Your cart is currently empty!
Tag: WWRL
Vaughn Harper, 107.5 WBLS New York | November 1980
Nicknamed “The Velvet Voice,” Vaughn Harper was a major pioneer of the smooth and soulful “Quiet Storm” R&B/blues/jazz format at 107.5 WBLS that became popular at Urban stations across America in the early 1980s. Before radio, basketball was Harper’s first love. He was a fifth-round draft pick for the Detroit Pistons in 1968, but his basketball…
Sergio Dean,107.5 WBLS New York | September 1983
Sergio Dean was one of those unsung heroes of NY radio. He came to New York after programming ZBF in Bermuda. He spent almost 30 years on air in New York, with much of that time in morning or afternoon drive. He started at WWRL in the 1970s as Program Director & AM drive. He…
Frankie Crocker Tribute, 98.7 Kiss WRKS New York | October 2000
Frankie Crocker, “The Chief Rocker,” began his radio career at WUFO Buffalo, while studying pre-law at the University of Buffalo. Crocker’s smooth, on air style soon had New York City calling. Frankie took a job at New York’s R&B station, 1600 WWRL. After a few years, WMCA came calling, and Crocker did evenings there until…
Salute to American Radio, BBC Radio 1 London | July 4 1976
In the mid 1960s, there was nowhere easy for British youngsters to listen to rock ‘n’ rollers like The Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones. Commercial radio wasn’t yet an option, and the guardians of the publicly-owned British Broadcasting Corporation considered such music immoral, antisocial and unfit for public broadcast. Off shore Pirate stations…
Hot Rod Hulbert, 1340 WHAT Philadelphia | April 1954
It seems that over the years, so many of the pioneers of early R&B radio have been forgotten about. We may know the names Jocko, & Rosco, but there were so many others unique personalities of the 50s & 60s. One of those jive-talking pioneers was Maurice “Hot Rod” Hulbert. In 1949 he began his…
Gerry Bledsoe, RL16 WWRL New York | January 1 1977
R&B formatted WWRL New York featured some very big names pass through it’s doors from 1964 to 1982: Reggie Lavong, Hal Jackson, Hank Spann, Bobby Jay, Tommy Smalls, known as Dr. Jive, Eddie O’Jay, Frankie Crocker, Gary Byrd, Chuck Leonard, sportscaster Art Rust Jr. and Gerry Bledsoe. A singer & songwriter,…
