I knew that people kind of liked my music. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. But you try to always put that best music forward. Every Saturday, I was there.. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote in 2019. About to host his talk show on WDAS in the mid '70s. He said yesand hes been here ever since. (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. I guess along with fast food came fast everything fast cars, fast thoughts, fast relationships. You can never know. 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. 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. People know what is going on. People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? BP: Yes, it really did. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. I was a war baby. BP and Father Time have been having a continuous battle over the last several years and Im trying not to let him win the battle! Fivedays a week, on WRTI, BP with the GM (thats Bob Perkins with the Good Music), plays jazz with a connoisseurs ear and an infectious sense of joy. 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. WRTI's legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88 For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. I like melody. He grew up in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a child. After 58 years of working in broadcast radio, Philadelphias Bob Perkins will lay down his microphone by the end of this month. Since his Bloomberg profile states that he has gone to both . announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April, California residents do not sell my data request. Previously, Bob was a Board Member at Jazz Bridge and also held positions at Data Site, Unisys, WDAS Fm. [citation needed], Perkins started his radio career in Detroit over five years, from 1964 to 1969. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. 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. Radio was drilled in my head.. 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. WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? You had to wear earphones to hear whatever stations you were lucky enough to hear that would come through. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. 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. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Joe Bob Perkins: Table of Contents show. 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. I think I have some wisdom to impart.. 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. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? Scroll down to see recent playlists. I did what I could, he told The Inquirer in 2020, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. He currently hosts from 6-9pm Monday through Thursday, and from . Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. - regular airs Philadelphia Youth. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. Mr. Perkins in 2006. Maybe its one of the high points in their life.". Maybe were getting back to that today. 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. 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 was weaned on radio. WRTI, which broadcasts classical music from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. each day, and jazz from 6 p.m.-6 a.m. - What would I do without Bobbi Booker as my gentle alarm clock? A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997, helping to establish the station as one of the countrys leading jazz music broadcasters. July 1, 2022. My dad was my radio school, the 86-year-old remembered. WRTI (90.1 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, . Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. I told the general manager about the job offer I had just received from the insurance company, and he replied, Take whichever job comes first., The general manager called me a couple days later and offered me the job, he said. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. 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!. "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. What makes Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: he was there. Targa Resources 20 years . 1101 W. Montgomery Avenue From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. Meaning "Bob Perkins with the good music. Bob Perkins, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI, spun everything from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. How is someone out there feeling? 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. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. Fifty-seven years after his voice first graced the airwaves, Perkins, best-known for his weeknight jazz show at WRTI, is entering semi-retirement after 25 years at the station. 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. Box 18869, Philadelphia, PA 19119 - Phone (215) 848-7864 - Fax (215) 848-7893 He has attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Gerald Ford's and one of Jimmy Carter's. "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.. We had great announcers back then. Bell Building I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. 2/17/2019. 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 . 27206. I lived on the same block as the famous Heath Brothers in South Philadelphia growing up, he said. Lets sit around and gab, whatever the case may be. I'm thrilled he'll continue to host Sunday Jazz Brunch after he retires, because we all need some GM (good music) with our toast and jam!". I always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. Perkins spoke about the evolution of radio. Ive been in radio for about 55 years and in Philadelphia for 50 years. They don't think that it's accessible to younger people. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 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. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. 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. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? 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. I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. 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. We spoke with him about his show, the power of radio and the beauty of jazz. 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. I try to ameliorate that and take the rough edges off if I can, with the music. Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College. 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. 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. Classical music and jazz public media. The Philadelphia Sunday SUN - P.O. He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. Temple Now: How do you choose the music that you play? 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 . Maureen Malloy, the director of jazz programming at WRTI, says there was an insane amount of listener response to Perkins unexplained absence. 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. Music, said BP about the GM. 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