The Trust would like to thank Margaret Carvalho who has kindly agreed to contribute a memory to our Memories of EMI Campaign (#memoriesofEMI.)

She sent in a picture of herself aged 16 and told us about her trip to see the recordings of a Radio Luxembourg show.

“When I was 16 I remember travelling to Manchester Square on the bus with my school friends usually on a Monday night. We went to recordings of a Radio Luxembourg show and we met artists like Helen Shapiro, Shane Fenton (Alvin Stardust) and even Vera Lynn!!

I recall going upstairs to a small studio but it was usually packed and we never knew who we were going to meet each week. It was a great adventure for a group of young, excited school girls and we loved our Monday nights at EMI.

Looking at the schedule I’m pretty sure it was the ‘Friday Spectacular’ that I used to go to with my school friends. Would it have been recorded on a Monday and broadcast on a Friday?  I can’t remember.

It was a big thing for us school girls to get the bus from South London to Central London after school but we loved it and we never knew who the guests were going to be.  I do remember Muriel Young though. Of course it was the early 60s and everything was taking off and it was an exciting time to be in London and on the cusp of adult hood. That iconic image from the Beatles album always reminds me of those days.

I’m 67 now and have a 36 year old daughter and 3 year old grandson.  My daughter went on to work for EMI some time later and she was there for a few years. Strange how life evolves!”

If you have any stories of the Friday Spectaculars or your time with EMI to share, please join our Memories of EMI campaign.

A special thanks to Margaret Carvalho for sharing this story
and to The Alan Warner Collection for providing the Radio Luxembourg schedule image.