Apparently Blossom Dearie’s real name was Margrethe Blossom Dearie, not Ethel Parnsworth. What a lovely voice she had, as heard on Mr Marriott’s show today. Fondly remembered for appearances on Not Only But Also – Pete and Dud’s Saturday night comedy and jazz outlet. Happy days. It’s worth looking out for her piano pieces too. Thanks from this listener.

I’m glad there’s only a week between UK and USA time change. I want to thank all my math teachers for the skills I employ to figure out when my favorite programs air🤓

My mistake. The play was “Applause”.

Thanks for ‘3 wheels on my wagon’. When serving in Germany in the late 60s, driving a mini from RAF Wildenrath to HQ Rhheindahlen a back wheel came off and went trundling down the road. Guess which song was sung to me on return to unit? Thanks for a great programme each morning.

You were asking – Looks as though ‘Necessity’ was a song from Finian’s Rainbow.

Thank you and bless you Johnny for the birthday greetings. ♥️

Listening in from Kampala Uganda. Great work!

Late Night Extra was brilliant as always. Absolutely delighted to hear Ria Bartok. She made many fine pop songs in her short life. Many thanks Mr James for playing one of them on Saturday’s show 👍

1978. Hooray! And the wonderful Johnny Mathis. Brilliant 👍😊

Thank you so very much for your wonderful station!! I listen to Serenade Radio just about exclusively and adore the hosts and music. You raise my spirit!!!

Getting closer. Only one year out this time. Classic song by Matt Monro 👍

Gordon Jenkins is one of the greats. Now I know who he is.

Dick Fisher – Last week you played an instrumental that you think was made for a Guinness ad. My ears pricked up. I have heard it once before on Serenade but before that not in decades. So familiar, yet I can’t remember the product but I have a misty vision of some chaps riding an elongated tandem in one of the shots. TV ads in those days were mini-epics. Of course over a period of sixty years my mind might be playing tricks or is completely bamboozled – a not infrequent occurrence.

Good to hear two songs from High Society in the same show. I did indeed sing along to Who Wants To Be a Millionaire taking both parts (it’s more difficult with Did You Ever). I love the way Celeste Holm delivers: A liveried chauffeur, do I want? No sir!

I gained my appreciation of Sinatra at relatively early age listening to a late-evening Sunday show on Beacon Radio when a numerous performances from films were played. I remember the programmes being presented by Munro Jack but early on it may have been Roger DeFreitas. Many years later I discovered that movie soundtracks were exempt from needle-time allocation and thus one of the techniques used by Beacon to circumvent the restrictions and play more music. (This for a long time one of those things I didn’t know I didn’t know.)

Anyway, enjoying a glass of wine as I write this. My climbing roses are now looking a bit sad but there are still some blooms on the ones next door… 😉

A Centenary Celebration – The Three Luminaries. Bank Holiday Special.

So many memories and moods revisited. Feeling a little
melancholic. Masses of Nostalgia.

Thank you.

Great hour of music on Late Night Extra. Many thanks for the mention and for playing a song by Zouzou. Always like to hear Billie Davis, Françoise Hardy, and Nirvana. Very good version of The Bee Gees “Storm” by The Family Dogg.
Many thanks once again for an excellent programme Mr James 👍

Gee whizz! Didn’t have a clue with that year. I knew it was the 1950’s but that was all. Great songs though, especially Jo Stafford 🙂

I didn’t have a clue on the year until I heard the Carpenters. Took a guess on 1975 😊.
Enjoyed Sean Usher’s show very much.
Great to hear Misty by Johnny Mathis, and A Blossom Fell by Nat King Cole👍

Thanks Andy for your prompt reply. What a nuisance – let’s hope the powers that be get it fixed promptly. I have now put your app on my iPhone so all is not lost.

Such a wonderful radio station, I listen every day here in Australia.
Thank you for all the beautiful music and stories from the past.
Regards
Mike Matthews

Shear delight. It brought back so many memories. I’m addicted already.

Hi Andy, apart from Vic Damone I think Tony Martin is my next favourite singer. Just listening to Walk Hand in Hand With Me just love his voice. Thank you.

Your weekday programming is fantastic….what quality..Serenade Radio ….a shining star in a sea of such mediocre radio in the UK. The Quiet Hour? Its now essential listening to wind down after a busy day. Jane Markham.. she is one of the best female broadcasters I’ve ever heard xxx

Listening to Serenade Radio is a pleasure but listening at very first light enhances everything. At 0424 hours this morning I awoke to ‘Autumn Leaves’ by Nat King Cole; pure reconcilation, pure peace. The following dozen or so songs, along with Peter Tomlinson’s discreet and distinctively civilised commentary, made the whole show memorable….and with Steyn’s ‘Song of the Week’ ( ‘More’, Norman Newell and, yes, Katyna Ranieri) still to come what could be a better beginning to the week? The whole thing is addictive.

Such good music tonight Johnny. I really enjoy Val Doonican.

It’s been wonderful listening to Serenade Radio whilst on holiday here in Palm Springs, California. It’s one of the few stations that genuinely caters for the older generation. The music is very much like I used to play on my Vintage Vinyl show on BBC Radio Tees before it fell foul of the local radio cuts after 29 years. Thank you all at Serenade Radio ❤️

Three great songs on Johnny Mac’s first mystery year. 1972. Bravo Johnny 👍

Love Listening to you guys every day❤️ it seems like you play the same two John Denver songs quite often🤔 here are a couple you could play Annie’s song 😎 Gran mars feather bed. Love you guys❤️

I’ve just returned from a 16 night cruise with P&O. WiFi on board was patchy and very expensive – consequently I was without WiFi whilst onboard. I missed Serenade Radio so much 🙁 On the coach travelling back I listened to Serenade Radio for the entire journey. Normal service has been resumed. Thank you for being there for me

Hi Andy, great tv theme tunes this evening, but New Years Day for the next series , 😔 . Hopefully it can be repeated as some of us might not be able to tune in. Some of us might still be celebrating 🥳

It’s great to hear Radio Heroes again. Before he got shunted off to the Radio 2 Sunday evening ‘graveyard’ I used to enjoy David Jacobs on Saturday and Sunday mornings – the latter being ‘Melodies for You’ with the third movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony introduction. In the 1980s I remember him particularly championing the then relatively unknown ‘Mack & Mabel’ on the Saturday show. That show included a wide variety. I bought an Emmylou Harris LP on the strength of tracks heard.

I also remember his extended series on Frank Sinatra that went out late on Sunday evenings when the usual ‘Our kind of music’ show took a break. I do wonder if it would be possible to get hold of these for broadcast on Serenade (because I didn’t hear them all!). I doubt the BBC will be needing them again…

Hi Andy

A great nonsense song this morning.
My father had a rabbit
And of course by the brilliant broadcaster (pop jockey as he call himself on many occasions).
RAY MOORE
Andy I think you are about the only one to say his name for a long time.
You have to play the bog eye jog.
Ray would have been really proud of your radio station I think.
Serenade radio and all your presenters are far brilliant.
Serenade ought to be radio station of the year bit to short one year.
You keep alive what I growed up with beautiful music and songs.
Today’s music will never out last what you play.
Thank Andy and presenters

I love listening to your station from Sydney, especially when it’s your night-time. Your music is lovely.

Hi Andy, thanks for the Bob Newhart phone call about tobacco. Absolutely hilarious. And the lovely voice of Vic Damone has made my night.

It was a lovely treat to hear the Paul Reade Quartet – Victorian Kitchen Garden on Morning Music. Very beautiful. Thankyou.

Serenade Radio comments & donation (July 14th 2024)

We have been meaning to make a donation and send an email for a long time as we have become daily listeners to your perfectly put together wonderful radio station – Serenade Radio. We listen for about 7 hours a day and 7 days a week, often hearing those repeated in one day.

Of course the absence of news, weather, road reports and advertising is so refreshing. Advertising which is often boringly repeated over and over again really spoils the flow of a good music programme.

Our conclusion is that Andy Marriot and his team must have experienced intrusive and overbearing management on many radio stations (to be polite not selecting any specifically – but you must know who they are!). You all surely get joy from being able to put programme and content together, relatively unhindered by “upstairs”.

There is something about the promotional items that, because of the way they are crafted, are a joy to hear repeatedly. Waiting for the Tony Hancock line “I ‘ave to give me mother 30 bob a week” or “Shall I Do You Now Sir” bring laughter and nostalgia together.

As we don’t listen overnight a few of your presenters we are not familiar with. However all those that broadcast between 8am and 12 midnight are great, each in their own unique way.

David Yarnall, Dick Fisher and John Darval we hear most often – all have friendly warm voices and we enjoy their personal catch phrases such as “you didn’t know, you didn’t know” and their choices of music. Geoff Owen on Saturday mornings has a real great comic dialogue. The Jane Markham Quiet Hour – relaxing at the perfect time of the day.

John Hellings is a real favourite, and has reignited our love of jazz, which is so well selected. It’s a shame that we only get one hour a week, but we always listen to both the Wednesday and the Sunday broadcasts.

Then the wonderful Kevin Taylor who just makes us feel we are in warm Palm Springs when the rain is pouring down here in the far east of Norfolk. He has been given the two best spots of the week which for us coincides with a glass of wine and dinner. It feels like that wonderful phrase “Eating pâté de foie gras, to the sound of trumpets”. (I wouldn’t eat foie gras, but you know what I mean, hopefully). Of course we could never afford to live in Palm Springs, but the location reminds us of everything that is good in life and good luck to Kevin and those that do live there.

For the first few months of listening. we thought that Mark Steyn was almost “too clever by half” but after listening to the very skilled “Steyn’s Song of the Week” now find his complex but very well researched programme brilliant. It must take so long to put together and find the material. Congratulations to Mark.

I expect it is a trade secret (so not expecting an answer) but wonder about how you manage to get programmes such as Music While You Work and all those clips and programmes from the 30s onwards. How about sourcing that wonderful series from the BBC in the 80s – When Housewives Had the Choice (one hour’s programme for each year 1946 to 1967).

The recent series about past radio presenters such as Alan Dell and David Jacobs are superb and hope the coming list is quite long – but it must be quite limited.

The Andy Marriot Television Show is a firm favourite and just seems to go too quickly.

It’s good to hear Benny Green now and again as I knew he lived in Berkhamstead (near where I used to live) as a bike messenger friend used to pick and deliver scripts to him a lot. I saw him once in the scruffiest café in Watford Lower High Street and we just exchanged smiles which seemed to say “its fun in here”.

So perhaps to finish a few personal dislikes. We can’t listen to Sing Something Simple. The stupid reason being that at the time it was broadcast, one of us knew that Monday at school was close to hand and the shirt was being ironed. In fact the programme was named “school shirt music”.
Della Reese is a rather acquired taste. Harry Secombe and The Old Rugged Cross is excruciating and the song about “I put on my prayers and said my pyjamas” gets repeated just a bit too often. But 99.9% of what you transmit and craft so well is very good.

The music of the late 1950s and early 1960s does not get much airtime – no Del Shannon and not much John Leyton for example.

We don’t recall Gene McDaniels being played and I consider his album one of the best – every song beautifully crafted and I am sure you will enjoy it very much too. You are very welcome to have this album if it helps. We will pay the postage if you give me a contact address.

Donation made today. BUT PayPal locked so I may have to try again tomorrow but you will get the money.

Many thanks, Alan Fayers & Richard Newark

Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer is one of my favorite seasonal songs! As it’s 92 degrees F (and rising!) here in Montana I’m remembering the beachy, ice-creamy days of my childhood. Thanks Andy!

“Stars and Stipes Forever” was nice but four days late.

Joined the Mark Steyn Club and started with Mark’s show but now I am addicted! Wonderful programming. Well done to all!