The Golden Year 1966 (0:49:34)

Unscoped

There are so many hits from 1966 (as you’ll hear in the full length songs as well as the clips from others), that this program should have run four hours! 1966 “marks” the first of several appearances by super talent Mark Elliott as host, with Bill Drake as image voice.

Ronald Reagan “takes over” California; A lot of high-flying birds are grounded; more transportation woes rock the Big Apple; The Real Don Steele “IS” number one; and what do The Monkees and Mrs. Miller have in common?

Mama Cass Elliott (no relation to Mark) tells us they weren’t quite sure what musical theatre they were a part of; Paul Revere & The Raiders broke the mold at one major record label; Terry Kirkman from The Association struggled to find the words to one of their biggest hits; Herb Alpert gives us a “taste” of how it all works; and Stevie Wonder digs deep and pulls from “experience” to generate hit after hit.

The KHJ version of THE GOLDEN YEAR: 1966

Welcome to the new ReelRadio!

This site is now operated by the North Carolina Broadcast History Museum. 

We want to thank the board of ReelRadio, Inc. for their stewardship since the passing of the founder Richard Irwin in 2018.  It has not been easy and they have maintained the exhibits for future generations to enjoy.

I met Richard Irwin, aka Uncle Ricky, when we were freshmen at East Carolina University.  We both had worked at local stations in our hometowns.  No one was more passionate about radio, especially Top 40 radio, than my friend Richard. 

Our goals with this site are to preserve the exhibits and make them available free of charge for people to enjoy.  Over time, we hope to add some airchecks to the site.  This will not happen immediately.  Time and resources will determine the future of new exhibits. 

Many thanks to the web folks at the Beasley Media Group for countless hours of work.  Again thanks to the board members of ReelRadio, Inc. for their faith in us. 

Richard Irwin’s hope was that his site would live on long after his passing. He said, “I hope REELRADIO will survive as my contribution to the ‘radio business’. The business is allowed to forget me, but the business should never forget the great era of radio that we celebrate here”.

We remember Richard and we thank him. If you enjoy this new site, we would appreciate a contribution. We hope you enjoy the new ReelRadio!

Carl Davis
Trustee
North Carolina Broadcast History Museum