Ann Smith joined WDVR in March, 2007. She hosts "Songs from the Attic" every Wednesday from noon until 3:00 p.m. with her side-kick, Mark Wesson. We affectionately call them “Smith and Wesson” because they “Aim to Please.” Tune in and you’ll hear a full hour of the best of the Big Band orchestras along with some of your old-time favorites. They’ll bring you back in time with songs by Doris Day, Nat King Cole, Kay Starr, Perry Como, and many of those legendary crooners you used to hear in the 40s and 50s.
In addition to all that good music, you’ll get a chance to win prizes when you play one of their games. You might be able to identify their “Secret Voice” or perhaps answer their trivia game, “Wait, Let Me Guess” - or guess the name of the tune in the “Scrambled Song” contest. There’s also a “Hear and Tell” game you can play!
There’s lots of good conversation and, at times, special guests and interesting facts including Ann’s “Bird Feature” and “Cook’s Corner.” You’re sure to have fun.
Ann grew up in the Ironbound section of Newark and attended the same high school as Ginny Lee and Frank Napp - good old East Side High School. Ann said she no doubt has a soft spot in her heart for the songs she now plays because she grew up listening to "The Make Believe Ballroom" with William B. Williams and watching "Your Hit Parade" on TV. Her mother always had their Dumont TV radio tuned to Williams' show, so it's quite natural for her to love the songs of that era
Ann and Jim share their home with their cat, Andy. He enjoys watching the birds that stop to feed at the many bird feeders in their yard. Ann said she buys two-hundred pounds of seed a month to feed the many birds that keep Andy entertained. It's reported that nineteen species of birds visit the Smith sanctuary.
Mark was a fashion illustrator for various department stores in New York City and created the art work for paperback books, birthday cards and other greeting cards. He’s also painted the portraits of many celebrities including Barbra Streisand, Katherine Hepburn, Peggy Lee, Eva Gardner and Robert Redford - to name a few. Mark shares his home with Storm, his Siberian Husky and his six cats.
Enjoy some of the pictures Ann has shared with us. You’ll see Andy the cat and a shot of Ann at the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge in Sag Harbor where the birds eagerly eat from your hand. That’s a Northern Cardinal feasting from her hand. So tune and enjoy three entertaining hours. You're sure to hear a song you remember.
“Don’t cry because it’s over - smile because it happened.” (Anonymous)
