What’s a great radio career without a confession? All the radio talents listed below are my benchmark for artsy talent, creativity, timing, and voice technique. I borrowed from all of them! Anyone who claims to be “an original” is not being truthful.

We may have emulated our heroes but you needed talent in our own right to make it yours. The key was to borrow what matched your strengths. I took something from each of the 6 radio personalities you can hear below. Great radio personalities either make listeners “laugh” or “cry”. You needed a voice that charms and content that captures attention. If you admire someone’s work, you absorb a certain amount of their style. I was attracted to the radio because of what I heard between the songs.

When my career began in 1964, you either had the voice or you didn’t get on the air. That year, Top-40 Radio almost became our national voice or personality. Back then, radio personalities were creative, funny, and often with long-form recorded comedy bits between almost every song. It was fascinating to hear, considering they played the same music every day, They were so clever and quick for at least 3 hours, 5 days a week. Music was not presented, it was curated or delivered so it was part of a show. It was put together in such a way that each song “fit”. I was drawn to personalities who did far more than “play the hits.” To say something entertaining in short bursts of 3 to 17 seconds is an art form that intrigued me. These weren’t “Rock Jocks”, they were gifted entertainers. How could they be so bright and clever as they talked in and out of so many songs? In the 1960s & 70s, teenagers placed in order of their importance, “God, disk-jockeys, and then parents”.

Before 1962, comedy skits and voice tracks had to be cut on a lathe using aluminum discs called Electrical Transcriptions. It was not easy and E.T. discs only played 10 times before they became scratchy and had to be recut. Humor and audio surprises are important in radio. 1st words of a commercial, or the beginning of a song. They have an impact when used correctly. Audio surprise song intros always garner attention. Fresh, inventive, natural radio personalities are very appealing and an extension of their music.

Everyone (on the top right) on this page was worth 7 figures, and like 99 percent of all radio jocks have a hint of Autism (self-included). Quick – brilliant, backward & shy until in a room with a mic and music (or news).
Radio was a hustler’s game. In 1972, Joey Reynolds made his first million when he signed Bill Drake to Joey’s famous “Mingles” custom jingle package. My best radio friend, Eddie (Fenway) Hider, became a TV variety show writer and operated a PIP printing shop on Sunset Blvd. In the 70s, every TV show bought dozens of scripts every week. He ended up a multi-millionaire with his Hollywood property management company and by owning apartment buildings. Casey Kasem became wealthy as an ABC TV Network announcer. Casey invested his money in his AT-40 Radio Show and it became the most popular countdown program in the history of radio. In 1970, Dave Maynard stopped in to visit me at my station after getting a loan from Bank President Gel Brown to build 7 new homes in Maynard, MA. In 1971, Hudson & Landry split $175,000 from their Ajax Liquor Store comedy album. Ron bought beachfront land in Malibou from Steve McQueen. Later he opened several convenience stores with his family. CBS signed Hudson & Landry as the Summer replacement for the CBS Smother’s Bros.TV Show until Network VP Roger Ailes noticed Bob Hudson couldn’t stop drinking. Gary Owens became wealthy as an ABC Network announcer and partnered with Mel Blanc to create the “Super Fun Radio Library” heard on 1,500 stations. In the ’60s, Arnie Ginsburg earned $50,000 a year from his radio engineering side business and enjoyed a privileged life thanks to his well-heeled mother. Jess Cain became a millionaire by working 30-plus years at one station, buying real estate, and doing union voiceovers and on-camera commercials for large New England retailers.

Jess owned Admiral Byrd’s Hingham home on the ocean before moving to a Beacon Hill condo with his artist wife Jean.

In the 60s, there were half as many radio stations so jobs were harder to come by and radio talent was more “gifted”. Many of today’s major market personalities should be in the minor leagues. There were between 10 and 15 New England radio stations where you could have had a 30-year radio career and I was at one of them. Someone has to leave for you to move up. I got my shot when a man named Cohen told a man named Knight to give me the job. I owe them both for my success. I learned at Emerson College, “If you can afford to be patient and have the skills, you can get anything you want in life”.

Music radio DJs have gone down in the last 25 years. There’s no real talent anymore just a DJ with a room full of people, a crowd. Someone is bound to say something stupid or funny. Then comes the fake laughter after anything anyone says.

The personalities below created all the entertainment themselves with their style and gimmicks. They’re my all-time favorite music radio entertainers. The audio files links seen here are from my private collection and haven’t been heard since the original broadcast.