Nightbird and Co Yes Interviews Collection 1974-77
Alison Steele (the Nightbird)
Rick Wakeman
Steve Howe
Chris Squire
Alan White
Jon Anderson

Lineage: radio syndication vinyl LP's and/or tapes -> audio CD -> Sound Forge -> FLAC

Officially released music deleted!

The Nightbird Alison Steele, late-night disc jockey and major Yes fan, interviewing members of Yes for her syndicated "Nightbird and Company" radio show. "Nightbird and Company" was a program distributed to radio stations around the world on vinyl LP's (this was the 70's, after all). Brought to you by the National Guard and the Army Reserve.

Back in 2002, Mike Healy pulled together a bunch of material which I cleaned up and assembled.

Each Nightbird program was numbered. The exact air date and number of the Steve Howe program has been lost, but it was probably in the 200 series.

These programs are in this set. Some of the commercials distributed with the program are included, too.

#169 (July 28, 1974) Rick Wakeman
#2nn (February, 1976) Steve Howe (anyone know the exact date or show number?)
#271 (July 11, 1976) Chris Squire
#280 (September 12, 1976) Alan White
#284 (October 10, 1976) Jon Anderson
#317 (May 29, 1977) Rick Wakeman
#333 (September 18, 1977) Steve & Rick Part 1
#334 (September 25, 1977) Steve & Rick Part 2

An important footnote: Alison Steele died on September 27, 1995, of stomach cancer. In an article published at http://www.grubstreet.ca/articles/bio/alisonsteele.htm, author JF Hafer states,

"Afraid of losing her medical insurance and job, which paid the bills, Steele didn’t speak publicly about her illness. Using the guise of vacations, she had surgery and chemotherapy. She knew management wouldn’t understand. She’d lose her job. She’d lose her medical insurance, if she lost her job. She had to pay the bills."

The entertainment business can be brutal. But sadly, in the 13 years since the Nightbird passed away, little has changed about the state of health insurance in the United States. Today, loss of employment can still mean loss of health insurance. The number one reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States today is debt due to expensive medical bills which cannot be repaid. With the impending election, candidates are making a lot of promises about changing the status quo, but can they be trusted to act on their promises? And will their plans help not just the employed, but the unemployed, too? Tax deductions on medical insurance are no help if you're too poor to pay taxes.

TheTooleMan
September, 2008