Fact #79674
When:
Short story:
An alternative/progressive rock show, The Old Grey Whistle Test, premiers on BBC-2 tv in the UK. Playing live in the studio are America and Lesley Duncan. The show is produced by Mike Appleton, who will remain at the helm for the entire run of the show, until 1987.Full article:
Bob Harris : Budgetary constraints led to the early shows, on which I was the first presenter, alternating live or pre-recorded performances with album tracks accompanied by silent-movie clips from the film historian Philip Jenkinson’s extensive archives.
Rather than create just another pop show, Appleton opted for a magazine format, using the presenters’ journalistic skills in interviews with artists and the occasional group discussion on a topic of the day: the problems of pop festivals, for instance, or the potential of the newly discovered pub rock as an agent for change.
The music, however, always came first, and not even the confines of the tiny studio could hinder the likes of Curtis Mayfield, John Martyn, the Wailers, Little Feat, Dr John, David Bowie, Bill Withers and Ry Cooder from delivering indelible performances.
(Source : obituary, The Guardian, Apr 10, 2020)
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Rather than create just another pop show, Appleton opted for a magazine format, using the presenters’ journalistic skills in interviews with artists and the occasional group discussion on a topic of the day: the problems of pop festivals, for instance, or the potential of the newly discovered pub rock as an agent for change.
The music, however, always came first, and not even the confines of the tiny studio could hinder the likes of Curtis Mayfield, John Martyn, the Wailers, Little Feat, Dr John, David Bowie, Bill Withers and Ry Cooder from delivering indelible performances.
(Source : obituary, The Guardian, Apr 10, 2020)