bob perkins wrti illness

I guess along with fast food came fast everything fast cars, fast thoughts, fast relationships. As of 1997, Perkins landed at WRTI-FM. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. 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. 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. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. Hes one of the last purveyors of our actual history. Contact. Believe it or not, I next ended up at Power 99. Liked by Joe Bob Perkins. 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. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. Bob Perkins, age 8. Who knows what lies behind that smile? He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. His older brother had introduced him to the music of Duke Ellington, which sparked a lifelong love of big band and jazz music. 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. I went to a radio school through my father. BP: Well, I still like it. Ive always admired him for that., After working as a jazz host on WHYY for nearly a decade, Bob joined WRTI in 1997. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. Here's a great in-depth article about Bob from the Chestnut Hill Local. Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! [citation needed]. Bob says that it was Joe who first introduced him to jazz. I also dont think radio announcers are as influential today as they used to be, Perkins added. Listen to BP's last weeknight shift on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. Read More. He currently hosts from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, and from 9 am to 1 pm Sundays. But his well-honed approach to the music would remain unaffected. You can touch a button and get any answer to any question that you have. They had hired me for all the wrong reasons in the first place. WRTI (90.1 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, . Detroit was wide open. BP with Dave Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of Music. 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. Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. 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. Jazz radio host and South Philadelphia native Bob Perkins, a mainstay on Temple University's public WRTI-FM station, plans to significantly scale back his hours this summer. They don't think that it's accessible to younger people. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. I think its magic, the music I play. I stayed over there about two years, but it really wasnt a good fit. Thats our savior, man.. I became the news and editorial director after Jim Clash died at WDAS, Perkins said. His show appeals to me in that way. I look forward to you lending me your finely tuned ears very soon.". Please let Bob know in the comments section below. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. The late teen years. We listened sometimes to WGN in Chicago that was like 650 miles away. He could pick up stations that no one else that I knew could get. He grew up in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a child. And people do forget. Friday evenings at 10 PM, veteran WRTI jazz host J. Michael Harrison presents The Bridge, exploring the merging platforms of popular music and jazz. Something they can hum. He makes it interesting and inclusive for everybody.. TN: Why was it important for you to keep doing your show? Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. Bell Building Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. 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. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. His stories are not secondhand.. Perkins is currently engaged for the annual Cape May Jazz Festival Concert Series and the Tony Williams Jazz Festival Concert Series. Information about his on-air schedule may be found at WRTI's website. I was weaned on radio. Bob Perkins, WRTI DJ has been spinning music in Philadelphia since 1969. I was out for almost four months. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. Went to Texas A&M University. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Listener-supported. Perkins stayed at that first station about a year and a half when another opportunity showed itself. Beginning in June, he will end the weekday program and continue with the Sunday broadcast on90.1 FM. My gerontologist tells me, Keep moving.. Perkins, known to listeners as "BP . 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.. 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. Im just playing music. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. "I look forward to the opportunity to pick up the mic at WRTI on Sundays to continue to serve all the listeners with finely-tuned ears who have said that I've helped keep jazz music alive in Philadelphia, and beyond.. I looked around, and I found a station that wanted a newsman. He made his own antennas and we could sit and listen to Chicago, Detroit. 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. That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving it. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. They were doing quite well, raising their families, Perkins said. All rights reserved. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. Joe Blocks parents were fans of WRTI and the pianist grew up listening to BP, becoming a fan himself. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. That when I first became aware of who he was, said Larry McKenna, the tenor saxophonist who is one of the deans of Phillys jazz scene. I think in some way, Bob is able to bridge that gap, King said. It gives you a feeling of a time gone by, a past era where jazz was the music of the day.. Thats our savior, man.. Since his Bloomberg profile states that he has gone to both . We all need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going. Lets have fun; lets have a beer. 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. Music, said BP about the GM. Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. PhillyVoice Staff, Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. 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. 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. And hopefully its working. NPR news updates every hour. [citation needed], Perkins is also a first-call jazz MC. 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. You can never know. 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. And I would sit with him and we would listen. 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. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? 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. And the only way you can make it accurate is you have to be there, he said. [3] One of his well-known sayings is "This is BP with the GM!". But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. He later joined WHYY with a weekend jazz show before landing at WRTI. Saxophonist Larry McKenna has been listening to him for 40 years. This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. I would do reports on Philadelphia radio about what was happening in Detroit. Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! Its not the same. You know, its magic that Ive been around that long and people have that much confidence in me. I dont know how they do it. Sunday Jazz Brunch with Bob Perkins airs from 9 AM until 1 PM. 27206. Why might that be? Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. It comes out of the head, out of the heart and out of your soul. My father just loved to have the radio on. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. 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? ), I remember telling my friends about it, McKenna adds. Classical 6am-6pm, and Jazz 6pm-6am. 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. 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. (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. Music. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. I leaned on them when I got into radio until I got my own sea legs and could navigate on my own.. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? [citation needed], Perkins started his radio career in Detroit over five years, from 1964 to 1969. We would listen to the great John Facenda out of Philadelphia and to other great broadcasters from other cities. He loved radio programming, and since I was the last kid at home, we listened together to all the great voices John Facenda and Edward R. Murrow anything that was on the radio, from Jack Benny to the Philadelphia Athletics games. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. 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. TN: Why do you feel people respond so strongly to music? 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. Which is a hard thing to do. But you try to always put that best music forward. They just let me have my own way and they seem to like what I play. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. Temple Now: How do you choose the music that you play? I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. BP: Yes, it really did. Each Friday at 6 PM, there's Nouveau Jazz . WRTI, this 600th review is for you! 1101 W. Montgomery Avenue It was typically BP in tone. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. BP: No, I just put out the music. The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. And whats he talking about doing after that? 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. 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. I had been selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the time, knocking on doors. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. I did what I could, he said, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. I did a good music program over there for twenty years. Ive been in radio for quite some time. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. It has to be accurate. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. 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. I dont know why music is so much more powerful than some other entity. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had. For younger listeners who might not be as familiar with jazz and are exploring the genre, BPs show is an introductory primer: Jazz 101. This website uses cookies. From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. 1 photo. Everything is so fast nowadays. Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. Leah Fletcher, Account Executive, WRTI: Philadelphias Invisible Jazz Station, A Historical Approach to the Positive Music: Jazz in Philadelphia, Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul will be broadcast by US public radio stations during Black History Month, including WXPN and WRTI, Biden declares Kyiv stands in surprise visit to Ukraine, Supreme Court seems ready to reject student loan forgiveness, Former Philadelphia Eagle, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTE, Queen Latifah will host the 2023 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 25 in Pasadena CA. 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. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. 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. 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. My father must have been listening to radio from the very start. We would listen to WAR in Detroit, which is 500 miles away. I wrote for Hugo Warren for 20 years. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. Not doing anything heroic. The world wasnt moving quite as fast. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Maureen Malloy, the director of jazz programming at WRTI, says there was an insane amount of listener response to Perkins unexplained absence. BP: It seems that way. Thanks! Experience Board Chair Orennia 2021 - Present 2 years. He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. 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. 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. I enjoy it. He was the youngest child and when his mother became ill, he felt responsible to stay and care for her. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. Happy Birthday BP! 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 had a mild stroke. Lets sit around and gab, whatever the case may be. Our beloved BP with the GMBob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. 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.. But then hed also play Miles Davis, Maynard Ferguson, John Coltrane, and Bird. (The last being the nickname for the brilliant bebop jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. Music has brought us through some very challenging times.. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. Mr. Perkins owns 88,692 shares of Targa Resources stock worth more than $6,747,687 as of February 16th. Once I got some news training under my belt, I started trading news stories with the news team at WDAS in Philadelphia. 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. 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. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote in 2019. PERKINS, 88, has been hosting at WRTI for 25. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. He wanted to share his obsession. He fell ill around 1940 with rheumatoid arthritis, and was forced to leave his job as an elevator operator. Jazz Host Extraordinaire Bob Perkins is Retiring from Weeknights on WRTI Our beloved "BP with the GM"Bob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. 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. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. It takes a little bit of thought. How is someone out there feeling? In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. That was 25 years ago.. The once well-known jazz, Have you ever discovered that a famous person once lived very close to you? 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. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. I was out for about four months. He is a jazz program host and DJ for WRTI. 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. I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. He got his first job in radio during a trip to visit his two brothers in Detroit in 1964. It seems like our attention spans are so divided in this new age of technology. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. 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. If theres any good thing about thisand theres very little good about itits the fact that maybe families are getting together again and eating at the dinner table again, in the kitchen or living room, and doing things together again. His show is an oasis, a source of comfort as listeners cope with the challenges of life during a pandemic. Bobs staying power is a testament to his greatness. I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. What makes Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: he was there. 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. "You guys go home! Discovery, curation, community, performance, preservation. 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. Perkins credits his father for being the one who gave him the love for radio. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. 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. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. Pianist Orrin Evans believes BP is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene. 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. I knew the Athletics batting averages like they were my own name. News was almost like a religion back in the day. 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. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. IE 11 is not supported. 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. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. Ive met a lot of good people, a lot of entertainers, musicians, and politicians along the way. 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. 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. A Philadelphia man has become an institution by keeping the sounds of Philly and American Jazz alive for decades. On this show he would play a record by Dick Haymes or Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney. 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 had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. Read more MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer All the girls belong to me!". The general manager told me one of his announcers would be leaving in a few days and I could try out for his job. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. Also known as "BP with the GM," (translation: "Bob Perkins with the Good Music"), Mr. Perkins has been in the broadcasting industry for more than five decades as an on-air host, and is now commonly referred to as a Philadelphia jazz radio legend. announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April, California residents do not sell my data request. 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. 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. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. 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. Not only with his actual speaking voice, but also with the music he selects, Block said. Everybody.. tn: Why do you feel people respond so strongly to bob perkins wrti illness. Host and DJ for WRTI radio legend bob Perkins will retire in,. 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Age 8. who knows what lies behind that smile told the Inquirer in 2016, joined... Love with radio as a host at Philadelphia 's WRTI-FM times as working... On Thursday, June 30th from 6 PM, there & # x27 ; show will continue much in... Typically BP in tone was called the theater of the last being the nickname the... In radio back in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the,! Was known for his laid-back and mellow style they were my own name and for! Stories with the GM! `` at WRTI, told the Inquirer in 2016, he bob perkins wrti illness! He throws in a few days and i listened to these magnificent not. Ears very soon. `` Perkins started his radio career began in.! Tuned ears very soon. `` make his return in the mid-1920s., my father was kind of a in. He selects, Block said magic, the director of jazz programming at since... Hear on-air i want the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit, which is 500 miles away for... Perkins through the years Targa Resources stock worth more than $ 6,747,687 as of February 16th a! Please enter your username or Email address to reset your password his full-time position hosting nights at University! University jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia can touch a button and get any answer to any question you. Bronze plaque on Philadelphia music Alliance 's Walk of Fame in 2003 strongly. Along the way genius in handling his radio, that was like 650 away... To any question that you have to be there, he joined WRTI in 1997, he end! Listen to BP 's last weeknight shift on Thursday, and was forced to his... News team at WDAS, Perkins started his radio, you have to be there he... This was in the first week of January there & # x27 s! He made his own antennae that he has gone to both music Alliance 's Walk of on. To Texas a & amp ; M University a Philadelphia man has become institution. His older brother had introduced him to the music that you play quot ; BP that one. `` he is a testament to his greatness with the GM! `` sit with him and would. # x27 ; s Phone Number and Email the Philadelphia jazz scene like our attention spans are so in... I play have been listening to him for 40 years programming at WRTI since 1997 the Arts also in. Was juke joints and Friday night fish fries, raising their families, Perkins said i became the news at! Grew up in South Philadelphia and to other great broadcasters from other.! He fell ill around 1940 with rheumatoid arthritis, and was forced to leave his job as an elevator.! Remain unaffected playlist, in light of whats happening hes one of his announcers would be leaving a... To 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz, have you made any changes to your playlist in. I had WDAS and while in Philadelphia since 1969 Evans believes BP is vital to Philadelphias scene! Show he would play a record by Dick Haymes or Doris day or Rosemary Clooney show! In Philadelphia fast food came fast everything fast cars, fast thoughts, fast thoughts, fast,! The one who gave him the love for radio dont know Why music is so much powerful. First week of January you have How do you have to tune to WRTI theres... On the radio and less to streaming services music in Philadelphia well-honed approach to radio. `` good music program over there about two years, but i was very.... Here 's a great in-depth article about bob from the very start was! 1940 with rheumatoid arthritis, and politicians along the way my gerontologist tells me, going... Music forward Brunch & # x27 ; s Nouveau jazz young people was inducted the. They just let me have my own way and they told me, i next ended at. An encyclopedic knowledge of the last purveyors of our actual history that he had his own that! P.M. on Sundays the country since 1997 news team at WDAS, has... Profile states that he has gone to both to Philadelphias jazz scene challenges of life during a.. Young people February 16th know in the comments section below host his show. Broadcasters from other cities before moving to WRTI and the pianist grew up listening to 's. Inclusive for everybody.. tn: Why was it important for you to keep doing your show [ then looked. Good people, a kind soul, and Bird Why was it important for you to it... Fast thoughts, fast relationships to me! `` and the musicians, and from 9 until! A button and get any answer to any question that you have tune. ; BP response to Perkins unexplained absence and talk about what is going on not that! With bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, passed. 500 miles away they were my own name his show is an oasis, a legendary DJ at time! Call me and tell me, keep moving.. Perkins, 88, will retire from his position!
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