Radio GAGA!
written by: Joseph F Coniglio
Remember the days when radio ruled the airwaves. Driving in the old Ford station wagon listening to AM radio as music and news came over it. Remember how dad always lowered it and you made it louder when you thought he wasn’t looking. Of course, that was when we, as kids, were allowed to sit in the front seat. Remember driving under a bridge or through a tunnel or, in the Bronx, under the elevated train tracks and the radio would cut out. Oh progress. Radio was king then, and free to boot. All the songs from the Top 40, all the DJ’s that we grew up with. Now, we have to pay for that privilege with Sirius Radio and the like. But, is it any better? Any more entertaining? Are today’s radio personalities as they are now known any more knowledgeable about the music? And how many of them are just reshuffled from their gigs at FM stations.
With all that in mind, here are just a few of the people I listened to as a kid. Any of you from the New York area will recognize them, and some will know them too because a few were heard across the country. So, put on your bobby socks and saddle shoes. Tease or grease up your hair and guys, hide that pack of Lucky Strikes in your t-shirt sleeve.
Murray the “K”
Murray Kaufman, his real name, was a DJ from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Often referred to as “the fifth Beatle” during the early days of Beatlemania, his show was broadcast nightly on an AM station and he was probably the most popular and well known. He opened his show with his famous line, “This meeting of the swingin’ soiree is now in session.” He was the first to play longer cuts off albums instead of just the singles and also combined live in-studio interviews with such artists as Bob Dylan. Later in his career, he produced Rock n’ Roll shows for TV which featured groups like The Ronettes, Drifters, Coasters, Dave Clark Five, and others too numerous to mention. In 1966 he wrote the book “Murray the K Tells It Like It Is, Baby.” I could go on, but do some research on your own. This was a fascinating man, a pioneer, and a trendsetter. He left us, a victim of cancer in 1982.
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith was active from 1965 until his untimely death in 1995. His raspy voice and signature howl could be heard at times all across the country. Oddly enough, he enrolled in the National Academy of Broadcasting after giving up on his career of selling encyclopedias and Fuller Brushes door to door. In 1995 his book, “Wolfman Jack: Confessions of the Original Rock and Roll Animal” was released detailing his rise to fame. And what a rise it was from smuggling his tapes across the border into Mexico so his pre-recorded show could be broadcast to a wider audience, the transmitter there was more powerful than what was allowed here in the States, to outrunning Mexican bandits as he tried to cross back. He was featured on more than several radio stations during his career and also hosted “The Midnight Special” a tv show seen at midnight on Saturday nights. Really, if you are a music fan, you should read his book. It is a story of guts and of a man who was determined to get on the radio, even if he had to risk his life to do it. The Wolfman died suddenly of a heart attack in 1995. No replacement has been found.
“Cousin” Bruce Morrow
Bruce Meyerowitz was born in Brooklyn. His nickname of “cousin” was given to him by an old woman who once said to him, “Cousin, can you give me fifty cents to get home?” He gave it to her and the name stuck. After beginning his career in Bermuda, he moved on to New York City in 1959. His main competition was Murray the “K” but he did manage to hold his own on his station spinning Top 40 records. His show was heard nightly from 7:15 to 10:30 where would play all the “hits, all the time.” During his long career he not only worked at loads of AM and FM Stations, he also bought a few and carried his show on them. He also made many personal appearances at amusement parks and at Rock n’ Roll shows. He also is very active in charity work raising funds and awareness for children with emotional, mental and physical disabilities. His 1987 book, “Cousin Brucie: My Life in Rock N’ Roll Radio” is a must read.
So, there we have only three. Three kings of old-time radio. My apologies to DJ’s like Scot Muni, Alan Freed and Allison Steele, the first female DJ. But they will be for a later story.
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