I dont think that there's anybody in Philadelphia who's a true jazz fan who doesn't know who he is, McKenna said. And I would sit with him and we would listen. Am I going to capture their imagination today? Went to Texas A&M University. 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 . Its not the same. You know, its magic that Ive been around that long and people have that much confidence in me. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. I next made a move over to WRTI, which is Temple Universitys radio station, as a volunteer DJ playing jazz music. 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 did what I could, he said, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. BP: I dont know. Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. I couldnt leave Mom Perkins to go chasing after radio, he said. 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. I stayed there for about a year and a half, but I was hungry to do news in radio, so I needed to move on. 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. 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 . He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. But on the other side of the coin, technology can be very dangerous.. 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.. I did what I could, he told The Inquirer in 2020, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. The once well-known jazz, Have you ever discovered that a famous person once lived very close to you? Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. 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? We cant eat our dinner without you. 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. Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. Maybe its one of the high points in their life, Perkins told The Inquirer in 2020. 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. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. But you try to always put that best music forward. Especially jazz music. 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. In 1969, WDAS offered him a news and editorial position and asked if he might be interested in moving back to Philadelphia. Thats the magic part about this thing called music. Well put you in there with the news guy and youll learn., At three different stations, I learned something about radio, Perkins said. 27206. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. Hes one of the last purveyors of our actual history. During his short life, he became one of the, Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. His show is an oasis, a source of comfort as listeners cope with the challenges of life during a pandemic. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. 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 wrote for Hugo Warren for 20 years. 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 | 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. I dont know why music is so much more powerful than some other entity. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. I got a job working at a Black-owned insurance company, Great Lakes Mutual, in Detroit. Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! 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. Change has come to radio, music, listeners, and listening habits. If I was lucky enough to get a radio gig in the boonies without any experience, Id be lucky, I was told. 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. Wait two seconds and you'll hear about yet another award bestowed on "Ol' BP," as he calls himself. 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 always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. 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. Bobs staying power is a testament to his greatness. (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. BP means a great deal to listeners of all ages. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Jazz-Classical WRTI/PHILADELPHIA evening host BOB PERKINS is stepping away from his weekday 6-9p (ET) show on JUNE 30th. As of 1997, Perkins landed at WRTI-FM. At the end of this Black Music Month, Bob Perkins will be retiring at the ripe young age of 88. A young BP with his brother Joe. Perkins was born on December 6, 1933. Happy Birthday BP! TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? King agrees. Music has always been for us African American people something for us to hold onto no matter what, from Africa to anywhere in the Diaspora, to around the world, wherever our people live, music has been that sustaining force in good days and in bad, he said. I became the news and editorial director after Jim Clash died at WDAS, Perkins said. People know what is going on. For younger listeners who might not be as familiar with jazz and are exploring the genre, BPs show is an introductory primer: Jazz 101. Radio was saturated into me like a sponge thats put in water, Perkins said. Learn More about Joe Bob Perkins' net worth. 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. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. 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. Beginning in June, he will end the weekday program and continue with the Sunday broadcast on, Fans mourn death of legendary Philly radio host Sid Mark, Questlove, The Balvenie award first scholarship for PhD in Creativity at University of the Arts, Philadelphia Film Society to host series of family-friendly movie screenings, Eagles name Alex Tanney QB coach, plus other coaching staff updates, The food you eat impacts the health of your eyes, Construction of Penn's Landing park over I-95 finally approved to begin, PennDOT says, Joanna McClinton becomes first woman elected as speaker of Pa. House, Rocco's Italian Sausage, a cult favorite at Home Depot stores in Philly, to expand in Bucks County, Low-calorie sweetener tied to higher risk of heart attack and stroke, study finds. Electronics and technology are magnificent. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. 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. Music, said BP about the GM. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. 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. 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.. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. But what are you going to do? Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. You can touch a button and get any answer to any question that you have. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. Copyright 2022 RadioInsight / RadioBB Networks. 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. Mr. Perkins owns 88,692 shares of Targa Resources stock worth more than $6,747,687 as of February 16th. 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. 1 photo. He currently hosts from 6-9pm Monday through Thursday, and from . Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphia's airwaves for 50 years. People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? He is one of the few DJs at WRTI, or any radio station in existence nowadays, allowed such a luxury. I leaned on them when I got into radio until I got my own sea legs and could navigate on my own.. 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. Hed just play people that he liked. My father just loved to have the radio on. TN: It sounds like being a DJ is something you were always meant to do. I was weaned on radio. All rights reserved. I went to a radio school through my father. WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. PhillyVoice Staff, Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. Perkins, a longtime jazz DJ, will continue hosting his weekly "Sunday Jazz Brunch show. His salvation was radio, Perkins said. 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. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. Temple Now:The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University. At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. 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. 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. Happy Birthday BP! "You guys go home! 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. Retiring at the ripe young age of 88 like being a DJ is something you were meant... Number and Email people have that much confidence in me but I told,! One time, you ought to give it up, well get somebody else be,! 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