Dear "Bill-o-phonic Bill"
Actually Dick Clark left us with Joe Grady and Ed Hurst at Steel Pier. The
"Geator" was an upstart compared to them.
Philadelphia Personality Radio was one of the trendsetters in the US and
very famous.
People such as "Lloyd Fatman", Jerry Blavat (whom I first heard on WHAT-AM),
WDAS-AM's "Jocko" Henderson, and Georgie Woods ("The Guy With the Goods",
and early host of rock and roll marathon shows at the Uptown Theater), Jimmy
Bishop ("The Bishop of Soul", who took over from Georgie Woods at DAS and
the Uptown) and even Louise Williams were imitated on Wibbage (WIBG) and
WFIL Famous 56.
Hy Lit, Joe Niagara, Bill Wright Sr. and Jerry Stevens on Wibbage ("The Good
Guys") and "The Boss Jocks" Dr. Don Rose, Jim Nettleton, Dick Covington and
Jim O'Brien (later Weatherman on WPVI Action News) on WFIL Famous 56 were
inspired by the aforementioned radio personalities.
R & B and Rock and Roll Radio gained early fame in Philadelphia. We were
early radio and TV pioneers. Even down to "The Little Rascals" shown on
Channel 12 during the late 50's featuring "Uncle" Pete Boyle, father of the
screen actor Peter Boyle who grew up at 50th & Osage Ave.
In 1948 there were only two CBS stations in the country; WCBS-Channel 2 NY,
and WCAU-Channel 10, Philadelphia. I still get confused about which is CBS
or NBC even though Channel 3 has been KYW-TV for quite a while instead of
WRCV AND although I was born after American Bandstand began on Channel 6
(WFIL)
Philly Radio set the standard for Personality Radio around the country.
Unfortunately Personality Radio has been replaced by Corporate Format Radio,
except for rare Independent Stations. Now everything everywhere sounds the
same.
Perhaps you are correct about the self-effacing mentality, but our
contributions should not be brushed aside so quickly.
"O-neh Tribal Members",
Wilma
On 1/3/05 11:49 AM, "William H. Magill" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On 02 Jan, 2005, at 12:24, Wilma de Soto wrote:
>> Still, isn't there something to be said about saving these places
>> where so
>> many greats played? Also, I feel the "Philadelphia Inferiority
>> Syndrome"
>> has contributed to the de-valuing and lack of marketing these
>> historical
>> musical treasures, don't you think?
>>
>> I still wince when I think that "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" is in
>> Cleveland, Ohio (near where I went to college and a city that promotes
>> anything that moves), instead of Philadelphia. What's wrong with this
>> picture?
>
> Dick Clark moved to Hollywood and left us with Jerry Blavat!
>
> Now, Jerry is a tremendous guy and all that, but he didn't have the
> following
> that even "Hisky" (Hyski-O-Roonie-McVouty-O-Zoot) had ... and neither
> matched
> "The Rockin' Bird," Joe Niagara. [At the time both were at WIBG while
> Jerry
> was at WCAM.] But the problem was, all three were strictly "local
> talent,"
> and radio to boot. Jerry tried to make the transition to Television
> with his
> "Discophonic Scene", but it simply never caught on.
>
> ... and besides, by then (mid 1960's), the "pop music" world had moved
> to LA.
>
> (Interestingly a "google search" for "geeter with the heater" yields up
> a DJ for Radio 1 - who, in the UK in 1967, apparently adopted Blavat's
> moniker "The "Geator with the Heater," the "Boss with the Hot Sauce"
> with his patter: "I am the Emperor....the geeter with the heater...")
>
> It has been said many times by many different pundits --
> "Philadelphia suffers greatly from its self-effacing Quaker heritage."
>
> As I recall, Philadelphia never even "bid" on hosting "The Rock and Roll
> Hall of Fame." (Or if it did, it was a typical "well, we have to do
> this,
> but we don't really believe in it" kind of bids.)
>
> Even the Philadelphia Orchestra survives without much in the way of
> Community Support. It is far better known and held in much higher esteem
> virtually anywhere else around the world than in its home city.
>
> One wonders how many on this list even know "The Sound of Philadelphia?"
> -- EITHER version ... Stokowski's or Gamble and Huff's.
>
> Philadelphia's musical tradition is deep and broad ... or at least it
> was.
> http://www.philadelphiamusicalliance.com/
>
>
> [American Bandstand started with Bob Horn in 1952 on WFIL-TV. It was
> broadcast 5 days a week from the WFIL Studios, adjacent to the Arena,
> at 46th and Market Streets. Dick Clark took over in 1956 and Bandstand
> went nationwide, broadcast daily on ABC beginning in 1957, until Clark
> moved it to California and cut it back to one day a week in 1964.
> During its stint in Philadelphia, Bandstand virtually dictated the
> "tastes"
> for pop music and dance across the country!]
>
>
> T.T.F.N.
> William H. Magill
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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