American 50's Radio station

[mattbushell]

Hello,

 

My school is performing Grease the Musical and we are wanting to Have an American 50's radio station playing while the audience are taking their seats and during the interval.

 

Can anyone help with suggestions?

 

Thank you for reading, look forward to hearing from you. :D

[paulears]

To be honest, it would be better to record a version of a 50s radio station output. The real thing, which can be listened to in little bursts via Google from a collection of sources, isn't quite what we think it sounded like - if you see what I mean. Remember US radio output was always a little regional, with many different accents. Few people in the audience here would be able to spot what is correct and which is not. The really nice thing is adverts - these were what really made the period - so it's not a major job to do a little research, listen and watch old ads from radio and tv, and then record your own. The music is the simple bit. If you can find a genuine American to do the voiceover/DJ contributions this will be much more effective than your English version of American - although, if your cast have dreadful accents when acting - maybe a dreadful DJ is ok? Where I live, regional accent is very strong, and a Norfolk Amercanese sounds pretty awful!

[Shez]

Welcome to the forum, Matt.

 

Can anyone help with sugestions?

Suggestions for what? Where to get a time machine radio that will pick up 50s American radio? Which songs to play? Where to find recordings of 50s radio? How to make recordings sound like 50s radio?

 

A bit more information about your problem will bring you more useful answers.

[rossmck]

Hi Matt,

 

Welcome, there's really no need for the huge text - thought I'd say something before someone

else does - the default size, generally, is just fine :D

 

As for your query - why not just use a selection of music from the 1950s ? If you've got cast

members that are good at the accent you could get them to produce some links in between

songs as well, maybe even have a look online for some 50s radio jingles or have your music

department prepare some to make it sound more "radio"

 

I imagine there's also a few 50s nostalgia stations that broadcast online, you may wish to try

recording the output of one of these and using that. I'd advise against using the live internet

stream as house enter as a) you don't know what they're going to play and b) live streams

always pick the most inopportune times to break up!

 

Good luck with the production :D

[TomHoward]

..will be much more effective than your English version of American - although, if your cast have dreadful accents when acting - maybe a dreadful DJ is ok? Where I live, regional accent is very strong, and a Norfolk Amercanese sounds pretty awful!

Tell me about it, our school has just started rehearsing "Anything Goes" and "Good morning, I'm looking for a sailor" is a line proving particularly difficult.

 

As Paul says, if you get hold of a couple of those Sounds of the 50s CDs that should give you some inspiration - luckily you're only going to need half an hour or so, so that would be about 6-10 tracks, record some links, and then you can make reference to the local area and make it quite interesting too.

[mattbushell]

Hi,

 

Thank you so much for the replies and mainly the advice.

 

I did mean suggestions as to where I could get the radio from, as I have looked on Google before writing on here, and like Paulears said you only get few seconds of it.

 

I apologise for the Big sized Text, I am trained in advertising so just using my skills hehehe

 

Thank you for reading.

[paulears]

Matt - you've confused us again. You just want a 50s radio? This is very different. We thought you wanted the programming?

 

ps - if you are trained in advertising, then why the weird text? I don't see adverts that looked like that? Anyway, you might have noticed your post got fixed.

[Pete Alcock]

I googled 50's DJs I knew of - Alan Freed was a famous one.

 

This webpage has a "listen here" snippet that may be useful. Radio Hall of Fame

 

Just edit that, and any others you find, between a few 50's songs and you're golden.

 

Pete.

 

What a great voice Alan Freed had btw.

[mattbushell]

My apologies,

 

I am looking for an American 50's Radio Station. The idea is already used in the touring show of Grease, where it is played as the audience is arriving and during the interval, which I thought was good idea we could use, maybe?

 

After looking on Google, I wanted to find out if anyone has used this idea before or would anyone know any ideas of where I could find Half an hour of the the Station?

 

Thank you for all your advice, Got some good ideas now.

 

Hope that helps

 

Regards

 

Matt

[paulears]

Matt

 

I stuck "1950s american radio mp3" into google and I can find plenty of material you could use - mind you, clearing the copyright would be interesting, but you get your teacher to do that.

 

Please - remember that if you ask a good question, you get good answers.

I am looking for an American 50's Radio Station

We know now, but this question is incomplete. You want a recording of the output of a ...... People could think you can't find a particular one, so could think you want photos, or maps, or whatever. You know what you want, we have to guess.

 

For walk in/walk out music, just playing the original may not even be noticed by the audience. Only people older than me (and I'm 50) would be able to spot the accuracy because although we could perhaps date a BBC recording, few of us could do the same with American - so you don't need to be super-accurate, it's not worth the work in putting the thing together.