The Zone
The Zone Online Magazine
Spotlight on Bette from Hooah Radio
Spotlight on Gary Jackson
This month we talk to Gary Jackson who is finding him self to be an in demand radio DJ and more.
1 How did you first get into working on radio?
Like many I started as a mobile DJ then progressed to hospital radio. When the chance came to do community radio I jumped at it. Now my syndicated show is being taken up by stations all over the country.
2 The 60's is something you have supported via your radio shows and the My Generation website how did you start this and who do you now run official websites for today?
Around 1994 when the internet was a baby and the only way to connect was to dial Reading, my first account came with web space, so I used it to start a very primitive website dedicated to 60s music, simply because I liked it. I called it My Generation and it remains today!
A few years afterwards the site was seen by Wendy Burton who suggested I ran one for The Searchers, so in 1997 I went to Sandown to see them in concert for the first time since the 80s and the rest as they say is history. I now run sites also for The Troggs and The Swinging Blue Jeans
3 You used to run two Internet stations that have now sadly closed down early on this year (2008) what was the reasons you did this?
That was through an excellent company called Live365.com, based in the U.S. but it gradually became apparent that they may not cover me for royalties here in the UK. It's still uncertain whether they do or not, but when my FM shows started it seemed an opportune time to close them down. I wouldn't rule out returning one day but not for the forseeable future.
I quite like the idea of starting my own internet station here in the UK, with proper presenters presenting proper two or three hour shows, but that's on the back burner at present.
4 The 60's music scene from the recordings of that time and some of the on going bands and solo singers are still popular what is it that you think makes this the case?
I think it's partly purely nostalgia, and partly the quality of the tunes. Most of them were very simple but so catchy, and everyone who remembers those days has songs that evoke memories, often related directly to the tune. I also think the quality of sixties live performers is better than many newer acts. Those years have taught them how to draw up a balanced set list, and they are prepared to give the audience what they want without the responsibility to promote new often unheard music.
5 I hear that you have recently started a new radio job what is the show all about and please tell us of the link to it and My Generation website?
The My Generation website is www.my-generation.org.uk
My new project is a syndicated radio show available free to not-for-profit stations. It is deliberately generic so that any station can play it at any time of day to cover empty slots in their schedule. It's only been available for a few weeks and already stations in Dorset, Wiltshire, Bristol, Warwickshire, Surrey, Central London and the Scottish Highlands have used it.
My radio programmes website is www.garyjacksonradio.com
Spotlight on Webmaster Laura from Oldies Cennections
1 What got you into the Bubblegum music scene?
I grew up during the 1960's and was a devotee of The Beatles from the early to middle part of the decade. I was still a young child, not yet eight, and I was enraptured by these new and wonderful and exciting sounds although The Beatles catered mainly to teenage girls. Then the definitive Bubblegum music sound came on the scene, with groups like The 1910 Fruitgum Company and The Ohio Express, which specifically targeted the age group referred to as "tweens." During the peak of Bubblegum's popularity, from 1968 to 1972 (which also happens to be the active years of The Archies), I was going from 9 to 13 years old. The timing could not have been better. Bubblegum music in general, and the music of The Archies in particular, was written expressly for kids in my age group. I loved those light, happy, bouncy songs, and still do.
2 One of the people you have supported for many years is Ron Dante, known for his work as The Archies and Cufflinks and also as a record producer. What are the main reasons you have put so much time and work into supporting Ron and his music?
My affection for Ron goes back to the age of eleven - my age, not Ron's! - when I first learned of his existence from reading an article in a teen magazine about the anonymous lead vocalist for The Archies and The Cuff Links. Loving The Archies as I did, I transferred that love to Ron. The year was 1970. For me, Ron Dante was the perfect bridge from childhood to adolescence. I wrote Ron a fan letter, and he responded by sending me an autographed picture, which I still have to this day. From the moment I received that signed photo, I was in love! Thanks to the miracle technology known as the Internet, I tracked Ron down when I got my first computer in late 1999, discovering his website via an online search. Less than a year later, in August of 2000, Ron and I met in person for the first time. It was one of the biggest thrills of my life and the beginning of a wonderful friendship. I can't do enough for Ron; he was a bright shining light during my childhood and early teens, and remains as sweet and kind as ever.
My very first website was my fan site for Ron, which is called (originally enough) Laura's Ron Dante Fan Pages. This site, which has been in existence since 2001, actually evolved from an online photo album I created for the pictures I'd taken at Ron's Orlando show a few months before, the night we met. It all started when a friend of mine was unable to view the photos I'd emailed to him as attachments, so I started a small site with photo album on Yahoo GeoCities, and later expanded upon the concept on another host site, Tripod. Several more sites followed, including a dedicated Ron Dante Photo Album site, and fan pages for both Jeff Barry and Andy Kim. Oldies Connection is a generalized and more comprehensive site that pays tribute to the great music of the 50's, 60's and 70's. If I had the time to put more work into it, Oldies Connection would be much larger and have more content, though it's been growing slowly but surely; it's a perpetual work in progress.
I met The Dixie Cups as an indirect result of an unfortunate visit from Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into New Orleans in late August 2005 and displaced many of its residents, including original group members Barbara and Rosa Hawkins. The sisters relocated to Florida, about a half hour from me. In October of that year, The Dixie Cups did a benefit concert for hurricane victims at a small venue in Tampa, and I went to see them. The trio had worked with Jeff Barry back in the day - Jeff co-wrote their biggest hit, "Chapel of Love," among others - and I introduced myself as Jeff's fan-site webmaster. We became friendly and, when I saw them again a month later, I offered to put together a fan site for them as well. This has since become an official site. The Dixie Cups have never disbanded; the only original member ever to be replaced was Joan Johnson, Barbara and Rosa's cousin, who retired from the group in 1967. These days, the middle spot is filled by Athelgra Neville, sister of the singing Neville Brothers, and the group performs at concerts, private functions, and weddings.
5 Where can readers find more about you and your ever growing websites?
Spotlight on Nikki Aston
ki
Nikki Aston is a singer/songwriter that I've been please to promote for a long time on my former Internet radio shows and now also here at The Zone magazine.
Nikki is a singer who I think will make it big someday in the world of music because she has a great talent.
Wayne. (Zone Editor)
1. Please tell us about your background?
Well I am one of two children – my sister, Stacey is 3 years older than me. I was brought up in Sutton, Surrey where I still live. My childhood was quite a normal one – I went to a normal primary school, then onto a normal high school where I passed 10 GCSEs (A*s, As and Bs!) – I never went to stage school and never had voice or performance training as a child. I started that 2 years ago when I began to write my album
2. What was it that interested you in singing?
To be honest I cant remember a “defining moment” where I started singing….Ive just always done it – whether its singing in my bedroom, putting on shows for my parents or actually being on stage. Ive always wanted to sing and I started to go after that dream when I joined a girl group aged 17. We were called Cyan and we gigged at roadshows and Under 18s nights. It was such a laugh! I then formed a duo with another of the girls and we were managed by Chesney Hawkes. We recorded 4 songs and gigged at the Capital Café in Leicester Square!
3. I've played your songs on my old radio shows many times because you have a great voice and should be signed up by a major record label.
How do you decide which song you want to record next?
Aww…thanks for supporting me! You’ve been great! Im glad you like the songs! We wrote all the songs as we went along – it was really a case of how we were feeling at the time of going into the studio….if we were in a reflective mood, a slower song like “Desolate Fairground” was born….if we were feeling particularly feisty we would create a track like Over You. We wanted to show a wide range on the album so we made sure there was a nice ratio between slow tracks and the up tempo ones
4. I read you used to be in a girl band, do you miss that or do you like being a solo singer more.
As I said earlier, being in the girl band was such a laugh! I did enjoy being with the other girls and we would always have a real giggle. It was nice to have someone to share the fun gigs with and someone to back you up when you needed support. However, I think I was always meant to be a solo artist. It just feels natural to me. Im not one of these people who likes to be centre of attention so it might seem a bit strange that I chose to go solo!
5. When will we see a new album?
I am hoping the album will be out at the beginning of 2009. The tracks are ready so its just a case of getting artwork together and it will be available for all you lovely people to buy! J
Click here to Visit Nikki Aston's Myspace page for more information
