Education audiobooks

Neil Diamond

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 22 minutes

Abridged: No

The Coney Island section of Brooklyn, NY was the birthing ground for the man the rest of the world would eventually come to know as Neil Diamond. In this special Hall of Fame spotlight, host Wink Martindale takes a look at Diamond’s illustrious career, beginning with those early days in Coney Island, which Diamond tells Wink, was “the most... Read more

Paul Anka

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

Paul Anka recorded his first single at the age of just 14. In addition to his success as a performer, Anka was also an accomplished songwriter. His credits include the theme song for Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and one of Tom Jones’ biggest hits, “She’s A Lady.”
In this 1977 interview, Wink Martindale takes listeners on an extensive... Read more

Rodgers and Hammerstein

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II joined forces to create the most consistently successful partnership in the American theater. Included among the seemingly endless list of their work are legendary works such as Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King & I, The Sound of Music and many more.
In the first part of this two-part series exploring... Read more

Roger Williams

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 33 minutes

Abridged: No

Roger Williams stood alone in the world of popular music. He was just three years old when he first sat in front of a piano and played a song. He went on to study piano at Drake University and Julliard and had his first success with the single “Autumn Leaves.”

Williams sat down for a conversation with Wink Martindale in 1972 to discuss his... Read more

The Beach Boys

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

The Beach Boys started in the Wilsons' garage with members Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Their first hit was in 1962 and was considered a "surf" song that had distinct vocal harmonies.
History will show the progression of the Beach Boys songs that permeated the culture of the day. The harmonies,... Read more

Frank Sinatra

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 34 minutes

Abridged: No

We conclude our four part Hall of Fame spotlight on Frank Sinatra’s career with more little known details about the man and his music. In this installment, you’ll hear about the post-Columbia Records days when he was no longer in demand. He had no hits and no record contract -- that is, until Capitol Records came calling and everything... Read more

Neil Sedaka

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

Neil Sedaka had more than a dozen hits from 1958 to 1963, but his career slumped with the arrival of the British Invasion. In 1974 he found his way back to the charts with “Laughter in the Rain.” In March of that year, Wink Martindale sat with Sedaka to discuss his early career and his thrilling comeback.
Sedaka recounts his early life as a... Read more

Peggy Lee

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 31 minutes

Abridged: No

Norma Deloris Egstrom grew up far away from the big city life where her future would take her. While still a teenager, she left her small town of Jamestown, North Dakota to audition for WDAY in Fargo. An hour later, she found herself on the air and with a brand new name courtesy of radio personality Ken Kennedy – Peggy Lee.
The singer,... Read more

The Four Freshmen

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 29 minutes

Abridged: No

“It’s a Blue World” brought The Four Freshmen onto the charts and into the spotlight in 1952. In the years that followed, the band went through numerous lineup changes but never lost the sound that made them famous.
Wink Martindale spoke with original members Bob Flanigan and Ross Barbour in 1973 about their career and the lasting influence they... Read more

Mac Davis

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

It took 12 years for Mac Davis to find success in the music industry, first as a songwriter and later as a singer. Davis originally spent years working, going to college part time and writing his own music. He later dropped out of college and pursued work in the music industry doing radio and sales promotions, all the while cutting bathroom... Read more

Vic Damone

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 34 minutes

Abridged: No

Vic Damone quit school as a teenager to work at the Paramount Theater to help support his family after his father was injured. During this time he was exposed to a host of accomplished singers both on the stage and behind the scenes. While operating the backstage elevator for Perry Como, Damone asked if he could sing for him to see if he had any... Read more

Nat "King" Cole

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 45 minutes

Abridged: No

Nat King Cole’s musical journey began as a teenager receiving classical piano training, which he later abandoned to pursue jazz with the Nat King Cole Trio. His career continued to evolve as he found success as a singer with hits including “Nature Boy,” “Mona Lisa” and “Too Young.” Narrator Wink Martindale takes listeners on a captivating... Read more

Frank Sinatra

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 31 minutes

Abridged: No

The third part of our Hall of Fame spotlight on Frank Sinatra’s legendary career with host Wink Martindale continues the story of the artist who remains an internationally known icon. We dig deeper into the songs and soundtrack of Frank’s career as told by friends and family, those who knew him best, including Nelson Riddle, Gordon McRae and a... Read more

Andy Williams

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 40 minutes

Abridged: No

Andy Williams got his start doing anonymous voice tracks for movies in the 1940s. He got his start singing at teas with his brother, and then made a move to singing on radio in Des Moines, Iowa and Chicago. Finally, Williams found his way to New York where he started to really focus on his singing career.

Television played an instrumental... Read more

Rosemary Clooney

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 39 minutes

Abridged: No

Rosemary Clooney grew up singing with her sister at family gatherings and in her senior year of high school they were hired to sing at the local radio station. She soared to fame in the 1950s with the novelty song “Come On-a My House” and continued to release a number of other pop and jazz hits.
In 1973, Clooney sat down with Wink Martindale to... Read more

Wayne Newton

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 26 minutes

Abridged: No

An in-depth examination of the career of Wayne Newton featuring extensive interviews with Newton Read more

Roberta Flack

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 29 minutes

Abridged: No

Roberta Flack gained national recognition with her song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” from the movie Play Misty for Me. The singer, songwriter and musician performed a wide variety of music including jazz, classical, folk, soul, pop and R&B. She was the first to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive... Read more

Ray Charles

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 42 minutes

Abridged: No

Ray Charles lived his life with no regrets, no matter the ups or the downs. After losing his sight at 7 years old, and his parents passing away while he was a teenager, he went on to experience phenomenal success as a singer, songwriter and musician.
Charles didn’t often agree to interviews, but in this rare and lengthy conversation he had with... Read more

Glen Campbell

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

Glen Campbell’s career extended throughout song and screen as he worked in television, film and as a songwriter and performer. He achieved moderate success early on as a country artist and made history in 1967 winning four Grammys in both the pop and country categories.
Campbell found crossover success with “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern... Read more

Tony Bennett

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 28 minutes

Abridged: No

Tony Bennett took his place at the forefront of pop music when he recorded “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1962. Despite being trained in art, Bennett made the decision to pursue a career in music that included a stint as a singing waiter.
Bennett spoke with Wink Martindale in August of 1972 about his accomplished career that included... Read more

Dick Clark

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 31 minutes

Abridged: No

Dick Clark had taken over for a TV show that served as "filler” and showcased different musical acts. Young girls were invited to watch as the studio audience, but when they got bored they got up to dance and a camera man caught the moment. From that moment, American Bandstand was born.
For teenagers, American Bandstand served as a replacement... Read more

The Carpenters

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 33 minutes

Abridged: No

In a time when hard rock was all the rage, The Carpenters were bringing a softer sound to the airwaves of the 1970s. While many artists churned out new music constantly, they took a different approach. They waited for a great song with a great sound to come together, only putting out a new song when they were sure they were putting out a hit.... Read more

Allah n'est pas obligé d'Ahmadou Kourouma (Fiche de lecture)

By: lePetitLitteraire & Daphné Troniseck

Narrated by: Denise Dubois

Length: 32 minutes

Abridged: No

Décryptez Allah n'est pas obligé d'Ahmadou Kourouma avec l'analyse du PetitLittéraire.fr !Que faut-il retenir d'Allah n'est pas obligé, ce monument de la littérature africaine ? Retrouvez tout ce que vous devez savoir sur cette œuvre dans une fiche de lecture complète et détaillée.Vous trouverez notamment dans cette fiche :•  Un résumé complet•... Read more

Le Premier Jour du reste de ma vie de Virginie Grimaldi (Fiche de lecture)

By: lePetitLitteraire & Ludivine Auneau

Narrated by: Denise Dubois

Length: 23 minutes

Abridged: No

Décryptez Le Premier Jour du reste de ma vie de Virginie Grimaldi avec l'analyse du PetitLittéraire.fr !Que faut-il retenir du Premier Jour du reste de ma vie, ce roman contemporain ? Retrouvez tout ce que vous devez savoir sur cette œuvre dans une fiche de lecture complète et détaillée.Vous trouverez notamment dans cette fiche :• Un résumé... Read more