Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. Contact. I said yes, he said. For the last 25 years, hes become known for his warm, personable on-air style, extensive knowledge of jazz, and thoughtful, wide-ranging music mix. And Ive been a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with the spoken word in radio. And the only way you can make it accurate is you have to be there, he said. Hed just play people that he liked. He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. But theres something about music. This net worth approximation does not reflect any other investments that Mr. Perkins may own. This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. Am I going to capture their imagination today? WRTI. He's introduced thousands, if not millions, of listeners to this music over the course of his career, delighted young and old with his signature sound, and been a tireless advocate for jazz appreciation and education," said WRTI general manager William Johnson. Music has brought us through some very challenging times.. Perkins was honored with a bronze plaque in the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame on the citys Avenue of the Arts in 2016 and was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003, among other awards and accolades. And it is. All rights reserved. Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. On the set of his jazz cable TV show at the old Greater Media Cable in South Philly in the early '90s with guest vocalist Paula Johns. He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. Juneteenth 2022: Honoring Radio Personality Bob Perkins and Celebrating the Life & Legacy of W. Cody Anderson Temple University Libraries Join the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection and the Office of Community Affairs and Engagement for a day of celebration and remembrance. Eventually, Perkins moved to Detroit at the suggestion of his older brothers who already lived there, having moved from Philly after World War II, he said. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. You can never know. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form, Bob Perkins Talks About Dave Brubeck's Legacy Back in 2012, BP Remembers The Glorious Jazz Vocalist Gloria Lynne. I remember saying, I dont know how to write editorials. LeBaron Taylor said [to me], You take the job and if you mess up, well get somebody else. I did that for 13 years pretty good. We had great announcers back then. Mr. Perkins owns 88,692 shares of Targa Resources stock worth more than $6,747,687 as of February 16th. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. After breaking in as a DJ and announcer at WGPR-FM, he then expanded to news at WCHB-AM while also working as jazz program director for its twin, WCHD-FM. This music conjures up some beautiful memories. I dont know why music is so much more powerful than some other entity. And hopefully its working. On this show he would play a record by Dick Haymes or Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney. NPR news updates every hour. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. WRTIs legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88, Police find ancient mummy in delivery mans cooler bag in Peru, At least 36 killed after passenger and freight trains collide in Greece, Florida 19-year-old accused of killing three, including reporter, in shootings, Lori Lightfoot concedes mayors race in Chicago, European space agency pushes for lunar time zone, College students turn to influencing as new side hustle. He has been with the station since 1997. You trusted the newsperson you were listening to. I look forward to you lending me your finely tuned ears very soon.". Scroll down to see recent playlists. They were doing quite well, raising their families, Perkins said. But on the other side of the coin, technology can be very dangerous.. During his short life, he became one of the, Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. Im the only one thats doing this thing on regular radio, and I enjoy very much what Im doing, and the feedback that I get from people who enjoy it. We love your GM ("Good Music . I know Ive been very blessed. BP: Well, I still like it. Growing up in a two-bedroom rowhouse near 19th and Reed in South Philly during World War II, Bob Perkins received intimate and powerful instruction on the healing properties of radio. Not doing anything heroic. In mid-December, as he planned his return to the airwaves, Perkins was worried that some physical effects of his stroke a few fingers that werent obliging might compromise his technical performance in the control booth. The world is a lot different than it used to be.. The station, run by Temple University, plays classical music during the day and transforms in the evenings into one the countrys premier jazz music broadcasters. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. Temple Now: How do you choose the music that you play? 27206. "I look forward to the opportunity to pick up the mic at WRTI on Sundays to continue to serve all the listeners with finely-tuned ears who have said that I've helped keep jazz music alive in Philadelphia, and beyond.. Why might that be? Five days a week, on WRTI, "BP with the GM" (that's Bob Perkins with the Good Music), plays jazz with a connoisseur's ear and an infectious sense of joy. BP: It seems that way. "People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? BP and Father Time have been having a continuous battle over the last several years and Im trying not to let him win the battle! Ive met a lot of good people, a lot of entertainers, musicians, and politicians along the way. He got his first job in radio during a trip to visit his two brothers in Detroit in 1964. Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. We would listen to the great John Facenda out of Philadelphia and to other great broadcasters from other cities. It has to be accurate. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Everything is so fast nowadays. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. How is someone out there feeling? I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins wrote. My dad was my radio school, the 86-year-old remembered. Thanks! Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, she has studied piano, voice, guitar, saxophone, and music theory at Granoff and Settlement Music schools, and PCPA - now University of The Arts, and continues private instruction with her husband Leon Mitchell - composer, arranger, vocal coach, and musical director of The Philadelphia Legends of Jazz Orchestra. Music. Longtime jazz radio host Bob Perkins will retire from full-time hosting on WRTI-FM/Philadelphia in June, the public radio station of Temple University in Philadelphia announced Tuesday. BP: I dont know. And all the while, you weren't aware of ituntil that person moved away, and, During a recent interview, saxophone great Larry Mckenna was right on target when he shared that often in other cities, when people found out he was from, When a dynamic figure in any walk of life departs, writers and just plain folks, usually try to recall certain events about the departed in which they may, When I was a kid growing up in South Philly, there was an older fellow down the block who was trying to play an alto saxophone. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. I try to ameliorate that and take the rough edges off if I can, with the music. But I mimicked what I thought the great guys Id grown up with would do, and I got away with it for years.. I think it would be silly to have me programming for a jazz historian.. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. In 2007, he was recognized with a proclamation by Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. Perkins was also one of Pennsylvania's favorite night-time jazz listeners, in the Philadelphia area. ", BP going one on one with the audience shows a very strong kinship, said Craig, himself a 40-year veteran of local radio. Courtney Blue, KLN '12, hosts Late Evening Jazz, The Jazz Request Show and Nouveau Jazz Showcase. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. He wanted to share his obsession. Not really fair to the jazz side, IMO, since most people sleep 8 hours of that half, but if you hook yourself up through the website, you can get streaming of whatever . Ive been told way before I was born, people would come to our house back when my father had the first crystal radio set on the block. Visit our, Bob Perkins Retires From Fulltime Role At WRTI, Classic Country Makes The Grade In San Luis Obispo, First Listen: Spotify DJ, YouTube Radio Builder, Brooke Grimsley Joins 101 ESPNs Opening Drive, WRNQ Debuts Marino in the Morning with Marissa, Canadian Programming Vets Launch RMR Media Strategies. Perkins, 88, has been at the station since 1997 and has a media career that has spanned nearly six decades. Lovingly known as "BP with the GM" (Bob Perkins with the Good Music), BP brings you that good music just in time for dinner during your work week. Thursday marks the end of an era at 90.1 WRTI-FM, with longtime jazz DJ Bob Perkins signing off from his final weeknight shift after 25 years at the station. ABOVE PHOTO: The Legendary BP with the GM (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM). You can make 20 times as much working down here. But I told him, I want the job in radio. That was my start in radio back in November of 1964.. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. Electronics and technology are magnificent. He fell ill around 1940 with rheumatoid arthritis, and was forced to leave his job as an elevator operator. Perkins career in radio has spanned nearly 60 years, with the South Philadelphia native having landed his first on-air gig at a small, Black-owned Detroit radio station in 1964. BP: Yes, it really did. Learn More about Joe Bob Perkins' net worth. In September of 1969, I started working at WDAS as a newsman. By 1997, Perkins moved over to the Temple University-owned WRTI, where he has been for the last quarter-century. I wrote for Hugo Warren for 20 years. Ive gotta find something else to do, he said. I was out for about four months. A survey of the playlist from one of his last shows before his stroke is a ramble through classic jazz interpretations of American Songbook standards. Bobs staying power is a testament to his greatness. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. If I was lucky enough to get a radio gig in the boonies without any experience, Id be lucky, I was told. I stayed over there about two years, but it really wasnt a good fit. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. Fifty-seven years after his voice first graced the airwaves, Perkins, best-known for his weeknight jazz show at WRTI, is entering semi-retirement after 25 years at the station. Thats the magic part about this thing called music. He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. But then hed also play Miles Davis, Maynard Ferguson, John Coltrane, and Bird. (The last being the nickname for the brilliant bebop jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. TN: Why was it important for you to keep doing your show? They don't think that it's accessible to younger people. They just let me have my own way and they seem to like what I play. Perkins stayed at that first station about a year and a half when another opportunity showed itself. Classical 6am-6pm, and Jazz 6pm-6am. Dave and Bob share the same birthday! Ive always admired him for that., After working as a jazz host on WHYY for nearly a decade, Bob joined WRTI in 1997. It was typically BP in tone. A lot of people, at least in my experience as an artist, associate this music with their grandparents' music or their parents' music. 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