The Ron Brandon Collection
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In the tenth grade in Memphis, Tennessee, I elected to take a course in "radio" (it was that or bookkeeping, tough choice). Turned out that the FCC inspector came to town four times yearly to administer tests for various licenses. In order to get out of school, we would always take a test. Got a ham, second class telegraph, and first phone licenses before graduating high school. Then a fellow from WTUP in Tupelo, Mississippi called and wanted to know if I would be their engineer (all stations had to have first phones in those days). Sure, why not. He let me run the board, and eventually play some top 40 at odd hours.
For you Elvis fans... when Elvis came back to Tupelo in '56 to play a concert at the fairgrounds.. I was in control of a one-track Magnecorder (who remembers those?) and the interviews with Elvis, and his mom and dad on that 50th anniversary album were recorded by me. When showtime rolled around, novice that I was, I asked the RCA man if I could record the show. He, of course, said Hell no!. So I shoved the recorder under the stage, snaked a mike out in front of the speaker, and recorded it. When Elvis' mom died, I sent him a copy of the tape, and RCA found it in the closet at Graceland after his death — and that's the concert you hear on the album. History! On to WMOC in Chattanooga for six months, then to WNOE in New Orleans. What a thrill working 9p-1a at a top-40 of that era that covered three states at night! And the road unfolded: BIG WAYS in Charlotte — a truly legendary station working with Jack Gale, J.J. Jeffrey, and Long John Silver. WLEE Richmond for my first taste of programming, and I hosted a weekly dance party on WTVR-TV6 and promoted concerts (Hendrix, Supremes, Chicago, The Who, etc). I was PD at WGOW Chattanooga when Ted Turner owned it, and spent some time at WSAI/WJDJ Cincinnati, one of the "DJ" stations. And it was while I was at WORD in Spartanburg S.C. I bought a "tip sheet" — Southern Music Survey from Dick Reus — for $1000. It was started by Paul Drew; Dick wanted to sell and get into record promotion. I had the sheet (Radio Music Report) for about six years, moved to Atlanta, and had about a dozen conventions. I got to know a lot of great people, like Scott Shannon, Ole Bear Davenport, Charlie Minor, John Long and others. The magazine failed in the depression of 1980, and it was back to radio for a living, first at WCAW/V100 in Charleston, WV, and then WGRD Grand Rapids, MI, plus an effort as GM at a couple of stations. Burnout, and the advent of consultants, rigid formats and playlists, etc. wrote it on the wall for me. I "retired" to Charleston, SC and got into the nightclub biz some 12 years ago. Still active as ham (N4AH) and play a lot of golf. |
[Description by Uncle Ricky]This ambitious composite of San Diego’s legendary KCBQ includes segments ranging from 1958 through 1978, and not necessarily in chronological order.
It was originally created for Ultimate Radio Bootleg Vol. I (1978), compiled and edited by Jimi Fox and Phil Flowers, and produced by Jimi Fox (former PD of KCBQ, VP of national promotion for Mercury records, and now a world-champion orchid grower.)
Included, bits and pieces (some previously featured in earlier Repository exhibits) from Jack Vincent, Happy Hare, Scotty Day, Lee “Babi” Simms, Bobby Ocean, Chuck Browning, Shotgun Tom Kelly, Rich Brother Robbin, Magic Christian, Dave Conley, Phil Flowers, Peter May, Charlie Tuna, Jack McCoy, Bill Moffat, Tony Evans, Paul Bloom, Charlie & Harrigan,
Wolfman Jack, Steve Goddard, Tony Maddox, Beaver Cleaver, and others.
It was great to receive this contribution from Ron Brandon.
Though I grew up in North Carolina listening to BIG WAYS, I was long gone
by the time of Murphy in the Morning in the late ’70’s.This aircheck features a Pass The Loot segment, disclaimed for any similarity to a nearby religious broadcasting empire-to-be. (The PTL Club was at the time headed by the yet-to-be-infamous Jim & Tammy Fae Bakker.)
The presentation (GOOD MORNING AMERICA) that included this aircheck, originally featured on Ultimate Radio Bootleg Volume 2, was compiled by Steve Greenberg,
Billy Brill, Scott Shannon, Paul Sebastian and Jimi Fox.
[Description by Uncle Ricky]This outstanding exhibit features airchecks of Superjock Larry Lujack on KJR, WLS and WCFL, and excerpts of an interview with Tom Snyder. Repository Contributor Michael Hagerty
says the Snyder Interview is from 1975.
This is one of the most entertaining Lujack composites I’ve ever heard. There’s
some rare silliness with WLS newsgod Lyle Dean and a classic blooper
when the engineer plugs in the wrong song! We are also treated to a WLS “Barnyard
Report” (with real cattle prices), a couple of great Klunk letters on Super CFL and some fine finale fidelity.
This feature was originally created for Ultimate Radio Bootleg Volume 2 (1979) and compiled by Chuck Martin, Steve Goddard and Jimi Fox, and engineered by Steve Goddard at Piece-Meal Studios.
[Description by Uncle Ricky]
We’d never heard Dick Purtan on CKLW until this aircheck provided by Ron Brandon from ULTIMATE RADIO BOOTLEG VOL III, but this is fun to hear and a reminder of a time when people would say, “are we on the radio?”
Terrence McKeever is part of the KHJ morning show, and Rick Dees is very, very funny (and a lot younger) in this classic selection from ULTIMATE RADIO BOOTLEG VOL III.
What ever happened to Crazy Dave Otto? This aircheck from ULTIMATE RADIO BOOTLEG VOL III leads us to believe that KOPA in Scottsdale, Arizona was hot stuff in 1979.
WRJZ, Knoxville, Tennessee, circa 1979, programmed by Bob Kaghan.
This is an outstanding composite. It is produced
so well and the air talent is so good that it ranks as one of the most enjoyable composites of this generation of Top 40 that we have ever heard.
Includes: some super production, and: C.P. & Walker, Rick Kirk, J.J. Scott, John Wood, Adelle, and Mark Thompson.
but in 1963, he played the tops of the pops at legendary WNOE in New Orleans,
Louisiana.
World Class Hybridizer Jimi Fox Produced, Edited and Engineered the Ultimate
Radio Bootleg Volume III album. This aircheck was part of a “THREE B” feature that included Kent Burkhart, Brandon, and Buzz Bennett.
This composite of 1979 KHJ Bobby Ocean production and airchecks
was compiled by Chuck Martin, Steve Goddard and Jimi Fox
for ULTIMATE RADIO BOOTLEG VOL. 2.