1 photo. And hopefully its working. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. 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. Change has come to radio, music, listeners, and listening habits. "[4] He is also an accomplished radio news journalist and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events. 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. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. 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. I guess along with fast food came fast everything fast cars, fast thoughts, fast relationships. 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. Some of the management of that station listened to me on WGPR and they liked what they heard, he said. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Joe Bob Perkins: Table of Contents show. The late teen years. BP talks about Charlie Parker back in 2020 with WRTI's Susan Lewis: His presence is felt throughout the city. Maybe its one of the high points in their life, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2020. 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. This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. Jazz also captivated Perkins at a young age. At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. I knew that people kind of liked my music. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. 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 | Thats our savior, man.. My gerontologist tells me, Keep moving.. 12 of 12. I looked around, and I found a station that wanted a newsman. Liked by Joe Bob Perkins. 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. I look to my dad and my older brother, Perkins said, and I guess I was just programmed to do what I do. 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. Perkins was also one of Pennsylvania's favorite night-time jazz listeners, in the Philadelphia area. Something they can hum. 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. 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. And to have that kind of confidence in a guy whos just sitting around playing music [laughs], thats pretty good. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. BP: People, they never call me, seemingly. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphia's airwaves for 50 years. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. King agrees. The Philadelphia Sunday SUN - P.O. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. 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. 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. 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. 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 . His fathers illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. Im just about 90% recovered and the letters that they sent, it was embarrassing to me because of the flattery that they gave me. And he knows the history of the music so well. That was 25 years ago.. The once well-known jazz, Have you ever discovered that a famous person once lived very close to you? He began his career at WGPR Detroit. Perkins, 88, has been at the station since 1997 and has a media career that has spanned nearly six decades. At 90.1 FM. 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!. 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. Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to Detroit. My father just loved to have the radio on. 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. 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. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. PhillyVoice Staff, Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. You had to sit around the radio and visualize. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. I think I have some wisdom to impart.. 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. He has been with the station since 1997. I would do reports on Philadelphia radio about what was happening in Detroit. Fifty-seven years after his voice first graced the airwaves, Perkins, best-known for his weeknight jazz show at WRTI, is entering semi-retirement after 25 years at the station. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. 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. Perkins, a longtime jazz DJ, will continue hosting his weekly "Sunday Jazz Brunch show. 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! It takes a little bit of thought. Im waiting for my doc to give me clearance to return to work so that I can keep putting out that good GM . 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. 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. Not doing anything heroic. BP: Yes, it really did. Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. Box 18869, Philadelphia, PA 19119 - Phone (215) 848-7864 - Fax (215) 848-7893 But his well-honed approach to the music would remain unaffected. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College. The world is a lot different than it used to be.. Thats our savior, man.. 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. I wrote for Hugo Warren for 20 years. But I didnt really visualize the response that I got. 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? 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. After 58 years of working in broadcast radio, Philadelphias Bob Perkins will lay down his microphone by the end of this month. [8] Philadelphia honored him in 2017 when he was inducted in Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame.[9]. He will continue to host his Sunday program. In 1969, WDAS offered him a news and editorial position and asked if he might be interested in moving back to Philadelphia. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. 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. 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