My love affair with radio began when I was a kid growing up in Buffalo. By the time I was in eighth grade, I was in possession of my own radio which was ensconced in the bedroom I shared with my sister, Susan. It was so groovy listening to the cool disc jockeys on WKBW which occupied a hallowed spot on the AM dial. Danny Nevereth, Tommy Shannon, Rod Roddy, Sandy Beach and my all time favorite, Dick Biondi, owned the air waves.
They spun the latest hits and filled my evenings with their sometimes witty or slightly naughty patter and comments on the music. I really dug them—they were the coolest of the cool. They played the hits at local sock hops—and boy, was it groovy when your favorite radio DJ showed up at a dance at your high school! Only squares or dorks would pass up a chance to go that dance.
The newspaper entertainment pages were filled with stories about their exploits. One time, Dick Biondi, my most favorite of all DJs disappeared mysteriously. He was “found” several days later in Erie, Pennsylvania (not quite L.A.!) and I was so relieved when he surfaced. I had listened eagerly to his show, which had a substitute host “sitting in” each night, hoping and praying that he would soon return to the air waves. The possibility of the whole thing being a publicity stunt was investigated thoroughly by the local newspapers. Now, as an adult, I wonder about the circumstances of his “disappearance”.
Each of the DJs that I loved had his own theme song. (Women were never heard on the radio.) And I could sing almost all of them. In fact, one of them became a national hit song—it was called “Wild Weekend” by the Rebels, who were a Buffalo area band. The song was written by Tommy Shannon, the DJ whose theme song it was. The words still echo in my head. The Rebels even appeared on “American Bandstand”—wow! That was really groovy!
The other theme song I remember was the Dick Biondi’s:
/There’s a guy named Biondi-Dick Biondi/
/He’s a man you ought to know/
/He plays music on KB radio /
/On the Dick Biondi show/
Even now, I love radio—there are many entertainment options available from news to propaganda with everything in between.
But, I do miss the “home grown” stations from my youth. They had real personality and it was fun to listen to them. Now, radio stations are dominated by bland corporate-owned stations. In fact, you can go from city to city, and hear the same type of radio everywhere.
Wouldn’t it be great to tune in a station and hear a theme song and a DJ dripping with personality?
Now that would be really fab!
I love the way you take me back-back to our old Philco that was the focal point of the living room and the size of a jukebox–back to those late nights in my room in Henrietta, Ohio listening to WABC all the way from New York City. The DJ would talk about Palisades Park, a wondrous place- it must be if Freddie “Boom Boom” Canon sang a whole song about it.
Yes, I have many fond memories of Palisades Park! It was the spot of a memorable trip with my church fellowship and the site of my “first kiss” in the tunnel of love. Life was so simple back then… and WE were so innocent!
Speaking of radios, I still have my first transistor radio. It no longer works, but I can’t seem to part with it! Remember WABC and Cousin Brucey?
Transistor radios! Wow–weren’t they great–we could bring our music with us. I lived too far away to listen to WABC–but is is iconic.
I love these stories–they add so much to my blog. Palisades Park was a place I only knew of through the song–but I bet it was fun.
I too remember Pallisades Park. We were young and innocennt. The radio was always on in the kitchen. I also remember my great-aunts listening to Stella Dallas. The girl from a mining town. I remember listening to The Inner Santum under the blankets. My mother did catch my sister and me and she yelled. She was afraid that I would have night mares. I think I was more afraid of my mother than Inner Santum. Thanks I remember.
Great memories–the beginnings of one of your wonderful stories.
I too remember the radio. However I did not have my own. However due to growing up on LI we had the NYC DJs at our friday night dances. Alan Freed was the most exciting DJ to spin for us. It always amazed me later on, how famous he became and we just thought of him as one of the guys at Seaford High
Alan Freed is an icon. Funny how we remember these guys!
I do miss radio as we knew it growing up!
I do, too–radio now is a mere shadow of itself.