumental stylist, importing elements of jazz and rock into mood music. In a conversation with host Wink Martindale, Faith discusses the work it takes to find and keep fans, his lengthy music career, and his focus on creating music that makes him happy versus music that might sell well.

We begin our exploration of the career of Elvis Presley, which found him recording for the now world-famous Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips in 1954. Only a few short years later, he would shift to RCA Records, releasing his first single for the label, "Heartbreak Hotel", in January of 1956. As host Wink Martindale recalls, "Presleymania" was in full swing by 1957. Longtime Presley associates Carl Perkins, Scotty Moore, Ray Walker, and Gordon Stoker are just a few of the names who join Wink to share their memories of those early days of Presley's career.

Brenda Lee's astoundingly successful career began at the early age of three, when she won a singing contest. At the age of 15, her career was well underway, drawing comparisons to the legendary Judy Garland and accumulating fans all over the world. She is perhaps best known for her 1960s single, "I'm Sorry", which she recorded at the age of just 14. Lee sat down with host Wink Martindale to discuss her captivating musical career. She speaks about her roots in gospel music, her many hit singles, and her deep love of music.

We continue our exploration of the career of Elvis Presley with the second installment of this three part series. Presley would face both happy times and challenging moments as his popularity continued to grow. He went Hollywood and added "movie star" to his resume, but he also got drafted in 1958, and that same year faced the death of his beloved mother.

In an interview with host Wink Martindale, Steve and Eydie sat down and discussed how they met, their early lives, and their love for performing. Martindale gives listeners an entertaining look at the couple's career and personal life.

Our third and final installment of a three-part exploration of the career of Elvis Presley takes a look at the final years for the legendary singer who we first became aware of in 1954 when he released his first single "That's Alright Mama" on Sun Records. That first single marked the beginning of an astonishing career during which he rose to become the most famous rock and roll star in the world.

For Alan and Marilyn Bergman, being married and working together as songwriters had many perks. The two found that their relationship allowed them to be uninhibited in sharing ideas while crafting a song. In this interview recorded with Wink Martindale in the 1980s, they discussed their lives, lyrics, and careers as songwriters. The couple provides an intimate and detailed look at the songwriting process, along with sharing interesting stories about some of the songs they've written.

Bobby Goldsboro describes the first song he ever wrote with a laugh as "one of the worst you've ever heard". Though those first attempts at songwriting weren't exactly successful, he went on to enjoy a wildly successful career, including the chart-topping hit "Honey", which sold more than a million copies in the United States. At the height of his popularity in 1973, Goldsboro sat down with Wink Martindale to discuss his wildly successful career, that included 16 top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Andy Williams got his start doing anonymous voice tracks for movies in the 1940s. He got his start singing at teas with his brother and then made a move to singing on radio in Des Moines, Iowa, and Chicago. Finally Williams found his way to New York, where he started to really focus on his singing career. Television played an instrumental role in Williams' success. His big breakthrough came as a singer on The Tonight Show starring Steve Allen.

Vic Damone quit school as a teenager to work at the Paramount Theater to help support his family after his father was injured. During this time he was exposed to a host of accomplished singers, both on the stage and behind the scenes. While operating the backstage elevator for Perry Como, Damone asked if he could sing for him to see if he had any talent. He stopped the elevator between floors and after he finished, Como told him he should keep it up.

Patti Page's music provided a soothing counterpoint to the revolutionary sound of rock n' roll in the 1950s, incorporating elements of country music into traditional pop songs. From 1948 through 1970 she had nearly 100 records on the Billboard Singles chart, including "(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window", "Old Cape Cod", "Allegheny Moon", and "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte". Page sat down with host Wink Martindale to discuss her personal life, the early days of her career, and her astounding popular success.

In this 1977 interview, Wink Martindale takes listeners on an extensive survey of the singer's long and successful career. From his first taste of fame with the single "Diana" to being one of the first pop singers to play in the Las Vegas casinos, Anka shares engaging stories of his career as an entertainer.