You know, we’ve been hoping to collect WHBQ airchecks like this – but who’s complaining? Karl Phillips sent us a ton of reels and most are of WQXI Atlanta, so we may end up with the largest repository of ‘Quicksie’ airchecks in the world!
Simon Train (Trane?) was apparently the morning man during this period – late Summer 1969. I’d say he’s not typical of most morning guys, but perhaps it was typical for WQXI. Compare this with Gary McKee’s morning show on WQXI from 1973… any similarities?
As with our other Karl Phillips, this one was delivered on reel. As I did most of the work for this one away from my home studio, I haven’t had a chance to photograph the source reel – will fix that soon!
Loading ...
This guy is pretty good…especially considering the circumstances in which he came to WOXI…he replaced Pat Hughes, who died suddenly that year, of complications from diabetes.
Paul’s comments are pretty much on the money as I remember it. I started working at WQXI shortly after Pat Hughes passed away, so I never got to meet him. I started right before Simon Trane joined us so I did get to work with and “hang” a little with him. His delivery was very different from the “fast talkin” guys and his sense of humor “off air” was as dry and unique as his on air persona. I thought he was very different and funny. After I left Quixie to go into the Navy and over to American Forces Radio Iceland -I believe that Simon went to WRC in DC.
Simon Train is my father; his real name is Edwin Ray Hastings. Apparantly he sometimes used the radio name “Eddy Ray” as well.
After Atlanta he moved to Florida and switched to country music. He worked at several radio stations in FL such as WSWN, WIRK, and WHEW before retiring about a decade ago.
He has suffered several strokes and other health problems over the last few years and is not well, but if you have any questions / want to get any information about him drop me an email and Ill try to get it out of him.
Thanx!
Ed,
Just a note from a fan of your Dad. I remember listening to Simon “Night Train”
Lane on WQXI back in the 60s. Back then I wanted to be in broadcasting when I
grew up. I would call the request line and ask the jocks to give me advice.
“Night Train” was both friendly and helpful, a mentor of sorts I guess.
I am sorry to hear of his problems, especially knowing the happiness he
brought to countless others.
Best Regards,
Roger
Ed,
I’m just now reading your comment about your father. I’ve recently come across some old tape of him as Simon Trane at KAKC in Tulsa. He sounded great doing the morning show there in 1972. It was my understanding that he went on to Washington DC for a run there.
I currently work for the ABC Radio Networks in Dallas and have had some old tapes I made of KAKC burned onto CD. Let me know if you have any interest.
Thanks!
Hi Ed:
Very sorry to hear about your dad. We have some bios and airchecks of him at http://www.98wrc.com The site is currently offline while we give it a fresh look. It’ll be back up fully on July 5th as we celebrate 6 years on the web.
He was a true perfectionist on the air. I enjoyed working with him.
If ou get a chance please check it out and if there are any corrections or additions we’ll be more than happy to update any info.
-skip
Please pass this onto Ed Hastings.
Ed, I first met your dad, Simon Train, back in February, 1978, when he was the PD for WSWN, Belle Glade. I can still remember pulling into the parking area where this mobile home type structure sitting off of a state road in a corn field or some sort of agriculture area. I walked in and found him to be the only person in the station at 3:00 in the afternoon. I spoke to him about possible air work at the station, at the time I had worked part time at a few stations. He told me to perform a live air check on the station and let him know how I felt. I have worked at many radio stations during my 30 plus years of experience and no one before or since that time has ever asked me to do a live air check. Before I walked into that station I never had any interest in country music, after working there for just a short while, I was converted to country music, and Simon Train had something to do with it, though he doesn’t know that. I have tried numerous times to get in touch with him over the past decade or so, but lost track of him. The last I heard he was living in Ft. Myers, Fl. Today, I host and produce a three hour weekly specialty radio program on a public alternative (not an NPR affiliate) station in Connecticut, “Country Classics”. Please give my regards to your Dad, they just don’t make’m like him anymore when it comes to radio D.J’s. I miss him.
Regards,
Steve Brewer
I live in Orlando, Florida now, but I remember listening to Edwin Hastings (Simon Trane)as a teenager in Atlanta on WQXI, I was 17 in 1969 and I did enjoy listening to him very much, I am sorry to hear about his health problems. It is amazing to me that I can remember who I used to listen on the radio 40 years ago, but I can’t seem to remember where I put my glasses when I wake up in the morning, but I guess that’s another issue!
Larry.
Steve -> Yes, he did live in Ft Myers for several years; he worked at WMYR/WHEW for a long time. He eventually retired and ran events for the Ft. Myers Civic Center, until his strokes. This was all years after I flew the nest; I was only still living at home the first couple of years of Ft Myers. Before that he was at WIRK in West Palm, and before that he was at WSWN in Belle Glade (and so was my grandmother for awhile, Minnie). He had met my mom, who was from up the road at Pahokee and settled down in the area.
I’m fuzzy on what he did immediately before WSWN as he wasn’t prone to talking about his past. I only knew he had worked in Atlanta at some point because my mother went to college there and had listened to him on the radio, years before she met and married him in Florida. Pre-Atlanta and maybe post I think he worked some in the Midwest; he was from Missouri originally, but in what capacity I don’t know. There is a gap between Atlanta and Florida of a number of years, in which he very well may have worked in DC. He got around a lot, my dad
My mom moved my dad to a nursing home in Williston, Florida years ago and lives nearby with a sister.
Your air-check story sounds a lot like my dad -> he was nothing if not unconventional.
I stumbled across this website after speaking with a coworker about broadcasting. I had mentioned that my uncle and grandmother worked in the field and he seemed to remember Uncle Simon. He had worked some in Tennessee. I was surprised to find that this was, in fact about him. Ed, I have lost track of you for quite some time but would love to hear from you. Are you still on the West Coast?