Retro Dee is a regular contributor to The Grooveyard’s website, writing about music, fashion and other trends of the 1950s. Check out her blog, Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever here, and her column here every week.
Hi folks it’s Retro Dee and this week I have a very special post. My friend Alan Seltzer is celebrating his 10th year hosting WCWP’s Grooveyard! I’d like to congratulate him with some personal memories…
Alan Seltzer began hosting The Grooveyard on May 3rd, 2012. So much has changed since then, but one thing has remained the same- it’s the show where oldies come alive! Hits from the mid 1950’s through 1963 are the show’s primary focus, with special covers from later years (in the “under the covers” segment)
I only discovered The Grooveyard since 2018. What makes this story interesting, is that I wasn’t on Long Island when I found the show. In fact, I was 3,000 miles away in Santa Rosa, California when The Grooveyard first caught my attention.
I had just signed up for Word Press to start a new blog that I decided would be about my passion for the 1950’s era. I befriended a fella named Bob at The Past Is Back. One day I noticed a link on Bob’s blog to The Grooveyard. I’d never really tuned in to anything online before. I figured I’d give it a listen. It was then that I realized I had a great oldies radio show at my fingertips every Saturday Night! Well, for me, it was Saturday afternoon, since the show starts at 7 ET, that would only be 4pm Pacific. But I digress!
The first event I participated in was the Summer Song Survey, 2018. I voted for my favorites and listened to the countdown. I remember feeling like I already knew Alan, just by listening him host the show. That, I think, is what makes a great DJ. You feel like you know them, that they are talking to you. DJs who can do that and bring that special something into your day, really know how to do their job right.
The day of the Summer Song Survey Countdown, I remember it was a hot, dry afternoon and I was afraid my laptop would overheat. So I took it into my bathroom and placed it in front of the air conditioning vent. My cat Chelsea had this thing for my bathroom. It was like her little room. A Chelsea-sized room. She parked herself on the towels next to the computer and we took this picture:
But the real excitement began a few months later, when I voted in my first Great 88. I couldn’t believe there was something out there that allowed people to vote for their favorites from the 1950’s era. That’s exactly the kind of thing I had in mind. With my newfound love for Buddy Holly, it was like I was being transported back to his time. I could vote for his songs to be played on the radio… in 2018? It was about as close to time travel as you could get.
I voted every single day for four months. Chelsea died that November. I continued to vote, knowing that at the end of December, Alan Seltzer would do the countdown, just like we voted for it.
After the Great 88 in 2018, I decided to write a blog post. I wrote The Great 88 Experience! Not long after, Alan Seltzer contacted me about being a contributor for The Grooveyard web site on Word Press. I was very excited. I couldn’t ask for a better volunteer job, I really couldn’t.
I’ll never forget the biggest shock was when I was listening to the show just after I’d agreed to contribute my posts. Alan mentioned my blog on the air and played “Peggy Sue” for me because I’d some how missed it during the Great 88. I was ecstatic! I still remember screaming so loudly, that my family rushed in wondering what was wrong!
Then, the very next show, Alan dedicated to me, as a special welcome to the WCWP family:
In the years that followed, I listened, wrote, voted, shared and laughed. The Grooveyard was a dinnertime favorite back in California, but once we moved to MA, I began listening at the actual Grooveyard time, 7 – 10pm.
Well, folks, after three and a half years of contributing my blog posts to The Grooveyard, I can say that it’s been a real pleasure knowing Alan Seltzer and being a part of the greatest Oldies Show on the air.
Listen to “The Grooveyard” following “Rick’s Redneck Ranch” each Saturday night at 7 PM on 88.1 FM on Long Island or by clicking the 88.1 FM link on wcwp.org, via the TuneIn app. or the WCWP app on your iPhone or Android device. You can also follow us on Twitter. and on the Facebook groups for the show and WCWP.
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