REEL TOP 40 RADIO REPOSITORY
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Pat Riley (Ron Metzger) grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he did his homework with WOHO playing in the background. Pat writes: "Then along came WTOD, a daytimer, but around 1960, at sundown, you could switch over to their FM. My family still had their very first television in the basement recreation room. It had AM & FM along with a record player. The Repository thanks Pat for sharing! |
[Descriptions by Uncle Ricky]
TOP STREAM 32Kbps (10 Khz)
C.V. Coyote, KLIF Dallas, November 1968
(15:16)
. . . How old are you . . . From November, 1968: C.V. Coyote hosts the nighttime "teen" hours on KLIF in Dallas, with lots of telephone bits and loud, uptempo hits plus "good old good ones". There are also a few over-equalized PAMS jingles. And yes, the bass distortion was part of the original recording and that's just the way it is for this piece of the then still Mighty KLIF. It should also be noted that these guys had the rights to Dallas Cowboys football at the time - a major revenue bonus for a "music" station. Promos for contests and promotions abound, for the KLIF Classics 21, Volume 2 album, and the Danny Thomas Teenagers March, and the KLIF Wacky World Tour. At 12:23 into this exhibit, we get to hear Coyote in his street clothes, so to speak. It's only for a short news update at the top of the hour, but the contrast is surprising. As a casual listener, you'd never guess it was the same guy. |
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TOP STREAM 32.1 Kbps (16 Khz)
K.O. Bayley, WJBK Detroit, 1969
(8:25)
. . . maybe if you treat me right, I'll whistle you up a cool 'un . . . WJBK was a leading Top 40 station in Detroit in the 50's. By 1964, the station (1500 Khz) had slipped quietly into a beautiful music format. But, in March of 1969, WJBK returned to Top 40 with PD Mike Scott from KGB in San Diego. West-coast imports Lee Baby Simms (morning drive) and K.O. Bayley (afternoon drive) joined Tom Shannon, Hank O'Neil, Tom Dean, and Jim Hampton. K.O.'s personable performance suggests that this last gasp of WJBK Top 40 featured lots of high-profile personality and clean, trim formatics. (No jingles!) In 1970, WJBK became country-talk WDEE. |
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TOP STREAM 20.7Kbps (10 Khz)
Jesse Bullet, KGB San Diego, 1970
(5:27)
. . . take the whipped cream right out of a cupcake . . . Later, Jesse Bullet was a PD and consultant. Here, he's pulling an overnight shift on Boss Radio KGB, San Diego, in late 1970. Note the GENUINE Top 40 music mix - Lynn Anderson, Led Zeppelin and Peggy Scott & Jo-Jo Benson - all in the same quarter-hour! |
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Danny Martinez, KHJ Los Angeles, 1974
(8:15)
. . . I may not sing too good, but I ain't half bad-lookin' baby . . . Danny Martinez worked at KCBQ and WXLO before arriving at KHJ in 1973. A San Diego native, Martinez was the last jock pictured on the printed KHJ Boss 30 survey (1980). Martinez also worked at KRLA, KRTH and KCBS in Los Angeles. |
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TOP STREAM 20.7Kbps (10Khz)
Dr. Grady Brock, WCFL Chicago, 1974
(9:41)
. . . I am the ugliest mutha in rock 'n' roll . . . After WCFL in Chicago, Dr. Grady Brock had gigs at KSTP (1974) and KAAY (1976) (source: www.440.com) but nothing more was known about this unusual and outrageous jock for the debut of this exhibit on July 22, 2001. As is often the case, our visitors contributed updates via COMMENT, below. (Included is a message from Dr. Brock himself.) This 'scoped (incomplete) hour from Super CFL in 1974 has gritty fidelity but amazing content. Wow, this guy was loud! We can't help but smile at his wide-open energy and he certainly ranks as one of the best Top 40 "screamers" we've ever heard. It's hard to believe that anyone could keep this up for very long. What a performance! Also: classic spots for The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat and Allied Radio. Grady Brock suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, and passed away at the age of 66 on June 28, 2015. |
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TOP STREAM 64Kbps (13Khz STEREO)
Bob Shannon, WMYQ Miami FL, 1974
(01:03:09)
This Exhibit 'SCOPED (06:31)
The music has been restored to this stereo reel recording from the WMYQ studio skimmer. A "skimmer" records only when the microphone is on, so there is very little other than the jock and a few fleeting seconds in and out of other elements. Due to their placement, we did get quite a few WMYQ "shotgun" jingles, so there's some sense of continuity. Otherwise, there's only a couple of clues that might more properly pin-point the date. Our best guess is Summer, 1974. This was Bob Shannon's last show at "Q96". This morning, he was filling in for G. Michael McKay and hopping on a big silver bird when he got off the air. The gags, inside jokes and general goofiness are pretty thick here. We don't know if this was his regular "shtick" in Miami, only that morning drive on Saturday was not his regular shift and he sounds like he was having fun. That plane was undoubtedly taking him to Chicago, where his next gig was at WCFL. We always thought there were too many guys named Bob Shannon in the radio business. Some of you will immediately recognize this "Bob Shannon" as John Driscoll. |
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Lee Simms, WMYQ Miami, 11/22/74
(23:54)
. . . It ain't easy bein' heavy . . . Lee "Baby" Simms has worked at stations all over the country, including WPOP in Hartford, KRLA, KMET and KROQ in Los Angeles, KCBQ in San Diego, KYA in San Francisco, and KOOL in Phoenix. This WMYQ aircheck, made in November 1974, (between KMET and KRLA), highlights Simms' personable style and includes his editorial comments regarding Harry Chapin, The Undisputed Truth, The O'Jays and George Harrison. You'll also hear Lee "Baby" walk up the entire intro to Stairway to Heaven. Simms was born in Charleston, S.C. and quit high school at 16. According to Don Barrett's L.A. Radio People, Simms says, "Good jocks are those that do good, unexpected things." This wonderfully entertaining aircheck is representative of that philosophy. |
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TOP STREAM 32.1Kbps (16Khz)
Robert O. Smith, KTAC Tacoma WA 1974
(10:01)
. . . The Stylistics, the band that not only play beautiful music for you but gives you a permanent at the same time . . . Robert O. Smith died of cancer on May 30, 2010. For background on Robert O. Smith and his time at KTAC, check this aircheck in The Jon Pearkins Collection. Pat Riley contributed this aircheck. This is truly an incredible aircheck out there in the bushes. Thank you. |
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TOP STREAM 32.1Kbps (14.5Khz)
Composite, KFRC San Francisco, 1974
(22:58)
[Description by Uncle Ricky] This composite consists of "aircheck modules" from a 7-inch reel contributed by Pat Riley. Perhaps they were intended for a finalized composite (that I've not heard.) One was mixed, some were clean-cut and some were rough-cut. I removed some clicks and quiet spots but otherwise, these play like the contributed reel, with a small gap between each personality. You can hear the entire composite using the PLAY button above, or you can select individual performances by using the smaller PLAY buttons below. This is a terrific composite and reminds us again that KFRC was AWESOME during this period.
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Truckin' Tom Cookin' Kent Composite, 1975
(5:07)
. . . I'm boogyin' so much, I got blisters on my butt . . . Careful! This one runs flat-out and it's hard-core! This composite of Truckin' Tom Cookin' Kent features Kent on WHBQ Memphis, WIXY Cleveland and KFJZ Fort Worth. It is captivating for the raw energy and the outrageous presentation. Once you've heard this guy, you'll never forget him. Undoubtedly, one of the great high-energy Top 40 acts of all time. (Visit his Collection in the Repository.) |
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TOP STREAM 32.1Kbps (16Khz)
Lee Douglas, 99X WXLO-FM New York, July 1975
(23:27)
. . . Don't forget to write it down, write 99X for money . . . For the debut of this exhibit (July 22, 2001) we had next to no information about Lee Douglas, but he sure sounded great on 99X WXLO-FM in 1975. Since then, Evan Dakes wrote to say that Douglas took over as PD after a brief appearance by Al Casey. Douglas came to New York from WOKY (Milwaukee) and brought Dick Sloane and Bobby Messina to WXLO. We still wonder what happened to Lee Douglas after WXLO; but that's why we have COMMENTS for every exhibit (see below). This is a very entertaining aircheck and boasts excellent fidelity. It's obvious that Lee Douglas liked Bells, Gongs and Chimes — and he was having a great time on the radio this summer day in 1975. Dave Thompson (who followed Douglas) appears several times near and at the end of this exhibit. |
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TOP STREAM 32.1 Kbps (16 Khz)
Wolfman Jack with Mike Love, CHUM, 1975
(24:27)
. . . are your little peaches sweet? . . . The Beach Boys played Toronto and Wolfman Jack played CHUM on August 30, 1975. Mike Love is featured and The Wolfman (Robert Smith d. July 1, 1995) re-creates some early XERB advertising for baby chicks and a "life-size picture of Him that glows in the dark". Classic.
[TECH NOTE: Portions of the contributed reel recording suffer from something "like a hungry noise gate." We were unable to correct this condition and it does produce some unpleasant distortion in the processed, encoded version. It is noticeable toward the end, on the voice-only segments, but affects only a minute or two of this otherwise exceptional exhibit.]
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TOP STREAM 20.7 Kbps (10 Khz)
Steve Rivers, WMJX 96X Miami, 1976
(06:33)
. . . Keep on Xin' . . . Steve Rivers has had a long and successful career, as a jock at KCBQ in San Diego, and later as Program Director at KMEL in San Francisco and KIIS in Los Angeles. Over the years, Steve made stops at WZGC Atlanta (1974), and WAPE Jacksonville. Here, he is heard as "Dirty Steven" on WMJX (96X), Miami, where he first met consultant Jerry Clifton in 1976. Before joining Pyramid Communications as Chief Programming Officer in 1994, Steve programmed WZOU and WXKS in Boston. He walked away from the top programmer's position at AM/FM on January 31, 2000, but went on to work for Infinity as President of Programming. As of September, 2005, he's back in L.A. as "V.P. Of Sound" for the new "in-store" radio service from Pyramid Radio, headed by Rich Balsbaugh.
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TOP STREAM 20.7 Kbps (10 Khz)
Pat Riley, KXOK St. Louis, 1982
(08:00)
. . . Who's on keyboards . . . Pat Riley (contributor of this Collection) sent us this late-model aircheck from his morning show at the legendary KXOK in St. Louis, Missouri. KXOK was the last of the stations owned by Storz Broadcasting. |
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Dr. Don Rose