[Debut: May 26, 2002, Description by Uncle Ricky, updated May 25, 2003]

On May 25, 2003, we added an additional (partially-scoped) hour to this exhibit. It’s the first hour of the evening, recorded between 9 and 10 PM.

That’s followed by almost two hours of Bwana Johnny (d. 10-28-2005) on WWDJ (Hackensack, N.J.) in a partially ‘scoped aircheck from 10:15 PM on May 31, 1972, into June 1, 1972 at 1:00 AM. Not only did our debut presentation mark the 30th Anniversary of this broadcast, among other treats, it’s a bonanza for soft drink nostalgia. This aircheck features the top-of-the-pop May-June 1972 campaign for RC, (Ike & Tina for) Pepsi, and The Un-Cola.

In the opening minutes, this aircheck features a news report about farm labor leader Cesar E. Chavez. Then it’s Aretha, Billy Preston, Wayne Newton and Sammy Davis, Jr., then Aretha Again, some Chi-Lites and Stones, The Jimmy Castor Bunch, Commander Cody, a LOT more, and other specialized moments to remember, like a radio station with 2-unit, 2-minute stopsets.

Technical note: the original exhibit, (for which we thank John Porcaro), had a noise level only 10 db below the average program level, nothing above 8Khz, and was heavily compressed. Reducing the noise level digitally would have substantially degraded the original recording. So I did nothing with the original contribution other than to clean up some edits and add a little boost around 6KHZ (to compensate for low-bandwidth Real Audio.) The “pumping” and noise you hear is in the original. The fidelity of this exhibit is what you would expect from an “AM/FM Radio Cassette Recorder” with automatic gain control, in a noisy signal area, circa 1972, with the “treble” control wide open.