The Stonewashed Collection: Radio Caroline Charts

Radio Caroline North & South

March 27, 1964

Radio Caroline starts broadcasting on Easter Sunday from the MV Frederica, renamed MV Caroline, off the coast of Essex.

May 9, 1964

Radio Atlanta starts broadcasting from the MV Mi Amigo, also off the coast of Essex.

July 2, 1964

The two pirateradios merge and Radio Atlanta becomes Radio Caroline South while the original Radio Caroline heads for the Isle Of Man and becomes Radio Caroline North.

In the beginning...

1964
Caroline Top 50

The first chart was broadcast from the MV Caroline while it was still anchored off the Essex coast, before it became Caroline North, on Saturday afternoon between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm.
The early charts were taken from 'Melody Maker', one of the most popular pop music newspapers of the Sixties era. The Melody Maker chart was slightly altered, probably to avoid copywrite problems.

On the first Saturday of July 1964, after Radio Caroline merged with Radio Atlanta, the Top 50 was broadcast from both ships between 4.00 pm and 6.00 pm.
On Caroline North, sailing to the Isle of Man, the show was hosted by Tom Lodge. On Caroline South the show was hosted by Tony Withers, "your man with the music", who later became known as Tony Windsor on Radio London. It's not quite clear if this first chart since the merger was the same on both ships.

The charts of 1964
* partial chart

*4-Jul-64

11-Jul-64

18-Jul-64

25-Jul-64

1-Aug-64

8-Aug-64

15-Aug-64

22-Aug-64

29-Aug-64

5-Sep-64

12-Sep-64

19-Sep-64

26-Sep-64

3-Oct-64

10-Oct-64

17-Oct-64

24-Oct-64

31-Oct-64

7-Nov-64

14-Nov-64

21-Nov-64

28-Nov-64

5-Dec-64

12-Dec-64

19-Dec-64

26-Dec-64

The broadcast history of the Radio Caroline South charts.

1965
Caroline Top 50

Sounds of 65

In early 1965 the Top 50 was broadcast between 12.00 noon and 2.00 pm. As from Saturday 1st May 1965 the programme was extended by 15 minutes, on the air from 12.00 noon until 2.15 pm.

On Saturday 26th June 1965, The Caroline Top 50 was replaced by the "Sounds of 65" and broadcasted between 12.00 noon and 3.00 pm. The first Radio Caroline South edition was hosted by Tony Blackburn.

Take a look at the Broadcasting Schedule from Monday 16th August till Monday 30th August 1965 and find the "Sounds of 65" on Saturday.

The charts of 1965
* partial chart

The broadcast history of the Radio Caroline South charts.

1966
Countdown 60

Caroline Top 50

Caroline Countdown

Caroline Countdown
of Sound

On Saturday 1st January 1966, "Sounds of 65" was replaced by the "Countdown 60", also broadcast between 12.00 noon and 3.00 pm. "Countdown 60" was broadcast only three times. On Thursday 20th January 1966, around 2.00 am, The MV Mi Amigo went aground at Walton on the Naze . Caroline South started irregular broadcasts on 1493 kHz from MV Cheetah II on Saturday 12th February 1966.

On Saturday 19th February, the show was called "Caroline Top 50". The following week, Saturday 26th February 1966, the show was called "Caroline Countdown". Caroline South was then off the air from the MV Cheetah II until Sunday 6th March 1966.The charts resumed on Saturday 12th March 1966 and was now called the "Caroline Countdown of Sound". Caroline South was again off the air from Friday 25th March until Saturday 2nd April 1966

Caroline South started repeating the chart on Sunday afternoons between 12.00 noon and 3.00 pm. This happened for the first time on Saturday 22nd October 1966. The chart was repeated the following day at the same time (This was not a recording, but a "live" show).

The January, February and March, 1966 charts are still very partial.
If you have more info, please contact me.

The charts of 1966
* partial chart

The broadcast history of the Radio Caroline South charts.

1967

Caroline Countdown
of Sound

The charts of 1967

18-Mar-67

25-Mar-67

1-Apr-67

8-Apr-67

15-Apr-67

22-Apr-67

29-Apr-67

6-May-67

13-May-67

20-May-67

The last in the series of "Caroline Countdown of Sound" was broadcast on Sunday 21st May 1967 and was presented by Tom Edwards. Although the chart was no longer broadcast, the disc jockeys sometimes mentioned the position of a record in the charts. This makes it clear that the chart was still used, althought the programme itself had been discontinued.

On 15th August 1967, The Marine Broadcasting Act came into action. Both Caroline South & North continued as Radio Caroline International.

The "Caroline Countdown of Sound" was revived for a couple of weeks in November 1967, broadcasted from midnight on Saturday 4th November until 2.00 am on Sunday 5th November. The host was Carl Mitchell.

Although the chart was no longer broadcast,
the disc jockeys sometimes mentioned the position of a record in the charts.
This makes it clear that the chart was still used, althought the programme itself had been discontinued.

27-May-67

3-Jun-67

10-Jun-67

17-Jun-67

24-Jun-67

1-Jul-67

8-Jul-67

15-Jul-67

22-Jul-67

29-Jul-67

5-Aug-67

12-Aug-67

19-Aug-67

26-Aug-67

2-Sep-67

9-Sep-67

16-Sep-67

23-Sep-67

30-Sep-67

7-Oct-67

14-Oct-67

21-Oct-67

28-Oct-67

4-Nov-67

11-Nov-67

18-Nov-67

25-Nov-67

2-Dec-67

9-Dec-67

16-Dec-67

23-Dec-67

30-Dec-67

The broadcast history of the Radio Caroline South charts.

1968

6-Jan-68

13-Jan-68

20-Jan-68

27-Jan-68

3-Feb-68

10-Feb-68

17-Feb-68

24-Feb-68

March 3, 1968

Both Radio Caroline International ships were forced to stop broadcasting and were towed away due to major debts.

Acknowledgements

* I would like to thank Alan Hamblin who took a special interest in Radio Caroline from the first transmission from the MV Caroline on Easter Sunday 1964 up till the MV Caroline close down in March 1968. Alan compiled the broadcast history of the Radio Caroline South charts during the Sixties from his own logs.
* Many thanks to Harald Urbig who spent hours, days/nights and weeks listening to old Radio Caroline tapes in order to check chartpositions and fill in several blanks.
* I would like to thank Machteld Meijer, Hans van Hulssen, Jon Myer, Ron van Woerkum, Holger Postelmann and Hans Zegveld for donating several charts.
* Thanks to Colin Nichol and Ken Evans, both living in Australia now, for sharing their memories and diving into the pirate-days-files.
* Finally, I would like to thank Hans Knot who launched my appeal for the search of... The Radio Caroline Charts.

Wanted

We're still in search for several Radio Caroline Charts. If you have (even partial) information... please contact me at stonewashed-collection@skynet.be

A select group of oldies collectors has been working hard to bring on line a 24/7 non-stop audio stream playing vintage oldies from the Sixties and Seventies.

Every Sunday at 11.00 (UK), 12.00 (Continent) you can listen to the Big L Fab 40, the famous Radio London chart, from that same week - 40 years ago. The show is repeated every Wednesday at 18.00 (UK), 19.00 (Continent).