bob perkins wrti illness
You can also hear the GM on Sunday Jazz Brunch with BP from 9 am to 1 pm. For younger listeners who might not be as familiar with jazz and are exploring the genre, BPs show is an introductory primer: Jazz 101. It gives you a feeling of a time gone by, a past era where jazz was the music of the day.. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? It took Perkins a little while to break into radio. And to have that kind of confidence in a guy whos just sitting around playing music [laughs], thats pretty good. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. Lead a team to the Super Bowl, Student community health ambassadors look out for their fellow Owls, Temple faculty organizes lecture series for Ukrainian students at alma mater in Kharkiv, Behind the music: Grammy-nominated Fox alum finds success as an audio engineer and producer, Eco-friendly faces: Meet Temples EcoReps advocating for a sustainable campus, Charles Library shapes the future at Temple and beyond, Student and faculty musicians are Grammy hopefuls. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. Over the last 20-some years, BP with the GM has become an icon of the Philadelphia airwaves, holding down a prime, three-hour early evening time slot Monday through Thursday on WRTI. He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. You should hear this guy.. 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. Dave and Bob share the same birthday! 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? This net worth approximation does not reflect any other investments that Mr. Perkins may own. And I do it by feel what should follow this piece of music and is my next piece of music as good or better than the previous piece of music that I played? And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I went in and knocked on the door and they said, we listened to you on WJLB, and we liked your work there, but you dont know news. Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. Am I going to capture their imagination today? WRTI, this 600th review is for you! He grew up in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a child. Over the years, he met the likes of President Jimmy Carter and touched the lives of everyday listeners and renowned musicians. I did a good music program over there for twenty years. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. He wanted to share his obsession. 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. Copyright 2022 RadioInsight / RadioBB Networks. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. Each Friday at 6 PM, there's Nouveau Jazz . King agrees. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. We would listen to the great John Facenda out of Philadelphia and to other great broadcasters from other cities. I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. Detroit was wide open. News was almost like a religion back in the day. I looked around, and I found a station that wanted a newsman. Classical 6am-6pm, and Jazz 6pm-6am. When Bob Perkins was growing up at 19th and Gerritt Streets in South Philadelphia during the Great Depression, his father, Deforrest, was stricken by arthritis at age 39 and could no longer work at his job as a freight elevator operator. People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? 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. 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. 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. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. Read more MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer 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. 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. 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. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! Thursday marks the end of an era at 90.1 WRTI-FM, with longtime jazz DJ Bob Perkins signing off from his final weeknight shift after 25 years at the station. BP: Theres a man named Paul Robeson, one of my heroes, and he said, Never forget the power of music. When he went to sing concerts in other countries, he would sing songs indigenous to that particular culture. The mix of music was an image of the man who chose it: smart and warm and nostalgic, displaying impeccable taste and a steady, low-key, and almost offhand hipness. What makes Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: he was there. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to Detroit. Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. The world wasnt moving quite as fast. One of the most familiar voices on Philadelphias airwaves, BP is also an elder statesman of the citys jazz community, cherished by listeners and musicians alike. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years. 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. The late teen years. 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. Lance also advises stations, talent and brands on digital content strategies, programming integrations, and brand extensions. I was weaned on radio. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. 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. Joe Blocks parents were fans of WRTI and the pianist grew up listening to BP, becoming a fan himself. And whats he talking about doing after that? 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. PhillyVoice Staff, Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. 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. 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. [citation needed]. I like melody. That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving it. 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, WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source | 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. Hes one of the last purveyors of our actual history. At 90.1 FM. He has attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Gerald Ford's and one of Jimmy Carter's. A young BP with his brother Joe. But you try to always put that best music forward. 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. 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. "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. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. 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. WRTI (90.1 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, . He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. 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. Thats our savior, man.. 1. WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April, California residents do not sell my data request. I did what I could, he said, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. All rights reserved. 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. 1101 W. Montgomery Avenue I remember saying, I dont know how to write editorials. LeBaron Taylor said [to me], You take the job and if you mess up, well get somebody else. I did that for 13 years pretty good. Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. Bob Perkins, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI, spun everything from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. Sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling did I. What makes bob so incredibly important to our music history and the pianist grew listening! To me ], you take the job and if you mess up, well get somebody else PM. Been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years you ought to give it up, well somebody! 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