LOS ANGELES, CA. (www.northstar-ent.com/) - Iconic radio personality, Casey Kasem, presents a 20-track compilation of some of the most requested songs from his signature radio feature, The Long Distance Dedications. The CD, Casey Kasem Presents The Long Distance Dedications spans multiple genres and includes some of the biggest names in music: Elton John, Whitney Houston, Cher, Lionel Richie, Louis Armstrong, The Righteous Brothers, Amy Grant, Joe Cocker, Lee Ann Womack,
Sarah McLachlan, Phil Collins, The Commodores,
Chicago and many others. It arrives in stores (just in time for Valentine's Day) on January 23, 2007, (Top Sail Productions/WEA) and marks the first time that the songs of The Long Distance Dedications are available as a collection. (Please see below for a complete listing of artists and tracks.)
More than 3,700 letters have been read on the air since The Long Distance Dedications officially began during the weekend of August 16, 1978, when Kasem honored a young man's request to play Neil Diamond's 'Desiree' on American Top 40. 'Maybe my Desiree, in Germany, will hear it—and know it's for her,' the letter read.
Since then, letters from all over the world, expressing a wide range of sentiments from love and appreciation to hope, inspiration, loss and regret, have filled the mail bins at American Top 40 with heartfelt dedications to loved ones, friends, celebrities, heroes, pets, and even cherished toys.
'These wonderful songs represent some of the most requested tracks from the nearly 30-year history of The Long Distance Dedications,' Kasem says. 'We have received thousands of letters over the years, and the stories behind the requests are as varied and interesting as the people who write in. It is always an enjoyable and touching segment of the show, and I am happy that it has been such a popular feature over the years.'
A peek into the Long Distance Dedications archive reveals several stories from the early years about some of the dedications that accompanied songs featured in this collection.
An ex-Cambodian refugee living in the States dedicated Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World' to everyone who helped him survive the Cambodian war. A Chicago Bears fan dedicated Chicago's 'You're The Inspiration' to retired running back Walter Payton 'because he is and always has been my inspiration.' Styx's 'Babe' was the song requested by a girl in honor of her favorite doll. 'I'll make sure he's sitting by the radio,' she wrote.
It all started back in 1964 when Kasem received a letter from 12-year-old Elaina Tribble, who was anxious to share her recent experience of meeting and getting a hug from George Harrison after The Beatles performed at San Francisco's Cow Palace. Casey, now a DJ at KRLA in Los Angeles, was greatly moved by the letter and read it on air over the instrumental version of 'And I Love Her.' The combination struck an immediate chord with listeners who lit up the station's phone lines with requests to hear the letter again. A short time later Warner Bros. Records released the single 'Letter From Elaina,' and Casey continued to read dedication letters in a program segment called 'The Sweetheart Tree.'
The Long Distance Dedication, as we know it today, started eight years after Casey left KRLA in 1970, to host American Top 40. The concept was one that Kasem never forgot, but reintroducing it would hinge on finding just the right letter at just the right time. In 1978, when a member of his staff came across the letter for Desiree, he showed it to Casey who instantly knew this was the one. The segment caught on quickly with listeners and remains a highlight of his current weekly shows American Top 20 with Casey Kasem (Hot AC) and American Top 10 with Casey Kasem (AC).
In conjunction with the CD's release, on the weekend prior to Valentine's Day (February 10 and 11, 2007), Kasem's radio show will feature the artists and songs included on the Long Distance Dedications CD. The special show will air on nearly 200 radio stations across the country.
Kasem's Long Distance Dedications have touched millions of listeners through the years and have become as much a part of our popular culture as the instantly recognizable voice of the man who reads the letters that begin with, 'Dear Casey…'
The Long Distance Dedications is the 24th release in the highly successful Casey Kasem Presents series. The CDs contain all Top 10 hits, covering music representing every decade from the '50s through the '90s. The series features genre and theme-specific CDs as well, including hits from doo-wop, folk, singer-songwriters, classic rock, new wave, the Motown years, Christmas and many more. All of the titles are available online at https://www.americastoptenhits.com.
Casey Kasem Presents The Long Distance Dedications:
Sarah McLachlan I Will Remember You
Lee Ann Womack I Hope You Dance
Diana Ross & Lionel Richie Endless Love
Whitney Houston Greatest Love of All
The Righteous Brothers Unchained Melody
Cher If I Could Turn Back Time
Joe Cocker You Are So Beautiful
Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram Somewhere Out There
Richard Marx Right Here Waiting
Mike + The Mechanics The Living Years
Amy Grant I Will Remember You
Louis Armstrong What A Wonderful World
Jim Croce Time In A Bottle
Elton John Daniel
Chicago You're The Inspiration
Olivia Newton-John I Honestly Love You
Phil Collins Against All Odds
The Commodores Three Times A Lady
Styx Babe
Boyz II Men It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
