The Radio Luxembourg Story

Download or read book The Radio Luxembourg Story written by Nathan Morley and published by . This book was released on 2018-11-26 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Travel on an epic journey through the history of Radio Luxembourg - the 'Great 208' - a station which entertained millions and helped shape European listening habits during the last century. The book, which has been a project lasting a decade, features exclusive contributions from stars of the golden age of music and broadcasting, including Vera Lynn, Pete Murray, Teddy Johnson, Gerry Marsden, Desmond Carrington, David Jacobs, David Gell, Ray Orchard, Alan Freeman, David Attenbrough, Don Wardell, Shaw Taylor, Arthur Brown, David Hamilton and many others. Nathan Morley traces the origins of Luxembourg, celebrating the early pioneering spirit and unearthing long forgotten characters and programmes. The book looks at the brutal war-years and the transformation of the channel into a Nazi propaganda station, then as a US psychological warfare channel. It provides an insight into key events, personalities, programmes, internal problems and its magnificent successes. The Cold War years are recalled by songstress Connie Francis, who became a popular entertainer on the channel, which was banned in the Eastern block and USSR, but attracted over 35 million listeners. In one of his last interviews before his death and subsequent exposure as one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders, Jimmy Savile spoke to the author about his Radio Luxembourg career, the station that had made him a legend; as he cascaded to fame as a purveyor of pop, spouting nonsensical catchphrases and innuendo. Faced with a hostile BBC and the pop pirates, Radio Luxembourg managed to survive the 60s and 70s. Personal memories are shared by Noel Edmonds, Paul Burnett, Kid Jenson, Roger Day, Benny Brown, David Symonds, Colin Nichol, Timmy Mallett, Tony Blewitt, Alton Andrews and Emperor Rosko, who all give their take on the era, in addition to contributions from pop stars including David Soul and Dave Berry, and former Controllers Alan Keen and Ken Evans. The boss of the opposition Radio One's Johnny Beerling also contributes his memories. This is an important deeply researched portrait of British broadcasting history, and one which is aided by many of the personalities, staff and stars that were associated with it.It seemed that in his early teens, John Lennon was a fan of mine on Radio Luxembourg, and that one evening I played a record that 'changed his life' - Heartbreak Hotel. DAVID GELLI remember when I went for my first visit to Luxembourg; I took back about three pounds of bacon to the UK in my suitcase, which my parents enjoyed! - TEDDY JOHNSONI always had a desire to reach people behind the iron curtain; the point of Radio Luxembourg for me was that I could make people who were so suppressed happy. I was amazed the signal could reach to Tunisia and behind the iron curtain. CONNIE FRANCIS The thing with Luxembourg is that I never actually met any of the other performers that were broadcasting because I just went to a little studio in London, did the programme and that was that. - VERA LYNNGreat parties, beautiful girls, ridiculous practical jokes, walking home through snowy streets at 4am, corpsing whilst reading the news, warning letters from Geoffrey Everitt, the overwhelming thought that I had finally made it on "the station of the stars" - NOEL EDMONDSThe Liverpool sound was starting to make its mark and I'll never forget the appearance on The Friday Spectacular of four smartly dressed young lads with Scouse accents. It was, of course, The Beatles making their first radio broadcast. - SHAW TAYLORThere was always a local engineer on duty. He came in a said JFK was shot, so I called Geoffrey Everitt in London who was out to dinner, then the guy came back and said he was dead and I took us off the air. - DON WARDELLI later learnt that great artists like Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Bryan Ferry and the Beatles listened to Jensen's Dimensions - DAVID JENSEN