We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. The late teen years. Michael Tanenbaum In 1969, he headed home to Philly, where he began working as a news and editorial director at WDAS-FM, which was then known as the voice of the Black community. He stayed at that station for nearly two decades. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote in 2019. He was the youngest child and when his mother became ill, he felt responsible to stay and care for her. WRTI, this 600th review is for you! Listener-supported. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. The mission of WRTI public radio is to broadcast the very best classical music and jazz recordings, and produce innovative, entertaining, and informative content that enriches the daily lives of our audience and the cultural life of Philadelphia and the tri-state region. He has a very comforting presence on the air. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. He went on to work for WDAS and while in Philadelphia, [2] in 1997, he joined WRTI-FM Temple University Radio. Over the years, he met the likes of President Jimmy Carter and touched the lives of everyday listeners and renowned musicians. 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. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. 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.. Im waiting for my doc to give me clearance to return to work so that I can keep putting out that good GM . Remember, I came up as a war baby. He goes way back and he studied by listening to some of the great commentators and broadcasters over the years, he said. 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. It was always in the back of my mind, like a latent dream, that maybe one day, Id get into radio.. [3] One of his well-known sayings is "This is BP with the GM!". Saxophonist Larry McKenna has been listening to him for 40 years. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. He is known as "BP with the GM," short for Bob Perkins with the Good Music. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! 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. But his well-honed approach to the music would remain unaffected. 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. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. Perkins will continue to host his Sunday show from 9am to 1pm. So when I came back I got these emails saying, Oh, were glad youre back. I save all my emails. 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. 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. This music conjures up some beautiful memories. It took Perkins a little while to break into radio. But I mimicked what I thought the great guys Id grown up with would do, and I got away with it for years.. Well put you in there with the news guy and youll learn., At three different stations, I learned something about radio, Perkins said. But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. Lance Venta is Owner and Publisher of RadioInsight.com. On this show he would play a record by Dick Haymes or Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. They were a great family of jazz artists. Lets have fun; lets have a beer. Bob Perkins is a Dj at Wrti based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Juneteenth 2022: Honoring Radio Personality Bob Perkins and Celebrating the Life & Legacy of W. Cody Anderson Temple University Libraries Join the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection and the Office of Community Affairs and Engagement for a day of celebration and remembrance. "[4] He is also an accomplished radio news journalist and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events. Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. 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. [citation needed]. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. 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. Ive been in radio for quite some time. My dad was my radio school, the 86-year-old remembered. This website uses cookies. 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. 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. 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!. PublishedDecember 6, 2013 at 5:49 AM EST. #WRTImusic I went in and knocked on the door and they said, we listened to you on WJLB, and we liked your work there, but you dont know news. 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. BP: No, I just put out the music. 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? WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. He is one of the few DJs at WRTI, or any radio station in existence nowadays, allowed such a luxury. But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. ABOVE PHOTO: The Legendary BP with the GM (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM). When WHYY dropped its music programming to concentrate on news and information, Perkins moved uptown. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. Bob Perkins' first radio gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964. Ive been in radio for about 55 years and in Philadelphia for 50 years. 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. BP with Dave Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of Music. I had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. You should hear this guy.. At one time, you could hear him from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and. Music has brought us through some very challenging times.. And it is. "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. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. They offered me a job and I accepted. 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. In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. Its not the same. You know, its magic that Ive been around that long and people have that much confidence in me. For 50 years he has been one of the great voices of Philadelphia radio, starting in 1969 with a nearly 20-year stint as a news and editorial reader for WDAS, known in those days as The Voice of the Black Community. I leaned on them when I got into radio until I got my own sea legs and could navigate on my own.. Once Mom made transition, I decided to go for it, and so I packed my bags, and I was off to 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. Or Tony Bennett singing My Foolish Heart accompanied by pianist Bill Evans. 1 photo. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. Pianist Orrin Evans believes BP is vital to Philadelphias jazz scene. I had also served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. In celebration of Women's History Month, we're shining a spotlight on the female hosts of WRTI. Any birthday wishes? Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Perkins stayed at that first station about a year and a half when another opportunity showed itself. Bob Perkins will retire from his full-time position hosting nights at Temple University Jazz 90.1 WRTI Philadelphia. I got on the payroll, and Ive been there, ever since. 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. 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. 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. 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 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. 1054. Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. Liked by Joe Bob Perkins. Thats the magic part about this thing called music. 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. Happy Birthday BP! Hear Bob on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Sunday Jazz Brunch. Radio has changed dramatically over the years, [particularly] with all the new technology, he said. I wrote for Hugo Warren for 20 years. Temple Now:The official source for Temple news.Copyright 2015, Temple University. After establishing himself on Detroit radio in news and jazz, Perkins returned to Philly in 1969 and became WDAS-FM's news/editorial director while hosting a jazz show at WHYY-FM. He wasn't doing well at, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form. Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. I never knew exactly how my father came to love radio so much, but he was an avid radio listener, Perkins recalled. Ive met a lot of good people, a lot of entertainers, musicians, and politicians along the way. For the last 25 years, hes become known for his warm, personable on-air style, extensive knowledge of jazz, and thoughtful, wide-ranging music mix. But theres something about music. Maybe were getting back to that today. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. 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. 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. You dont know whos listening, how many people: could be one, could be 10,000. My father just loved to have the radio on. 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. 27206. His Sunday 'Jazz Brunch' show will continue. Temple Now: How do you choose the music that you play? Im just about 90% recovered and the letters that they sent, it was embarrassing to me because of the flattery that they gave me. From 1988 to 1997 he hosted a well-known jazz program on Saturday nights on WHYY-FM before moving to WRTI. Discovery, curation, community, performance, preservation. Perkins, 88, has been at the station since 1997 and has a media career that has spanned nearly six decades. Perkins, a longtime jazz DJ, will continue hosting his weekly "Sunday Jazz Brunch show. 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. Thanks! Music. I was a war baby. If you, WRTIs Bob Perkins joined the 2016 Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame class on October 19th. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. We love your GM ("Good Music . 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. Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. 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. Perkins recalled that his father, at the age of about 40, had such severe arthritis that he could barely walk. The host entered the Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a news and editorial director. Every Saturday, I was there.. Not doing anything heroic. They were very kind at WDAS, and they also allowed me to moonlight at WHYY-FM. Bobs staying power is a testament to his greatness. Contact. 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. Information about his on-air schedule may be found at WRTI's website. I think because of them, thats where my love of jazz music was solidified.. He makes it interesting and inclusive for everybody.. Perkins was born on December 6, 1933. The jazz hosts show offers a break from the stresses of COVID-19. 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. He also wrote editorials and other articles for the former Philadelphia New Observer. Bob has always taken that part of his life very seriously and gives credit where credit is due. Apple Tea Whats Cookin? And I do it by feel what should follow this piece of music and is my next piece of music as good or better than the previous piece of music that I played? 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 . 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