We all had to start somewhere. In April of 1965, I was 14 and living in North Carolina. I was studying to take the test for my Third Class Radiotelephone License. I was oblivious to the revolution taking place in Los Angeles, California at that very moment. This clip includes Robert W. Morgan and the Real Don Steele, and was recorded during the very first week of “Boss Radio”. Note the promo that encourages listeners to tune to KFWB and KRLA for “examples of pre-boss radio”.
This clip spotlights the “93KHJ Boss Radio Sneak Preview”. Morgan seems somewhat distracted – at one point, he quips he “almost blew our boss” during a botched live spot. Note that even then, the Real Don Steele is as real as ever. This had to be a wonderful and memorable time for these guys – I wonder if they had any idea that what they were doing would change the sound of “Top 40” forever?
My copy of this treasure might have survived better on a 78 RPM acetate. It is “authentic analog”, it’s a classic, and it belongs here, complete with the high frequency splatter inherent with decade old transfers on misaligned tape machines with less-than-optimal bias settings. Enjoy.