Artist: JFK, Album: FM 102 1989 Modern Rock, Song: A Tribute To Peter And The Wolf

This will be the first of many blogs that will showcase a regional band and song that was released through a talent type search.  This was quite a common way of uncovering local talent in previous decades of radio and it seems to have lost it's appeal.  I really enjoyed the releases that I can remember from a number of stations in the Toronto area.  To date, I've likely blogged about a few of the more successful acts that were born from these types of contests.  However, there were countless other bands that took part and released some great music.  They received airplay and for one reason or another were never able to take the next step in their musical careers.  CFNY or FM102 was a cool free form alternative station from the burbs (Brampton) that sprouted up in the late seventies.  It was actually the inspiration for the Rush song, Spirit Of The Radio.  I tuned in during the eighties and according to some radio purists, the station was beginning to lose it's free approach to programming.  Nonetheless, I remember it as a station where I could hear everything from British new wave to dance music to reggae and blues.  They also played a lot of homegrown talent and for a kid from outside the city that couldn't always get in to see shows, it was a vital connection to a new musical world.  In 1989, the station continued it's modern rock search for local talent and released a compilation of the contestants.  I'm not exactly sure if JFK won the contest but their song, A Tribute To Peter And The Wolf, is a great new wave classic.  The song incorporates a sample of the childhood story, Peter And The Wolf.  The band was made up of two individuals, Mark Reid and Steven Boyle.  Mark was actually from Scotland originally.  Unfortunately, I don't know much else about the band or what they accomplished following this contest. At the time of this blog, I could not find any copies of this release available.  You can listen to the song, A Tribute To Peter And The Wolf, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_oX1eNyRvA).  As always, you can hear this song as well as others that I blog about each day on Live 365 (http://www.live365.com/stations/raisedoncndnradio).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!