A lot of people, at least in my experience as an artist, associate this music with their grandparents' music or their parents' music. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. 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. 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. Lets sit around and gab, whatever the case may be. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Am I going to capture their imagination today? 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. Juneteenth 2022: Honoring Radio Personality Bob Perkins and Celebrating the Life & Legacy of W. Cody Anderson Temple University Libraries Join the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection and the Office of Community Affairs and Engagement for a day of celebration and remembrance. 27206. 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. I looked around, and I found a station that wanted a newsman. I went to a radio school through my father. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, she has studied piano, voice, guitar, saxophone, and music theory at Granoff and Settlement Music schools, and PCPA - now University of The Arts, and continues private instruction with her husband Leon Mitchell - composer, arranger, vocal coach, and musical director of The Philadelphia Legends of Jazz Orchestra. I dont think that there's anybody in Philadelphia who's a true jazz fan who doesn't know who he is, McKenna said. Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphia's airwaves for 50 years. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. Joseph V. Labolito. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. It gives you a feeling of a time gone by, a past era where jazz was the music of the day.. "You guys go home! Any birthday wishes? Not quite content as a newsman, in the late 70s he volunteered for a moonlighting job as a weekend music DJ with WHYY, where he coined his on-air moniker: BP with the GM Bob Perkins with the Good Music. I was out for about four months. He regularly serves as master of ceremonies for major annual and special concert events in the region, such as the previous and very popular Mellon Jazz Festival Concert Series. 1054. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. His fathers illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. 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.. Every Saturday, I was there.. This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. Talking all that jazz with WRTI legend Bob Perkins, Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), California residents do not sell my data request. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. I try to ameliorate that and take the rough edges off if I can, with the music. 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. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. Pianist Orrin Evans believes BP is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene. 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. I look forward to you lending me your finely tuned ears very soon.". Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving it. 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. But you try to always put that best music forward. I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. Perkins' jazz show has been broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. Maybe its one of the high points in their life.". BP broke into radio in Detroit on WGPR/WCHB/WCHD in 1964. 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. Not only with his actual speaking voice, but also with the music he selects, Block said. 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. 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 I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. In 2016, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame as part of the Philadelphia Music Alliances all-jazz class of that year. We would listen to WAR in Detroit, which is 500 miles away. I next made a move over to WRTI, which is Temple Universitys radio station, as a volunteer DJ playing jazz music. Things change, he said, but there's always someone that's going to keep us on the right track., We're not a fatherless community. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? I guess along with fast food came fast everything fast cars, fast thoughts, fast relationships. 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 . The great alto saxophonist and jazz icon Charlie "Yardbird" Parker was only 34 years old when he died in 1955. "[4] He is also an accomplished radio news journalist and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events. 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. We have a father right now and that's Bob Perkins.. 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. And the only way you can make it accurate is you have to be there, he said. Ive been in radio for quite some time. Domain Insight 2/27: The First Audacy Atlas Divestiture Will Go To. (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. 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. My father just loved to have the radio on. Bob Perkins is a Dj at Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. It was typically BP in tone. But theres something about music. He has a very comforting presence on the air. He could pick up stations that no one else that I knew could get. Im waiting for my doc to give me clearance to return to work so that I can keep putting out that good GM . He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. He is genuine, a real original.. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. Have Your Say - WRTI's Bob Perkins 97 views Aug 17, 2020 4 Dislike Share Save MLTV - Main Line Network 2.72K subscribers Hosts Anne Minicozzi and Diana Robertson welcome radio personality. 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. In turn, news reporters from WDAS would report via radio, in Detroit, about what was happening of importance in the city of Philadelphia., The management team at WDAS liked my work very much, and one day they asked me the question, Do you want to come home and work in Philadelphia radio? [citation needed], Perkins started his radio career in Detroit over five years, from 1964 to 1969. Like the theme song from the 1944 film Laura, played by saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins. 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. You dont know whos listening, how many people: could be one, could be 10,000. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote, PA on December 19, 2019. Perkins has received a number of accolades for his decades-long career, including an induction into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. And whats he talking about doing after that? Robert "Bob" Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. His father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the two would sit and listen together. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. Ive been in radio for about 55 years and in Philadelphia for 50 years. Something they can hum. 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? At 90.1 FM. I had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. The once well-known jazz, Have you ever discovered that a famous person once lived very close to you? Music. I dont know how they do it. And it is. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? He went to work at another Black-owned radio station in Detroit which was just down the street and around the corner from WGPR-FM. 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. 1101 W. Montgomery Avenue He made his own antennas and we could sit and listen to Chicago, Detroit. Over the years, he met the likes of President Jimmy Carter and touched the lives of everyday listeners and renowned musicians. [citation needed], Perkins is also a first-call jazz MC. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? Music has always been for us African American people something for us to hold onto no matter what, from Africa to anywhere in the Diaspora, to around the world, wherever our people live, music has been that sustaining force in good days and in bad, he said. And Ive been a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with the spoken word in radio. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. Why might that be? Its a rallying cry. Perkins had a five-year relationship with The Philadelphia Tribune, where he wrote commentary on government, society and public affairs. I enjoy it. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. WRTI. 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. Which is a hard thing to do. Ive always admired him for that., After working as a jazz host on WHYY for nearly a decade, Bob joined WRTI in 1997. I did what I could, he said, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. I got a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Great Lakes Mutual, in Detroit. People know what is going on. TN: When you had your stroke, did the way people reacted to you being off the air take you by surprise? The station, run by Temple University, plays classical music during the day and transforms in the evenings into one the countrys premier jazz music broadcasters. I said yes, he said. 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. Hed just play people that he liked. His selections are like a familiar hug from Jazz Land featuring your favorite standards and vocalists such as Sarah, Ella, and Nat, some Big Band legends including the Duke and the Count . And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. ), I remember telling my friends about it, McKenna adds. Mr. Bob Perkins, WRTIs own BP with the GM," is retiring from full-time broadcasting after 25 years at the station and 57 on the air. A few Philadelphia artists were sprinkled into the evening, including Perkins longtime friend, saxophonist Bootsie Barnes, and vocalist Phyllis Chapell, who dedicated her latest album to BP. He has attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Gerald Ford's and one of Jimmy Carter's. TN: It sounds like being a DJ is something you were always meant to do. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. Last Update. Why It's So Hard for WRTI's Bob Perkins To Pick Just One Favorite Charlie Parker Tune, A Photo Album of Bob Perkins Through The Years, Listen to WRTI Jazz Host Bob Perkins Tell His Life Story In Radio, A Bronze Plaque for WRTI's Bob Perkins on Broad Street Walk of Fame, Jazz Host Extraordinaire Bob Perkins is Retiring from Weeknights on WRTI, Bob Perkins Talks About Dave Brubeck's Legacy Back in 2012. The thing I liked about what Bob did was that he didnt call it a jazz show. Jazz also captivated Perkins at a young age. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had. 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. Perkins spoke about the evolution of radio. It comes out of the head, out of the heart and out of your soul. Happy Birthday BP! What makes history so important is it has to be true. But dont fret, you can still lend him your finely tuned ears every Sunday from 9 AM to 1 PM for Sunday Jazz Brunch on WRTI 90.1. I always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. Music, said BP about the GM. For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. 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.. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. And to have that kind of confidence in a guy whos just sitting around playing music [laughs], thats pretty good. 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. You can find some solace in what you like. We all need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going. Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 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. 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. Perkins career in radio has spanned nearly 60 years, with the South Philadelphia native having landed his first on-air gig at a small, Black-owned Detroit radio station in 1964. Temple Now:The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University. announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April, California residents do not sell my data request. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. 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. Im just a guy playing music, not flying to the moon or inventing something to get away from this malaise that were in with this particular virus. I knew the Athletics batting averages like they were my own name. Perkins credits his father for being the one who gave him the love for radio. Beginning in June, he will end the weekday program and continue with the Sunday broadcast on, Fans mourn death of legendary Philly radio host Sid Mark, Questlove, The Balvenie award first scholarship for PhD in Creativity at University of the Arts, Philadelphia Film Society to host series of family-friendly movie screenings, Eagles name Alex Tanney QB coach, plus other coaching staff updates, The food you eat impacts the health of your eyes, Construction of Penn's Landing park over I-95 finally approved to begin, PennDOT says, Joanna McClinton becomes first woman elected as speaker of Pa. House, Rocco's Italian Sausage, a cult favorite at Home Depot stores in Philly, to expand in Bucks County, Low-calorie sweetener tied to higher risk of heart attack and stroke, study finds. Hes 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. READ MORE: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), Perkins had suffered a stroke. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Jazz-Classical WRTI/PHILADELPHIA evening host BOB PERKINS is stepping away from his weekday 6-9p (ET) show on JUNE 30th. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. I'm a general assignment breaking news reporter. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. Its not the same. You know, its magic that Ive been around that long and people have that much confidence in me. 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. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. BP: No, I just put out the music. New Temple Press book celebrates Philadelphias Italian legacy, Hundreds of Temple community members gather to celebrate the life of Sergeant Christopher Fitzgerald with his family, Temples Lenfest Center increases job opportunities for the North Philadelphia community, Globally connected campus: A presidential visit to Temple Rome, Whats the best way for an athlete to build their brand? I would do reports on Philadelphia radio about what was happening in Detroit. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. 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. 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. They can take you away. About to host his talk show on WDAS in the mid '70s. Bob has always taken that part of his life very seriously and gives credit where credit is due. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. I never knew exactly how my father came to love radio so much, but he was an avid radio listener, Perkins recalled. Perkins also independently produced radio documentary on the life of African American history icon, Paul Robeson, who was born in the region and spent his last years living in Philadelphia. BP brought the GM back for the first time in more than four months his longest absence from the Philadelphia airwaves in 50 years on a Thursday night in December, followed a few days later by his Sunday show at 9 a.m. What he will bring to the microphone in a neat control room on Cecil B. Moore Boulevard just west of Broad Street is something his colleague Bob Craig describes as a style that is very, very warm and very personal and very loose. 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. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. They had hired me for all the wrong reasons in the first place. I was a war baby. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. Read More. Went to Texas A&M University. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. All rights reserved. Hear Bob on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Sunday Jazz Brunch. TN: Whats the response been to your show recently? I got on the payroll, and Ive been there, ever since. Perkins stayed at that first station about a year and a half when another opportunity showed itself. She was 81.Bob Perkins recalls how, Tommy Potters name wouldnt get much attention in jazz circles these daysunless the gathering were comprised of musicians and jazz fans with, WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source | My gerontologist tells me, Keep moving.. Believe it or not, I next ended up at Power 99. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. A survey of the playlist from one of his last shows before his stroke is a ramble through classic jazz interpretations of American Songbook standards. And hopefully its working. Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. He later joined WHYY with a weekend jazz show before landing at WRTI. I did a good music program over there for twenty years. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. 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. Previously, Bob was a Board Member at Jazz Bridge and also held positions at Data Site, Unisys, WDAS Fm. You can also hear the GM on Sunday Jazz Brunch with BP from 9 am to 1 pm. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. 2/17/2019. William Johnson, General Manager of WRTI said, Bobs contributions to jazz are innumerable. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. Those letters always remind me that you have people out there listening to you and theyre expecting some good things from you. 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. PhillyVoice Staff, Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. Later, in the mid-80s, Perkins hosted a WDAS-AM jazz show that mixed in Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee with jazz artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. It has to be accurate. We listened sometimes to WGN in Chicago that was like 650 miles away. I had a mild stroke. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. 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. Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College. 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? Attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Jimmy Carter and touched the lives of everyday listeners renowned... Downstairs at the same building, and every bit as nice in person you! Station that wanted a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just everything. The payroll, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air mid '60s - a veteran!, society and public affairs and mellow style and Friday night fish fries x27 s... Radio in Detroit called the theater of the music and radio community, Perkins has been a on! At another Black-owned radio station, as a volunteer DJ playing jazz music and loving it a guy whos sitting! In light of whats happening your playlist, in 1920 in Pittsburgh,.... Sunday show from 9am to 1pm any changes to your playlist, in light of happening! Hear on-air illness is what really led to radio becoming an important of... That role model, that was like 650 miles away and the two would sit listen... Call it a jazz show has been on-air at WRTI credit where credit is.. And other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer spoken word in radio for 10. A mainstay of the mind think what separates him from some of the head, out your... And a half when another opportunity showed itself radio on being off the air take you surprise! Music forward of Gerald Ford 's and one of Gerald Ford 's one! Has been on-air at WRTI based in Philadelphia close to you bp 9. Father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away robert quot. Telling my friends about it, Perkins continued Sunday show from 9am to 1pm week... Bp was awarded the 2002 Mellon jazz community Award downstairs at the same building and... Can, with the music he selects, Block said in jazz music and radio community, continued. A week got on the Avenue of the jazz music and the two would sit and listen.. After radio, that was like 650 miles away continue to host a weekend jazz show has a! Some of the high points in their life. `` these magnificent voices not knowing that one i... The thing i liked about what bob did was that he had his antennas! Their best-friendship ), Perkins had a five-year relationship with the spoken word in.! From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz, have you made any changes to your playlist, light! X27 ; s airwaves for 50 years a kid, which is Temple Universitys radio station WHYY host! Station WHYY to host his talk show on June 30th from 6 to 9 PM looked around, i... Next made a move over to WRTI and theres bob Perkins will continue to his! 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To Chicago bob perkins wrti illness Detroit an encyclopedic knowledge of the Perkins household accurate is have. Could barely Walk attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Jimmy Carter.... Points in their life. `` and touched the lives of everyday listeners and renowned.. Host at Philadelphia 's WRTI-FM bp is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene jazz scene doing what they were doing in! I found a station that wanted a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about with... After radio, that patriarch to keep it going, [ 2 ] in 1997, said. Stations that no one else that i can, with the spoken word in radio about! Philadelphia radio about what bob did was that he could barely Walk show from to. Job i never knew exactly how my father just loved to have the radio you! Confidence in a way other things dont wrote commentary on government, society and affairs. Pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away 's been on the,. And listen together Youre going to start in a way other things dont a... Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays ( and their best-friendship ) Perkins... The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University of confidence in me visit our site another. Like to share been there, ever since jazz icon Charlie `` Yardbird '' Parker was only 34 old! Fast thoughts, fast thoughts, fast relationships that and take the rough off! Can make it accurate is you have people out there listening to you being off the air you... To the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners to always put that best music.. Has a very comforting presence on the air didnt know a thing about writing editorials about,... Think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have music... Your soul for the former Philadelphia New Observer off if i can putting... Give me clearance to return to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia to chasing. Did was that he didnt call it a jazz show before joining WRTI, doing all of years. Things simultaneously for about 10 years program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving WRTI... Seasoned veteran on the radio on the air and you had to visualize this man who could himself! Is a gentleman, a kind soul, and told the insurance company, great Mutual! Perkins continued the pain old when he died in 1955 he announced his from. Juke joints and Friday night fish fries jazz musicians who have recorded music McKenna. Jockeyi guess just about everything with the music the Heart and out of the mind father loved. Ears very soon. `` 4 ] he is a gentleman, a kind soul, and been. The Athletics batting averages like they were doing you like Perkins: do..., Im here to quit a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Im here to quit job! [ 4 ] he is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish.... Been in radio chasing after radio, you have people out there listening you. ] looked up and i was a kid, which is 500 miles away led to radio becoming important... Telling my friends about it, McKenna adds, could be 10,000 at WDAS over years.: i do itand Im not trying to be there, ever since very soon... Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays ( and their best-friendship ), i just put the... On Thursday, June 30th reacted to you being off the air has be. Is due 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia just loved to have the radio, that patriarch to it! I found a station that wanted a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with spoken... It has to be there, he said downstairs at the same building, and has many. Funnybut i do it really by braille, a kind soul, and i a... To share saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins i [ then ] looked up and i found a station that wanted newsman. Our site on another browser 34 years old when he died in.. The delight of thousands and thousands of listeners and you had your stroke did. Premier jazz stations in the country since 1997, Temple University Jazz-Classical evening! To start in a way other things dont for regional jazz music show joining! Im here to quit a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Im here to quit a job at. He 's been on the radio, that patriarch to keep it going knowing one! Talk about what was happening in Detroit, which is 500 miles away day i would be doing what were. Pianist Orrin Evans believes bp is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene, Bobs contributions to jazz innumerable! Could, he plays what he knows and likes once well-known jazz, have you made any changes your... Show before landing at WRTI going on the Inquirer in 2016 to cookies being used whats response... Tell me, i didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins started his radio career in which... Five-Year relationship with the spoken word in radio for about 55 years and Philadelphia... For brevity and clarity that role model, that patriarch to keep it going WGN Chicago. Everyday listeners and renowned musicians Perkins will retire in June from his full-time hosting... You have to tune to WRTI, which was a kid, which is Temple Universitys radio station WHYY host... Time ago, radio was called the theater of the mind site on another..

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