Joseph V. Labolito. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. Like the theme song from the 1944 film Laura, played by saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins. WRTI (90.1 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, . Any birthday wishes? Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. Perkins was born on December 6, 1933. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. And it is. PublishedDecember 6, 2013 at 5:49 AM EST. Jazz radio host and South Philadelphia native Bob Perkins, a mainstay on Temple University's public WRTI-FM station, plans to significantly scale back his hours this summer. BP: Yes, it really did. Its almost like were trying to do too much. Perkins credits his father for being the one who gave him the love for radio. I said yes, he said. But his well-honed approach to the music would remain unaffected. The mission of WRTI public radio is to broadcast the very best classical music and jazz recordings, and produce innovative, entertaining, and informative content that enriches the daily lives of our audience and the cultural life of Philadelphia and the tri-state region. They just let me have my own way and they seem to like what I play. His salvation was radio, Perkins said. Radio was drilled in my head.. 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. For 50 years he has been one of the great voices of Philadelphia radio, starting in 1969 with a nearly 20-year stint as a news and editorial reader for WDAS, known in those days as The Voice of the Black Community. Bob Perkins, age 8. Who knows what lies behind that smile? I did what I could, he said, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. The 88 year old Perkins has been on the air in Philadelphia since 1969 with stints as News Director at WDAS-FM and a Jazz host at WHYY before joining WRTI in 1997. 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. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. A few Philadelphia artists were sprinkled into the evening, including Perkins longtime friend, saxophonist Bootsie Barnes, and vocalist Phyllis Chapell, who dedicated her latest album to BP. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. Hed just play people that he liked. Bob Perkins is a Dj at Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His selections are like a familiar hug from Jazz Land featuring your favorite standards and vocalists such as Sarah, Ella, and Nat, some Big Band legends including the Duke and the Count . And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. He fell ill around 1940 with rheumatoid arthritis, and was forced to leave his job as an elevator operator. BP: It seems that way. 1101 W. Montgomery Avenue Music. 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, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI, spun everything from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. I had been selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the time, knocking on doors. 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. Lance also advises stations, talent and brands on digital content strategies, programming integrations, and brand extensions. Hes 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. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. You can also hear the GM on Sunday Jazz Brunch with BP from 9 am to 1 pm. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. BP broke into radio in Detroit on WGPR/WCHB/WCHD in 1964. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. 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. We had great announcers back then. The world is a lot different than it used to be.. It has to be accurate. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. Im waiting for my doc to give me clearance to return to work so that I can keep putting out that good GM . Electronics and technology are magnificent. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. How is someone out there feeling? WRTI, this 600th review is for you! If I was lucky enough to get a radio gig in the boonies without any experience, Id be lucky, I was told. BP: No, I just put out the music. And in 2007, he was honored with a proclamation for his outstanding contributions to Philadelphia's jazz community by Mayor John Street, Philadelphia City Council, and the House of Representatives in Harrisburg. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Joe Bob Perkins: Table of Contents show. Bob Perkins' Recollection of the Late Sam Reed, BP Tells a Little Story About Ella Fitzgeralds Connection to Orphaned Children, Bob Perkins Reflects On Oldtime Philly Legends, Including 2021 NEA Jazz Master Albert "Tootie" Heath, Bob Perkins Talks About Dave Brubeck's Legacy Back in 2012. I dont know how they do it. It comes out of the head, out of the heart and out of your soul. You can touch a button and get any answer to any question that you have. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. "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. It was a small station. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. Perkins is currently engaged for the annual Cape May Jazz Festival Concert Series and the Tony Williams Jazz Festival Concert Series. He has been with the station since 1997. His father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the two would sit and listen together. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. 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. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. 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. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. 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. I went to a radio school through my father. TN: Why was it important for you to keep doing your show? That was 25 years ago.. 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. But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. People know what is going on. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. And hopefully its working. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. TN: When you had your stroke, did the way people reacted to you being off the air take you by surprise? 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. He is a jazz program host and DJ for WRTI. 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. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. But I had some qualifications, too, because my dad got into radio back in the 1920s, when radio was in its infancy. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College. 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. Beginning in June, he will end the weekday program and continue with the Sunday broadcast on, Fans mourn death of legendary Philly radio host Sid Mark, Questlove, The Balvenie award first scholarship for PhD in Creativity at University of the Arts, Philadelphia Film Society to host series of family-friendly movie screenings, Eagles name Alex Tanney QB coach, plus other coaching staff updates, The food you eat impacts the health of your eyes, Construction of Penn's Landing park over I-95 finally approved to begin, PennDOT says, Joanna McClinton becomes first woman elected as speaker of Pa. House, Rocco's Italian Sausage, a cult favorite at Home Depot stores in Philly, to expand in Bucks County, Low-calorie sweetener tied to higher risk of heart attack and stroke, study finds. [citation needed], Perkins is also a first-call jazz MC. Thats our savior, man.. I had a mild stroke. WRTI. 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. This website uses cookies. 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. [8] Philadelphia honored him in 2017 when he was inducted in Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame.[9]. The Philadelphia Sunday SUN - P.O. 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. 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. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphia's airwaves for 50 years. And he knows the history of the music so well. 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. Ive gotta find something else to do, he said. He has attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Gerald Ford's and one of Jimmy Carter's. "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.. 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. Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins wrote. Learn More about Joe Bob Perkins' net worth. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? News was almost like a religion back in the day. Lance Venta is Owner and Publisher of RadioInsight.com. Maybe its one of the high points in their life. Perkins had a five-year relationship with The Philadelphia Tribune, where he wrote commentary on government, society and public affairs. For younger listeners who might not be as familiar with jazz and are exploring the genre, BPs show is an introductory primer: Jazz 101. Bob has always taken that part of his life very seriously and gives credit where credit is due. Beginning in June, he will end the weekday program and continue with the Sunday broadcast on90.1 FM. You had to wear earphones to hear whatever stations you were lucky enough to hear that would come through. Perkins is the PM drive time jazz radio personality and host for WRTI-FM Temple University Radio in Philadelphia. 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. 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. But it seems like the longer I stayed out, [chuckles] the more positive response I got. Ive been in radio for quite some time. Every Saturday, I was there.. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? His show appeals to me in that way. Well put you in there with the news guy and youll learn., At three different stations, I learned something about radio, Perkins said. He is genuine, a real original.. 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. I leaned on them when I got into radio until I got my own sea legs and could navigate on my own.. Read more MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer Its not the same. You know, its magic that Ive been around that long and people have that much confidence in me. And I would sit with him and we would listen. 1 photo. 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.. His show will come to an end June 30, but he says this wont be the last his fans hear from him. 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. 27206. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote in 2019. Not doing anything heroic. It seems like our attention spans are so divided in this new age of technology. ), I remember telling my friends about it, McKenna adds. Thats the magic part about this thing called music. It took Perkins a little while to break into radio. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. 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. I got a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Great Lakes Mutual, in Detroit. Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. What makes history so important is it has to be true. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. I went downstairs at the same building, and told the insurance company, Im here to quit a job I never started. Leaving out the door of the insurance company, the man who had offered me a job selling insurance said, Do you know what theyre going to pay you up there? They were a great family of jazz artists. 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. "You guys go home! Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! Happy Birthday BP! I was out for almost four months. - regular airs Philadelphia Youth. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? I was out for about four months. He got his first job in radio during a trip to visit his two brothers in Detroit in 1964. What makes Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: he was there. Domain Insight 2/27: The First Audacy Atlas Divestiture Will Go To. The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. #WRTImusic After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. Thanks! 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 . And whats he talking about doing after that? Change has come to radio, music, listeners, and listening habits. The world wasnt moving quite as fast. He continued to grow, working as newsman and assistant director at WJLB-AM in Detroit, before his career path returned him to Philadelphia, where in 1969 he joined WDAS-AM/FM as a newsman and after two years became News Director there;[5] after another year he also became the Editorial Director. I knew that people kind of liked my music. But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. TN: It sounds like being a DJ is something you were always meant to do. Not quite content as a newsman, in the late 70s he volunteered for a moonlighting job as a weekend music DJ with WHYY, where he coined his on-air moniker: BP with the GM Bob Perkins with the Good Music. Especially jazz music. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. 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. Something they can hum. 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. BP: Theres a man named Paul Robeson, one of my heroes, and he said, Never forget the power of music. When he went to sing concerts in other countries, he would sing songs indigenous to that particular culture. It was typically BP in tone. BP: I dont know. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. Why might that be? After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. Sunday Jazz Brunch with Bob Perkins airs from 9 AM until 1 PM. My father must have been listening to radio from the very start. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. Over the years, he met the likes of President Jimmy Carter and touched the lives of everyday listeners and renowned musicians. From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. I did a good music program over there for twenty years. Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! My dad was my radio school, the 86-year-old remembered. "I got radio rammed down my throat, because that was my fathers relief from his pain.. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. Contact. 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. 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. They offered me a job and I accepted. And to have that kind of confidence in a guy whos just sitting around playing music [laughs], thats pretty good. 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. This music conjures up some beautiful memories. You trusted the newsperson you were listening to. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Jazz-Classical WRTI/PHILADELPHIA evening host BOB PERKINS is stepping away from his weekday 6-9p (ET) show on JUNE 30th. In 2007, he was recognized with a proclamation by Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Perkins spoke about the evolution of radio. Music, said BP about the GM. 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. Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. 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. Black Music Month means heritage, he said. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. 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. My mom would let me stay up on the weekends and sometimes we would pick up stations in other states. Michael Tanenbaum Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to Detroit. Lets have fun; lets have a beer. I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. 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 | We listened sometimes to WGN in Chicago that was like 650 miles away. Some of the management of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, he said. He currently hosts from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, and from 9 am to 1 pm Sundays. I had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. But on the other side of the coin, technology can be very dangerous.. I had an insurance license and they told me, Youre going to start in a week. I walked out the door and I was very happy. Once I got some news training under my belt, I started trading news stories with the news team at WDAS in Philadelphia. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. Over the last 20-some years, BP with the GM has become an icon of the Philadelphia airwaves, holding down a prime, three-hour early evening time slot Monday through Thursday on WRTI. Or when times are not tight and everythings loose? Last Update. Leah Fletcher, Account Executive, WRTI: Philadelphias Invisible Jazz Station, A Historical Approach to the Positive Music: Jazz in Philadelphia, Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul will be broadcast by US public radio stations during Black History Month, including WXPN and WRTI, Biden declares Kyiv stands in surprise visit to Ukraine, Supreme Court seems ready to reject student loan forgiveness, Former Philadelphia Eagle, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTE, Queen Latifah will host the 2023 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 25 in Pasadena CA. I look forward to you lending me your finely tuned ears very soon.". Thats our savior, man.. Tweet Share Pin Email Tweet Share Pin Email Related Posts AACP Philadelphia Branch Update NAACP Philadelphia Branch Tweet Share Pin Email ABOVE PHOTO: President Joe Biden walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St. Tweet Share Pin Email By MARK SHERMAN and JESSICA GRESKO WASHINGTON (AP) Conservative justices holding theSupreme Tweet Share Pin Email By DAN GELSTON PHILADELPHIA (AP) Irv Cross was a man of faith Tweet Share Pin Email Tweet Share Pin Email Related Posts Whats Cookin? I next made a move over to WRTI, which is Temple Universitys radio station, as a volunteer DJ playing jazz music. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. They had hired me for all the wrong reasons in the first place. I met him when he was a frequent visitor to the 900, One November night in the year 1934, a 17-year-old girl was about to take the stage at the Apollo theaters Amateur Night program and planned to do a, Many years ago, a group of teenage musicians decided to form a small jazz band in South Phillythey went on to become high-profile players in the jazz, 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, I believe the year was 1983 when I was asked if Id like to emcee a concert at the Academy of Music, headlined by Dave Brubeck and his sons and the Modern, Some folkseven jazz fanswouldnt know that 'Robert Chudnick' was the real name of the musician whose handle was Red Rodney. North Philadelphia at the time, you have to tune to WRTI,, listeners, and extensions! A position as on-air DJ and Announcer I stayed out, [ chuckles ] the More positive response I some. 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