This will be the final article I write for this website. A journey which began almost 15 years ago has run its course. Along the way, there have been hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of music medleys created and literally over a thousand articles – including “Daily History Lessons” – written.

None of what happened on this site could have ever happened without two men who changed my life; Bob Skold, the creative genius behind the original site, and John Dolan, the Canadian radio legend whose dedication to Streamingoldies inspired me in ways he could never have imagined.
Both of those gentlemen have passed but they will never be forgotten.

The music – the real reason for this site’s creation – was an expensive proposition but well worth it even though it wound up costing me in excess of $40,000 in royalty payments for the music I played here. I realize I could have helped myself by seeking advertising opportunities, but I decided from the very beginning that listeners were inundated with enough commercials elsewhere so listening to music “commercial free” – during both the medleys and the Streamingoldies Stream – was the way to go.

I eventually realized listeners had many other sources of music – Sirius, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora and others – so continuing to put together and then blast out daily 30-minute “Smile Song Medleys” was an exercise in futility.

In addition, I have been “teaching” history for 15 years, and while I have enjoyed it, I also know this is the time to turn in my keys to the classroom. I have never regretted spending the hours it took to compile each article but it had become very clear that reader interest was waning.
That said, I owe a great debt of gratitude to everyone who took the time to read the history columns, but I must mention several people in particular for their unwavering support; Wendy Plante, Barbara Brill, Donna Parfitt, Larry Coughlin, Rob Goodrich, Nancy McCullough, Lee Gould, Pat Conant, Mary Helen Hawthorne, Penny Capron, Fred Guilmette, Nancy Garbati, Marty Morse, Dan Parker, Janice Gilbert, Sandy Gaither, and Rose Thow (who actually came up with the name for the site).

The question has been asked several times so let me assure you that while I may be retiring, the archives to this site will remain active, meaning you can continue to access them as you choose.

In the end, I am quite proud of the accomplishments: over 13 million hits in 15 years and an unbelievable – to me – listeners from 72 countries during the Streamingoldies Stream days.

I deleted my Twitter account a long time ago and while I’m not deleting my Facebook account, I will be inactive for the next 3-4 months. It is time to clear my head and when I do return, it will be in the role of an infrequent and (mostly) quiet observer.

My wish for all of you – as I said every day at the end of the Heather & Ray Show in my long ago radio days – is “peace, love, happiness, and anything else your heart desires.”

Okay, One Final Song