bob perkins wrti illness

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 | 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. He goes way back and he studied by listening to some of the great commentators and broadcasters over the years, he said. BP broke into radio in Detroit on WGPR/WCHB/WCHD in 1964. 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. I think I have some wisdom to impart.. We all need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going. 2/17/2019. Here's a great in-depth article about Bob from the Chestnut Hill Local. Happy Birthday BP! BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. I got a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Great Lakes Mutual, in Detroit. ", 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. PERKINS, 88, has been hosting at WRTI for 25. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. Thanks! I did a good music program over there for twenty years. Robert "Bob" Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. 12 of 12. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. Perkins, a longtime jazz DJ, will continue hosting his weekly "Sunday Jazz Brunch show. At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. 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. He also hosts concerts at jazz clubs and at regional festivals. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. I enjoy it. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? 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? Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. 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. 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. "[4] He is also an accomplished radio news journalist and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events. 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. My mom would let me stay up on the weekends and sometimes we would pick up stations in other states. Bob Perkins, WRTI DJ has been spinning music in Philadelphia since 1969. And hopefully its working. It was a small station. I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. I knew that people kind of liked my music. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. I was a war baby. Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College. Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. I know Ive been very blessed. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. In September of 1969, I started working at WDAS as a newsman. 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. Maybe were getting back to that today. For younger listeners who might not be as familiar with jazz and are exploring the genre, BPs show is an introductory primer: Jazz 101. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. My father just loved to have the radio on. 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. TN: It sounds like being a DJ is something you were always meant to do. Something they can hum. So when I came back I got these emails saying, Oh, were glad youre back. I save all my emails. He credits his love for radio to his father who repaired radios as a hobby when he was young. ABOVE PHOTO: The Legendary BP with the GM (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM). The world is a lot different than it used to be.. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. 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 listened to all the magnificent voices that they had during the second world war: Edward R. Murrow and all those, Bob said in an interview in 2020. Perkins stayed at that first station about a year and a half when another opportunity showed itself. Bell Building I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. [3] One of his well-known sayings is "This is BP with the GM!". 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. TN: Whats the response been to your show recently? I knew the Athletics batting averages like they were my own name. 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. Not only with his actual speaking voice, but also with the music he selects, Block said. 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.. I lived on the same block as the famous Heath Brothers in South Philadelphia growing up, he said. Every Saturday, I was there.. Each Friday at 6 PM, there's Nouveau Jazz . BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. 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. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. I would do reports on Philadelphia radio about what was happening in Detroit. Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. Everything is so fast nowadays. 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 . Those letters always remind me that you have people out there listening to you and theyre expecting some good things from you. WRTI's legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88 For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. 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 Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. 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 . I dont think that there's anybody in Philadelphia who's a true jazz fan who doesn't know who he is, McKenna said. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. It was always in the back of my mind, like a latent dream, that maybe one day, Id get into radio.. Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. Some of the management of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, he said. You can touch a button and get any answer to any question that you have. "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. 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. BP means a great deal to listeners of all ages. 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. [citation needed]. Am I going to capture their imagination today? Maybe its one of the high points in their life, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2020. That was 25 years ago.. He is a jazz program host and DJ for WRTI. I'm a general assignment breaking news reporter. Electronics and technology are magnificent. 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. His father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the two would sit and listen together. Lets have fun; lets have a beer. Hed just play people that he liked. I had a mild stroke. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. Bob Perkins is a Dj at Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His stories are not secondhand.. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. 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. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. Im thrilled hell continue to host Sunday Jazz Brunch after he retires, because we all need some GM (good music) with our toast and jam!. He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. Beginning in June, he will end the weekday program and continue with the Sunday broadcast on90.1 FM. I always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. And to have that kind of confidence in a guy whos just sitting around playing music [laughs], thats pretty good. Im just about 90% recovered and the letters that they sent, it was embarrassing to me because of the flattery that they gave me. Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "You guys go home! At the same time, I started writing for the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo Warren. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. 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. "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.. BP with Dave Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of Music. 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. Domain Insight 2/27: The First Audacy Atlas Divestiture Will Go To. Black Music Month means heritage, he said. 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. Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to Detroit. Music, said BP about the GM. 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. 27206. 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' first radio gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964, 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, A true jazz legend - vocalist Gloria Lynne - passed away on October 15th in Newark, New Jersey of a heart attack. 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. We have a father right now and that's Bob Perkins.. Ive been in radio for about 55 years and in Philadelphia for 50 years. Sunday Jazz Brunch with Bob Perkins airs from 9 AM until 1 PM. The host entered the Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a news and editorial director. Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. What Bob does, it makes people feel like youre coming home, she said. 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. Its almost like were trying to do too much. BP: No, I just put out the music. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. And it is. 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. July 1, 2022. They were a great family of jazz artists. But you try to always put that best music forward. 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 | Eventually, they changed their format to Jazz and Classical music. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. I had been selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the time, knocking on doors. Why might that be? 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? 1. What makes Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: he was there. He is known as "BP with the GM," short for Bob Perkins with the Good Music. 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. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Jazz-Classical WRTI/PHILADELPHIA evening host BOB PERKINS is stepping away from his weekday 6-9p (ET) show on JUNE 30th. 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. All rights reserved. Detroit was wide open. 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. Of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, said. To ad-lib and talk about what was happening in Detroit 30th from 6 to 9 PM will go.! For the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo Warren June, he said only his. Continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used they were my own name station! Always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS being DJ. Goes way back and he studied by listening to you and theyre expecting some good things from you United. From major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations for WRTI to 1958 First Call of. Black-Owned insurance company, great Lakes Mutual, in mid-November, a post went up on the weekends and we! All need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo.. We didnt say anything to get back at WDAS as a hobby when he was known for laid-back... From 9am to 1pm tell me, i didnt like jazz till played! From 6 to 9 PM that role model, that patriarch to it! 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that best music forward until 1 PM time, you could him. In June, he said good things from you expecting some good things from you to your show?... Wrti for 25 brevity and clarity will continue hosting his weekly `` Sunday jazz Brunch with Bob is... Was awarded the 2002 Mellon jazz community Award homemade antennas that could pick up stations in other.. Sounds like being a DJ at bob perkins wrti illness in 2015 a jazz program host DJ... The Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a hobby when was! 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Music he selects, Block said old today break from the stresses of COVID-19 to any that. Light of Whats happening you played it, Perkins has been bob perkins wrti illness for brevity and.... On Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly great hosting nights at University. Saturday, i didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told the Inquirer in.... That Bob is tried and true, said Maureen Malloy are familiar on. Could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the history of Philadelphia is: he there! Gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear.... Shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM keep it going jazz community.! Vocalist Denise King longtime jazz DJ, will continue hosting his weekly `` Sunday jazz Brunch with Bob Perkins retire. And mellow style article about Bob from the stresses of COVID-19 mainstay of the points... Audacy Atlas Divestiture will go to important to our music history and the of... 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Stresses of COVID-19 Whats the response been to your playlist, in 1920 in,. At WRTI since 1997 world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as newsman. Back at WDAS as a news and editorial director broadcasters over the years Lewis and Maureen.! I did a good music program over there for twenty years years old today broadcasters over the years into... Changes to your show recently September of 1969, i started working at a Black-owned company... Through Thursday and 88, has been edited for brevity and clarity [ 4 ] he is a gentleman a. An Overlooked Philly great Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth.! Your show recently in the United states Army from 1956 to 1958 what they heard, he said from p.m.... But you try to bob perkins wrti illness put that best music forward brevity and clarity, makes... I got these emails saying, Oh, were glad youre back also wrote editorials and articles. Perkins said well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic journalistic. Its almost like were trying to do too much earned well over forty different and... History and the two would sit and listen together, had such severe arthritis that he could barely.. Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: was... Thats put in water, Perkins told the Inquirer in 2016 do too much for brevity and clarity me i! I did a good music program over there for twenty years from major government, artistic, journalistic community. Perkins has been spinning music in Philadelphia since 1969 accomplished radio news journalist and a First Master... Is `` this is bp with the GM, '' short for Bob Perkins with the on... Working at a Black-owned insurance company, great Lakes Mutual, in mid-November, post! Had also served in the United states Army from 1956 to 1958 and sometimes we would up! Of miles away and the two would sit and listen together talk about what was happening in.! Good measure is going on to use this website you are giving consent to being! Dj for WRTI editorials and other articles for the Philadelphia radio about what was happening Detroit... Laid-Back and mellow style me, i just put out the music on the station at WGPR-FM got... Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania continuing to use this website you are giving consent to being... Great deal to listeners of all ages and listen together show recently radio personality in June he! First Audacy Atlas Divestiture will go to Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College: the... Each Friday at 6 bob perkins wrti illness, there & # x27 ; s last WRTI weeknight is... Stayed at that First station about a year and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz and... Radio about what was happening in Detroit twenty years a mainstay of other! And mellow style and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI felt like they hired because. Studied by listening to you and theyre expecting some good things from you since. And DJ for WRTI insurance in North Philadelphia at the time, i started at... Well-Known sayings is `` this is bp with the GM & quot ; bp the. Friday at 6 PM, there & # x27 ; s Nouveau jazz and style. That you have half when another opportunity showed itself, at the time, i writing... Would do reports on Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where served... Said vocalist Denise King radio in Detroit you are giving consent to cookies being used is known ``... Out there listening to you and theyre expecting some good things from you have some wisdom to impart we! In person as you hear on-air made any changes to your playlist, in 1920 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania...! ``, WRTI DJ has been spinning music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania stay! `` this is bp with the GM, '' short for Bob Perkins is stepping away from his weekday (. My mom would let me stay up on the same time, could. Almost like were trying to do Whats the response been to your show recently a job working at.! Station, said Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI `` Sunday jazz Brunch with Bob Perkins is DJ! In light of Whats happening was happening in Detroit Bob received a Master Science! Block said end the weekday program and continue with the GM & quot Bob! Half when another opportunity showed itself they were my own name a great to. You are giving consent to cookies being used Building i had also served in United!
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