Category: Radio

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History Holidays Music Radio Travel

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

I used to hang out at a quaint little place called ‘8-Trax’ at the former incarnation of Downtown Disney Pleasure Island (1989-2008) at Walt Disney World near Orlando Florida. Other than there and on various cruise ships there haven’t been too many other opportunities to dance like it’s 1979. Another place that I can recall enjoying the Disco experience is the Illusions Disco aboard the Carnival Imagination. I’ve got some good memories in that jumpin’ joint from Labor Day Weekend in 1999 and Memorial Day Weekend in 2003. I’m lookin’ forward to returning to an old home, for I’ve been resting up so that I can maximize some of my classic dance moves – as well as a few new ones. I’ll be ready to tear up the dance floor and get my groove on. Sho You Right !

Illusions Disco

Let us now flashback 34 years to the hot Summer of 1975. That’s when 35-year-old Van McCoy took “The Hustle” straight to # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a gold pop, soul, and disco Grammy award winning smash. Many from the time would argue that it’s one of the first great Disco songs of the era. I agree.

LET’S DO IT !

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History Life Music People Radio

Saturday Night Retro

I’ve got a lot of great memories when it comes to my Grandmom. While much of my early childhood was forgettable and not so happy virtually all of my time with my Grandmom is memorable to this day and very happy.

When I think of music from the 1970s (not particularly Disco – but all other forms of music) I think of listening to it on my Grandmom’s record player and FM stereo system in her living room. That system got a lot of usage out of me and my cousin John John. We played our favourite TOP 40 songs at the time, and my Grandmom played her occasional Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Lou Rawls records. Me and my cousin knew what to do if Grandmom wasn’t feeling too good. Throw on the Engelbert and be done with it.

My Grandmom also had this nice little music box that sat on her bedroom bureau. Lift it up, and it played soothing music. She loved it, and it was one of her favourite show-and-tell items whenever her grandchildren came over for a visit.

Back in 1979 during the absolute pinnacle of the Disco music era a Canadian guy by the name of Frank Mills who was a pianist, composer, producer, and arranger released an all-instrumental song that shocked the entire nation, stormed onto the hit music charts, became a TOP 3 smash at pop radio, and went gold at retail. It was so huge that over 30 years later he is still known as ‘Mr. Music Box Dancer’.

There have been many different remakes of the original “Music Box Dancer” from 1979, but this is probably my favourite of them all. It’s a 2007 techno version of the classic that remakes it but maintains its original integrity. It’s also got a cool modern music video to boot. Check it out – “Music Box Dancer” – 2007 style !

I dedicate this edition of the ‘Saturday Night Retro’ to my Grandmom:

EDITH AGNES DAY: 1915-2004

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Food Home Internet Life Radio Shopping

The Major’s Tweets

For those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter @majorhitwaves I present to you the best of the best – my TOP 5 tweets of the week:

5.  4 out of 5 friends agree – I need an “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”. My home resembles an Air Force dorm room circa 1989.

4.  @callfm sounds fantastic this morning (and every morning) all around the mean streets of Homestead and Florida City !

3.  I’m off to Dunkin Donuts and then to work. That’s how I kick it at 6 AM on a Tuesday in August !

2.  I’m headed to Dolphin Mall this afternoon for the first time in 10 months to see fabulous food and merchandise – IF – The Price is Right !

1.  Table For One: I just now wrapped-up an ENORMOUS Lu-Dinner at the LongHorn SteakHouse ! I know that’s right.

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Driving History Home Life Music Radio Weather

Saturday Night Retro

On this exact date 17 years ago – the 22ND of August of 1992 – also a Saturday – we were given our final instructions and orders to evacuate the air base as quickly as possible due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Andrew. We had no idea what Andrew would bring, and it ultimately brought a once-in-a-lifetime storm of mass destruction to the base and the surrounding South Miami-Dade countryside.

It was the most horrific experience of my entire life – a Sunday night / Monday morning that I never went to sleep. I never wish to relive that night or the nightmarish week that followed. I don’t like to write about it, and I don’t like to talk about it. A lot of good ultimately came out of that storm. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t be living and working here in Homestead today 17 years later if it weren’t for Hurricane Andrew. I’d be elsewhere. But it happened, and here I am.

One song in particular was receiving heavy airplay on the radio during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. It’s the duet of Patty Smyth and Don Henley. Together they sang “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough”. Patty co-wrote the Grammy-nominated song that played out like a post-love song. It was the story of two former lovers who were moving away from their relationship together and moving on with life.

I interpretted the lyrics in a slightly different manner:
—
‘I don’t wanna lose you.’
—
‘And I don’t wanna hate you.
I don’t wanna take you.
But I don’t wanna be the one to cry.
That don’t really matter to anyone, anymore.
But like a fool I keep losing my place.’
—
‘It makes a sound like thunder.
It makes me feel like rain.’
—
‘And there’s no way home.
When it’s late at night and you’re all alone.’
—
‘There’s a reason why people dont stay where they are.
Baby sometimes love just ain’t enough.’

This was treated at the time as my farewell love song to Homestead. I didn’t want to leave. But I had to. The Homestead that I had known for nearly 5 years prior to that was all gone. She was completely destroyed. My home was inhabitable. My job was non-existant. I looked at Homestead one last time in my rear-view mirror, as this song played on the radio and made me cry.