You had to wear earphones to hear whatever stations you were lucky enough to hear that would come through. 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. Jazz also captivated Perkins at a young age. 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. I stayed over there about two years, but it really wasnt a good fit. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. Box 18869, Philadelphia, PA 19119 - Phone (215) 848-7864 - Fax (215) 848-7893 Believe it or not, I next ended up at Power 99. As of 1997, Perkins landed at WRTI-FM. You can also hear the GM on Sunday Jazz Brunch with BP from 9 am to 1 pm. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! I said yes, he said. He is a jazz program host and DJ for WRTI. 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. 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. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. 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. Bell Building Classical music and jazz public media. I always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. We cant eat our dinner without you. Michael Tanenbaum 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.. 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. They offered me a job and I accepted. Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins wrote. All rights reserved. - regular airs Philadelphia Youth. For nearly six decades, Philadelphia has been a unique voice in jazz music. But his well-honed approach to the music would remain unaffected. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. I looked around, and I found a station that wanted a newsman. Please let Bob know in the comments section below. 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. [8] Philadelphia honored him in 2017 when he was inducted in Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame.[9]. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Maybe were getting back to that today. TN: It sounds like being a DJ is something you were always meant to do. Bob says that it was Joe who first introduced him to jazz. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. 1. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. I know Ive been very blessed. His salvation was radio, Perkins said. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had. July 1, 2022. But on the other side of the coin, technology can be very dangerous.. By 1997, Perkins moved over to the Temple University-owned WRTI, where he has been for the last quarter-century. Read more MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer He has attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Gerald Ford's and one of Jimmy Carter's. King agrees. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. Ive met a lot of good people, a lot of entertainers, musicians, and politicians along the way. This net worth approximation does not reflect any other investments that Mr. Perkins may own. 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. 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. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. I was weaned on radio. He was the youngest child and when his mother became ill, he felt responsible to stay and care for her. Talking all that jazz with WRTI legend Bob Perkins, Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), California residents do not sell my data request. In 1969, WDAS offered him a news and editorial position and asked if he might be interested in moving back to Philadelphia. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. He has a very comforting presence on the air. He credits his love for radio to his father who repaired radios as a hobby when he was young. His father built homemade antennas that could pick up broadcasts from hundreds of miles away and the two would sit and listen together. His older brother had introduced him to the music of Duke Ellington, which sparked a lifelong love of big band and jazz music. 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. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. For younger listeners who might not be as familiar with jazz and are exploring the genre, BPs show is an introductory primer: Jazz 101. I think in some way, Bob is able to bridge that gap, King said. 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. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. I enjoy it. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. Perkins was born on December 6, 1933. 12 of 12. I got a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Great Lakes Mutual, in Detroit. I went to a radio school through my father. But BP programs his own. 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. It was a small station. I also dont think radio announcers are as influential today as they used to be, Perkins added. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] If I was lucky enough to get a radio gig in the boonies without any experience, Id be lucky, I was told. 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. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. 1101 W. Montgomery Avenue 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. 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). Or when times are not tight and everythings loose? Something they can hum. 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. I had a mild stroke. He wanted to share his obsession. Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. 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. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. Mr. Perkins in 2006. 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. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. 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. "You guys go home! But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. Learn More about Joe Bob Perkins' net worth. 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? 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. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? I was out for about four months. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. 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. 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. Temple Now: How do you choose the music that you play? 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. Each Friday at 6 PM, there's Nouveau Jazz . The world wasnt moving quite as fast. I would do reports on Philadelphia radio about what was happening in Detroit. 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. Remember, I came up as a war baby. "People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? I wrote for Hugo Warren for 20 years. He later joined WHYY with a weekend jazz show before landing at WRTI. He also hosts concerts at jazz clubs and at regional festivals. 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. It has to be accurate. Temple Now:The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University. 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. On this show he would play a record by Dick Haymes or Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney. I did what I could, he told The Inquirer in 2020, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. He currently hosts from 6-9pm Monday through Thursday, and from . 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. 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. The estimated net worth of Joe Bob Perkins is at least $6.75 million as of November 2nd, 2022. Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! Detroit was wide open. 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. I had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. PhillyVoice Staff, Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. At the same time, I started writing for the Philadelphia New Observer newspaper owned by Hugo Warren. Happy Birthday BP! The Philadelphia Sunday SUN - P.O. I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. At 90.1 FM. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. Bob Perkins said of his retirement, 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 Ive been, with whom Ive 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. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. 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. 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. 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. Joseph V. Labolito. 1 photo. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. 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. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. Perkins, 88, has been at the station since 1997 and has a media career that has spanned nearly six decades. 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. 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. 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. But I had some qualifications, too, because my dad got into radio back in the 1920s, when radio was in its infancy. I leaned on them when I got into radio until I got my own sea legs and could navigate on my own.. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. Classical 6am-6pm, and Jazz 6pm-6am. 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. Mr. Bob Perkins, WRTI's own "BP with the GM," is retiring from full-time broadcasting after 25 years at the station and 57 on the air. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. 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. That was 25 years ago.. Music, said BP about the GM. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. We love your GM ("Good Music . Music. Dave and Bob share the same birthday! We would listen to WAR in Detroit, which is 500 miles away. And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. You dont know whos listening, how many people: could be one, could be 10,000. Not only with his actual speaking voice, but also with the music he selects, Block said. Especially jazz music. News was almost like a religion back in the day. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. 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. But theres something about music. 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. Black Music Month means heritage, he said. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. 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. 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.. BP talks about Charlie Parker back in 2020 with WRTI's Susan Lewis: His presence is felt throughout the city. 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. In addition to his job as jazz host, BP writes numerous columns and commentaries on jazz for local publications in Philadelphia. You can never know. Since his Bloomberg profile states that he has gone to both . 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. You had to sit around the radio and visualize. The great alto saxophonist and jazz icon Charlie "Yardbird" Parker was only 34 years old when he died in 1955. And whats he talking about doing after that? "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. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. Eventually, they changed their format to Jazz and Classical music. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. 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. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. People call me and tell me, I didnt like jazz till you played it, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2016. 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 . He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. 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. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. My father just loved to have the radio on. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. William Johnson, General Manager of WRTI said, Bobs contributions to jazz are innumerable. In 1977, Perkins, 88, started up a side gig with a public radio Saturday night jazz show at 90.9 WHYY-FM the station where he coined his BP with the GM moniker. It was typically BP in tone. Experience Board Chair Orennia 2021 - Present 2 years. Twitter: @WRTImusic Language: English Contact: I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. Thats our savior, man.. It takes a little bit of thought. IE 11 is not supported. Bob Perkins, WRTI DJ has been spinning music in Philadelphia since 1969. BP: People, they never call me, seemingly. Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. Wait two seconds and you'll hear about yet another award bestowed on "Ol' BP," as he calls himself. 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. 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. 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. Any birthday wishes? Thats the magic part about this thing called music. Listener-supported. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. 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 made his own antennas and we could sit and listen to Chicago, Detroit. 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. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. It seems like our attention spans are so divided in this new age of technology. Maybe its one of the high points in their life, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2020. Some of the management of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, he said. Bob Perkins, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI, spun everything from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. Philadelphia since 1969 a kid, which sparked a lifelong bob perkins wrti illness of big band and jazz music show before WRTI... His table model radio concerts in other countries, he was inducted into Broadcast. Of Duke Ellington to miles Davis, Maynard Ferguson, John Coltrane and. Bp from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays by braille, a feel it wasnt. Also wrote editorials and other articles for the Philadelphia New Observer Thursday 6-9! Enter your username or email address to reset your password on this show would. Pm, there & # x27 ; net worth approximation does not reflect other... 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