Margaret Gallagher is a dynamic CBC Radio host who has long been a valued broadcaster and supporter of Vancouver’s jazz scene. I’m very honoured that Margaret interviewed me about Journeys to the Bandstand for North by Northwest.

Listen to the 21-minute and 45-second interview with Margaret, which aired on the June 15, 2024 edition of North by Northwest. The show includes music by some artists I wrote about in the book: Ross Taggart, the Sojourners (Ron Small, Marcus Mosely, and Will Sanders), and Natasha D’Agostino. 

After opening the show by playing part of Taggart’s “Shorter Days” from the Thankfully album, Margaret said in her intro: “If you read Chris Wong’s new book, you would know this was the very first album ever released on Cory Weeds’ now prolific Cellar Live label. And you’ll also learn about storied nights at legendary clubs like the original Cellar jazz club just off Main, places like the Classical Joint and Isy’s supper club. You’ll hear about how people like PJ Perry and Bob Murphy got their starts playing gigs as teenagers in those very clubs.  Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver, is a labour of love by journalist and jazz lover Chris Wong. It is filled with personal stories and photographs tracing seven decades of history. Chris Wong stopped by the studio yesterday ahead of his upcoming appearance at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival next weekend.”

As host of North by Northwest, Margaret interviews creative folks from around BC. From 2010 to 2022, she hosted Hot Air, a much-loved radio show focused on BC jazz artists that had a 75-year run from 1947 to 2022. Thank you Margaret for your immense contributions to the scene, and for the North by Northwest interview, which was a wonderful experience.

Photo of Chris, in the CBC Radio studio, June 14, 2024, by Margaret Gallagher.