Zoomer Radio: Robbie Lane
I always listen to Zoomer Radio while driving in my car, and when I heard that Robbie Lane would be making an appearance at the 2019 Collingwood Elvis Festival, I was intrigued by the prospect of meeting him. In the early 1960s when I was a young teen, Robbie Lane and his band, the Disciples, played at a dance that I went to at Salfleet High School in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Their music was part of my favourite tunes that I heard on my transistor radio, and I was looking forward to asking Robbie about the early years in Canadian music.
During our conversation at Collingwood, I mentioned to Robbie that his long time friend Bobby Curtola also performed at Saltfleet High, and that Bobby was a distant cousin of one of my sons-in-law. During the years before his passing in 2016, Bobby Curtola made many appearances at Robbie Lane and the Disciples’ shows at The Duke Live, 1225 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON; and on Oct 19th, 2015, Bobby presented Robbie with the Cashbox Magazine Canada Music Award—a well-deserved honour for his over 40 years in the music industry. In August, 2016, Robbie Lane paid tribute to the late Bobby Curtola with a humorous, touching, and eloquent speech.
What follows is a description of Robbie Lane’s career with the Disciples provided by Wikipedia, the Free Encyclpedia:
SIDEBURNS Magazine Editor, Carolyn MacArthur, poses with Robbie Lane, Zoomer Radio Host and lead singer and member of the the 60’s band, Robbie Lane and the Disciples. Photo Credit: C.M. for SB Mag.
Robbie Lane and the Disciples is a Canadian rock band, that peaked in the 1960s. A cover of Neil Sedaka's "What Am I Gonna Do" was their biggest success, reaching #10 in 1966. They also recorded an early version of the hit song "Soul Deep" in 1966.
Beginning as Ronnie Hawkins' backup band, Robbie Lane & the Disciples later gained attention as the band for Canadian CTV-TV's “It's Happening”. Composed of guitarist Terry Bush, drummer Doug Copeland, harmonica player William Cudmore, keyboardist Paul Denyes, vocalist Robbie Lane, tenor saxophonist Paul Mifsud and bassist Gene Trach, the group recorded several singles during the mid '60s. After an attempt at a solo career in the mid ‘70s, Robbie Lane (aka Robin Curry) and the band re-formed in the mid ‘80s.
The following is a mini interview from Zoomer Radio’s website. “Q&A with Robbie Lane, Host of Robbie Remembers and The British Invasion”, by AM 740 Staff, was posted on June 8th, 2017. Edits by SB Mag editor, Carolyn MacArthur:
Q. How did you get started in broadcasting?
A. I was playing with my band, the Disciples, at a club in Toronto and the owner asked me to help him beef up the Saturday night business. I suggested he start a dance on those nights and tie in with a radio station. I asked 1050 CHUM if they’d meet with us about this and they started doing a Saturday night Oldies Dance. The Club Owner asked me to voice the “spots”; and after a few weeks, they offered me a show on CHUM, then I moved on to Zoomer Radio.
Q. What’s the best movie you’ve ever paid money to see?
A. The Godfather. One of the best.
Q. If you could only go to one more concert in your life, who would you see?
A. There are so many acts I’d like to see, so I’ll just pick “Ringo Starr and his All Star Band”.
Q. Everybody has one thing they cook really well. What’s your specialty?
A. I’m an expert at grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches with a secret ingredient.
Photo Credit: robbielane.com
Q. What would your partner say is your most annoying habit?
A. I procrastinate. She hates that.
Q. Coolest person in entertainment history – GO!
A. Gotta be Frank Sinatra.
Q. Favourite gift you ever received?
A. My fav gift has to have been my daughter Shelley.
Q. Do you prefer a crew neck of a V-neck style of t-shirt?
A. I wear mostly V neck. I tell my wife, Marilyn, V is for virgin. She says they must be old T shirts.
Q. One classic TV show you wish they’d remake.
A. Cant think of one.
Q. One classic TV show they should never, ever touch.
A. Perry Mason with Raymond Burr. Leave it alone.
Videos: Robbie Lane and the Disciples, Now and Then
Zoomer Radio: Sam Houston and Neil Hedley
SIDEBURNS: The Ultimate ETA Fan Magazine. www.sideburnsmagazine.com sideburnsmagazine@gmail.com
Please note: According to sources, Neil Hedley has left Zoomer Radio since the writing of this article. To read comments on a discussion board, please click here. If information is correct, Jane Brown has joined Sam Houston and is co-hosting The Morning Show with Sam & Jane, weekdays from 6 am to 10 am on Zoomer Radio.
The Amazing Edwardo
Edward Fine: This photo was drawn of me (Amazing Edwardo) as Elvis with a stylus pen on a Samsung Galaxy Note. 08/22/2012
When someone attaches the word “amazing” to their name, I have to ask what makes them so amazing. Edward Fine, who was also in the media room at the 2019 Collingwood Elvis Festival conducting voice recorded mini interviews, was quite prepared to answer my question. Canadian born, and now living in Israel, Edward does voice over work and imitations of a variety of characters. He writes articles, produces Youtube videos, and also performs as an Elvis Tribute Artist. With Edward’s permission, I am sharing his article about his trip to Collingwood for you all to enjoy:
Well, for those of you who have never been to an Elvis Festival, or for those of you wondering what it is like to go to the largest Elvis Festival in the world, here is my adventure:
Heading from Toronto, Canada, to Collingwood is about a 2 hour trip on the weekend. There are a lot of people heading up north. Thank you to Google for having amazing software to help me navigate the best route with Google maps. I would also like to thank the Town of Collingwood, and specifically Adam Ferguson, for allowing me access to see the events. If you plan on going to any event, always look at the event website, just like I did. I found the areas where there was parking and a map of where all the events took place.
When I arrived, there was a sea of Elvis fans everywhere. People had their chairs lined up many hours before the festival began to get the best seats in the house. The outdoor events are mostly free of charge, along with tons of vendors booths, mostly located on the main street, Hurontario. Walking in the festival any time of the day or night you are bound to walk into an ETA. What is an ETA ? It is an Elvis Tribute Artist who plays homage to the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley. They are most gracious to say hello, give you a handshake and allow a photo opportunity. I must say that the vendors, ETAs, and Elvis fans are very respectful and friendly people. I did even pass by the only female ETA, but I am sure there are probably more of them. You can probably find ETAs and fans all around the world. I did meet some ETAs from Canada, USA, UK and Israel. The main contest consists of Friday night’s preliminary round, Saturday’s second round; and finally Sunday, they crown the grand champion. The judges must rate the performers not only on their singing ability, outfits, look-a-like and performance skill to the king, but also on a host of very technical aspects. If you sing a Vegas style song like “Viva Las Vegas”, your outfit must match the song. In this case, a full white jumpsuit with all the embroidery trimmings, is the wrong outfit for your song choice. No! No! No! ETAs must not only prepare their songs and movements, but must have all the accessories. Jumpsuits can range from a couple of hundred dollars to $10,000 or more. Wigs, rings and chains can also add up. In competition, you are not allowed to wear trademark Elvis sunglasses for example. The calibre of the tributes were, in most cases, spectacular. You really felt that the king was there right in front of you singing on stage…and the king somehow multiplied himself in every corner of the festival. The retail stores and restaurants were packed with anxious patrons. This was the last and final Elvis festival that ran for 25 years by the Town. Next year they will have a privately run Elvis festival in Collingwood because the ETAs and fans always want more. So for now, my Elvis adventure has ended; but what a exciting adventure it was! Elvis has left the building for now…until next year.
Editor’s Note: Edward told me of an Elvis cafe in Israel, and I was able to find a very interesting article by Bill Slott who is a licensed Israeli tour guide. What follows is an excerpt from his article “The Elvis Diner” that appeared in The Times of Israel, February 11th, 2018. I have included a video of Edward Fine (left) performing at the Elvis Inn in 2018 with a host of others. And in the video below, The Amazing Edwardo describes some of his feats.
Ten miles outside of Jerusalem, next to the Neve Ilan gas station is the Elvis Diner, a restaurant whose raison d’être is a tribute to Elvis Presley. A 12-foot high golden statue of the rock and roll icon stands in front, and the Elvis-o-rama just ramps itself up further and further as you enter. From the music on the jukebox to the decorations on the wall to the hundreds of artifacts displayed, museum-like, about the eatery, the place is all about one man and one man only: Elvis Aaron Presley.
The food is a reasonable cross between an Israeli hummus-and-schnitzel joint and a 1950s American hamburger stand. There’s no claim to fine dining, but it’s clean and friendly, and the psychedelic bathrooms alone are worth the visit. Actually, no one comes to eat in this restaurant because of the food anyway. It’s all about communing with the crooner of “Heartbreak Hotel”. On the anniversary of the rock star’s birth, Elvis impersonators from all over Israel come to compete and pay tribute to the most successful solo recording artist in history.
It is worth a stop to see Chinese tourists, Scandinavian backpackers and Israeli soldiers on leave all mingling among the memorabilia. It is a place that you could easily imagine in Tennessee or New York, or maybe even in London or Paris, but in the Judean Hills it is a notable non-sequitur… and a delightful break from Ottomans and Crusaders, prophets and kings.
“The Elvis American Café” (the official name) has been owned and operated by the same family with the same theme and the same menu for 40 years. For any restaurant, that is an impressive run.