Robbie On The RadioRobbie France Online, All the Time, Broadcasting From the Balcony

Hi Folks,

Apologies for the lack of posts since December.

Unfortunately, Robbie has been quite ill for the past 6 weeks or so (there’s a bad Flu virus going around, and he’s had every version of it, one after the other).

You’ll be pleased to know that he’s on the mend now, and he’ll be writing and broadcasting full-time again soon.

Regards,

Dom

…as John Lennon once sang. My favourite time of year. Christmas in our home is celebrated with such a wonderful sense of joy, it’s easy to forget I’m an atheist.

For me Christmas is about being part of humanity. It’s a time when all people come together with a hopeful and warm spirit which transcends belligerency, prejudice and scorn. And I love the music which traditionally accompanies this season with a passion. We can all name our favourite carol; however young or old; whichever nationality. Mine is the Austrian carol, ‘Silent Night’. I have so many versions of this song. Dozens, if not more than a hundred collected over the years! Yet this carol could have been lost for eternity if not for a stroke of serendipity.

The music was written by Franz Xaver Gruber. The lyrics by the local priest, Josef Mohr from Oberndorf, Austria. Now, there are so many legends regarding this piece of music, it makes your head spin. However my favourite has to be the one where they rock up to the gig at the Church of St. Nicholas to find the organ not working, so Father Mohr tells Gruber to whiz back to his gaff and grab his guitar. Job done, they proceed with the performance… and the rest is history. Pure rock ‘n roll! However in 1818 there weren’t any cassette or video tapes to record the performance and the song could have been lost, consigned to the mists of time.

However, as recently as 1995 a manuscript in Mohr’s handwriting was found and authenticated showing he wrote the words in 1816. It is, quite simply, the most played, recorded (and bastardized!), carol of all time. A song which briefly brought together the troops on the frontline during World War One in 1914, which was a story I was taught at school to represent all that is good in mankind.

So. From myself, Karen and my little boy Max, we’d like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous, but above all else…healthy 2009.

Tune in on the 21st of December at 1.30 pm for my usual ‘My World Of Music’ Christmas Special. I’ll post the playlist online around the 22nd this year and if you’d like to request or dedicate a track? It would be a pleasure.

Keep listening and I’ll see you next year!

Robbie x

This article is printed in the December 2008 edition of Beachcomber magazine.

Here’s something I found while digging through my files - an interview I did with Round Town News.

Written by Sharon Bruce

The many listeners to Costa Calida Radio’s Robbie France Show may wonder about the man behind the mike.

In fact, Robbie has been a resident of Puerto de Mazarron since 1998. He has a tremendous history in the music and recording business and is still active in producing highly successful acts.

At heart, Robbie is a drummer, but he’s also described as a producer, arranger, journalist, music educator and broadcaster.

Relaxing over a coffee on the Paseo at Puerto de Mazarron Robbie recalled that, although he was born in Sheffield, he moved to Australia in 1970. He became deeply involved in the music scene and at the age of 15 was teaching drums at the Australian Academy of Music. In 1982 he left the country with over a thousand musical credits to his name. Back in England he joined Diamond Head and then, in 1990, Wishbone Ash. In 1994 he was a founder of Skunk Anansie. In 1995 he joined the German band Alphaville and some eight years ago moved to Spain where he now enjoys life beside the Mediterranean.

Robbie in the flesh is as entertaining as over the airwaves and he has a host of stories. In Spain he founded the highly successful Pulpo Negro label and related activities. Some of the country’s most successful groups emerged under his guidance, including Second, who won the 2005 First Prize of the prestigious GBOB event. They are on the bill of Depeche Mode’s current tour and will be appearing at the Parque Antonio Soria in Torrevieja on July 25th. Robbie says they are a fantastic band that is destined for even greater things. His hottest tip of the moment is to keep an eye on singer Keke, who was born in Madrid but is now based in London.

Robbie maintains close contacts with a huge range of people in the music business that make sure that he knows all about the latest tracks and new acts.  So Mazarron listeners will continue to be amongst the first in Europe to hear the very latest music.

This article was first published in Round Town News.

Hope you enjoyed this little insight!

Robbie x

Since I started this journey into the brave new world of blogging, I came to realise that there are people out there who may not know a lot about me.

Even some of my listeners, I’m sure, don’t know where I was before I turned up on their radios one afternoon.

With that in mind, I’ve updated the About Page on this site, so those of you who are interested can read a little more about little old me.

Link: About Robbie France

Robbie x

Robbie on The Radio is my website dedicated to all the radio programmes and coming soon to a mp3 player near you…will be my podcast programmes with a mixture of the shows I broadcast here on the Costa Calida.

Robbie France