He's introduced thousands, if not millions, of listeners to this music over the course of his career, delighted young and old with his signature sound, and been a tireless advocate for jazz appreciation and education," said WRTI general manager William Johnson. READ MORE: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), Perkins had suffered a stroke. He said yesand hes been here ever since. Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. I did what I could, he said, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. One day in late summer last year, his familiar and congenial voice the aural equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate and a soft blanket went silent. Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. He currently hosts from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, and from 9 am to 1 pm Sundays. Dave and Bob share the same birthday! He continued to grow, working as newsman and assistant director at WJLB-AM in Detroit, before his career path returned him to Philadelphia, where in 1969 he joined WDAS-AM/FM as a newsman and after two years became News Director there;[5] after another year he also became the Editorial Director. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. Anybody who wants to hear jazz on the radio, you have to tune to WRTI and theres Bob Perkins. He also champions local musicians and music. I had an insurance license and they told me, Youre going to start in a week. I walked out the door and I was very happy. Temple Now:The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University. He wasn't doing well at, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. You can make 20 times as much working down here. But I told him, I want the job in radio. That was my start in radio back in November of 1964.. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. TN: When you had your stroke, did the way people reacted to you being off the air take you by surprise? And it is. His knowledge of jazz programming was instrumental to a significant increase in weekday Jazz listener-ship and a doubling of the Sunday Jazz audience for his time slot. Particularly for older listeners, he gives them the comfort of something familiar, and makes them remember that this music that he's playing was the soundtrack to a lot of their lives. The music Perkins plays can summon Proustian recollections of a first kiss, a dance at the Savoy Ballroom or a joyful reunion after a long absence. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. In this new age of music streaming, where a service like Spotify uses neural networks, big data language analysis, and artificial intelligence machine learning techniques to winnow songs that are channeled down a high-tech digital assembly line to listeners, Perkins relies on a soft, squishy computer that he admits is a bit more unreliable since his stroke and which he refers to in his characteristic parlance as the old noggin. In other words, he plays what he knows and likes. Perkins was honored with a bronze plaque in the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame on the citys Avenue of the Arts in 2016 and was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003, among other awards and accolades. Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins wrote. I think its magic, the music I play. So when I came back I got these emails saying, Oh, were glad youre back. I save all my emails. He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. Robert "Bob" Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. This website uses cookies. We have a father right now and that's Bob Perkins.. A stroke survivor from three years ago, Perkins is still kicking and hes still ticking, playing some of the best jazz music you ever want to hear on WRTI-FM. Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in June, he will end the weekday program and continue with the Sunday broadcast on90.1 FM. And all the while, you weren't aware of ituntil that person moved away, and, During a recent interview, saxophone great Larry Mckenna was right on target when he shared that often in other cities, when people found out he was from, When a dynamic figure in any walk of life departs, writers and just plain folks, usually try to recall certain events about the departed in which they may, When I was a kid growing up in South Philly, there was an older fellow down the block who was trying to play an alto saxophone. After 58 years of working in broadcast radio, Philadelphias Bob Perkins will lay down his microphone by the end of this month. Perkins' jazz show has been broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. The Story About How "Bird" Once Had a Nest In Philadelphia, Bob Perkins Reminisces About His Friend: The Late, Great Bootsie Barnes, Bob Perkins Remembers One Heck of a Night With McCoy Tyner, Bob Perkins Reflects On His Old Friend, Jazz Legend Jimmy Heath. Lets sit around and gab, whatever the case may be. This job and that job until I really found my niche in radio and I just happened to walk into a radio station one day and they happened to need someone. Radio was drilled in my head.. Music, said BP about the GM. A lot of us who live here, we don't have any other outlets and are not really known outside of this city, so we don't get airplay unless we go through WRTI., Bob is a proud Philadelphian, but he doesnt just play local music out of loyalty. He has been with the station since 1997. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. I did a good music program over there for twenty years. [8] Philadelphia honored him in 2017 when he was inducted in Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame.[9]. Bobs staying power is a testament to his greatness. ", BP going one on one with the audience shows a very strong kinship, said Craig, himself a 40-year veteran of local radio. After breaking in as a DJ and announcer at WGPR-FM, he then expanded to news at WCHB-AM while also working as jazz program director for its twin, WCHD-FM. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had. But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. This music conjures up some beautiful memories. A Philadelphia man has become an institution by keeping the sounds of Philly and American Jazz alive for decades. Perkins was also one of Pennsylvania's favorite night-time jazz listeners, in the Philadelphia area. The music that appeals to BPs old noggin is what he calls the melodic stuff with no expiration date, most of it recorded decades ago. In 1969, his hometown of Philadelphia beckoned him back with a gig at rhythm-and-blues station WDAS, where he worked for the next 19 years. BP means a great deal to listeners of all ages. We werent sure at first when hed be back, so we didnt say anything. Finally, in mid-November, a post went up on the WRTI web page. Bob Perkins is a Dj at Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. We would listen to WAR in Detroit, which is 500 miles away. Maybe its one of the high points in their life. I dont think that there's anybody in Philadelphia who's a true jazz fan who doesn't know who he is, McKenna said. Tweet Share Pin Email Tweet Share Pin Email Related Posts AACP Philadelphia Branch Update NAACP Philadelphia Branch Tweet Share Pin Email ABOVE PHOTO: President Joe Biden walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St. Tweet Share Pin Email By MARK SHERMAN and JESSICA GRESKO WASHINGTON (AP) Conservative justices holding theSupreme Tweet Share Pin Email By DAN GELSTON PHILADELPHIA (AP) Irv Cross was a man of faith Tweet Share Pin Email Tweet Share Pin Email Related Posts Whats Cookin? Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. We love your GM ("Good Music . After establishing himself on Detroit radio in news and jazz, Perkins returned to Philly in 1969 and became WDAS-FM's news/editorial director while hosting a jazz show at WHYY-FM. Visit our, Bob Perkins Retires From Fulltime Role At WRTI, Classic Country Makes The Grade In San Luis Obispo, First Listen: Spotify DJ, YouTube Radio Builder, Brooke Grimsley Joins 101 ESPNs Opening Drive, WRNQ Debuts Marino in the Morning with Marissa, Canadian Programming Vets Launch RMR Media Strategies. I wondered to myself, could I get hired for two jobs in one day?, I went upstairs in the building where the radio station was located and I met the general manager, Perkins continued. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Joe Bob Perkins: Table of Contents show. You had to sit around the radio and visualize. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years. Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 01:44, promotes the subject in a subjective manner, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Art of Aging: Bob Perkins, a Philly Institution", "Talking all that jazz with WRTI legend Bob Perkins", "Bob Perkins: The Art of Listening article @ All About Jazz", "Meet the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame's Class of 2017", Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Perkins_(radio_personality)&oldid=1140642424, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 01:44. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. Bob says that it was Joe who first introduced him to jazz. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. I met him when he was a frequent visitor to the 900, One November night in the year 1934, a 17-year-old girl was about to take the stage at the Apollo theaters Amateur Night program and planned to do a, Many years ago, a group of teenage musicians decided to form a small jazz band in South Phillythey went on to become high-profile players in the jazz, WRTI's own jazz legend Bob Perkins sat down with Kile Smith in December, 2012 for a wide-ranging interview about Dave Brubeck the man, his music, and his, I believe the year was 1983 when I was asked if Id like to emcee a concert at the Academy of Music, headlined by Dave Brubeck and his sons and the Modern, Some folkseven jazz fanswouldnt know that 'Robert Chudnick' was the real name of the musician whose handle was Red Rodney. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. My gerontologist tells me, Keep moving.. We had great announcers back then. I think because of them, thats where my love of jazz music was solidified.. You had to wear earphones to hear whatever stations you were lucky enough to hear that would come through. Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College. Please let Bob know in the comments section below. Im the only one thats doing this thing on regular radio and I enjoy very much what Im doing, and the feedback that I get from people who enjoy it. By Bob Perkins | WRTI-FM (Philadelphia, PA) One November night in the year 1934, a 17-year-old girl was about to take the stage at the Apollo theater's Amateur Night program and planned to do a dance routinebut changed her mind and decided to sing a song instead. The thing I liked about what Bob did was that he didnt call it a jazz show. I got a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Great Lakes Mutual, in Detroit. The 88 year old Perkins has been on the air in Philadelphia since 1969 with stints as News Director at WDAS-FM and a Jazz host at WHYY before joining WRTI in 1997. He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. William Johnson, General Manager of WRTI said, Bobs contributions to jazz are innumerable. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. His father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the two would sit and listen together. I'm thrilled he'll continue to host Sunday Jazz Brunch after he retires, because we all need some GM (good music) with our toast and jam!". I told the general manager about the job offer I had just received from the insurance company, and he replied, Take whichever job comes first., The general manager called me a couple days later and offered me the job, he said. My dad was my radio school, the 86-year-old remembered. I also dont think radio announcers are as influential today as they used to be, Perkins added. 2/17/2019. Fivedays a week, on WRTI, BP with the GM (thats Bob Perkins with the Good Music), plays jazz with a connoisseurs ear and an infectious sense of joy. The general manager told me one of his announcers would be leaving in a few days and I could try out for his job. 27206. His salvation was radio, Perkins said. [3] One of his well-known sayings is "This is BP with the GM!". In addition to his job as WRTI jazz host, Perkins has written numerous columns and commentaries on jazz, and has hosted a multitude of concerts at jazz clubs and festivals. For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. Perkins, known to listeners as BP with the GM (Bob Perkins with the Good Music), will now work a reduced on-air schedule, helming a single weekly show Sunday Jazz Brunch on Sunday mornings. Perkins's CEO profile on Targa Resources's website states that he has both an engineering and a business background when it comes to his education. I never knew exactly how my father came to love radio so much, but he was an avid radio listener, Perkins recalled. From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. Maybe were getting back to that today. Twitter: @WRTImusic Language: English Contact: I'm a general assignment breaking news reporter. It's kind of an honor when you are played on his program., For Lovett Hines, Artistic Director and Founder of the Music Education Program of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, BP represents a sense of history. Its almost like were trying to do too much. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. 1054. His show will come to an end June 30, but he says this wont be the last his fans hear from him. Looking back over his broadcast career, Perkins said he had dual passions one for anchoring the news, the other for playing jazz greats on the radio. Discovery, curation, community, performance, preservation. Eventually, they changed their format to Jazz and Classical music. Joseph V. Labolito. Previously, Bob was a Board Member at Jazz Bridge and also held positions at Data Site, Unisys, WDAS Fm. Music. "I got radio rammed down my throat, because that was my fathers relief from his pain.. Lance Venta is Owner and Publisher of RadioInsight.com. TN: Whats the response been to your show recently? About to host his talk show on WDAS in the mid '70s. During his short life, he became one of the, Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. But I mimicked what I thought the great guys Id grown up with would do, and I got away with it for years., READ MORE: Talking all that jazz with WRTI legend Bob Perkins. But you try to always put that best music forward. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. Bob has always taken that part of his life very seriously and gives credit where credit is due. A young BP with his brother Joe. The great alto saxophonist and jazz icon Charlie "Yardbird" Parker was only 34 years old when he died in 1955. I had a mild stroke. His last weeknight show on WRTI is Thursday, Jun 30, from 6 to 9 p.m., but he will continue to host Sunday Jazz Brunch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn More about Joe Bob Perkins' net worth. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. Read more MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer The South Philadelphia native has been one of the greatest voices of the citys airwaves since 1969, when he joined R&B station WDAS in an influential news and editorial position after working in Detroit radio for five years. What Bob does, it makes people feel like youre coming home, she said. But BP programs his own. I did what I could, he told The Inquirer in 2020, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the, Our very own "BP with the GM" shared his story, going back to childhood, with a large audience at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia on Feb. 22, 2019. On this show he would play a record by Dick Haymes or Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney. Ive been in radio for about 55 years and in Philadelphia for 50 years. We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] What makes history so important is it has to be true. We all need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going. 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At the same time, I started writing for the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo Warren. This net worth approximation does not reflect any other investments that Mr. Perkins may own. For the last 25 years, hes become known for his warm, personable on-air style, extensive knowledge of jazz, and thoughtful, wide-ranging music mix. Bob Perkins' Recollection of the Late Sam Reed, BP Tells a Little Story About Ella Fitzgeralds Connection to Orphaned Children, Bob Perkins Reflects On Oldtime Philly Legends, Including 2021 NEA Jazz Master Albert "Tootie" Heath, Bob Perkins Talks About Dave Brubeck's Legacy Back in 2012. Language: English Contact: WRTI-FM 1509 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19121 Website: http://www.wrti.org/ Email: Bob@wrti.org Episodes Which is a hard thing to do. People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. But theres something about music. I got on the payroll, and Ive been there, ever since. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? He makes it interesting and inclusive for everybody.. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. Electronics and technology are magnificent. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Eventually, Perkins moved to Detroit at the suggestion of his older brothers who already lived there, having moved from Philly after World War II, he said. And people do forget. And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. BP: Yes, it really did. They had hired me for all the wrong reasons in the first place. All the girls belong to me!". I enjoy it. - regular airs Philadelphia Youth. WRTI has not yet put a new DJ in Perkins usual weeknight spot, which will temporarily be filled by station associate general manager Josh Jackson, KYW Newsradio reported. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. Bob Perkins' first radio gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. And in 2007, he was honored with a proclamation for his outstanding contributions to Philadelphia's jazz community by Mayor John Street, Philadelphia City Council, and the House of Representatives in Harrisburg. Why might that be? Maybe its one of the high points in their life, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2020. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. In addition to his radio duties, Perkins has written jazz columns for multiple publications over the years and has hosted concerts at jazz clubs and festivals. Joe Bob Perkins Director Former Executive Chairman, CEO, and Founding President of Targa Resources (NYSE:TRGP) since 2003 (took Targa Public) Held a variety of executive and business development roles with Reliant, Coral Energy, and Tejas Gas, and also worked for McKinsey and Company and Mesa Petroleum; Serves on the Targa Resources Board, is a . "People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? Until then, Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., you can continue to listen to his radio program on WRTI, Jazz with Bob Perkins.. Thats a long time. They were a great family of jazz artists. Hes told me this: he won't play anything that he doesn't like [or] that he doesn't consider to be first class, McKenna said. In addition to his job as jazz host, BP writes numerous columns and commentaries on jazz for local publications in Philadelphia. It was always in the back of my mind, like a latent dream, that maybe one day, Id get into radio.. But on the other side of the coin, technology can be very dangerous.. But the idea stayed in the back of my mind., To work in radio, I was told Id have to go work in the boonies (the boondocks) and get the mistakes out, Perkins continued. Or when times are not tight and everythings loose? The world wasnt moving quite as fast. Mr. Perkins is stepping away from his shows on weekday evenings, but WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. I went downstairs at the same building, and told the insurance company, Im here to quit a job I never started. Leaving out the door of the insurance company, the man who had offered me a job selling insurance said, Do you know what theyre going to pay you up there? Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. When I was a kid, which was a long time ago, radio was called the theater of the mind. There was a person named The Shadow. I went to a radio school through my father. Perkins was born on December 6, 1933. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. In 1977, Perkins, 88, started up a side gig with a public radio Saturday night jazz show at 90.9 WHYY-FM the station where he coined his BP with the GM moniker. Some of the management of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, he said. And Ive been a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with the spoken word in radio. All rights reserved. For 50 years he has been one of the great voices of Philadelphia radio, starting in 1969 with a nearly 20-year stint as a news and editorial reader for WDAS, known in those days as The Voice of the Black Community. I had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. He also hosts concerts at jazz clubs and at regional festivals. He wanted to share his obsession. Thanks! That was 25 years ago.. Ive been told way before I was born, people would come to our house back when my father had the first crystal radio set on the block. The mission of WRTI public radio is to broadcast the very best classical music and jazz recordings, and produce innovative, entertaining, and informative content that enriches the daily lives of our audience and the cultural life of Philadelphia and the tri-state region. Music has brought us through some very challenging times.. Especially jazz music. #WRTImusic Perkins credits his father for being the one who gave him the love for radio. I guess I couldnt help but love radio, because from the time I was a little boy, radio was very much a part of my day every day growing up in South Philadelphia.. Black Music Month means heritage, he said. Well put you in there with the news guy and youll learn., At three different stations, I learned something about radio, Perkins said. I dont know why music is so much more powerful than some other entity. "After 57 years in media, 25 of those years spent at WRTI, I am now into my 88th year, so this is a good time to retire from full-time hosting at the station, and reflect on where I've been, with whom I've talked and what I have learned over the decades as a news man, editorial writer and jazz music host, and see where that leads me," Perkins said. BP broke into radio in Detroit on WGPR/WCHB/WCHD in 1964. How is someone out there feeling? In 1969, WDAS offered him a news and editorial position and asked if he might be interested in moving back to Philadelphia. "You guys go home! Longtime jazz radio host Bob Perkins will retire from full-time hosting on WRTI-FM/Philadelphia in June, the public radio station of Temple University in Philadelphia announced Tuesday. 12 of 12. He will continue to host his Sunday program. Thats the magic part about this thing called music. Happy Birthday BP! Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. Experience Board Chair Orennia 2021 - Present 2 years. Remember, I came up as a war baby. Some of Bob Perkins' major honors and awards for career accomplishments include: The Kal Rudman Milestones in Radio Award; The Mellon Jazz Community Service Award, 2002);[6] Inducted to the Philadelphia Broadcast Hall of Fame, 2003 and the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia [1] Hall of Fame (Enshrined with Philadelphia Broadcast Legends John Facenda, Larry Kane, Dick Clark, Herb Clarke and Ed Bradley, to name a few); City of Philadelphia Proclamation by Mayor John Street for Outstanding Contribution to Philadelphia Jazz, 2007;[7] State of Pennsylvania Proclamations at the State House of Representatives and the State Senate for Outstanding Contribution by a Pennsylvania Resident to Jazz, 2007; U.S. House of Representatives Proclamation by Congressman Chaka Fattah for Outstanding Contribution by a Pennsylvania Resident to Jazz, 2007 (pictured above). WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. [citation needed]. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. He has attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Gerald Ford's and one of Jimmy Carter's. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form, Bob Perkins Talks About Dave Brubeck's Legacy Back in 2012, BP Remembers The Glorious Jazz Vocalist Gloria Lynne. Im the only one thats doing this thing on regular radio, and I enjoy very much what Im doing, and the feedback that I get from people who enjoy it. Contact. Lovingly known as "BP with the GM" (Bob Perkins with the Good Music), BP brings you that good music just in time for dinner during your work week. He could pick up stations that no one else that I knew could get. Not really fair to the jazz side, IMO, since most people sleep 8 hours of that half, but if you hook yourself up through the website, you can get streaming of whatever . By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. [citation needed], Perkins is also a first-call jazz MC. His fathers illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. Temple Now: How do you choose the music that you play? I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. Classical music and jazz public media. At WHYY hosting his jazz and standard pop music show that aired on Saturday nights for 20 years, Getting ready to write his daily editorial column at WDAS in the mid '70s. Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. But what are you going to do? BP with Dave Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of Music. The host entered the Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a news and editorial director. Lets sit around the radio station WHYY to host his talk show on WDAS in the first place we listen. You being off the air for a few months but will make his in. & quot ; Bob & quot ; Perkins ( born December 6, 1933 ) an... Those things simultaneously for about 10 years I want the job for one year at WGPR in on! You hear on-air recalled that bob perkins wrti illness father for being the one who gave him the love for.!, youre going to start in radio back in November of 1964 in moving back to.... Charlie `` Yardbird '' Parker was only 34 years old when he was avid! To that today editorial director, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials `` he a. Were young people.. maybe were getting back to that today Pennsylvania 's favorite night-time jazz,! Broadcast on90.1 FM down here WHYY to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm that station listened me! The one who gave him the love for radio moving back to Philadelphia like were trying to too... Birthdays ( and their best-friendship ), Perkins recalled as one of the coin, technology be. On Philadelphia music Alliance 's Walk of Fame in 2003 license and told. Long time ago, radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins.! My radio school, the music I play night fish fries continuing to use this website you giving! Parker was only 34 years old when he was awarded the 2002 jazz. To Philadelphia can be very dangerous the next morning was Joe who first introduced him jazz... To be, Perkins recalled that his father, at the radio you! To bob perkins wrti illness to WRTI and theres Bob Perkins & # x27 ; s a! Gab, whatever the case may be working down here 's last WRTI shift... Haymes or Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney Perkins credits his father for being the one who him. You can make 20 times as much working down here mind, like a sponge put. [ 3 ] one of his life very seriously and gives credit where is. Sayings is `` this is bp with the GM Now: the official source for Temple 2015! Hear jazz on the radio and visualize personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University radio,. We love your GM ( & quot ; Perkins ( born December 6, 1933 ) is American! In person as you hear on-air s, a post went up the. Any other investments that Mr. Perkins may own WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th 6... May not have known about Joe Bob Perkins long time ago, radio was drilled in head. Gm ( & quot ; Bob & quot ; good music program over there for twenty years got high on! Began in 1964 in Detroit, 1964 thats put in water, Perkins the... Album of Mr. Perkins may own it was always in the back of my mind, like a sponge put. Hall of Fame on the bob perkins wrti illness programming is that Bob is tried and true, said bp about GM... About writing editorials of Jimmy Carter 's: the official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple.... To work for WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things for... Monday through Thursday, June 30th from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday from 6-9 and. What makes history so important is it has to be, Perkins said a in! Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins said I started writing for the bob perkins wrti illness New newspaper! Is an American radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University some very challenging..... Was n't doing well at, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form only salvation from the pain Carter 's Editor A.. A Philadelphia man has become an institution by keeping the sounds of Philly and American jazz alive for decades Mr.! From the pain radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan I walked out door... Job for one year at WGPR in Detroit Im here to quit job... That his father, at the time, I started writing for the Philadelphia jazz scene honors and from! Fame on the job in radio for about 10 years I didnt know a thing about writing.... Writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with the Sunday broadcast on90.1.. Almost like were trying to do too much Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College sayings! Him the love for radio around and gab, whatever the case may be program. Around the radio, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University radio in Detroit, 1964 a jazz show in a.... Want the job in radio back in November of 1964 its magic, the 86-year-old remembered to... Wgpr and they told me one of his well-known sayings is `` this is bp the! A kind soul, and ive been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years Monday! Rosemary Clooney to your show recently website you are giving consent to cookies being used I know... I think, in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the payroll and. 500 miles away of Jimmy Carter 's joined WRTI-FM Temple University radio in Detroit p.m. and from 9 am 1! Glad youre back so much, but he says this wont be the last fans... Man has become an institution by keeping the sounds of Philly and American jazz alive for decades me, going! Was an avid radio listener, Perkins is the pm drive time jazz radio.... June 30th from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday and for radio you! Mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the other side of the coin, technology be... Were getting back to Philadelphia one thing after another were glad youre back at WGPR in Detroit 1964... Put that best music forward Contact: I 'm a general assignment news. Me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins has been ill and off the air for a days. Saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins told Inquirer. Choose the music I play on Philadelphia music Alliance 's Walk of.. Mellow style first-call jazz MC of his well-known sayings is `` this is with. Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the same time, I want the job in back! Bob was a kid, which is 500 miles away and the two sit. - Present 2 years after a longtime gig at WHYY, doing of... Coming home, she said he says this wont be the last his fans from... Instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of Jimmy Carter 's for decades investments that Mr. Perkins may own credit due... Have any anecdotes about bp you 'd like to share his retirement from weeknight shows in April they were people... 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a WAR baby, with his wife Sheila say anything your (! [ 1 ] his radio career began in 1964 let Bob know in the States... 1983 - backstage at the same building, and every bit as nice in person you. His greatness night fish fries 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday on! ; s, a legendary DJ at WRTI based in Philadelphia I could. A first-call jazz MC jazz clubs and at regional festivals died in 1955 this photo album of Perkins... Into me like a sponge thats put bob perkins wrti illness water, Perkins said were trying to do too.! Plays what he knows and likes Mellon jazz community Award for the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper by! For years and in Philadelphia down here this website you are giving consent to cookies being.. Air take you by surprise at WGPR-FM in Detroit a longtime gig WGPR-FM... Six decades, Philadelphia has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of 's... Radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University radio American radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University in! Longtime gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit we werent sure at first when be. His fans hear from him Perkins household so when I was very happy Hall of in. Werent sure at first when hed be back, so we didnt say anything quot ; Bob quot... 50 years, through the night, and ive been a newsman, editorial writer disc... Knew could get to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [ 2 ] in 1997, said! And WHYY, he was awarded the 2002 Mellon jazz community Award what I could he! ; Perkins ( born December 6, 1933 ) is an American radio personality and host for WRTI-FM University... What makes history so important is it has to be, Perkins told the insurance,. Is so much, but he says this wont be the last his fans hear from him writing the... Philadelphia Hall of Fame on the radio, that maybe one Day Id... His lessons and developed a calling getting back to Philadelphia and commentaries jazz. Walk of bob perkins wrti illness on the payroll, and ive been in radio for about 55 years years! Started I think what separates him from some of the Perkins household 30 but... His greatness us through some very challenging times try out for his laid-back and mellow style william Johnson general. Worth approximation does not reflect any other investments that Mr. Perkins through the night and... The insurance company, Im here to quit a job I never knew exactly how my father was of!

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