Absolute Radio Stories: 5 incredible documentaries to celebrate our 15th birthday
Our presenters have delved into some fascinating topics...
Last updated 4th Sep 2023
We are celebrating Absolute Radio's 15th birthday this September with a whole host of activities - we've got a special birthday gig, an incredible comedy night, a load of live music from our archives to play out and plenty of other programmes to look forward to - including Absolute Radio Stories.
We love bringing you amazing stories about the artists, albums and genres which make up Absolute Radio and this month, we’ll have five special documentaries which you can hear every Sunday night from 8pm. Find out more about what you can expect from Absolute Radio Stories...
Absolute Radio Stories: 5 documentaries to celebrate our 15th birthday
All Roads Lead Back To Ringo - 3rd September
Many of our favourite drummers cite Ringo Starr as their main inspiration and the reason they got behind a drumkit for the first time. This is the story of Ringo's time in The Beatles. Starting at their Decca Records audition in 1962 and ending with the last album the band recorded together, Abbey Road - released in September 1969. Hear our guest drummers take us through some of Ringo's best drum fills and grooves, and discover the impact Ringo has had on drumming through the decades.
Hosted by Dan Noble, you'll hear the thoughts of drummers from Ringo's very own All Starr Band, The Police, The Bootleg Beatles, Kaiser Chiefs, Biffy Clyro, Simple Minds, Blur and Razorlight, who have all been influenced by Ringo's mastery. The Police's Stewart Copeland even narrates the story of 'Love Me Do', explaining all the different versions and how the song transformed into the one we know and love today.
Made of Metal - 10 September
Heavy Metal has played an important role in the evolution of rock. But it is a genre whose importance has often been underappreciated, particularly by the mainstream music media. Earlier this year, Royal Mail released a set of stamps celebrating Iron Maiden. Who would ever have guessed that a Heavy Metal band would one day appear next to the monarch's silhouette on a first class stamp!
In this special programme, presented by Leona Graham, we'll be embarking on an exploration of the history, culture and iconic artists that have shaped the powerhouse that is Heavy Metal, delving into the dawn of a world where guitar riffs scream, drums thunder - and voices roar with an unapologetic force.
To help us, we'll be joined by luminaries who have not only witnessed but also woven the history of Metal, and together we will seek to answer questions like: Who were the early pioneers, what are the essential ingredients of a Heavy Metal track, and how does it a Metal track differ from a rock track? We'll also seek to find out where the term 'Heavy Metal' originated. Could it have something to do with the West Midlands (where some of the early metal bands came from) being an industrial region, or was the phrase coined by a music journalist? And what is a 'metalhead'?!
We'll hear from the likes of Thunder's Luke Morley, Queen legend Brian May and Scott Gorham from Thin Lizzy, as well as more from Saxon, Europe, Def Leppard and Uriah Heep. Buckle up, put on your devil horns, sit back, and enjoy the ride!
The Science of Ed - 17th September
Ed Sheeran... One of the biggest artists on the planet. A man who's broken so many records that Guinness World Records said "we could probably fill a whole book with his achievements". But how did he do it? Ross Buchanan speaks to the people that have known him longest to try and find out.
From Nizlopi, the band who took him on tour as a guitar technician to Jake Gosling, the producer of his first two records, we crack the code behind The Science of Ed – including how the singer mapped out the name and style of all five of his records at just 17-years-old.
Welcome to Nashville: Making it in Music City - 24th September
If you're an aspiring Country musician and you want to be taken seriously, there's one city where artists go to try and achieve that dream: Nashville, Tennessee. Ordinary people pack up their lives with a guitar, a suitcase, and a dream – and a few of them hit the jackpot. We will follow the artists by exploring the city that made them.
Hosted by Jennie Longdon, you'll also hear from Australian singer songwriters Morgan Evans and Seaforth, Nashville native singer-songwriter Mitchell Tenpenny, Canadian singer-songwriter Tenille Arts, British actor and musician Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott from TV's Nashville), American singer-songwriters Dylan Scott and Tigirlily Gold, as well as the founder of The Bluebird Café Amy Kurland, multi-platinum selling artist Maren Morris and international megastar Shania Twain.
Hear Amy Kurland talk about giving Country music legend Garth Brooks his big break, plus how Taylor Swift got discovered at The Bluebird. This tiny music venue has had legendary artists perform there including the likes of Sheryl Crow and Steven Tyler!
Wham!: Making It Big in China - 1st October
How did Wham! become the first western pop group to play in China in April 1985? And what was the impact on a country tentatively emerging from its strict communist shackles? We explore Wham!'s historic stint in China during their 1985 world tour, speaking to audience members who remember what it was like in the arena and on the stage as they performed - and a Chinese former student activist describes the impact Wham!'s music had on teenagers in the 1980's.
Hosted by Absolute Radio's very own Jay Lawrence, we'll hear from Andrew Ridgeley himself, close friend Shirlie Kemp and Wham!'s manager Simon Napier Bell. There are also contributions from Wham!'s tour manager as well as the producer for the film Wham! in China: Foreign Skies, which covers the event.
We've got plenty of other programmes celebrating our 15th birthday to look forward to across this month - find out what else is going on below!
Here's how we're celebrating Absolute Radio's 15th birthday:
Birthday gig and comedy gig
We started the month with a very special announcement about our birthday gig. Iconic band James will perform at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire - a venue that epitomises everything we stand for at Absolute Radio. We've also announced details about our comedy night at the London Palladium, plus the full line-up has been confirmed. Keep listening to the Dave Berry Breakfast show for everything you need to know.
Absolute Radio Live
We love live music and we know you do too. So, across the month we've been bringing you some classic Absolute Radio live performances including Coldplay, Stereophonics, Wet Leg, Sleeper, Liam Gallagher and Florence and The Machine.
But, it all kicked off on Thursday 7th of September at 7pm, when we brought you Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, live from the O2 Academy in Bournemouth. This was the gig we did recently and you'll hear the Chief performing and chatting with Richie Firth and Sarah Champion.
Tim Burgess' Listening Party
We turned the tables on Tim Burgess when he became the guest on his Listening Party. On Sunday 10th September at 10pm, he joined Danielle Perry for a special programme where he talked us through Tellin' Stories. This closed season two of the show.
Insightful documentaries
We love bringing you the amazing stories about the artists, albums and genres which make up Absolute Radio and this month, we'll have five special documentaries. It started with a focus on the legend that is Ringo Starr as Dan Noble de-bunks the myth that he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles. Leona Graham looks at the resurgence of Heavy Metal and how it's reaching new audiences.
Dolly Parton is one of the contributors to Made in Nashville which looks at the well-worn path that Country musicians tread in their bid for fame. Ross Buchanan looks at the science behind Ed Sheeran's song-writing prowess and asks the question of whether there's an exact formula to his success. We end with the story of how Wham! changed the world with China's first ever music concert. You can hear the Absolute Radio stories every Sunday night from 8pm.
Greatest Song of the Last 15 Years Vote
As we approach the birthday itself, Ben Burrell will count down the Greatest Song of the Last 15 Years which you've been voting for. The winner will be announced on Friday 29th September which is our actual birthday, and on that day we're handing the station over to you to choose the music from 10am.
Leona Graham will team up with Claire Sturgess for the morning show and then Sarah Champion joins Ben Burrell for the afternoon before Bush and Richie's jukebox. We're also inviting some friends round for a proper party – The Dixon Brothers from our sister station KISS will be doing a very special three-hour show which will be 80s versus 90s versus 00s.