Genre | Music |
---|---|
Running time | 2 hours |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Language(s) | English |
Home station | BBC Radio 2 |
Hosted by |
Keith Fordyce (1983–1985) Various (1985–1988) Simon Dee (1989–1990) Brian Matthew (1990–2017) Tony Blackburn (2017–) |
Produced by | Tom Du Croz, Phil Swern |
Recording studio | Wogan House, London |
Original release | 12 February 1983 – present |
Audio format | 88–91 FM, DAB digital radio, TV and online |
Opening theme | Foot Tapper by The Shadows |
Website | Official website |
Sounds of the '60s is a long-running Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio 2 that features recordings of popular music made in the 1960s. It was first broadcast on 12 February 1983 and introduced by Keith Fordyce who had been the first presenter of the TV show Ready Steady Go! in 1963. From 1990 until February 2017 the presenter was Brian Matthew. The program is also broadcast on 98.1 MHz Eastern FM – Eastern Suburbs (community radio) in Melbourne, Victoria.
In the mid ’80 the format changed and each week the programme was presented by a different artist from the Sixties. Many famous names were involved, including: Alvin Stardust, Eddy Grant, Herb Alpert, Graham Nash, Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tom Jones, Neil Sedaka, Donovan, Mike Stoller, Bruce Welch, Duane Eddy, Bill Medley, Roy Wood, Mike Berry, David Crosby and many more. "I Love SOTS" car stickers were given free to listeners.
In December 1988 the then producer Stuart Hobday re-discovered Simon Dee the first voice to have been heard on Radio Caroline in 1964, and persuaded him to present a listeners’ all-time-favourite Top 20. The response from the public was so great that Dee was booked for a three-month run early in 1989. His success led to another three-month contract later in the year, but his constant demands for the show to go live and to move from Bristol to London, along with a growing list of complaints to BBC top management, meant that his contract was not renewed.