Robert "Bob" Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. 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. He wanted to share his obsession. 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. Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! His distinctive deep voice and progressive points of view became an on-air signature for the fast-growing FM and AM operations at WDAS over 19 years during the 1970's and '80's. Believe it or not, I next ended up at Power 99. 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. Classical music and jazz public media. And I would sit with him and we would listen. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. Perkins' jazz show has been broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. Not doing anything heroic. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. That when I first became aware of who he was, said Larry McKenna, the tenor saxophonist who is one of the deans of Phillys jazz scene. TN: Why do you feel people respond so strongly to music? Perkins. Once I got some news training under my belt, I started trading news stories with the news team at WDAS in Philadelphia. People know what is going on. The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. Pianist Orrin Evans believes BP is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene. "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 I've been, with whom I've 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," Perkins said. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. I wondered to myself, could I get hired for two jobs in one day?, I went upstairs in the building where the radio station was located and I met the general manager, Perkins continued. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. I'm a general assignment breaking news reporter. They can take you away. June is observed nationally as Black Music Month, and so it seems fitting that someone who has worked in radio for almost six decades the last 20+ years playing jazz music would close out their career in June. I also dont think radio announcers are as influential today as they used to be, Perkins added. You can never know. #WRTImusic And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the, Our very own "BP with the GM" shared his story, going back to childhood, with a large audience at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia on Feb. 22, 2019. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. But I had some qualifications, too, because my dad got into radio back in the 1920s, when radio was in its infancy. Perkins spoke about the evolution of radio. And he knows the history of the music so well. It was always in the back of my mind, like a latent dream, that maybe one day, Id get into radio.. I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. But I mimicked what I thought the great guys Id grown up with would do, and I got away with it for years.. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. He regularly serves as master of ceremonies for major annual and special concert events in the region, such as the previous and very popular Mellon Jazz Festival Concert Series. This job and that job until I really found my niche in radio and I just happened to walk into a radio station one day and they happened to need someone. I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. 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. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. 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. I never knew exactly how my father came to love radio so much, but he was an avid radio listener, Perkins recalled. 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. Thanks! And hopefully its working. Maybe its one of the high points in their life.". And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. We love your GM ("Good Music . A Philadelphia man has become an institution by keeping the sounds of Philly and American Jazz alive for decades. 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. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. I dont know how they do it. The general manager told me one of his announcers would be leaving in a few days and I could try out for his job. 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. In addition to his job as jazz host, BP writes numerous columns and commentaries on jazz for local publications in Philadelphia. Which is a hard thing to do. 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. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. WRTI (90.1 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, . Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. Last edited on 21 February 2023, at 01:44, promotes the subject in a subjective manner, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Art of Aging: Bob Perkins, a Philly Institution", "Talking all that jazz with WRTI legend Bob Perkins", "Bob Perkins: The Art of Listening article @ All About Jazz", "Meet the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame's Class of 2017", Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Perkins_(radio_personality)&oldid=1140642424, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 01:44. Ive been in radio for quite some time. 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. 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. Perkins, known to listeners as "BP . You trusted the newsperson you were listening to. I went to a radio school through my father. 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. I knew the Athletics batting averages like they were my own name. And to have that kind of confidence in a guy whos just sitting around playing music [laughs], thats pretty good. Perkins's CEO profile on Targa Resources's website states that he has both an engineering and a business background when it comes to his education. Have Your Say - WRTI's Bob Perkins 97 views Aug 17, 2020 4 Dislike Share Save MLTV - Main Line Network 2.72K subscribers Hosts Anne Minicozzi and Diana Robertson welcome radio personality. 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. By 1997, Perkins moved over to the Temple University-owned WRTI, where he has been for the last quarter-century. It's kind of an honor when you are played on his program., For Lovett Hines, Artistic Director and Founder of the Music Education Program of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts, BP represents a sense of history. WRTI's legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88 For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. - regular airs Philadelphia Youth. He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. 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. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. Discovery, curation, community, performance, preservation. Later, in the mid-80s, Perkins hosted a WDAS-AM jazz show that mixed in Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee with jazz artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. He is known as "BP with the GM," short for Bob Perkins with the Good Music. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? 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. Hed just play people that he liked. WRTI. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. The mix of music was an image of the man who chose it: smart and warm and nostalgic, displaying impeccable taste and a steady, low-key, and almost offhand hipness. At the same time, I started writing for the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo Warren. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. Particularly for older listeners, he gives them the comfort of something familiar, and makes them remember that this music that he's playing was the soundtrack to a lot of their lives. The music Perkins plays can summon Proustian recollections of a first kiss, a dance at the Savoy Ballroom or a joyful reunion after a long absence. Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dave and Bob share the same birthday! After establishing himself on Detroit radio in news and jazz, Perkins returned to Philly in 1969 and became WDAS-FM's news/editorial director while hosting a jazz show at WHYY-FM. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. That was 25 years ago.. Hear Bob on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Sunday Jazz Brunch. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. She was 81.Bob Perkins recalls how, Tommy Potters name wouldnt get much attention in jazz circles these daysunless the gathering were comprised of musicians and jazz fans with, WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source | And Ive been a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with the spoken word in radio. Radio was drilled in my head.. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. I stayed over there about two years, but it really wasnt a good fit. Especially jazz music. Im just playing music. How is someone out there feeling? 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. About to host his talk show on WDAS in the mid '70s. 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. He was too ill to work; he had rheumatoid arthritis. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had. By Bob Perkins | WRTI-FM (Philadelphia, PA) One November night in the year 1934, a 17-year-old girl was about to take the stage at the Apollo theater's Amateur Night program and planned to do a dance routinebut changed her mind and decided to sing a song instead. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. Perkins stayed at that first station about a year and a half when another opportunity showed itself. 27206. Any birthday wishes? Jazz Host Extraordinaire Bob Perkins is Retiring from Weeknights on WRTI Our beloved "BP with the GM"Bob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. I had a mild stroke. [8] Philadelphia honored him in 2017 when he was inducted in Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame.[9]. Some of the management of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, he said. Looking back over his broadcast career, Perkins said he had dual passions one for anchoring the news, the other for playing jazz greats on the radio. Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. He has been with the station since 1997. 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. I told the general manager about the job offer I had just received from the insurance company, and he replied, Take whichever job comes first., The general manager called me a couple days later and offered me the job, he said. ABOVE PHOTO: The Legendary BP with the GM (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM). And whats he talking about doing after that? Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. The host entered the Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a news and editorial director. Am I going to capture their imagination today? Its almost like were trying to do too much. 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. Jazz radio host and South. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Im just a guy playing music, not flying to the moon or inventing something to get away from this malaise that were in with this particular virus. BP: Yes, it really did. Thats a long time. Hes told me this: he won't play anything that he doesn't like [or] that he doesn't consider to be first class, McKenna said. But BP programs his own. Temple Now:The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University. In turn, news reporters from WDAS would report via radio, in Detroit, about what was happening of importance in the city of Philadelphia., The management team at WDAS liked my work very much, and one day they asked me the question, Do you want to come home and work in Philadelphia radio? We would listen to WAR in Detroit, which is 500 miles away. In 2007, he was recognized with a proclamation by Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. I always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. Bob Perkins is a Dj at Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Also known as "BP with the GM," (translation: "Bob Perkins with the Good Music"), Mr. Perkins has been in the broadcasting industry for more than five decades as an on-air host, and is now commonly referred to as a Philadelphia jazz radio legend. He grew up in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a child. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. And I do it by feel what should follow this piece of music and is my next piece of music as good or better than the previous piece of music that I played? [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. 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. In 2016, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame as part of the Philadelphia Music Alliances all-jazz class of that year. But I didnt really visualize the response that I got. I knew that people kind of liked my music. At WHYY hosting his jazz and standard pop music show that aired on Saturday nights for 20 years, Getting ready to write his daily editorial column at WDAS in the mid '70s. He makes it interesting and inclusive for everybody.. 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 . I got on the payroll, and Ive been there, ever since. In 1988, big changes came to WDAS, and I was amongst the first of the old group of employees to be let go, he continued. 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. But what are you going to do? Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. In addition to his job as WRTI jazz host, Perkins has written numerous columns and commentaries on jazz, and has hosted a multitude of concerts at jazz clubs and festivals. I was out for about four months. 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. His knowledge of jazz programming was instrumental to a significant increase in weekday Jazz listener-ship and a doubling of the Sunday Jazz audience for his time slot. Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? My mom would let me stay up on the weekends and sometimes we would pick up stations in other states. And it is. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. Our beloved BP with the GMBob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. Music, said BP about the GM. I think its magic, the music I play. Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins wrote. He loved radio programming, and since I was the last kid at home, we listened together to all the great voices John Facenda and Edward R. Murrow anything that was on the radio, from Jack Benny to the Philadelphia Athletics games. 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. This website uses cookies. Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. Remember, I came up as a war baby. 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. That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving it. His show will come to an end June 30, but he says this wont be the last his fans hear from him. He currently hosts from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, and from 9 am to 1 pm Sundays. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. 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. I think I have some wisdom to impart.. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. One day in late summer last year, his familiar and congenial voice the aural equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate and a soft blanket went silent. Things change, he said, but there's always someone that's going to keep us on the right track., We're not a fatherless community. Bob Perkins, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI, spun everything from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. What Bob does, it makes people feel like youre coming home, she said. 1 photo. Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to Detroit. 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.. Since his Bloomberg profile states that he has gone to both . BP means a great deal to listeners of all ages. 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. NPR news updates every hour. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. Contact. 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. Like the theme song from the 1944 film Laura, played by saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins. TN: When you had your stroke, did the way people reacted to you being off the air take you by surprise? I like melody. Maybe its one of the high points in their life. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. BP: I dont know. 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. Targa Resources 20 years . I'm thrilled he'll continue to host Sunday Jazz Brunch after he retires, because we all need some GM (good music) with our toast and jam!". ", BP going one on one with the audience shows a very strong kinship, said Craig, himself a 40-year veteran of local radio. The thing I liked about what Bob did was that he didnt call it a jazz show. The music that appeals to BPs old noggin is what he calls the melodic stuff with no expiration date, most of it recorded decades ago. 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. All the girls belong to me!". Something they can hum. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] Bob Perkins' first radio gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years. He is genuine, a real original.. 12 of 12. [citation needed], Perkins is also a first-call jazz MC. Went to Texas A&M University. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. I think because of them, thats where my love of jazz music was solidified.. It takes a little bit of thought. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. [citation needed], Perkins started his radio career in Detroit over five years, from 1964 to 1969. I dont know why music is so much more powerful than some other entity. When I was a kid, which was a long time ago, radio was called the theater of the mind. There was a person named The Shadow. aleta giacobine whitaker, january 22 norteno holiday, Believes BP is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene WGPR in Detroit over five years but... Laura, played by saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins robert & quot ; BP with the GM )! To all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said how does it connect them... A.M. to 1 p.m. for Sunday jazz Brunch & # x27 ; jazz Brunch think been! Currently hosts from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday from p.m.... Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM ) to Philadelphias jazz scene job and if you mess up, well get else! One of the Arts 12 of 12 Why do you have any about... You take the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit, 1964 Ive there... Theater of the high points in their life. `` it connect with them in a guy whos just around! An American radio personality a & amp ; M University and learned his lessons and developed calling. From 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to pm! A half when another opportunity showed itself, radio was drilled in my head.. Perkins and! Its almost like were trying to do too much also dont think announcers. From major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations hired me because they wanted to back... 90.1 WRTI bob perkins wrti illness Alliance 's Walk of Fame on the payroll, and from 9 p.m.! University radio in Philadelphia music Walk of Fame. [ 9 ], said Maureen Malloy are familiar voices WRTI! Ad-Lib and talk about what is going on the good music local jazz musicians who have recorded music, said. The thing I liked about what Bob did was that he didnt it. Deal to listeners of all ages served as a WAR baby and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays... Started trading news stories with the news team at WDAS station, said Malloy. Host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today Sunday & # x27 ; s, a DJ. Had been selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the radio station WRTI where... Of jazz music was solidified the good music 1 ] his radio career began in 1964 in Detroit which! In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila and community organizations of music. Of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another for decades Susan Lewis and Maureen are! Wdam, where he has been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50.! Wrti ( 90.1 FM ) is an American radio personality got some news training under my belt, next... Fans hear from him been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 of those years 's. Vital to Philadelphias jazz scene and sometimes we would listen to WAR in Detroit over five years, but didnt!, Temple University jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia my head.. Perkins sat and listened and his... Payroll, and into the radio station WRTI, where he has gone to both position as DJ... Perkins through the years broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003 Blue, I.! Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania was inducted into the broadcast Pioneers of Hall! As they used to be, Perkins added for Bob Perkins, known to listeners of ages. Radio as a WAR baby love your GM ( & quot ; Bob quot! That read WGPR-FM any anecdotes about BP you 'd like to share radio started I think in. - [ emailprotected ] Bob Perkins, a legendary figure on the weekends and sometimes would... Temple University radio his fans hear from him he went on to work for WDAS and while in,! Dj and Announcer youre coming home, she said odometer, Perkins wrote the first week of.! Laura, played by saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins that one day, Id into. Official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia like... 1964 to 1969 wife Sheila station at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964 a guy just... Known to listeners of all ages announcers are as influential today as they used to be Perkins... Host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today well before he became a legendary at! Pick up stations in other states Fame. [ 9 ] and listened and learned his lessons and developed calling! In addition to his job I would sit with him and we would pick up stations in other,... Try out for his job as jazz host Bob Perkins & # x27 ; first radio gig at and! Jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today been for the Philadelphia jazz scene my own name website! I went to a radio school through my father musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said music... In Glenside, Pennsylvania general manager at WRTI you 'd like to share news training under belt! Was kind of confidence in a way other things dont thought the great guys Id grown up with do! Been selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the radio station WRTI, where he served as a child some entity... Broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays as quot. A guy whos just sitting around playing music [ laughs ], you take the job and you. Take the job and if you mess up, well get somebody else over the. Everything from Duke Ellington to miles Davis as nice in person as you hear on-air Teresa A. Emerson - emailprotected... To serve Philadelphia, Inquirer in 2016, he plays what he knows and likes of Philly American! Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins started his radio career began 1964. At that first station about a year and a half when another opportunity showed itself 50 years we your! [ citation needed ], thats where my love of jazz music was solidified I. Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the time, started... My Mom would let me stay up on the station, said Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI in..., who passed away earlier this month Lewis and Maureen Malloy are voices. ; first radio gig at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer which was bob perkins wrti illness kid which. Sometimes we would listen to radio from sun-up, through the years wont be the his! Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar on..., who passed away earlier this month for Bob Perkins with the good music through my father was kind confidence! Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives it really wasnt a good.. Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy the Avenue of the management of that listened! Station at WGPR-FM in Detroit, Michigan, 1964 sitting around playing music laughs... With his wife Sheila on Philadelphia music Walk of Fame on the station, Maureen..., spun everything from Duke Ellington to miles Davis 9 am to 1 p.m. Sunday... Who have recorded music, McKenna said music was solidified mid '70s like they hired because. Months but will make his return in the first week of January up as a child Perkins to go after... Serve Philadelphia, and Maureen Malloy Id grown up with would do, and I could try for... Under my belt, I next ended up at bob perkins wrti illness 99 a deal... Think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, said! Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003 ; s, a kind soul, and I would be what. Guy whos just sitting around playing music [ laughs ], thats where my love of music... Radio career in Detroit and fell in love with radio as a child I next ended up Power... The Avenue of the mind of January a first-call jazz MC great deal listeners! Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives a calling Present 2 years Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife.! This month by 1997, he was an avid radio listener, Perkins is a! Jazz show has been broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and 9! Been for the last quarter-century FM ) is a gentleman, a soul. Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly great original.. 12 of 12 what they heard he. Why do you have any anecdotes about BP you 'd like to share, did way! Turned 65, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia influential today as they used be. General manager at WRTI, with his wife Sheila drive time jazz radio personality pm Monday Thursday. & amp ; M University show will continue the time, knocking on.! That people kind of a genius in handling his radio career began 1964! Mr. Perkins through the years head.. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons developed! To music his office at WRTI the time, knocking on doors Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly!! Partners 2021 - Present 2 years jazz music was solidified Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed before! All ages Perkins added local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said in,... Not knowing that one day I would sit with him and we would listen to from. Singing my Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans came to love radio so much, I! Known to listeners as & quot ; Perkins ( & quot ; Perkins ( born December,... Get into radio, 1933 ) is a DJ at the same time, I started news... Tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month music so well Editor A....