25 March 2018

Ian Whitcomb and Jim Dawson back on LuxuriaMusic



It has been some time since the writer, singer and all-round force of nature Ian Whitcomb was mentioned in this blog, so this is to alert readers to the happy news is that Ian, along with his pal Jim Dawson, is currently presenting a weekly show on internet radio station LuxuriaMusic which can be downloaded as two one hour podcasts; at the time of writing (March 2018) eight shows have been archived for your listening pleasure and you can help sponsor the show by buying a book or CD via the show's online store here. They are trying to raise enough money to ensure the station continues on air for another year.






Those who have followed Mr Whitcomb's fortunes in recent years will understand why his voice may be a little depleted on these broadcasts; be assured, however, that his passion for popular music in all its many forms still rings out loud and clear. Where else can you find Bill Haley (with his Saddlemen, not the Comets) rubbing shoulders with Noel Coward and Ken Dodd? Not to mention the Flamingos, the Dominoes and the Ravens ...

For those unaware of him, Ian Whitcomb had US hits during the British Invasion including You Turn Me On, and later wrote an acclaimed book about the development of the popular song from its late nineteenth century roots, After the Ball.


What I wrote about him in a 2010 appreciation remains true:
Whitcomb's awareness of the deep, tangled roots of popular music means that he is able to make the most illuminating comments in his show en passant, seeing the sort of connections others wouldn't, aided by the slightly different perspective offered by rock'n'roll expert Jim Dawson, who prepares his own segments for the show. There might be a themed programme, or several different topics in the one evening, but the point is you might hear anything from around the 20s to around the 70s, enhanced by the comments of someone with a wider musical perspective than most.

They Turned Me On - a series of posts about Ian Whitcomb and others:

Part One: Ian Whitcomb
Part Two: Ken Sykora
Part Three: Hubert Gregg
Part Four: Benny Green & Robert Cushman
Part Five: Russell Davies
Part Six: Those Unheard  or There is a Balm in Islington

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