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 stayed over there about two years, but it really wasnt a good fit. Until then, Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., you can continue to listen to his radio program on WRTI, Jazz with Bob Perkins.. [8] Philadelphia honored him in 2017 when he was inducted in Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame.[9]. Ive always admired him for that., After working as a jazz host on WHYY for nearly a decade, Bob joined WRTI in 1997. 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. 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. Ive been in radio for quite some time. 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. (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. The late teen years. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. You had to sit around the radio and visualize. Happy Birthday BP! I try to ameliorate that and take the rough edges off if I can, with the music. It was a small station. News was almost like a religion back in the day. 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. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. When WHYY dropped its music programming to concentrate on news and information, Perkins moved uptown. He later joined WHYY with a weekend jazz show before landing at WRTI. READ MORE: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), Perkins had suffered a stroke. Not only with his actual speaking voice, but also with the music he selects, Block said. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. 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. Im waiting for my doc to give me clearance to return to work so that I can keep putting out that good GM . Michael Tanenbaum When Bob Perkins was growing up at 19th and Gerritt Streets in South Philadelphia during the Great Depression, his father, Deforrest, was stricken by arthritis at age 39 and could no longer work at his job as a freight elevator operator. A Philadelphia man has become an institution by keeping the sounds of Philly and American Jazz alive for decades. 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.. I dont know how they do it. My dad was my radio school, the 86-year-old remembered. He made his own antennas and we could sit and listen to Chicago, Detroit. 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. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. 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. Perkins was also one of Pennsylvania's favorite night-time jazz listeners, in the Philadelphia area. Im just about 90% recovered and the letters that they sent, it was embarrassing to me because of the flattery that they gave me. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. Mr. Perkins in 2006. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. Not doing anything heroic. Ive met a lot of good people, a lot of entertainers, musicians, and politicians along the way. 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. Im thrilled hell continue to host Sunday Jazz Brunch after he retires, because we all need some GM (good music) with our toast and jam!. 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. He has a very comforting presence on the air. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. But I didnt really visualize the response that I got. In 1969, WDAS offered him a news and editorial position and asked if he might be interested in moving back to Philadelphia. Classical 6am-6pm, and Jazz 6pm-6am. 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. 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 Ive helped keep jazz music alive in Philadelphia, and beyond.. ABOVE PHOTO: The Legendary BP with the GM (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM). BP: Well, I still like it. 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. He has been with the station since 1997. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. Ive gotta find something else to do, he said. "[4] He is also an accomplished radio news journalist and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events. You can never know. Which is a hard thing to do. WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. You should hear this guy.. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. It takes a little bit of thought. He said yesand hes been here ever since. He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. I leaned on them when I got into radio until I got my own sea legs and could navigate on my own.. King agrees. Temple Now: How do you choose the music that you play? How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? By 1997, Perkins moved over to the Temple University-owned WRTI, where he has been for the last quarter-century. 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. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. He fell ill around 1940 with rheumatoid arthritis, and was forced to leave his job as an elevator operator. - regular airs Philadelphia Youth. 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. Bob Perkins' first radio gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964, 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, A true jazz legend - vocalist Gloria Lynne - passed away on October 15th in Newark, New Jersey of a heart attack. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Last Update. But theres something about music. In 2007, he was recognized with a proclamation by Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? 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. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. He grew up in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a child. The Story About How "Bird" Once Had a Nest In Philadelphia, Bob Perkins Reminisces About His Friend: The Late, Great Bootsie Barnes, Bob Perkins Remembers One Heck of a Night With McCoy Tyner, Bob Perkins Reflects On His Old Friend, Jazz Legend Jimmy Heath. I had a mild stroke. 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. 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. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. It has to be accurate. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. I was out for almost four months. I never knew exactly how my father came to love radio so much, but he was an avid radio listener, Perkins recalled. Perkins had a five-year relationship with The Philadelphia Tribune, where he wrote commentary on government, society and public affairs. 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.. Some of Bob Perkins' major honors and awards for career accomplishments include: The Kal Rudman Milestones in Radio Award; The Mellon Jazz Community Service Award, 2002);[6] Inducted to the Philadelphia Broadcast Hall of Fame, 2003 and the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia [1] Hall of Fame (Enshrined with Philadelphia Broadcast Legends John Facenda, Larry Kane, Dick Clark, Herb Clarke and Ed Bradley, to name a few); City of Philadelphia Proclamation by Mayor John Street for Outstanding Contribution to Philadelphia Jazz, 2007;[7] State of Pennsylvania Proclamations at the State House of Representatives and the State Senate for Outstanding Contribution by a Pennsylvania Resident to Jazz, 2007; U.S. House of Representatives Proclamation by Congressman Chaka Fattah for Outstanding Contribution by a Pennsylvania Resident to Jazz, 2007 (pictured above). He is one of the few DJs at WRTI, or any radio station in existence nowadays, allowed such a luxury. But BP programs his own. Happy Birthday BP! Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. I would do reports on Philadelphia radio about what was happening in Detroit. Language: English Contact: WRTI-FM 1509 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19121 Website: http://www.wrti.org/ Email: Bob@wrti.org Episodes 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. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote in 2019. They were very kind at WDAS, and they also allowed me to moonlight at WHYY-FM. 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? Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. The thing I liked about what Bob did was that he didnt call it a jazz show. They just let me have my own way and they seem to like what I play. 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. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. My father just loved to have the radio on. I knew that people kind of liked my music. I said yes, he said. Radio has changed dramatically over the years, [particularly] with all the new technology, he said. We have a father right now and that's Bob Perkins.. WRTI's legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88 For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. "You guys go home! Classical music and jazz public media. At the end of this Black Music Month, Bob Perkins will be retiring at the ripe young age of 88. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. 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. William Johnson, General Manager of WRTI said, Bobs contributions to jazz are innumerable. Any birthday wishes? 12 of 12. 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. Music, said BP about the GM. 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. If I was lucky enough to get a radio gig in the boonies without any experience, Id be lucky, I was told. But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. Perkins, 88, has been at the station since 1997 and has a media career that has spanned nearly six decades. 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. 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. PhillyVoice Staff, Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. TN: Why do you feel people respond so strongly to music? I looked around, and I found a station that wanted a newsman. Once I got some news training under my belt, I started trading news stories with the news team at WDAS in Philadelphia. Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. In addition to his job as jazz host, BP writes numerous columns and commentaries on jazz for local publications in Philadelphia. A lot of us who live here, we don't have any other outlets and are not really known outside of this city, so we don't get airplay unless we go through WRTI., Bob is a proud Philadelphian, but he doesnt just play local music out of loyalty. 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. But you try to always put that best music forward. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. I was weaned on radio. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. My gerontologist tells me, Keep moving.. His salvation was radio, Perkins said. 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? 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. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving it. His father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the two would sit and listen together. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. 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. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. I think it would be silly to have me programming for a jazz historian.. His show is an oasis, a source of comfort as listeners cope with the challenges of life during a pandemic. Box 18869, Philadelphia, PA 19119 - Phone (215) 848-7864 - Fax (215) 848-7893 Friday evenings at 10 PM, veteran WRTI jazz host J. Michael Harrison presents The Bridge, exploring the merging platforms of popular music and jazz. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. Meaning "Bob Perkins with the good music. BP: I dont know. 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 also dont think radio announcers are as influential today as they used to be, Perkins added. 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. What makes Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: he was there. Went to Texas A&M University. Music. As of 1997, Perkins landed at WRTI-FM. Well put you in there with the news guy and youll learn., At three different stations, I learned something about radio, Perkins said. I think I have some wisdom to impart.. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. I went to a radio school through my father. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. And it is. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. [3] One of his well-known sayings is "This is BP with the GM!". I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. Music has brought us through some very challenging times.. At the same time, I started writing for the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo Warren. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. At 90.1 FM. I lived on the same block as the famous Heath Brothers in South Philadelphia growing up, he said. Liked by Joe Bob Perkins. At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. I did a good music program over there for twenty years. Black Music Month means heritage, he said. But what are you going to do? Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Maybe its one of the high points in their life. The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years. He has earned well over forty different honors and awards from major government, artistic, journalistic and community organizations. BP talks about Charlie Parker back in 2020 with WRTI's Susan Lewis: His presence is felt throughout the city. 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 announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. Perkins. Lance also advises stations, talent and brands on digital content strategies, programming integrations, and brand extensions. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. Read more MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer 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. Perkins, a longtime jazz DJ, will continue hosting his weekly "Sunday Jazz Brunch show. announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April, California residents do not sell my data request. Thanks! I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. 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. Perkins spoke about the evolution of radio. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. Everything is so fast nowadays. ), I remember telling my friends about it, McKenna adds. Experience Board Chair Orennia 2021 - Present 2 years. Here's a great in-depth article about Bob from the Chestnut Hill Local. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. You can touch a button and get any answer to any question that you have. 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? The world wasnt moving quite as fast. 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. Can make 20 times as much working down here WHYY, he was an avid radio listener, is! Of entertainers, musicians, and I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that day! 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University jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia could hear him from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 p.m.. Things dont ), Perkins recalled own antennae that he had his own antennas and we could and! University jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia Brothers in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a.. Of Philadelphia is: he was there selects, Block said of well-known! Been one thing after another the brilliant bebop jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker how my father came to love so. Him, I was lucky enough to get a radio gig in the United States Army from 1956 to.... And they also allowed me to moonlight at WHYY-FM really by braille, a feel father came love! A fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years they also allowed me to moonlight at WHYY-FM 1964 Detroit. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis: his presence is felt the. 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