Volume 7 No 1 Page 3 Page 2 Volume 7 No 1

BELOW: Some of our receptionists take a photo break at their recent

Open Forum.

ABOVE: Alex Hehr with 17 year old Liam Burrows who visited the station recently to record an interview and talk about his new CD. Liam is an exceptional singer

and musician (classical piano and trumpet) who began singing at the age of 2. He has performed at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, at

Sydney’s Tooronga Park Zoo last year and opened for the legendary Pointer Sisters during their entire

National Tour in November.

ABOVE: Harry being presented with the Golden Microphone Award by Loretta Simmons, Deputy President recognising Harry’s

meritorious 15 year service to Golden Days Radio

THE GREAT DUKE ELLINGTON – AN IRREPLACEABLE FORCE IN AMERICAN

MUSIC

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington, DC and died on May 24, 1974 in New York City. He was America’s greatest jazz composer,

pianist and bandleader. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969

and in 1973, the Legion of Honour by France. Both are the highest civilian honours of

each country.

Duke Ellington was a major force in jazz or “American Music” as he preferred to call it,

from the 1920s through the 1960s and his work continues to be influential today. He

had many hits including Take the A Train, Satin Doll, Rockin' in Rhythm, Mood Indigo,

Caravan and Sophisticated Lady. Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Ellington often shared

composer credit with his manager Irving Mills until they had a falling out in the late 1930s.

Billy Strayhorn became Ellington's not always credited collaborator from 1940 until

Strayhorn's death in the mid 1960s. His works were always tailored to the talents of the

musicians in his band, including Johnny Hodges, Bubber Miley, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Barney Bigard, Ben

Webster, Harry Carney, Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwicke, and Wellman Braud. Many musicians stayed with him for

decades.

Ellington started playing around Washington D.C. In his teens, he formed a band he called "The Washingtonians",

which he moved to New York City in 1923. Ellington and The Washingtonians played at various New York Clubs

and toured New England as a dance band until they got their first big break in 1927. When the then much better

known Joe "King" Oliver held out for more money at the prestigious, whites only Cotton Club, the job as house band

was offered to Ellington. This was the best known of the Harlem clubs and "Duke Ellington and his Jungle Band"

became well known nationally thanks to the regular radio broadcasts from the Cotton Club

In this setting, Ellington had a chance to write music in a variety of styles for dance theatre acts as well as extended

specialties for the band. These appearances featured many experiments in tonality, with trumpet screams and wah

-wah, and growling saxophones. When Ellington left the Cotton Club in 1931 he was one of the best known African

-American celebrities, recording regularly for several record companies and featuring in motion pictures. Ellington

continued to tour with his band around the United States and Europe, plus a tour of much of the rest of the world in

the 1960s.

He was a musical innovator all his life, recording with John Coltrane and Charles Mingus as well as with his own

highly skilled orchestra. The band reached a creative peak in the 1940s, when he wrote for an orchestra of

distinctive voices and extraordinary creativity. Some of these musicians, such as Jimmy Blanton, transformed jazz

during the short time they played with him.

But even as players left and the popularity of swing diminished, Ellington continued to find new outlets, new musical

forms and new members for his band who were neither leaders nor soloists but simply excellent musicians. He

frequently composed in longer forms modelled on classical music, such as his Black, Brown and Beige (1943), and

Such Sweet Thunder (1957), based on Shakespeare. His Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue with a rocking

saxophone interlude by Paul Gonsalves in 1956 at the Newport Jazz Festival caused a sensation and is still talked

about today by those who recall it. It made his popularity soar. He also wrote for films, starting with Black and Tan Fantasy in 1929, but also Anatomy of a Murder (1959) with

James Stewart, in which he appeared as a bandleader and Paris Blues (1961), which featured Paul Newman and

Sidney Poitier as jazz musicians. Ellington was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1965, but was turned down. His

reaction: "Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be famous too young" - typical of his humility.

Duke Ellington died on May 24, 1974 of lung cancer and pneumonia and was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery,

The Bronx, New York.

After Duke’s death in 1974, the band continued under leadership of his son, Mercer.

Listen to Ellingtonia, a quarter hour program dedicated to the music and life of the great

Duke Ellington at 10.15AM each Monday on Golden Days Radio researched and presented

by Carlos Kramer.

Phone: 9572 1466

Fax: 9572 1455

Email: mail@goldendaysradio.com

Patron: Neil (Nobby) Clark AO

Golden Days Radio For Senior Citizens Inc

PO Box 287

Glen Huntly, Victoria 3163

A member of the CBAA and the CBAV

Page 4

The Golden BroadcasterThe Golden BroadcasterThe Golden BroadcasterThe Golden Broadcaster The Official Newsletter of Golden Days Radio for Senior Citizens Inc.

Volume 7 No 1

March 2012

Message from the President :-

On the 26th January, Australia Day, l attended the Australia Day breakfast at the Kingston Town Hall in

Moorabbin. What a terrific morning it was. Some 600 guests were given a beaut “Aussie” breakfast and we had

the added bonus of the mighty Wurlitzer organ being played. It makes you feel very proud to be an Australian

when you hear the National Anthem and also Waltzing Matilda being played and sung. Lots of Aussie flags were

being waved and the morning also saw official speeches and a ceremony where new arrivals to Australia were

given their citizenship. It made me feel very proud and we certainly do live in the lucky country.

On the 24th of July this year, Golden Days turns 21 years of age. That date celebrates the first meeting held at the

Bentleigh RSL to adopt our name “Golden Days Radio for Senior Citizens”. Our membership around that time

was a mere 40 members. Today, we’re around 1,800. However, we would like this number to increase

dramatically as without members, we couldn’t survive and the music just wouldn’t be played. This is where you

come in. We need many more members to assist with the revenue stream to help pay the never ending bills that we receive each month.

As we are a “seniors radio station”, many of our members are well into their senior years. We need to attract additional members. With

this in mind the Committee of Management has approved a sub-committee to look at ways by which we can attract new members to

increase our membership base. Dudley Chamberlain and Ian McLeod have taken on this task and are formulating strategies to make

this happen. If you have a suggestion to increase our membership we’d like to hear from you.

Another way to help Golden Days continue its success is to make a tax-deductible donation to the “Golden Days Radio Development

Fund”. As reported in our previous newsletter, donations of $2.00 or more are now tax deductible. If you are still paying tax, this is one

way you can help us and at the same time qualify for a tax deduction on your next tax return. Official receipts that comply with the Tax

Office rules will be posted to you.

Community News has returned to the air this year with a host of topics of interest to seniors. Do you have a topic or an idea for a

segment in Community News? If you have, you can get in touch with us and we’ll follow up your idea. Call us on 9572 1466 and leave a

message for us to contact you. Happy listening!

Larry James

Volume 7 No 1

From the Station Manager’s Desk. . . .

This year looks as though it is going to be as busy for us as was last year. There are a significant number of projects on our to-do list

and no doubt, you will hear more on those as the year unfolds. Our three studios are providing listeners with quality broadcasts 24

hours a day. The studios are undergoing upgrades to a new operating system. This is just one of a number of necessary technical

improvements as we move with the times.

Since the last newsletter we have seen several presenters leave and we have welcomed a number of new people to the line up. It

seems to be a moveable feast recently.

There has been a huge increase in the number of people listening to GDR "on line" (through the internet). In March 2011 there was

an average of 1060 people listening weekly and in January 2012 that figure grew to 2409, a growth of 143%. This continues to be a

significant growth area for us.

I would like to thank all of our volunteers for their ongoing efforts. GDR is a wonderful example of how volunteerism works at it's very

best.

Alex Hehr

Spotlight On..... Joan Blake (Testro)

Joan Blake was born in Redfern NSW on October 2nd, 1923. She hails from a family of entertainers as Joan’s father, Stan

Saunders, was part of the duo Tilton and West. Stan was Tilton and Eddie Borkward was West. They were known as “The Joy

Boys” and had a first-class show business reputation. Joan’s mother, Maggie Buckley, was also a show business personality

and was known as Australia’s Sophie Tucker.

Joan grew up with her aunt and uncle as her parents went in separate directions. Having reached intermediate standard at

school, Joan sat for an entry exam for Stott’s Business College and received a scholarship and learned shorthand, typing and

book-keeping. She then joined the public service as a stenographer in the Health Department. Joan then became secretary to

the Superintendent of Traffic with

the Police Department.

Around this time, Joan’s mother

returned to Sydney after

performing to audiences all over

Australia and New Zealand. She

was to appear at a charity show

at the showgrounds during the

Second World War but became

was ill and was unable to appear-

so she suggested that Joan

appear in her place.

Well, that was it. Joan appeared

and was suddenly in show

business. She is most

appreciative of Kath Lane of

Albert’s Music Publishing

Company who was really

responsible for her getting into

show business. Following her

performance, Joan was offered a

contract with the famous George

Patterson advertising agency to

appear in various radio shows

which starred Jack Davey.

As she had a steady job with the Police Department, Joan decided not to sign the contract. She enjoyed the best of both worlds

working for the Police during the day and performing on radio at night. She was quite well known in radio by this time working on

all the top shows including Bob Dyer on 2UW who had a variety show “George and Nell” starring George Edwards and Nell

Stirling. Joan was the vocalist and sang two numbers during the show.

The ABC followed with Variety Fare which starred Stella Lamond and Max Reddy among others.

Joan tells us that her stage name was ‘Blake’ which had been pulled out of a hat at the Police Traffic branch where she worked.

In those days, you just couldn’t have two jobs in the Public Service so another name had to be found to overcome this obstacle.

During her years at 2GB which fortuitously was across the road from the Police Traffic branch, as Joan Blake, she performed at

nearly every Police Ball both in Sydney and country areas,

Joan made thirteen records in all with George Trevare’s band and so popular were they that they were sold out immediately on

release. Wouldn’t today’s artists be envious of that? Joan says however that because of the war, no records were being

imported from overseas. How lucky are we that we had the chance to listen to an Australian singing artist during this time?

Joan also says that she had the distinction of being the first person in Australia to sing ‘Mairzy Doats’.

A trip to Perth for some holidays followed where she caught up with her mother who

was appearing on the stage there. While she was in Perth, Joan met Rex Testro, an

entertainer known as the “Juggling Jester”. They married on 26th June 1946 and

honeymooned in Albany. Joan and Rex were so well known that Perth’s Sunday Mirror

featured a front page story and photograph covering their showbusiness romance.

Joan is retired these days but still sings at private parties. She is a member and regular

listener to Golden Days Radio and we are privileged to have many of Joan’s

recordings on our playlists. It’s always a delight when Joan rings the station to say

hello. Well done Joan. We wish you many Golden Days of happy listening.

Joan Testro (centre) with officials at a business function.

WANT TO LISTEN TO GDR

STREAMING?

Go to the GDR website at goldendaysradio.com

And simply click anywhere on the radio on the first page!