Tom Locke's Blog

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – April 19, 2026

Elvis Presley scored his sixth #1 hit with a high-energy rocker that topped the Billboard pop charts in early 1957 and helped cement his dominance during the first wave of Rock & Roll.

The track was recorded at RCA Victor’s Nashville studio in September 1956. At that time Presley’s releases were evolving from raw rockabilly towards a more polished, radio-friendly sound.

However, the song was first recorded a couple of years earlier in 1955 on Repu...

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –April 12, 2026

In the late 50s, North American TV experienced a surge in private investigator (P.I.) dramas.

These shows typically featured stylish, independent detectives who operated outside traditional law enforcement, solving cases that involved organized crime, corruption, and social intrigue.

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Among the many series that appeared during this wave, was one that was created by film producer Blake Edwards and ran for three years from 1958 – 1961, the first...

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –April 05, 2026

Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547. A larger-than-life monarch with six wives, his marital history is often summarized by the phrase: “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.”

However, this Moment In Time isn’t about that Henry. No, this is about another Henry… and seven more just like him.

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It began not in a palace, but in the bustling music halls of Edwardian London. In 1910, two British songwriters—Fred Murray and R....

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –March 29, 2026

Spring has sprung, and the 2026 Major League Baseball season is upon us. For many, the sting still lingers from last year, when the Toronto Blue Jays fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Seventy years ago, in 1955, those same Dodgers—then the Brooklyn Dodgers—finally got the monkey off their back, capturing their first World Series title by defeating the New York Yankees in seven games.

On that 1955 roster was infielder Don Hoak. Fi...

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –Mar 15, 2026

Way before there was Treasure Island and its Oldies, there was the Treasure House, home of Captain Kangaroo.

The Captain Kangaroo show was an American children’s television series that aired weekday mornings on the CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running children’s program on a commercial network.

In the late 50s and early 60s, Captain Kangaroo featured the popular five-minute cartoon segment, Tom Terrific. Tom was a boy he...

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –Mar 08, 2026

In the mid-60s, electronics began shrinking in size and expanding in cultural impact. A major reason for this shift was the widespread adoption of the transistor, which replaced bulky vacuum tubes and allowed devices to become smaller, lighter, and battery-powered.

Although the first commercial transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, appeared in the 50s, it was during the 60s that the technology truly flourished. By the middle of the decade, improvements...

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Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –Mar 01, 2026

In February of 2023, one of our Moments In Time segments featured a story on an up-and-coming country/rockabilly artist by the name of Janis Martin.

Born in 1940 in southern Virginia, she had a precocious start in music. As a preteen, she could be heard on WDVA’s Barndance in Danville, Virginia, and on Old Dominion Barndance out of Richmond. Although she found her earliest performing opportunities in country music, she was drawn to R&B. “Ruth Brown,”...

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –Feb 22, 2026

One of the prominent teen idols of the early 60s was Brian Hyland. His initial fame was built around light, catchy pop tunes that resonated with the youth of the era. He first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 at the tender age of 16 with the novelty hit “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” in 1960.

This early success cemented Hyland’s image as a clean-cut pop singer, a staple of pre-British Invasion American music. However, Hyland woul...

Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –Feb 15, 2026

Singer/songwriter Paul Evans is best known for three 1959/60 hits – “Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat,” “Happy-Go-Lucky-Me,” and his rendition of Leadbelly’s “Midnite Special.”

He also co-wrote songs that became hits for others such as “I Gotta Know” by Elvis Presley, “Roses Are Red” by Bobby Vinton, “When” by the Kalin Twins and “Happiness Is” by the Ray Coniff Singers.

In 1960, Paul wrote and released “Hushabye Little Guitar.” Unfortunat...