Our own Bob Lusty was interviewed briefly for a new BBC Radio 2
documentary on the custom labels available at Woolworth stores in the UK.

Woolworth's chain ran their own sound-a-like labels in the UK and
Canada but I am not familiar with these records ever being sold in the
states. Hopefully Bob will correct me. I don't recall Woolworth's in
America having a store brand during the 1960s.

The program is well documented, lots of interviews with British
singers that participated in the sessions, including Mike Redway.
Redway is probably the only name known to Americans as the uncredited
singer of the 1960s version of Casino Royale over the end credits.


The show spends a lot of time on early labels which will sound very
dated to modern audiences, but does a reasonable job on Embassy the
rock and roll label of Woolies.

Ken Barry is heard doing a very poor Roy Orbison version of "In
Dreams". Hit had the opportunity to use many of Roy's own musicians
and his studio but did very few Orbison songs, and I assume it is
because they knew they could not reproduce his unique voice. The only
2 Hit releases was Oh Pretty Woman on Hit 142, and Goodnight on Hit 199.

The show was broadcast on December 30th, and BBC Radio 2 programs are
archived on the Internet for one week so you can listen to this show
until Tuesday 6th January 2009 at the following link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00g69g9/The_Wonderful_Sound_of_Woolies/

If you are interested in record history it's well worth your time.

Thanks to Bob Lusty for letting us know about the show.


Paul Urbahns
www.hitrecordsofnashville.com