bob perkins wrti illnessbob perkins wrti illness

And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. In addition to his radio duties, Perkins has written jazz columns for multiple publications over the years and has hosted concerts at jazz clubs and festivals. We would listen to the great John Facenda out of Philadelphia and to other great broadcasters from other cities. "People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? He got his first job in radio during a trip to visit his two brothers in Detroit in 1964. Perkins, known to listeners as BP with the GM (Bob Perkins with the Good Music), will now work a reduced on-air schedule, helming a single weekly show Sunday Jazz Brunch on Sunday mornings. Perkins, 88, has been at the station since 1997 and has a media career that has spanned nearly six decades. 1054. At the end of this Black Music Month, Bob Perkins will be retiring at the ripe young age of 88. 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. Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997, helping to establish the station as one of the countrys leading jazz music broadcasters. Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? What Bob does, it makes people feel like youre coming home, she said. I always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. Music, said BP about the GM. But his well-honed approach to the music would remain unaffected. In 1969, his hometown of Philadelphia beckoned him back with a gig at rhythm-and-blues station WDAS, where he worked for the next 19 years. My father must have been listening to radio from the very start. My dad was my radio school, the 86-year-old remembered. Listener-supported. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Some of the management of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, he said. I had a mild stroke. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. Thats our savior, man.. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. And people do forget. But theres something about music. It was always in the back of my mind, like a latent dream, that maybe one day, Id get into radio.. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. But the idea stayed in the back of my mind., To work in radio, I was told Id have to go work in the boonies (the boondocks) and get the mistakes out, Perkins continued. So when I came back I got these emails saying, Oh, were glad youre back. I save all my emails. One of the most familiar voices on Philadelphias airwaves, BP is also an elder statesman of the citys jazz community, cherished by listeners and musicians alike. July 1, 2022. In this new age of music streaming, where a service like Spotify uses neural networks, big data language analysis, and artificial intelligence machine learning techniques to winnow songs that are channeled down a high-tech digital assembly line to listeners, Perkins relies on a soft, squishy computer that he admits is a bit more unreliable since his stroke and which he refers to in his characteristic parlance as the old noggin. In other words, he plays what he knows and likes. Bell Building BP brought the GM back for the first time in more than four months his longest absence from the Philadelphia airwaves in 50 years on a Thursday night in December, followed a few days later by his Sunday show at 9 a.m. What he will bring to the microphone in a neat control room on Cecil B. Moore Boulevard just west of Broad Street is something his colleague Bob Craig describes as a style that is very, very warm and very personal and very loose. - regular airs Philadelphia Youth. The general manager told me one of his announcers would be leaving in a few days and I could try out for his job. How is someone out there feeling? Am I going to capture their imagination today? Maybe its one of the high points in their life.". It takes a little bit of thought. WRTI's legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88 For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. I like melody. WRTI, which broadcasts classical music from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. each day, and jazz from 6 p.m.-6 a.m. - What would I do without Bobbi Booker as my gentle alarm clock? Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to Detroit. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. Fivedays a week, on WRTI, BP with the GM (thats Bob Perkins with the Good Music), plays jazz with a connoisseurs ear and an infectious sense of joy. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. Mr. Perkins owns 88,692 shares of Targa Resources stock worth more than $6,747,687 as of February 16th. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphia's airwaves for 50 years. I enjoy it. 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. announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April, California residents do not sell my data request. "[4] He is also an accomplished radio news journalist and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events. Lead a team to the Super Bowl, Student community health ambassadors look out for their fellow Owls, Temple faculty organizes lecture series for Ukrainian students at alma mater in Kharkiv, Behind the music: Grammy-nominated Fox alum finds success as an audio engineer and producer, Eco-friendly faces: Meet Temples EcoReps advocating for a sustainable campus, Charles Library shapes the future at Temple and beyond, Student and faculty musicians are Grammy hopefuls. In 1969, he headed home to Philly, where he began working as a news and editorial director at WDAS-FM, which was then known as the voice of the Black community. He stayed at that station for nearly two decades. After 58 years of working in broadcast radio, Philadelphias Bob Perkins will lay down his microphone by the end of this month. But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. I try to ameliorate that and take the rough edges off if I can, with the music. He has a very comforting presence on the air. He was too ill to work; he had rheumatoid arthritis. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. But dont fret, you can still lend him your finely tuned ears every Sunday from 9 AM to 1 PM for Sunday Jazz Brunch on WRTI 90.1. You can touch a button and get any answer to any question that you have. 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. 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. Contact. I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. King agrees. We listened sometimes to WGN in Chicago that was like 650 miles away. NPR news updates every hour. 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. If you, WRTIs Bob Perkins joined the 2016 Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame class on October 19th. Maybe its one of the high points in their life, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2020. WRTI. They don't think that it's accessible to younger people. I listened to all the magnificent voices that they had during the second world war: Edward R. Murrow and all those, Bob said in an interview in 2020. Bob Perkins said of his retirement, After 57 years in media, 25 of those years spent at WRTI, I am now into my 88th year, so this is a good time to retire from full-time hosting at the station, and reflect on where Ive been, with whom Ive talked and what I have learned over the decades as a news man, editorial writer and jazz music host, and see where that leads me. The South Philadelphia native has been one of the greatest voices of the citys airwaves since 1969, when he joined R&B station WDAS in an influential news and editorial position after working in Detroit radio for five years. PublishedDecember 6, 2013 at 5:49 AM EST. Anybody who wants to hear jazz on the radio, you have to tune to WRTI and theres Bob Perkins. He also champions local musicians and music. Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. I think it would be silly to have me programming for a jazz historian.. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. Maybe were getting back to that today. Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. Saxophonist Larry McKenna has been listening to him for 40 years. 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. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. I guess I couldnt help but love radio, because from the time I was a little boy, radio was very much a part of my day every day growing up in South Philadelphia.. Mr. Bob Perkins, WRTIs own BP with the GM," is retiring from full-time broadcasting after 25 years at the station and 57 on the air. Bobs staying power is a testament to his greatness. TN: It sounds like being a DJ is something you were always meant to do. People know what is going on. 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. In September of 1969, I started working at WDAS as a newsman. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. His show will come to an end June 30, but he says this wont be the last his fans hear from him. They offered me a job and I accepted. Lets sit around and gab, whatever the case may be. He is genuine, a real original.. At 90.1 FM. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. 1101 W. Montgomery Avenue News was almost like a religion back in the day. This music conjures up some beautiful memories. Hes one of the last purveyors of our actual history. He currently hosts from 6-9pm Monday through Thursday, and from . You should hear this guy.. Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! Why It's So Hard for WRTI's Bob Perkins To Pick Just One Favorite Charlie Parker Tune, A Photo Album of Bob Perkins Through The Years, Listen to WRTI Jazz Host Bob Perkins Tell His Life Story In Radio, A Bronze Plaque for WRTI's Bob Perkins on Broad Street Walk of Fame, Jazz Host Extraordinaire Bob Perkins is Retiring from Weeknights on WRTI, Bob Perkins Talks About Dave Brubeck's Legacy Back in 2012. Temple Now:The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University. Perkins has received dozens of awards and honors recognizing his outstanding career and contributions to Philadelphia jazz, including being honored with a bronze plaque in the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame on the citys Avenue of the Arts in 2016. Someone can think of something and express it in a musical form and without hitting any sour notes and make it sound melodic, where you can tap your foot or you can close your eyes and dream on it. I think because of them, thats where my love of jazz music was solidified.. He wanted to share his obsession. He will continue to host his Sunday program. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. And the only way you can make it accurate is you have to be there, he said. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Joe Bob Perkins: Table of Contents show. Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. 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. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. Mr. Perkins is stepping away from his shows on weekday evenings, but WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. Im just about 90% recovered and the letters that they sent, it was embarrassing to me because of the flattery that they gave me. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote, PA on December 19, 2019. He went to work at another Black-owned radio station in Detroit which was just down the street and around the corner from WGPR-FM. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. Information about his on-air schedule may be found at WRTI's website. You trusted the newsperson you were listening to. The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. WRTI's own jazz legend Bob Perkins sat down with Kile Smith in December, 2012 for a wide-ranging interview about Dave Brubeck the man, his music, and his, WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source | Especially jazz music. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. I had been selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the time, knocking on doors. Perkins, known to listeners as "BP with the GM" ("Bob Perkins with the Good Music"), will now work a reduced on-air schedule, helming a single weekly show "Sunday Jazz Brunch" on Sunday mornings. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. This website uses cookies. Believe it or not, I next ended up at Power 99. Hed just play people that he liked. I think its magic, the music I play. You can find some solace in what you like. And he knows the history of the music so well. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. Bob has always taken that part of his life very seriously and gives credit where credit is due. Jazz radio host and South. Ive been in radio for quite some time. Previously, Bob was a Board Member at Jazz Bridge and also held positions at Data Site, Unisys, WDAS Fm. The Philadelphia Sunday SUN - P.O. If theres any good thing about thisand theres very little good about itits the fact that maybe families are getting together again and eating at the dinner table again, in the kitchen or living room, and doing things together again. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. His last weeknight show on WRTI is Thursday, Jun 30, from 6 to 9 p.m., but he will continue to host Sunday Jazz Brunch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the same time, I started writing for the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo Warren. But I mimicked what I thought the great guys Id grown up with would do, and I got away with it for years., READ MORE: Talking all that jazz with WRTI legend Bob Perkins. Perkins has received a number of accolades for his decades-long career, including an induction into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. You can also hear the GM on Sunday Jazz Brunch with BP from 9 am to 1 pm. Joe Bob Perkins Director Former Executive Chairman, CEO, and Founding President of Targa Resources (NYSE:TRGP) since 2003 (took Targa Public) Held a variety of executive and business development roles with Reliant, Coral Energy, and Tejas Gas, and also worked for McKinsey and Company and Mesa Petroleum; Serves on the Targa Resources Board, is a . 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