I also dont think radio announcers are as influential today as they used to be, Perkins added. 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. 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 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. 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. He has a very comforting presence on the air. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. BP with Dave Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of Music. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. Bob Perkins' first radio gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964. Copyright 2022 RadioInsight / RadioBB Networks. Learn More about Joe Bob Perkins' net worth. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. 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 all the while, you weren't aware of ituntil that person moved away, and, During a recent interview, saxophone great Larry Mckenna was right on target when he shared that often in other cities, when people found out he was from, When a dynamic figure in any walk of life departs, writers and just plain folks, usually try to recall certain events about the departed in which they may, When I was a kid growing up in South Philly, there was an older fellow down the block who was trying to play an alto saxophone. Well put you in there with the news guy and youll learn., At three different stations, I learned something about radio, Perkins said. I dont know how they do it. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. This website uses cookies. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? The general manager told me one of his announcers would be leaving in a few days and I could try out for his job. 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. We love your GM ("Good Music . It takes a little bit of thought. Ive been in radio for quite some time. You had to wear earphones to hear whatever stations you were lucky enough to hear that would come through. Thanks! Radio has changed dramatically over the years, [particularly] with all the new technology, he said. We cant eat our dinner without you. 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. And I would sit with him and we would listen. 1 photo. We all need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going. 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. 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. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. Previously, Bob was a Board Member at Jazz Bridge and also held positions at Data Site, Unisys, WDAS Fm. He will continue to host his Sunday program. In addition to his job as jazz host, BP writes numerous columns and commentaries on jazz for local publications in Philadelphia. Read more MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer But it seems like the longer I stayed out, [chuckles] the more positive response I got. 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. That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving 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. BP: I dont know. 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. 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. 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. Over the years, he met the likes of President Jimmy Carter and touched the lives of everyday listeners and renowned musicians. Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. And it is. Perkins credits his father for being the one who gave him the love for radio. Classical music and jazz public media. 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. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. Electronics and technology are magnificent. 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. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. I like melody. He goes way back and he studied by listening to some of the great commentators and broadcasters over the years, he said. 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. Eventually, they changed their format to Jazz and Classical music. Perkins spoke about the evolution of radio. I went in and knocked on the door and they said, we listened to you on WJLB, and we liked your work there, but you dont know news. IE 11 is not supported. Happy Birthday BP! Discovery, curation, community, performance, preservation. 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. 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. I lived on the same block as the famous Heath Brothers in South Philadelphia growing up, he said. Listener-supported. 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 its magic, the music I play. Am I going to capture their imagination today? He is a jazz program host and DJ for WRTI. Mr. Perkins owns 88,692 shares of Targa Resources stock worth more than $6,747,687 as of February 16th. The host entered the Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a news and editorial director. Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. Ive met a lot of good people, a lot of entertainers, musicians, and politicians along the way. WRTI has not yet put a new DJ in Perkins usual weeknight spot, which will temporarily be filled by station associate general manager Josh Jackson, KYW Newsradio reported. I try to ameliorate that and take the rough edges off if I can, with the music. He fell ill around 1940 with rheumatoid arthritis, and was forced to leave his job as an elevator operator. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. 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. 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. 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. Every Saturday, I was there.. But BP programs his own. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. And people do forget. I had a mild stroke. 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. Music. 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 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. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. 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. Or when times are not tight and everythings loose? My mom would let me stay up on the weekends and sometimes we would pick up stations in other states. You should hear this guy.. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. 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. Any birthday wishes? 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. Thats our savior, man.. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. New Temple Press book celebrates Philadelphias Italian legacy, Hundreds of Temple community members gather to celebrate the life of Sergeant Christopher Fitzgerald with his family, Temples Lenfest Center increases job opportunities for the North Philadelphia community, Globally connected campus: A presidential visit to Temple Rome, Whats the best way for an athlete to build their brand? We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. He makes it interesting and inclusive for everybody.. Change has come to radio, music, listeners, and listening habits. The Philadelphia Sunday SUN - P.O. Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. 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. Please let Bob know in the comments section below. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. ", BP going one on one with the audience shows a very strong kinship, said Craig, himself a 40-year veteran of local radio. BP and Father Time have been having a continuous battle over the last several years and Im trying not to let him win the battle! But I didnt really visualize the response that I got. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. After 58 years of working in broadcast radio, Philadelphias Bob Perkins will lay down his microphone by the end of this month. Since his Bloomberg profile states that he has gone to both . 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. Radio was drilled in my head.. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. 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. 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. PublishedDecember 6, 2013 at 5:49 AM EST. They offered me a job and I accepted. Saxophonist Larry McKenna has been listening to him for 40 years. Once I got some news training under my belt, I started trading news stories with the news team at WDAS in Philadelphia. It has to be accurate. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. 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 had been selling insurance in North Philadelphia at the time, knocking on doors. Jazz radio host and South. Went to Texas A&M University. The late teen years. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. WRTI's legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88 For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. His father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the two would sit and listen together. Im waiting for my doc to give me clearance to return to work so that I can keep putting out that good GM . And Ive been a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with the spoken word in radio. Information about his on-air schedule may be found at WRTI's website. 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.. The great alto saxophonist and jazz icon Charlie "Yardbird" Parker was only 34 years old when he died in 1955. From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. "People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. Thats the magic part about this thing called music. A lot of people, at least in my experience as an artist, associate this music with their grandparents' music or their parents' music. Contact. TN: Whats the response been to your show recently? 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.. Happy Birthday BP! This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. And hopefully its working. They had hired me for all the wrong reasons in the first place. 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. Friday evenings at 10 PM, veteran WRTI jazz host J. Michael Harrison presents The Bridge, exploring the merging platforms of popular music and jazz. He also hosts concerts at jazz clubs and at regional festivals. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. I was out for almost four months. BP: No, I just put out the music. 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. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. BP means a great deal to listeners of all ages. I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. He later joined WHYY with a weekend jazz show before landing at WRTI. I was weaned on radio. "You guys go home! Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to Detroit. 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. Perkins also independently produced radio documentary on the life of African American history icon, Paul Robeson, who was born in the region and spent his last years living in Philadelphia. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. 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!. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. How is someone out there feeling? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. 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. 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. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had. Maybe its one of the high points in their life. Its almost like were trying to do too much. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. So when I came back I got these emails saying, Oh, were glad youre back. I save all my emails. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. It comes out of the head, out of the heart and out of your soul. He is genuine, a real original.. 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 . His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. I became the news and editorial director after Jim Clash died at WDAS, Perkins said. About to host his talk show on WDAS in the mid '70s. 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. 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. 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.. 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. Experience Board Chair Orennia 2021 - Present 2 years. BP was awarded the 2002 Mellon Jazz Community Award. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. A stroke survivor from three years ago, Perkins is still kicking and hes still ticking, playing some of the best jazz music you ever want to hear on WRTI-FM. Those letters always remind me that you have people out there listening to you and theyre expecting some good things from you. I think it would be silly to have me programming for a jazz historian.. You dont know whos listening, how many people: could be one, could be 10,000. His show appeals to me in that way. 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. Believe it or not, I next ended up at Power 99. 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. Perkins had a five-year relationship with The Philadelphia Tribune, where he wrote commentary on government, society and public affairs. 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. I got on the payroll, and Ive been there, ever since. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. READ MORE: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), Perkins had suffered a stroke. 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. Last Update. 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