Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –March 29, 2026

Spring has sprung, and the 2026 Major League Baseball season is upon us. For many, the sting still lingers from last year, when the Toronto Blue Jays fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Seventy years ago, in 1955, those same Dodgers—then the Brooklyn Dodgers—finally got the monkey off their back, capturing their first World Series title by defeating the New York Yankees in seven games.

On that 1955 roster was infielder Don Hoak. Five years later, in 1960, he earned another World Series ring as the starting third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In December 1961, Hoak received a different kind of ring—a wedding band as he married a young pop vocalist who had scored a major hit in 1957, reaching the #11 position on the Billboard pop charts.

*****

Born Norma Jean Speranza in 1935 in Avonmore, Pennsylvania, Jill Corey was discovered by band leader Mitch Miller. Under his guidance, she became one of Columbia Records’ youngest contracted artists.

She rose to national prominence through frequent appearances on The Arthur Godfrey Show, one of the most influential variety programs of its era. The exposure helped cement her wholesome, girl-next-door image with audiences across America.

Yet Corey’s success was closely tied to Miller’s production style. As musical tastes shifted toward Rock & Roll in the late 50s—and as Miller’s influence at Columbia declined—so too did her recording career.

Her marriage to Hoak ended abruptly in 1969 as Hoak died of a heart attack at the age of forty-one.

Their union had drawn considerable public attention, blending two high-profile worlds—Major League Baseball and popular music. Corey was a familiar face on national television, while Hoak was a recognizable figure on the diamond.

There’s a certain irony in her story. Jill Corey’s biggest hit which became her signature song, seems, in retrospect, to echo both her career and her personal life as all she was seeking was someone to “Love Me To Pieces,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.

YouTube listing of the  song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdRjm-FFWrQ

 This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.