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!. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. The host entered the Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a news and editorial director. His salvation was radio, Perkins said. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] I had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. TN: Whats the response been to your show recently? We had great announcers back then. 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). Tweet Share Pin Email Tweet Share Pin Email Related Posts AACP Philadelphia Branch Update NAACP Philadelphia Branch Tweet Share Pin Email ABOVE PHOTO: President Joe Biden walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St. Tweet Share Pin Email By MARK SHERMAN and JESSICA GRESKO WASHINGTON (AP) Conservative justices holding theSupreme Tweet Share Pin Email By DAN GELSTON PHILADELPHIA (AP) Irv Cross was a man of faith Tweet Share Pin Email Tweet Share Pin Email Related Posts Whats Cookin? Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. 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.. 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? Jazz radio host and South. That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving it. The general manager told me one of his announcers would be leaving in a few days and I could try out for his job. They were doing quite well, raising their families, Perkins said. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? Twitter: @WRTImusic Language: English Contact: Im just about 90% recovered and the letters that they sent, it was embarrassing to me because of the flattery that they gave me. Robert "Bob" Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. 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 . You should hear this guy.. READ MORE: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), Perkins had suffered a stroke. He is a part of that time when jazz was juke joints and Friday night fish fries. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. 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. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. Thanks! [3] One of his well-known sayings is "This is BP with the GM!". But his well-honed approach to the music would remain unaffected. He has been with the station since 1997. 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 is a jazz program host and DJ for WRTI. 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. But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. 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.. 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. 27206. 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. Joe Blocks parents were fans of WRTI and the pianist grew up listening to BP, becoming a fan himself. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. 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. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. BP: No, I just put out the 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. We love your GM ("Good Music . Bob Perkins, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI, spun everything from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. Each Friday at 6 PM, there's Nouveau Jazz . Domain Insight 2/27: The First Audacy Atlas Divestiture Will Go To. He made his own antennas and we could sit and listen to Chicago, Detroit. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. PERKINS, 88, has been hosting at WRTI for 25. Like the theme song from the 1944 film Laura, played by saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins. Maybe its one of the high points in their life. I dont know how they do it. I'm a general assignment breaking news reporter. Bell Building 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. Bob Perkins is a Dj at Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Every Saturday, I was there.. Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. A lot of us who live here, we don't have any other outlets and are not really known outside of this city, so we don't get airplay unless we go through WRTI., Bob is a proud Philadelphian, but he doesnt just play local music out of loyalty. 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. BP: Yes, it really did. He could pick up stations that no one else that I knew could get. All the girls belong to me!". 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? He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. Liked by Joe Bob Perkins. They don't think that it's accessible to younger people. Pianist Orrin Evans believes BP is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene. Thats our savior, man.. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. I was weaned on radio. 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. BP: I dont know. 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. Classical music and jazz public media. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! I had a mild stroke. [citation needed], Perkins is also a first-call jazz MC. 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. 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 . Hed just play people that he liked. Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. WRTI, this 600th review is for you! Radio has changed dramatically over the years, [particularly] with all the new technology, 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. He has attended two White House Presidential news conferences - one of Gerald Ford's and one of Jimmy Carter's. TN: It sounds like being a DJ is something you were always meant to do. Mr. Perkins in 2006. For younger listeners who might not be as familiar with jazz and are exploring the genre, BPs show is an introductory primer: Jazz 101. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. 1. I enjoy it. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. We would listen to the great John Facenda out of Philadelphia and to other great broadcasters from other cities. And he knows the history of the music so well. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. It seems like our attention spans are so divided in this new age of technology. WRTI. 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. BP: It seems that way. I did what I could, he told The Inquirer in 2020, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. He got his first job in radio during a trip to visit his two brothers in Detroit in 1964. Perkins' jazz show has been broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. 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. 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. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. He grew up in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a child. We werent sure at first when hed be back, so we didnt say anything. Finally, in mid-November, a post went up on the WRTI web page. 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. Perkins then moved to public radio station WHYY to host a weekend jazz music show before joining WRTI. We would listen to WAR in Detroit, which is 500 miles away. 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. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. Bob Perkins on Trumpeter Red Rodney, an Overlooked Philly Great! Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He currently hosts from 6-9pm Monday through Thursday, and from . His stories are not secondhand.. 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. 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. A young BP with his brother Joe. We cant eat our dinner without you. 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. 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. Eventually, they changed their format to Jazz and Classical music. 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. In turn, news reporters from WDAS would report via radio, in Detroit, about what was happening of importance in the city of Philadelphia., The management team at WDAS liked my work very much, and one day they asked me the question, Do you want to come home and work in Philadelphia radio? Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. All rights reserved. Why might that be? 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. Last Update. He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. You had to sit around the radio and visualize. I knew the Athletics batting averages like they were my own name. 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. Perkins, known to listeners as "BP . BP: Well, I still like it. At 90.1 FM. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. But I didnt really visualize the response that I got. Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. I think its magic, the music I play. I dont know why music is so much more powerful than some other entity. Joseph V. Labolito. His show will come to an end June 30, but he says this wont be the last his fans hear from him. Scroll down to see recent playlists. It takes a little bit of thought. I was out for about four months. The estimated net worth of Joe Bob Perkins is at least $6.75 million as of November 2nd, 2022. Ive been in radio for about 55 years and in Philadelphia for 50 years. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. TN: Why was it important for you to keep doing your show? Maureen Malloy, the director of jazz programming at WRTI, says there was an insane amount of listener response to Perkins unexplained absence. 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. Everything is so fast nowadays. 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. I like melody. 1 photo. Classical 6am-6pm, and Jazz 6pm-6am. King agrees. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. On this show he would play a record by Dick Haymes or Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney. His older brother had introduced him to the music of Duke Ellington, which sparked a lifelong love of big band and jazz 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 "I got radio rammed down my throat, because that was my fathers relief from his pain.. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphia's airwaves for 50 years. 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. Remember, I came up as a war baby. Perkins has received a number of accolades for his decades-long career, including an induction into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003. 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. Black Music Month means heritage, he said. 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. "People say, You ought to give it up, man, go retire somewhere. Why? Box 18869, Philadelphia, PA 19119 - Phone (215) 848-7864 - Fax (215) 848-7893 He wasn't doing well at, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. His show appeals to me in that way. PublishedDecember 6, 2013 at 5:49 AM EST. Perkins spoke about the evolution of radio. 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. The once well-known jazz, Have you ever discovered that a famous person once lived very close to you? He was the youngest child and when his mother became ill, he felt responsible to stay and care for her. 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. 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. Perkins's CEO profile on Targa Resources's website states that he has both an engineering and a business background when it comes to his education. 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