Music audiobooks

John Denver

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

John Denver dominated the 1970s with sold out concerts and chart-topping music. Wink Martindale spoke with Denver in Los Angeles in 1975 in the midst of this success. Denver recounts the road that began with him dropping out of college and moving to Los Angeles to find work as a singer.
Denver passionately describes his attachment to music beyond... Read more

Frankie Laine

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 33 minutes

Abridged: No

Frankie Laine’s far-reaching appeal made him a hit in the ’40s and ’50s. While his contemporaries found success early in life, Laine didn’t see fame until his late 30s. Despite his late-blooming career, his excursion into the world of music began much earlier, during his years as a teenager performing at dance marathons.
Wink Martindale spoke... Read more

Johnny Mathis

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 35 minutes

Abridged: No

It’s a testament to Johnny Mathis’ talent and legacy that in 1958, just two years after signing with Columbia Records, the label released Johnny’s Greatest Hits, the first album of its kind. It remained on the charts for the next 9 ½ years.
Wink Martindale sat down with Mathis for a conversation in 1971. He discusses the diverse audience his... Read more

Frank Sinatra

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 25 minutes

Abridged: No

From Joe DiMaggio to Humphrey Bogart and from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra was close to legends. He inspired and worked with the greats of popular music for well over 50 years.

The first installment of our four part Hall of Fame spotlight on Frank Sinatra’s legendary career takes a look at the early years as he began to make a... 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

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

Rodgers and Hammerstein

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 25 minutes

Abridged: No

The second part of our Hall of Fame spotlight on Rodgers and Hammerstein details the phenomenal success Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had as partners after joining forces in 1943. Throughout their long career in theater, the pair helped to start the careers of many now famous singers, dancers and musicians.

Narrator Wink Martindale... Read more

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

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

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

Al Martino

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 21 minutes

Abridged: No

Al Martino’s success began in 1952 with the single “Here in My Heart.” The self-taught crooner went on to find his biggest success in an unlikely source in 1963 with a version of “I Love You Because,” which was originally a country tune.

In August of 1972, he sat down for an interview with host Wink Martindale to reflect on his storied career.... Read more

Harry Belafonte

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 34 minutes

Abridged: No

Harry Belafonte didn’t start out with a dream of being a singer. He wanted to be an actor, and studied theater for five years in New York. Unable to find work as an actor, he had to choose between abandoning dreams of being a performer entirely, or find a new area of entertainment to pursue. Opportunity struck when he was offered a chance to be... Read more

Captain & Tennille

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 30 minutes

Abridged: No

In 1973, Captain & Tennille wrote and cut a record completely at their own expense. The product of that recording session, “The Way I Want to Touch You,” proved to be a regional hit and was the first step in their fascinating journey to major label success.

The couple sat down with host Wink Martindale just as their first hit was climbing the... Read more

The Mills Brothers

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 36 minutes

Abridged: No

The story of The Mills Brothers is much like that of many entertainers, featuring humble beginnings,, big dreams, success, tragedy and ultimately a happy ending. In 1973, host Wink Martindale sat down with two of the original Mills Brothers, Harry and Donald, to recount their tale.

The pair details the earliest days of their career in Piqua,... Read more

Percy Faith

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 35 minutes

Abridged: No

Though his work was often classified as just “arrangements,” Percy Faith’s work went well beyond that and could be more accurately described as “recompositions.” He got his start as a child studying piano and eventually made his mark as an instrumental stylist, importing elements of jazz and rock into mood music.

In a conversation with host Wink... Read more

Patti Page

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 20 minutes

Abridged: No

Patti Page’s music provided a soothing counterpoint to the revolutionary sound of rock n’ roll in the 1950s, incorporating elements of country music into traditional pop songs. From 1948 through 1970 she had nearly 100 records on the Billboard Singles chart including “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window,” “Old Cape Cod,” “Allegheny Moon” and... Read more

Kenny Rogers

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 28 minutes

Abridged: No

When Kenny Rogers started singing in high school, he went through numerous gimmicks and phases trying to find a way to make his voice identifiable. Audiences didn’t respond to what he was doing, and on the advice of a friend, he dropped the gimmicks and started to embrace his own sound.

Many awards, hit songs and decades later, and there is no... Read more

Brenda Lee

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 28 minutes

Abridged: No

Brenda Lee’s astoundingly successful career began at the early age of three, when she won a singing contest. At the age of 15 her career was well underway, drawing comparisons to the legendary Judy Garland and accumulating fans all over the world.

She is perhaps best known for her 1960s single, “I’m Sorry,” which she recorded at the age of just... Read more

Joni James

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 28 minutes

Abridged: No

Despite her phenomenal success as a singer, Joni James initially had dreams of dancing. While she continued to receive scholarships and praise for her vocal performances, dancing was what she wanted to pursue and she continued to pay for lessons.
When faced with the decision of going to school or pursuing her career, on the advice of a producer... Read more

Billy Eckstine

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 27 minutes

Abridged: No

Billy Eckstine didn’t consider singing a potential profession until he earned $5 as second prize in an amateur competition. He was bit by the showbiz bug after working as an MC and singer in his hometown of Pittsburgh while on summer break from college. He decided not to return to college and eventually began working in clubs throughout Buffalo,... Read more

Lawrence Welk

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 28 minutes

Abridged: No

Lawrence Welk left home at the age of 21 and spent two years trying to get a job with bands with little success. Though his career got off to a rocky start, Welk would go on to become a renowned musician, bandleader and television personality.

In Part 1 we hear about Welk’s earliest days of his life and career. In a conversation with Wink... Read more

Jerry Vale

By: Wink Martindale

Narrated by: Wink Martindale

Length: 23 minutes

Abridged: No

Jerry Vale always knew that he wanted to sing. His tremendous vocal talent and charismatic personality allowed the crooner to impress both in recording and in live performances as he toured all over the country and regularly topped the pop charts throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
In this conversation with Wink Martindale, Vale discusses his... Read more