Who knew Danny Wright was such a hot CHR jock! Here’s a GREAT composite of a weekday featuring Dancin’ Danny Wright on Q104.3 Kansas City.
Here’s the best of the decade of big hair and fantastic jingles, courtesy of new contributor Dave Erwin!
Your task, as listeners, is to identify:
1. The jingles. Company and package.
2. Who was the program director?
3. What was the studio street address
4. (most important) – what is the exact date of this aircheck?
We await your answers below. 🙂
The date is January 15, 1985
-Jay Philpott
I have to correct the date: it’s January 14, 1985…100% sure.
Reminds me of the Danny Wright in Cleveland. When was this Danny Wright at WEBE?
He was not. My fault entirely, as I was looking at a Danny Lyons aircheck when I posted that. Sheesh. I’m too young to loose my mind already!
That Jingle Is No Other But The Q104 Customized Version Of The Infamous Hot KIIS Jingle Package From JAM Creative Productions, Incoporated.
Here, let me take a crack at this:
1): JAM’s “Hot KIIS” package
2): Pat McKay (Arrived by the Fall of 1984, left in August, 1985).
3): The Country Club Plaza Hotel (now the Marriott Plaza Hotel, I believe), Kansas City, MO.
4): Can’t give an exact date, but judging by the music and the weather forecast, I would say January or early February, 1985. Dancin’ Danny Wright came to KBEQ from WRQX/Washington, DC in September, 1984 and left for WGCL/Cleveland, OH in February, 1985.
Robyn
Update: Here is the address of KBEQ when the studios were at The Plaza.
KBEQ
Plaza Studios
4710 Pennsylvania Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64112
The station was owned by Capital Broadcasting at this point.
Robyn
I worked with Danny in Sacramento at KROY, he had just left KCBQ at that point. I know from there he went to Portland and then Seattle at 95 KJR. Cleveland must have been after this. Danny didn’t do his Country show until much later. Danny is a great personality and last I heard was doing a 2nd syndicated Country show.
I’d say Jay Philpott is on the money for the date — Danny mentions a ticket give away to see the KC Kings play the Washington Bullets. That game was on January 19, 1985. The Kings won the game 103-98. The Kings split KC after the season and moved to their present home in Sacramento.
The date was January 14th, 1985 – not the 19th.
Listen at the 3:09 mark as DDW draws a winner for “tomorrow night’s” KC Kings/Cleveland Cavaliers game (that game was played on 1-15-85; the Cavs won 116-112). He references the upcoming Saturday night game vs Washington at the 5:21 mark in a liner for a different promotion with Macy’s.
**corrected version for CAVS win**
Oh so that was the same Danny Wright. I heard Danny for the first time when I was visiting the Cleveland area on spring break (don’t ask). I had no idea he was so knew to the area. Anyway, wonder why they played Born To Run and another older record (I can’t remember the other “oldie”)
KBEQ was well known in the industry at the time for playing older hits from the 70s and 80s (and in some cases, even the late 60s!) in regular rotation. This policy was phased out by the early 90s, but it did made them stand out in an era when most major-market CHRs were current-based.
Robyn
So Who Sung The Dancin’ Danny Wright Theme Song? Vaughn B.
Hi Vaughn – I just stumbled across this site for the first time. The theme song was done by The Skatt Brothers. They had a hit called “Dancin’ For the Man” and they re-did it for me after a long night of hangin’ with the band. And I used it for many years.
DW
Seattle WA
Wow! Thanks Mr. Wright! – Vaughn B.
The timeline: Danny worked at WGCL for a couple years, until the (then-)new owner (I can’t remember who it was) flipped the station to AOR, and then to classic rock, as WNCX (30 years later, the station plays the same format and has the same calls, but is now owned by CBS Radio). After that, I recall hearing him in Akron on WKDD/96.5 (now on 98.1) and WQMX/94.9 in the same market; his Wikipedia page says he also spent a little time at WRQC/92.3 in Cleveland, but I don’t recall
He ultimately came back to Cleveland to do country, on WGAR/99.5. Really dug deep into it, and although I never listened to WGAR, I understand he did a really good job. He ended up getting laid off in 2001, as Clear Channel was downsizing at the time, and ended up doing his syndicated radio show until 2008.
He’s retired now, and living out here on the West Coast.
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Wright_(radio_personality)
I don’t recall ever hearing him on WRQC. (I wish I could just edit my previous comment)
And WGCL was sold to Metropolis Broadcasting
Hi – I don’t ck this forum every day to see if my name’s mentioned but I do get notified when there’s a new post, so …
You’re pretty much correct on all the above and I won’t go into detail. I did TWO syndicated shows – one was after Jones Radio “Danny Wright All Night” and lasted about a year. It wasn’t very successful and was just a 2 hr weekend show called “The Live Ride.” And I guess I am retired. I’m the right age, for sure – but the truth is A) there were no decent gigs for a guy my age and B) I wasn’t (and still am not) interested in moving. I received a few offers but the $$ wasn’t there and I would only consider uprooting my family for a YUUUUUUGE gig (thanks, Bernie Sanders) so, I stayed in the Northwest
It was all a bunch of fun and, yes – I miss it.
I forgot … I did mornings on WRQC (Jammin’ 92) for a bit less then a year. It was before my Akron run at WQMX and WKDD. The WRQC gig was one of the very few radio gigs I didn’t enjoy. It wasn’t horrible but just not a good fit from the beginning. Nice people, no real complaints – just not a lot of fun.
Hey Danny, liked you on G-98 years ago. I heard that Danny Wight was going to be on 107.3 a Cleveland jazz station. Was wanting to know if that’s you?
He IS the Danny Wright from WGCL/Cleveland
This IS the Danny Wright in Cleveland who worked at WGCL
Hi Bill! Been awhile … hope you’re well.
Hi Bill – yup, it’s me. Hope you’re well!