Curtin Radio

24/01/2025

ALL THE LATEST COMMUNICATION NEWS…..

Join Jamie Mercanti on the Afternoon Programme today at 1.20pm for our regular talk with Boyd Brown, Regional General Manager for Telstra WA.

Boyd has over five years of experience in the telecommunications industry and has seen many developments in the industry including the expansion of Telstra’s mobile networks across Regional WA. Firstly with the introduction of the Next G network, the expansion currently via the Regional Mobile Communications Project, and also more recently with the expansion of the 4G network. Boyd is currently Area General Manager for Telstra in WA South & Central and works closely with Telstra’s team to deliver world class communications to Regional WA.

You are welcome to call with any telecommunication issues you may be experiencing on (08) 9484 1927 or, alternatively, email [email protected].

23/01/2025

CELEBRATING HIS 84TH BIRTHDAY TODAY ……

On 24th January 1941 Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family descended from Russian and Polish immigrants. His parents were Rose and Akeeba "Kieve" Diamond, a dry-goods merchant. He grew up in several homes in Brooklyn, having also spent four years in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where his father was stationed in the army. In Brooklyn he attended Erasmus Hall High School and was a member of the Freshman Chorus and Choral Club along with classmate Barbra Streisand. They were not close friends at the time, Diamond recalls: "We were two poor kids in Brooklyn. We hung out in the front of Erasmus High and smoked cigarettes”. After his family moved he then attended Abraham Lincoln High School and was a member of the fencing team. For his 16th birthday, he received his first guitar.

When he was 16, and still in high school, Diamond spent a number of weeks at Surprise Lake Camp, a camp for Jewish children in upstate New York, when folk singer Pete Seeger performed a small concert. Seeing the widely recognized singer perform, and watching other children singing songs for Seeger that they wrote themselves, had an immediate effect on Diamond, who then became aware of the possibility of writing his own songs. "And the next thing, I got a guitar when we got back to Brooklyn, started to take lessons and almost immediately began to write songs," he said. He adds that his attraction to song writing was the "first real interest" he had growing up, besides helping him release his youthful "frustrations".

Diamond also used his newly-developing skill at writing lyrics to write poetry. By writing poems for girls he was attracted to in school, he soon learned it often won
their hearts. His male classmates took note and began asking him to write poems for them which they would sing and use with equal success. He spent the summer, following his graduation, as a waiter in the Catskills resort area. There he first met Jaye Posner, who would, years later, become his wife.

Diamond next attended New York University as a pre-med major on a fencing scholarship. His skill at fencing made him a member of the 1960 NCAA men's championship team. However, he was often bored in classes, and found writing song lyrics more to his liking. He began cutting classes and taking the train up to Tin Pan Alley, where he tried to get some of his songs heard by local music publishers. By his senior year, and just 10 units short of graduation, Sunbeam Music Publishing offered him a 16-week job writing songs for $50 a week and he dropped out of college to accept it.

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Additionally, he received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and in 2011 was an honouree at Kennedy Centre. On the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, he has had eleven No.1 singles: "Cracklin' Rosie", "Song Sung Blue", "Longfellow Serenade", "I've Been This Way Before", "If You Know What I Mean", "Desiree", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", "America", "Yesterday's Songs" and "Heartlight".

23/01/2025

DOUBLE DEMERITS IN PLACE FOR THE AUSTRALIA DAY LONG WEEKEND

Curtin Radio reminds all our listeners that double demerit points in Western Australia come into effect from Friday 24th January until Monday 27th January (inclusive).

For those travelling on the roads over this period, or at any other time, we do ask that you please drive carefully and arrive at your destination safely.

23/01/2025

23/01/2025

On the Afternoon Programme at 2.20pm today, Jamie Mercanti will be speaking to Greg Hebble, CEO of Wheelchairs For Kids Australia.

Wheelchairs For Kids are thrilled to share that the WA winner of the 2025 Senior Australian of the Year is their very own Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett AM.

Brother Thomas Oliver (Olly) Pickett AM played a key role in the foundation of Wheelchairs For Kids in 1996, which was established to provide adjustable wheelchairs and occupational therapy expertise for children in developing countries, free of charge. Since then, more than 60,000 custom-built wheelchairs have been gifted to children in over 80 countries.

Br Olly has spearheaded the development of our innovative, low-cost wheelchairs design to World Health Organization standards. The wheelchairs are adjustable such they that can ‘grow’ as the children do – a world first.

For more than 25 continuous years at Wheelchairs For Kids Australia, 83-year-old Br Olly’s life-changing community service has ignited a ripple effect of kindness and generosity.

For more information go to: https://wheelchairsforkids.org/

23/01/2025

On the Afternoon Programme at 1.20pm today, Jamie Mercanti will be speaking to Nicole Jameson, Social Strategy Expert and Video Production Queen at ‘Dark Horse Agency’. Nicole will be discussing how we should stop blaming social media – take the phone off your kids!

Director and Digital Strategist at Dark Horse, Nicole has more than 20 years’ experience in community development, social and digital strategy. This level of experience from private industry, local and state government, in addition to her quick wit, exceptional writing and creative video production skills is the strong foundation used to curate digital strategies in multiple industries and creating successful online communities.

Dark Horse is a boutique social media management, video production and content creation team. They are passionate about creating unique digital content to build relationships, increase brand awareness and translate engagements into sales.

For more information go to:

Partner with Dark Horse Agency’s social media strategists for innovative digital marketing, video production, and brand-building solutions.

22/01/2025

On this day in 1971, Dawn started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “Knock Three Times”, the group's first No.1, which was also a UK No.1.

"Knock Three Times" is a popular song credited to Tony Orlando and Dawn. The actual singers were Tony Orlando, Toni Wine, and Linda November, prior to the creation of "Dawn" with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson. The song was released as a single in November 1970, paired with Orlando's other hit song, "Candida" (also written by Toni Wine). The single hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1971 and eventually sold six million copies, also claiming the No.1 spot on the UK Singles Chart. The song registered well at Adult Contemporary stations, reaching No.2 on Billboard's "Easy Listening" survey.

The composers of the song, L. Russell Brown and Irwin Levine, were thinking of the song “Up on the Roof” and they wanted to write a song with that kind of lyrical flavour, about tenement living. In the song, the singer has fallen in love with a woman who lives in the apartment directly below him but has no clue as to her interest. He asks her to respond by either knocking three times on the ceiling (yes) or banging twice on the pipe (no). The chorus includes sound effects of the two choices, however, the song never states her response.

Knock Three Times actually sold more than 100,000 records a day in New York City alone for ten straight days. The song appears in several motion pictures including “Now and Then” and was covered by Billy "Crash" Craddock in 1971 and became a No.3 country hit. Dolly Parton performed the song on a 1976 episode of her variety series Dolly!

22/01/2025

On the Afternoon Programme at 12.20pm today, Jamie Mercanti will be speaking to opera singer, writer and MC, Penny Shaw about her show ‘Let’s Do It’.

At age 16 Penny was given a mix tape, some sheet music and a list of jazz standards to memorize; she never looked back. Those songs kept her in pocket money throughout school, the dreaming spires of Oxford University and as a trainee soprano hustling for work in London. Revisiting them as an adult, the brilliant music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rogers and Hart et al brings back the hedonism, heartbreak and hilarity of youth, when there was nothing for it but to face the music and dance.

Penny will be performing ‘Let’s Do It’ accompanied by a trio of Perth's finest jazz musicians, including Jackson Van Ballegooyen on the piano, at 2.30pm this Saturday at the Ellington Jazz Club.

For tickets and more information go to:

At age 15 Penny was given a mixtape, some sheet music and a list of jazz standards to memorize; she never looked back. Those songs kept her in pocket money throughout school, the dreaming spires of Oxford University and as a trainee soprano hustling for work in London. Revisiting them as an adult...

21/01/2025

Born on 22nd January 1931, Samuel Cook known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Influential as both a singer and composer, he is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocals and importance within popular music. He began singing as a child and joined The Soul Stirrers before moving to a solo career where he scored a string of hit songs like "You Send Me", "Wonderful World", "Chain Gang", and "Twistin' the Night Away".

Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, he added an "e" at the end of his name in 1957 to signify a new start to his life. He was the fifth of eight children of the Rev. Charles Cook, a minister in the Church of Christ (Holiness), and his wife, Annie Mae. One of his younger brothers, L.C., later became a member of the doo-wop band Johnny Keyes and the Magnificents.

The family moved to Chicago in 1933. Cooke attended Doolittle Elementary and Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, the same school that Nat "King" Cole had attended a few years earlier. Sam Cooke began his career with his siblings in a group called the Singing Children when he was six years old. He first became known as lead singer with the Highway QC's when he was a teenager, having joined the group at the age of 14. During this time, Cooke befriended fellow gospel singer and neighbour Lou Rawls, who sang in a rival gospel group.

In 1950, Cooke replaced gospel tenor R.H. Harris as lead singer of the gospel group the Soul Stirrers, founded by Harris, who had signed with Specialty Records on behalf of the group. Their first recording under Cooke's leadership was the song "Jesus Gave Me Water" in 1951. They also recorded the gospel songs "Peace in the Valley", "How Far Am I from Canaan?", "Jesus Paid the Debt" and "One More River", among many others, some of which he wrote. Cooke was often credited for bringing gospel music to the attention of a younger crowd of listeners, mainly girls who would rush to the stage when the Soul Stirrers hit the stage just to get a glimpse of Cooke.

His pioneering contributions to soul music contributed to the rise of Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Billy Preston, and popularized the likes of Otis Redding and James Brown. AllMusic biographer Bruce Eder wrote that Cooke was "the inventor of soul music", and possessed "an incredible natural singing voice and a smooth, effortless delivery that has never been surpassed".

On 11th December 1964, at the age of 33, Cooke was shot and killed by Bertha Franklin, the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California. After an inquest, the courts ruled Cooke's death to be a justifiable homicide. Since that time, the circumstances of his death have been called into question by Cooke's family.

21/01/2025

On the Afternoon Programme at 1.20pm today, Jamie Mercanti will be speaking to comedian and cancer survivor Becky Steepe about her performance ‘Cancer Card’ from 22nd – 25th January at Fringe World.

A surprisingly hilarious story about what happens when you’re dealt the cancer card and have to bluff your way to a win.

In this raw and riveting performance, Becky Steepe uses her sharp wit and fearless humour to turn the deeply personal experience of being a youngish person with stage 4 bowel cancer into an unforgettable night of laughter and resilience.

From chemo farts to the bizarre and often frustrating encounters with the healthcare system, her storytelling is both uproarious and eye-opening.

Using her unique perspective and comedic style, Becky has upped the ante transforming her bad hand into a powerful tool for awareness.

Whether you’ve faced similar struggles or just appreciate a great joke, "Cancer Card" promises a night of comedy that’s as uplifting as it is hilarious.

21/01/2025

WA HISTORY……

On the Afternoon Programme at 12.20pm today, Jamie Mercanti will be speaking to Journalist and Historian Malcolm Quekett.

Malcolm completed an honours degree in history at the University of WA and began at The West Australian in 1986. Has been a police reporter, environment writer, worked in the Sydney and Canberra bureaus, covered State politics and been News Editor and the paper's Deputy Editor. Covered the Christchurch earthquake, royal wedding and specialized in military history, filing from Turkey and France.

20/01/2025

On this day in 1972, Pink Floyd appeared at The Guildhall in Portsmouth, England. This was the first time that they were able to perform the whole of what became the “The Dark Side of The Moon” album in its entirety, the previous night's performance in Brighton having been halted for technical reasons.

The Dark Side of the Moon Tour was a concert tour by British rock band Pink Floyd in 1972 and 1973 in support of their album “The Dark Side of the Moon”. There were two separate legs promoting “Dark Side of the Moon”, one in 1972 before the album's release and another in 1973 after its release.

Playing 93 shows in 1972, the most until 1994, Pink Floyd debuted the live performance before its release not of a song but a whole album. The original title was “Eclipse”, then “Dark Side of the Moon – A Piece for Assorted Lunatics”, the name under which it made its press debut in February 1972 at London's Rainbow Theatre. The title changed for the first part of the US tour to “Eclipse (A Piece for Assorted Lunatics)” during April and May before reverting to “Dark Side of the Moon – A Piece for Assorted Lunatics” in September for the second part of the US tour and finally released in 1973 under the title of “The Dark Side of the Moon”.

Remarkably, at its first full live performance at the Guildhall in Portsmouth, England on 21st January 1972, most of the album was in the form it would be when released 14 months later. The significant differences include:

"On the Run", whose working title was "The Travel Sequence", was a guitar and drum jam and would remain so for the rest of the year's performances.

"Time" was played at a slower speed and the first half of the verses were sung by Gilmour and Wright together. The line "Lying supine in the sunshine" was sung instead of "Tired of lying in the sunshine", even in shows after the album's release (as evidenced on the live companion they released with the album in 2011).

"The Great Gig in the Sky", whose working title was "Religion" or "The Mortality Sequence", consisted at the debut in January of synthesized organ and various tapes of "preachers". They were either preaching or reading from such passages as from Chapter 5, Verse 13 of Ephesians, a book of the Bible, or reciting “The Lord's Prayer”. Starting in September, the music of the song as per the album was performed, without vocals.

"Money" began with a longer introduction on the bass, and the saxophone solo was instead played on the electric piano.

"Us and Them" during 1972 lacked the saxophone solos as found on the album and featured an organ solo instead.

At the debut, the song "Eclipse" was nothing more than lyricless extension of "Brain Damage" that devolved into various odd sounds. The version with lyrics and music as found on the album debuted at Bristol on 5th February.

Finally, none of the spoken word pieces as found on the album were done during 1972.

20/01/2025

On the Afternoon Programme at 2.20pm today, Jamie Mercanti will be speaking to Kate Purcell, author of ‘Hope Inc.’

Kate Purcell is a fierce survivor and lived experience expert, with 13 years in mental health recovery. She is an author and public speaker and has worked in the mental health field for over 10 years. Kate lives in Perth, WA with her partner and her cat.

Kate invites you to challenge your existing beliefs around what you can overcome, and shares insights on how she turned darkness into light. With the right treatment, tools and support, absolutely anything is possible.

20/01/2025

ASHES TO ASHES – DAVID BOWIE EXPERIENCE

On the Afternoon Programme at 12.20pm today, Jamie Mercanti will be speaking to Guy Hunt, guitarist and Managing Director of Ashes Productions.

Experience the captivating world of 'Ashes to Ashes,' a world class tribute to David Bowie. With their authentic sound and innovative stage presence, 'Ashes to Ashes' recreates the magic of Bowie's music in a way that's both respectful and creatively inspiring. From the iconic hits to the deep cuts, every performance is a journey through Bowie's legendary repertoire, filled with passion and precision. As seasoned performers, 'Ashes to Ashes' graces the finest venues across the country, winning the hearts of die-hard Bowie fans and earning acclaim from discerning critics. Prepare to be transported to the heart of Bowie's universe with 'Ashes to Ashes,' where the spirit of the Thin White Duke lives on in every electrifying show.

For more information and tickets go to:

TOUR DATES Experience the captivating world of 'Ashes to Ashes,' a world class tribute to David Bowie. With their authentic sound and innovative stage presence, 'Ashes to Ashes' recreates the magic of Bowie's music in a way that's both respectful and creatively inspiring. From the iconic hits to the...

19/01/2025

A POPULAR BUT FAIRLY SHORT LIVED AMERICAN POP SHOW CALLED SHINDIG!

On this day in 1965, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks make their first appearance on ABC-TV's Shindig! Also appearing were the Dave Clark Five, Petula Clark, Bobby Vee, Bobby Sherman and Gerry and The Pacemakers.

Shindig! was an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from 16th September 1964 to 8th January 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles at the time who also created the show along with his wife Sharon Sheeley and production executive Art Stolnitz. The original pilot was rejected by the ABC and David Sontag, then Executive Producer of ABC, who redeveloped and completely redesigned the show. A new pilot with a new cast of artists was shot starring Sam Cooke. That pilot aired as the premiere episode.

Shindig!'s premiere episode was actually the second pilot, and featured Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers and The Righteous Brothers. Later shows were taped in Britain with The Beatles as the guests. The series featured other "British invasion" bands and performers including The Who, The Rolling Stones and Cilla Black. Shindig continued to broadcast episodes from London throughout its run.

Many popular performers of the day played on Shindig! including Tina Turner, Lesley Gore, Bo Diddley, Sonny and Cher, The Beach Boys, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, The Supremes and The Ronettes.

In March 1965, Little Eva performed her hit song "The Loco-Motion" in a live but short version of the song. This is the only known video clip of her singing the song.

Towards the end of the program's run, The Mamas and the Papas appeared in an episode featuring Barry McGuire. Although serving as his backup singers, the group introduced "California Dreamin'" on the programme, which launched the group's career. Shindig! is one of the few rock music shows of the era to still have all of the episodes available to watch.

In September 1965, the show was moved out of its Wednesday-night timeslot where it gave The Beverly Hillbillies its first serious competition in its time period among younger viewers. It was split into two half-hours on new days and times (Thursdays and Saturdays at 7.30pm Eastern time). The show faced tough competition from Daniel Boone and The Munsters on Thursdays along with Flipper and The Jackie Gleason Show on Saturdays. Additionally, the Saturday edition aired in a time period when many of its potential viewers were going out and, thus, not at home to watch television. By October 1965, the show was having ratings problems and in January 1966, Shindig! was cancelled and replaced in its Thursday time slots by Batman.