From New Contributor Stewart Tick, here’s an early 70s show that became a classic and was the genesis for WCBS-FM’s “Do Wop Shop” which ran for nearly 30 years on 101.1.
Writes Stewart Tick:
l vocal groups, and featuring many of the more obscure and offbeat doo-wop records that had been played by DJs like Alan Freed and Alan Fredericks in the New York area. (I suppose this was probably mostly an attempt to provide an alternative to the national Billboard-chart Top 40 oldies that WOR-FM was playing in their regular format then.) In ’71, Gossert switched to WPIX-FM and expanded his show to Saturday night as well as Sunday. His mellow and laid-back “FM rock DJ” approach contrated sharply with the Top 40 format of WPIX at that time. Then in early ’72, Gossert suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the New York airwaves, never to return – despite having a huge local following. (I heard several rumors about what had happened to him, but noone I’ve spoken to seems to know for sure.)
Of course, the audience for a weekend doo-wop show was picked up by WCBS-FM again in ’73 or so, at first by Norm N. Nite with his sunday night “Nite Train” show. When Norm left for WNBC in ’75, Don K. Reed took over on Sunday nights, and the name was changed to the “Doo-Wop Shop”, which it remained until the show was cancelled in 2002.
wow would love to have a copy of those 22 doo wop tunes…on vinyl, for only 5.00 LOL…fantastic…
Gus had this show on WCBS FM 101.1 also. His tag line was ” WCBS FM tell a friend “. He went to WPIX after his CBS stint. I remember him saying on the air that he did not always give out the names of songs because of everyone recording his shows and he attributed that to his cancelation from CBS. He also had a series of DOO-WOP SHOWS at the Academy of Music on 14th st in NYC. I attended all the shows and until recently I had all the programs from them. The shows were sponsored by Rock Magazine which was located at 68 Seventh Ave in manhattan. I can still remember my first visit to them for the first show ever and walking in to a one room messy office and asking for tickets. They could not find anything in there.
Gus was more than a friend!!I went to Hawaii with him and his bets
! Anita. I love you Gus wherever you are get in touch,Lizzy
I know you know me!!You had a parachute over your bed!!Lizzy
Had a apartment in Greenwich Village!!Moon!!Love you LIZZY
The basic question is, what and where were the circumstances of his demise. Was there ever a serious investigation why he suddenly. Left the air in NYC and what happened with the shooting? Why all the mystery and the lack of any real journalism on this?
Gus got canned. We were listening to his show one night. He was loaded, stoned or whatever. He kept playing Horse with no name over and over. He locked himself in the studio and they had to break down the door. It was funny to listen to at the time. We use to always talk about it. Sad when I think about it now
I’m completely amazed to see this make the rounds. This aircheck is from one of my father’s reel to reel tapes from 1971 recorded off of WPIX. I have a few more hours of footage. I’m not angry at all, but I would like my father to get the credit for making this possible because he’s the one that recorded this in his apartment in Bayonne, NJ, back in 1971.
PJ, Good afternoon. I am Lance from Central NJ and catch your show on WOLD Woodbridge NJ. I was wondering since I saw your reply you may know the answer to my post about which stations did Gus Gossert work at and the years he was at each ? Keep those doowop and oldies spinning !
Oh, OK – I had no idea where this aircheck came from originally ! I got this from another oldies collector. (He never said where he got it from, so I figured maybe he recorded it himself.)
Would anybody know which of the radio stations Gus Gossert worked at and the years he was there ?
Hi Lance. I know, for sure, he was on WCBS from late ’69 until at least 1970, and possibly 1971. Over the years I’ve found quite a few more airchecks, including him doing a daypart on CBS playing contemporary rock. Around 71 he moved over to PIX. I heard that he ended up on a station in Tennessee after he left NY, and he was on quite a few on the West Coast before coming to NY, but I don’t have any more details than that.
I’m honored to know you listen to “Story Untold.” I should load some airchecks up here for fun.