The Johnny Mann Singers are still playing in between the records on 93/KHJ. This is 1972 and while Drake is on his way out, the Boss Sound is still present.
Listen now to Barry Kay, as he weaves in and out of commercials and records like a crotch rocket weaves through traffic at high speed. Its one spot, then a record, and it all seems so effortless. 1972 was not a kind year for KHJ, the station was on the verge of ending one era, and launching a new. But it does sound good to our ears, which are accustom to 6 minutes of commercials, followed by the same dozen songs heard the previous hour and the same liners said by the same under-paid voice track. Yes, it was so much better in ’72, and Barry Kay was one of the good guys we remember.
Barry’s last name is “Kaye”, not “Kay”.
The aircheck is from 1973.
The timechecks and music indicate that Barry is in afternoon drive here, so he’s already replaced The Real Don Steele (moving up from only a few weeks in 9PM-12Midnight), which means Drake was already gone (Steele followed him out the door).
And Barry (who did several years at KGB, San Diego) did very well…actually beating Steele’s fall 1972 ratings in the fall of 1973 before going home to Houston.
This is actually a composite in reverse chronological order…about halfway through (on the backsell to “Smoke On The Water”) the timechecks turn into 9-somethings…from before he replaced Steele.
The aircheck opens with a spot promoting an event on July 7th. Steele’s last show is thought to have been June 29.
Yes, that is from summer of 1973.