Webmaster note: This aircheck came to us in three parts. For the sake of presentation, I combined all three into one single aircheck for your listening enjoyment. – Steve West
Description by Contributor:
These recordings of Dr. Bop are extremely rare and except for your site, I have never found one on any other air check site. Just a little background in case you are unaware, Dr. Bop was a local Milwaukee African-American deejay who was a mainstay on WAWA-AM and FM for many years during the 60’s and 70’s. WAWA was a small local station that was aimed at the black community but became a “cult favorite” of mainstream suburban white kids (like myself) who enjoyed the soul music sound. His real name was Hoyt Locke and he died in 1976.
The Dr. Bop Intro MP3 is basically Bop launching into one of his famous poetic monologues he was famous for. The Dr. Bop Master MP3 file is a long clip from one of his shows during which he was interviewing a black soul group called “The Mark IV” who were appearing at a local black lounge. I know that the songs played during air checks are usually cut out as the focus is on the DJ himself, however I left them unaltered in these files as Bop was famous for his “talking-over” songs while they played.
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A good friend of mine back in the 59-62 time frame, Earl Gissing (aka Gil Gissing), with whom I worked at WKEI in Kewanee, IL (home town) got a job at WAWA in West Allis as the news director. He told me being the only white guy on the staff at the time didn’t bother him or the staff at all and he loved working there. Given the social problems and attitudes of the times, I found that refreshing to hear. I was hoping to perhaps hear a little of him on this A/C but I couldn’t get the links to work and the “sample” is only a few seconds long. Ah, well…
Lyle, what links can you not get to work? This aircheck runs over 15 minutes total and you should be able to hear the whole thing. It works on my phone…
Thanks for getting this up so quickly Steve. Everything working fine on my end. Only issue I see is that you have my first name listed as “Steve”.
oh… oops I’m sorry will fix right away!
In Milwaukee, what you hear in the beginning was “the Dr. Bop rap” and was played every day at 4pm when his show began. Dr. Bop had many trademarks: cutting the mike off early, “tonight, tonight, tonight” and talking over records….a little! 😉
Still, kids did listen to Dr. Bop. Bop and (a very young) Tex Meyer (1340-WRIT) would always trade barbs – always friendly/kidding.
Bop had a hand in quelling Milwaukee’s riots in ’67. Documented in the Milwaukee Journal of that time.
When he passed away, untimely, WAWA still played the “Dr.Bop rap” until requested by the family to remove it. Still, though, I can remember people calling and crying that they could call Dr.Bop and talk and there was that listener connection. Callers crying was not uncommon.
The jingles used were PAMS “Gettin’ It Together” package.
Thanks. It was so good to hear Bop again after 40 years. From ’70 to ’73 I had a weekend job there as the kid radio engineer and also read news headlines as Jim Cook. What a happy man! He loved sitting there with the big fat brown head phones and slamming the mic switch on and off. Usually on Saturdays Phil Anderson spun the disks and Bop sat in the big studio sized anounce booth, “work’n it”. “Jim Cook, Jim Cook turn up the power, turn up the transmitter…(mic on)…I’m the best that ever did it and got away with i…(mic off)…t. Turn it up!” We turned the speakers and the headphones up into the red and he hooped and whohooed and danced his feet, barely still in the chair and the headphones danced on his ears. What a wonderful man. jb
I was 12 years old when we moved to the ethnic (German & Polish)southside of Milwaukee from Detroit. It was for the commute convenience of my Pops to work at the airport for the FAA. I HATED being an all-white neighborhood and WAWA was my connection to the black community with one and only Dr. Bop. I HATED how he talked through the songs, but I enjoy hearing him now! “…oh really!”
Thank You!!! Too many back in the day thoughts going through my mind.
I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Bop. He lived on 20 th st.. in Milwaukee , I had worked next door doing a job, he came out the back door from his house wearing all white along with a white brim hat. His car also was all white with white leather interior. I was in my teens at the time and listen to his radio station wawa. He gave me a tour of his basement where he had hundreds and hundreds of 45s on racks. I am just grateful for that time in my life that l can cherish those memories.
Greatest DJ of all times no doubt my man the good doing doc
The Good-Doin’ Dr. Locke was kind enough to let me spend almost 3 hours in the WAWA studio… November 1968. We talked about Black Power in Milwaukee, the great divide that still divides us, and music. An incredible day for a mixed 17 year old kid living in Waukesha. I currently play in The Dr. Bop Memorial Jam Band. I am the onliest member, but we play old time blues with a Dr. Bop flourish.
WAWA was a guilty pleasure for a soul music loving white kid in the early 60’s. Dr. Bop was the DJ to listen to. My favorite routine was his; There ain’t nothin to it the way I do it, I do it so fine each and every time , ’cause I’m qualified. He did it fast and it took a while to learn it but 50 years later it’s still with me.
I had a big radio in my room I would listen to WAWA from the time I came home school and when I went to bed I would put it really low and fall a sleep till the next day that was in 1967 and on till the end
How now brown cow the Dr. Bop show is on the air. Or
I’m a stone lover and an ex golden glover, I should have been triplets, because no cat should be so cool.
Pretty good memory. Actual quote was “I’m a stone lover and ex-golden glover, I’m a chic chaser and a money waster, I really should have been twins, cause it’s unfair for one cat to be so cool.”
I liked Dr.Bop because on his show he had you can iron while you earn that time of the show he was giving away money for you being the nineth caller.
I was I was 8 years old back in 1961 I use to sit in my grandfathers bedroom Turing the radio dial to 1590 tryin to find it. when the sun went down wawa when off…then I got a little older and F.M. came along I kept a transistor radio and a couple of spare batteries a young brother had to stay prepared lol it was o.c white, Dr Bob and chuck smith. I remember when the Place Down Under Opened ..I was so much fun I had just graduated from Rufus King High School . those were some fun days
What a treat to listen to Br. Bop again. I remember getting out of high school and the radio dial went right to AM1590 for the drive home.
I mention Dr. Bop in my bio on Sam Cooke, One More River to Cross :The Redemption of Sam Cooke. Listened on the way to school, remember he’d play a song 3x if he liked it. “How now brown cow. Dr. Bop Show on the air. Mr. Fine everywhere! “
Dr. Horaio Bop had a famous one-liner he would occasionally put on air…..’From Waukesha to Arkansas……from Whitefish to Cudahy…the Dr,Bop show knows no race,no creed,no colour”……..WAWA-AM WestAllis/WAWA-FM Milwaukee!
CORRECTION……Whitefish Bay…….
WAWA 1590 The best radio station and D J the city of Milwaukee ever had and will ever have, Dr Bop always said like it should be said and told it like it was. As Dr Bop always said I got a rap so neat it can’t be beat with a lov makin so strong it makes the best of women do wrong.
Remembering this great radio. He was a keeper. Little Artie was his hero.
So fine every time. Really@
If you were a white kid in the early 60’s and into soul and R&B,the only station you listened to was WAWA and especially the Dr. Bop show. I remember going to Milwaukee auditorium the see Bobby Bland little Jr. Parker. We were the only white kids there. Dr. Bop and O C White were the announcers. No problems at all. A night I will always remember and that was in 1963. Thanks for these sound checks. Brings back a lot of good memories!