About There Goes That Song Again Special

We take an in-depth look each week at a particular aspect of the music of the 1940s, 50s or 60s. Each “Special” may feature a specific artist, event, anniversary, Broadway show, Hollywood musical or other theme. It’s also an opportunity to take a detailed look at the history of a particular aspect of the era and re-discover forgotten artists and songs.

You can email Brian with your comments or requests at [email protected]

You can also hear a selection of programs as podcasts, at mixcloud.com/theregoesthatsongagain or by clicking on the date of the program below.

THIS PROGRAM IS USUALLY A REPEAT OF THE SPECIAL AIRED AT 11am TWO DAYS EARLIER

SEE 2023  DETAILS UNDER RECENT DATES IN SEPARATE SECTION BELOW

11am Wednesday 1st February and Repeat 3pm Friday 3rd February, 2023

On our Special this week, we follows last week’s program featuring The Pied Piers with another vocal group popular in the 1940s, The Satisfiers.  They first came to prominence as the vocal group backing Perry Como on his radio program “The Chesterfield Supper Club” and on many of his hit recordings in the 1940s.   But they went on to become popular in their own right.  We’ll talk about their career and play a range of their recordings in our Special.

11am Wednesday 25th January and Repeat 3pm Friday 27th January, 2023

Today in our “Special” we’re featuring one of the vocal groups of the 1940s who got their start singing with the Big Bands.  They were the Pied Pipers, who first achieved popularity in the early 1940s singing with Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra and with Frank Sinatra.  In 1943, they branching out on their own, and had several major hits throughout the rest of the 40s.  One of the original members of the group was Jo Stafford, who herself achieved great success as a soloist in the 1940s and 50s.  

11am Wednesday 26th October and Repeat 3pm Friday 28th October, 2022

We’re calling our Special this week “Keeping up with the Jones”. Every artist has the surname Jones. 

11am Wednesday 19th October and Repeat 3pm Friday 21st October, 2022

This week we pay tribute to Angela Lansbury who died on 11th October as we listen to the orinunal 1966 Broadaway cast production of “Mame” in which she had the starring role. 

11am Wednesday 12th October and Repeat 3pm Friday 14th October, 2022

in our Special in the second hour this week we put the spotlight on a group of people essential in the music business, but only a few of whom become very well known: the music producers. Today we feature Hugo and Luigi and Snuff Garrett.

11am Wednesday 5th October and Repeat 3pm Friday 7th October, 2022

This week we’re featuring American singer Al Morgan, popular in the 1940s and 50s.   Al’s biggest hit was in 1949 called “Jealous Heart”.  Although he had only a few other hits, his career extended must longer, and included some recordings he made in Australia in 1959.   

11am Wednesday 28th September and Repeat 3pm Friday 30th September

In our Special in our second hour today, we’re featuring “Answer Songs”.   Do you remember back in the 1950s and 60s, there were a number of songs which generated other songs in reply?  Most were songs by country music artists.  One original by Hank Loughlin was a hit for him in 1960 called “Please help me I’m falling” and later the same year Skeeter Davis replied with another song “I can’t help you (I’m falling too)”.  On the strength of that success, Skeeter recorded five more answer songs, released on an album which included the initial songs by other artists.    In our Special today, you’ll hear those songs, both the originals and the answers.  

11am Wednesday 21st September and Repeat 3pm Friday 23rd September

This week, we hear more songs by Bing Crosby from his radio shows in the late 1940s.

11am Wednesday 14th September and Repeat 3pm Friday 16th September

Last Friday morning, here in Australia we woke to the very sad news that our much-loved Queen, Elizabeth the Second, had died overnight, our time.  She came to the thrown in February, 1952 when her father, King George the Sixth, died suddenly.  On our TGTSA Special today, we’ll hear some of the songs that were popular in 1952.  The Queen herself was no stranger to popular music, having attended many Command Performance concerts in London during her lifetime. After the concerts, the performers would typically stand in line to be introduced to the Queen and she would exchange a few words with each of them. Many of them later recalled it was one of the most memorable occasions in their careers.   Frankie Laine recalled the occasion in 1954 when he met the Queen.

11am Wednesday 7th September and Repeat 3pm Friday 9th September

This week in our Special, we’re entertained with songs by Bing Crosby from several of his radio shows in the 1940s, sung in Bing’s typically relaxed style.  Listen out for one in particular which is more like a rehearsal: “Time after time” which Bing sings with Les Paul on guitar.    But it got plenty of laughs, so obviously Bing was happy to let it go to air!

11am Wednesday 31st August and Repeat 3pm Friday 2nd September

This week, Brian’s guest is Gary Pinto.  A veteran of the Australian music industry of over 30 years, Gary’s many activities include performing on stage and in the studio with artists such as Guy Sebastian, Jimmy Barnes, Christine Anu and Taylor Dayne, and he has worked on Australia’s biggest music shows, X Factor and The Voice, as Vocal Director and Vocal Coach for the past 10 years.    You might think he doesn’t sound like someone who would fit the 1940s, 50s and 60s genre of “There Goes That Song Again”?   Well, Gary does, because earlier this year he recorded a tribute album to a very popular artist of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Sam Cooke.  What’s more, Gary is presenting a concert featuring Sam’s music at the Opera House this Friday night.   In Brian’s Special this week, we hear Gary talk about, and sing, many of Sam Cooke’s hits as well as some of Sam’s Gospel songs, and more.  That will start a little earlier this week: soon after 10.45am if you’re listening on Wednesday and 2.45pm if you’re listening on Friday.

11am Wednesday 24th August and Repeat 3pm Friday 26th August

This week as our “Special” we have Part 2 a three-part Special featuring one of the major stars of the movies in the 1930s, 40s and 50s: Fred Astaire.    You’ll hear songs from three of Fred’s later movies for MGM, “The Barclays of Broadway” in 1949, “Three Little Words” in 1950 and “Royal Wedding” (or as it was known here “Wedding bells”) in 1951.  

11am Wednesday 17th August and Repeat 3pm Friday 19th August

Listeners will have heard the sad news that Judith Durham died in Melbourne last Friday week, 5th August, at the age of 79.    She of course is best known as the female singer with the vocal group The Seekers, although she had a very considerable solo career as well.   In our Special in his second hour this week, we’ll pay tribute to Judith, and replay a previous Special featuring their 1968 concert televised by the BBC.  

11am Wednesday 10th August and Repeat 3pm Friday 12th August

This week in our “Special”, we feature Howard Keel at the movies.    Howard was one of the most popular stars of Hollywood musicals in the early 1950s, having leading roles in many of the best known musicals of that era.  They included “Annie get your gun”, “Showboat”, “Kiss me Kate”, “Seven Brides for seven brothers” and many more.  

11am Wednesday 3rd August and Repeat 3pm Friday 5th August

As our Special in our second hour today, we have the original Broadway cast production of “Call me Madam”. The original recording RCA Victor recording did not include the star of the show, Ethel Merman, because she was contracted to Decca.  Decca released a studio album of Ethel singing her songs, with other Decca artists singing the other songs.  But we have a composite presentation today of the original cast plus Ethel.

11am Wednesday, 27th July, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 29th July

This week as our Special we have the first of two programs featuring one of the major stars of the movies in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Fred Astaire.    We’ll hear songs from all his early movies for MGM, including “Dancing Lady” (1933), “Broadway Melody of 1940”, “Yolanda and the thief” (1945) , “Ziegfield Follies” (1946) , “Easter Parade” (1948) and more.

11am Wednesday, 20th July, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 22nd July

Our Special this week is “The Essential Broadway – Part 2”, continuing a program aired in January with more of the best loved songs from Broadway shows.  Most of the performances are from original cast productions, others from revival productions.  

11am Wednesday, 13th July, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 15th July

The Weavers were a very popular American vocal group in the very early 1950s, but were then black-listed in the McCarthy era, preventing them from performing on radio and television and their records were withdrawn from sale.   In December, 1955, they held a “come-back” concert in Carnegie Hall, beginning a return to their popularity.  We’ll hear that concert in our Special today.

11am Wednesday, 6th July, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 8th July

In our Special in our second hour this week, we’ll hear another of  Spike Jones’  radio shows from 1948. We’ll again also hear the original hit versions by other artists of some of the songs.

11am Wednesday, 29th June, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 1st July

In our Special in our second hour this week, Brian features Spike Jones and plays the first of two radio shows from 1948 starring Spike. We also hear the original hit versions by other artists of some of the songs.

11am Wednesday, 22nd June, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 24th June

We have a 2-hour Special today, beginning at 10am Wednesday and 2pm Friday.   Brian Crabbe was an avid listener to radio while growing up Sydney in the late 1940s, the 1950s and the 1960s. With the recent closure of iconic Sydney commercial station 2CH after 90 years on air, this week Brian remembers some of the presenters on 2CH who played the music of that period, either at the time or reminiscing in more recent years.   Included are Bob Pollard, Walter Elliott, Brian Henderson, Max Rowley, Dal Myles, Howard Craven, Phil Haldeman, Sam Kronje, John Mahon, and in more recent years Ward Austin, Chris Kearns and Bob Rogers.  It’s a two-hour Special with lots of audio excerpts and music of the period.

11am Wednesday, 15th June, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 17th June

In our “Special” this week, you’ll hear a concert by English film star and singer Julie Andrews and American comedian Carol Burnett    It was held at New York’s Carnegie Hall and broadcast on American television on 11th June, 1962, exactly 60 years ago last Saturday.   Julie and Carol were quite different personalities, but as you’ll hear in this concert. they gell together very well.

11am Wednesday, 8th June, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 10th June

This week we feature Band Leaders who also sang.

11am Wednesday, 1st June, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 3rd June

In the movie “Tea for Two” based on the stage show “Non, No Nanette”, Doris Day won a bet with her uncle by always answering “No”.   Well, there are plenty of songs that have the word “No” in the title. We’ll hear lots of those in this week’s Special.

11am Wednesday, 25th May, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 27th May

Yet another anniversary of a birth and yet another great interview by Bob Rogers.  That’s in store for us today on our TGTSA Special as we celebrate the 101st anniversary of the birth this Wednesday 25th May of popular American singer of the 1940s and 50s, Kitty Kallen. Kitty first came to fame in the early 1940s as a singer with several of the best-known Big Bands, including Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James. But it was not until ten years later she had her biggest hit “Little things mean a lot”.    

11am Wednesday, 18th May, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 20th May

This week we have a 75 minute Special in tribute to Perry Como for the 110th Anniversary of his birth on 18th May, 1912. His manager, orchestra leader, and his daughter fondly reminisce about him in this program produced and presented by American radio presenter and Perry’s friend, Johnny Knox, not previously broadcast on 2RRR. 

11am Wednesday, 11th May, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 13th May

Saturday, 7th May this year was the 91st anniversary of another American singer very popular in the 1950s, Teresa Brewer.  So we’re paying tribute to her in our Special today.    In 1999, just before Teresa’s 68th birthday, Bob Rogers interviewed her, and with thanks  to Bob, we’ll hear that interview and lots of Teresa’s songs.

11am Wednesday, 4th May, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 6th May

Ahead of Mothers’ Day this Sunday, we’ll celebrate with a whole hour of songs about mothers. 

11am Wednesday, 20th April, 2022 & 3pm Friday, 22nd April

This week on our ‘There Goes That Song Again’ Special, we celebrate the 103rd Anniversary of the birth of Don Cornell this Thursday, 21st April. You’ll hear lots of Don’s hits, along with an interview with Don and Sydney radio personality Bob Rogers, recorded in the late 1990s.  

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