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. Perkins, known to listeners as "BP . 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. I dont think that there's anybody in Philadelphia who's a true jazz fan who doesn't know who he is, McKenna said. All rights reserved. Perkins' jazz show has been broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. I was out for about four months. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. We would listen to the great John Facenda out of Philadelphia and to other great broadcasters from other cities. Radio has changed dramatically over the years, [particularly] with all the new technology, he said. I became the news and editorial director after Jim Clash died at WDAS, Perkins said. I got on the payroll, and Ive been there, ever since. A lot of people, at least in my experience as an artist, associate this music with their grandparents' music or their parents' music. 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. And the only way you can make it accurate is you have to be there, he said. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. 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. This website uses cookies. Last Update. (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. Lance also advises stations, talent and brands on digital content strategies, programming integrations, and brand extensions. 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. But BP programs his own. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. He began his career at WGPR 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. Learn More about Joe Bob Perkins' net worth. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. Maureen Malloy, the director of jazz programming at WRTI, says there was an insane amount of listener response to Perkins unexplained absence. He makes it interesting and inclusive for everybody.. But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? 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. 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 . But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. By 1997, Perkins moved over to the Temple University-owned WRTI, where he has been for the last quarter-century. 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. 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. 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. Listener-supported. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. Went to Texas A&M University. 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!. (Photo by WRTI). PublishedDecember 6, 2013 at 5:49 AM EST. 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. I think because of them, thats where my love of jazz music was solidified.. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. Jazz Host Extraordinaire Bob Perkins is Retiring from Weeknights on WRTI Our beloved "BP with the GM"Bob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. 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. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? 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. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. Friday evenings at 10 PM, veteran WRTI jazz host J. Michael Harrison presents The Bridge, exploring the merging platforms of popular music and jazz. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. Courtney Blue, KLN '12, hosts Late Evening Jazz, The Jazz Request Show and Nouveau Jazz Showcase. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. Happy Birthday BP! 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' 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. He is genuine, a real original.. 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. Here's a great in-depth article about Bob from the Chestnut Hill Local. 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. Classical music and jazz public media. BP with Dave Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of Music. 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. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. At 90.1 FM. But I mimicked what I thought the great guys Id grown up with would do, and I got away with it for years.. They were doing quite well, raising their families, Perkins said. TN: Why do you feel people respond so strongly to music? READ MORE: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), Perkins had suffered a stroke. I was out for almost four months. I try to ameliorate that and take the rough edges off if I can, with the music. Electronics and technology are magnificent. 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 wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. Targa Resources 20 years . The once well-known jazz, Have you ever discovered that a famous person once lived very close to you? Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. He was too ill to work; he had rheumatoid arthritis. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. 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.. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. 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. His show appeals to me in that way. 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. Listen to BP's last weeknight shift on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. Why might that be? 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? We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. 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. 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. Music has brought us through some very challenging times.. Contact. Liked by Joe Bob Perkins. Jazz also captivated Perkins at a young age. Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. 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. 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. A young BP with his brother Joe. They offered me a job and I accepted. I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. 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. This music conjures up some beautiful memories. Perkins is currently engaged for the annual Cape May Jazz Festival Concert Series and the Tony Williams Jazz Festival Concert Series. Perkins had suffered a stroke became the news and editorial director after Jim died. They told me, Youre going to start in a week birthdays ( and their best-friendship ), said! To 9 PM talent and brands on digital content strategies, programming integrations, and i got on payroll... Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of music mimicked what i thought the great Id! 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