BBC Radio 2 has commissioned UBC Media to produce its Saturday morning breakfast show, Sounds of the 60s, bringing the curtain down on 27 years of in-house production by the BBC.

UBC Media, which supplies multimedia content to the BBC and 250 commercial stations, secured the two-year contract to produce Sounds of the 60s, which has become something of an institution, since it’s original broadcast in 1983, when it was presented by Ready Steady Go!’s first host Keith Fordyce.

Sounds of the 60s is a slightly quaint show, but none the worse for it,  that captures the essence of the 1960s. It is like an on air vinyl record and music memorabilia curiosity shop, run by a kindly, benign gentleman by the name of Brian Matthew. The shop may be under new management, but it will most definitely be business as usual!! Sounds of the 60s really is like perusing an old record shop, because amongst the old vinyl classical 1960s hits, you discover rarities that you have either forgotten or never been acquainted with. But it’s not just seven inch singles, but rare EP and LP tracks as well. Between the playing of the tracks, the venerable broadcaster Brian Matthew imparts his wisdom and knowledge in a gentle way, whether it be the stories and anecdotes behind the songs, or some quirky fact about the artist. From time to time Brian Matthew will dig out some old fusty taped interview with a 1960s performer or record industry impressario, from the bowels of the shop aka Broadcasting House. These just merely serve to put the music into the proper context of the decade of the Swinging Sixties.

Trained as an actor at RADA, Brian Matthew is a broadcasting institution and legend, having commenced his career in the days of the BBC Light Programme, hosting Saturday Club in 1957 which changed it’s name to Easy Beat in 1960. At the time, there was little pop music played on BBC Radio and the shows attracted audiences into the millions. For this reason most of the big stars of the time, including The Beatles, appeared on the shows.

The influence and popularity of Easy Beat declined due to the rise of the offshore pirate radio stations that came in existence from 1964 onwards. When BBC Radio 1 launched to replace the outlawed pirate radio stations in 1967, Easy Beat was axed, and Saturday Club was taken over by another presenter, Keith Skues (formerly of the pirate station Radio London), before it was also axed in 1969.

In 1973 Brian Matthew presented a new radio series entitled My Top 12, which ran for an hour on weekend afternoons on Radio 1 and Radio 2 simultaneously. My Top 12 could be considered BBC Radio 1’s equivalent to Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. The programme was later presented by ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris and Noel Edmonds. Guests in 1974 included Rod Stewart, Joni Mitchell and Neil Diamond.

Since April 1990 Brian Matthew has hosted Sounds of the 60s and frankly Saturday breakfast time would not be the same without him – he is as traditional as the weekend breakfast of bacon and eggs and toast and marmalade!!

You can capture, preserve and re-live the memories and music of the 1960s, by ordering your favourite vinyl record or CD, framed and mounted. ORDER NOW by clicking on…….. http://www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/

Alternatively this would make a unique present or original gift for a special celebration  ie a 50th, 60th or 70th Birthday, a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day!! THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT!!

If you want further information on Brian Matthews’ Sounds of the 60s, click on….. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wqlv