by Marty Forbes
September 25, 2024
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Another in my ‘630’ series
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As mentioned earlier my broadcast education was designed as “sit on the couch, keep quiet, and just listen” style as Dad’s best friends would drop by our family room and discuss both radio and world events.
I sat in awe, often.
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One most ‘worldly’ friend was the late Senator Tommy Banks.
I was allowed to call him just ‘Tom!’
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In 1967 the music world was changing rapidly…mostly due to the evolution of Beatles music. Up until then most music was recorded on two track machines…sometimes mixed music on the left – vocals on the right – and most songs were rather basic.
Without getting too technical I’ll let Wikipedia describe 4 track and multi track recording and how it changed the recording world.
“Because The Beatles did not gain access to eight-track recorders until 1968, their groundbreaking Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band LP (1967) was created using pairs of four-track machines; the group also used vari-speed (also called pitch shift) to achieve unique sounds.”
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Now artists could add layers of other instruments, other vocalists, sound effects, and often the back up vocalists could come in later to add their parts without messing up the original recording.
Well 630 CHED wanted a 4 track unit on so they put a request in their annual budget to head office in Winnipeg.
No luck. Denied.
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Dad mentioned this to Tom, a world class musician, who ran a production house called Century 2 Productions. They did some of the biggest jingles you grew up with here in Edmonton.
So Tom thinks…”hmm, I’d like one too…how about if I buy it, put it in your production room, and you use it during the daytime while I’ll use it nights and weekends.”
So they did and the already stellar creative/production department got a sexy new toy to dress up their work as well.
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Of note, some pretty amazing people utilized the recorder.
Al Anderson was the production wizard. The late Barry Allen used it and, along with CHED staffer Keith James Jr, eventually purchased Homestead Recorders, famous for kd Langs early work.
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My brother Gord spent a few years in production here and moved to Vancouver a few years later moving from production to sales and then to Sales Manager.
Now the big one. At around this time a young kid from Victoria started his music career playing piano for Tommy at The Embers.
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The kids name? David Foster. I don’t think I need to chronicle David’s incredible career including his 16 Grammy Awards and 47 nominations.
And this all happened, partially, thanks to ‘that frequency.’
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*In 1986 I was programming CKKS in Vancouver and approached David to see if we could present his first ever fund raising event for his Foundation being held in Victoria. It was a celebrity baseball game and we presented it for three consecutive years. It is now a superstar concert travelling all over the world raising millions of dollars.
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**David credits Tommy for helping springboard his career and he spoke at Tom’s Celebration of Life in 2018. There wasn’t a dry eye in the Winspear…especially mine.
