You can still find the occasional polka radio show, but in the 1950s and 1960s Dick Sinclair was the voice of polka, with syndicated radio and television shows everywhere. Dick was also one of the first AFRS jocks, during WWII at the Guadalcanal station.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Charlie Williams - 1972
Charlie Williams didn't host the show for very long but he brought a big piece of rural America worldwide. Charlie had the show between Joe Allison and Gene Price.
Labels:
1972,
Charlie Williams,
Country Corner
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Charlie Tuna - 1991
So where were you in 1991?
The first Gulf War, Soviet Union crumbles, Princess Diana and Prince Charles split up. Topicality was a big piece of the Charlie Tuna show:
Get your breakfast serial at:
Labels:
1991,
Charlie Tuna
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Chris Noel - 1969
Chris Noel was at Rolling Thunder for Memorial Day. A life of service. In 1969 that service was with AFRTS.
Labels:
1969,
Chris Noel,
Date With Chris
Monday, May 25, 2015
Roger Carroll - 1972
Roger is still playing for the troops. About a year ago he sent a bundle of his shows. We've heard a lot of them since. A few weeks ago he found another stack and sent them along. I'll always be grateful. Here's a memory...
Labels:
1972,
Roger Carroll
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Gene Price - 1974
I had a break in service, went to Panama, was waiting in the temporary barracks. Turned on the radio and there was Gene. Life was gonna be pretty good.
Labels:
1974,
Gene Price
Friday, May 22, 2015
Wolfman Jack - 1976
Wolfman did some great shows for Air Force Recruiting and Roger Carroll's company. I ended up running these too..
Labels:
1976,
Recruiting,
USAF,
Wolfman Jack
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Hey Don!
There's a fellow with a name of dont1961 over at www.archive.org who has made a lot of early AFRS available. Take a look:
Don, I've got some questions about some of the great things you've posted. Thanks!
Roland Bynum - 1982
This would have been a disk that I would have played way back when. Roland Bynum soulin through a Wednesday in 1982... Good Bynum!
Labels:
1982,
Roland Bynum
Coast Guard on Parade - 1967
This kind of puzzles me. I understand running Navy recruiting shows on a ship. I understand any of the services running recruiting shows for their primary command. This is a nice show. WTIC in Hartford produced it at the Coast Guard Academy. It went out on AFRTS labels to all stations.
Labels:
1967,
Coast Guard On Parade,
Recruiting
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Jim Ameche - 1961
Jim Ameche had two shows in the early 1960s, The Jim Ameche Show and Pop Concert. Both programs had the best in orchestral music.
Jim was one of the first to figure out how to successfully syndicate a DJ show.
Labels:
1961,
Jim Ameche
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Chris Noel - 1969
Chris Noel was the voice of home to a lot of troops, halfway around the world and counting the days back to the real world.It's a Wednesday in 1969 with Date With Chris. Please help fellow vets by making a contribution to Chris's "Vetsville Cease Fire House" Click here...
Labels:
1969,
Chris Noel,
Date With Chris
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Panorama - 1961
Panorama was produced at AFN for AFRTS by Sp Mickey Klein. It sounds suspiciously like Weekend World..
Gene Price - 1974
Welcome back Mr. Pierce. So... I can go in the Army, work in Public Affairs AND go to Panama? There is no downside. Thank you, Gene!
Labels:
1974,
Army,
Gene Price,
Recruiting
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Roger Carroll - Lawrence Welk Radio show
Labels:
Roger Carroll
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Shilling for Luck - 1944
In 1944 the troops were curious about the British. AFRS assembled an all star cast to tell a storyin "Shilling for Luck", Gene Kelly is a sailor from Liverpool, Ohio. He meets a sailor from Liverpool, England. They compare the Liverpool's. Multiple stories are tied together with a one shilling coin. The coin is passed to Gene's grandson who gives it to Shirley Temple, who also learns about the British. The all-star cast focusses on the similarities of our cultures.
Labels:
1944,
Gene Kelly,
OTR,
Shirley Temple
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
AFPN Hitmakers - Complete
Richard Clemmons AFPN
"Hitmakers" was completed at the Far East Network Philippines in 1975 and required 20 hours to air. We realized that “19 Years of Hit Music” had outdated itself as soon as it aired, but the response to the show was an overwhelming approval. I began immediately writing “The Hitmakers” to replace it. The first task was writing intros and closes and coming up with the "sound" that would be the program. The opening explosion is from an AFRTS sound effects recording of an atomic bomb. The deep voice saying “The Hitmakers” is mine, slowed down by wrapping the tape deck capstan with scotch tape until the desired effect was reached. Next, obviously, are the Rolling Stones “It’s Only Rock & Roll.” The open ; close announcer is Vic Pinzon followed by Bill Haley ; The Comets “Rock Around The Clock,” kept from “19 Years” as a recognizable tie to the previous show. The voice of the song intros and outros is mine. The theme music for “World Headline News ; Sports” is “Baroque Hoedown” from the LP “Kaleidoscopic Vibrations” by Perrey Kingsley. The Announcer introducing the news and sports is Steve Bagget (Marine Sergeant), somehow left out of the closing credits, I really don’t know why. The news inserts were written by Sandy Dellar, Air Force dependent wife, voiced by Jim Estep. Sports inserts were written by Rich Yanku and voiced by Charlie Kemplin. Gene Pickett was still the radio supervisor. The closing theme is “Storefront Lawyers” by the Ventures. Originally broadcast on AFPN (FEN Philippines) January 1, 1975 it is revived now for AFRTS Archive. Thank you Thom Whetston. Your dedication to keeping alive the incredible efforts of AFRTS alumni worldwide is deeply appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys hearing “The Hitmakers” now as much as I, in retrospect, and everyone involved in the production, enjoyed creating it.
Richard Clemons
AFPN Subic Bay 1970-1972
AFPN San Miguel 1972-1973
AFPN (FEN) Clark 1974-1977
Hi Thom,
It took a lot of scouring around what used to be Clark Air Base to find where AFPN was. Unfortunately there is nothing left at all. According to what I was able to find out, all the buildings were destroyed by the eruption on Mt Pinatubo and when the ash was cleared, so were the remains of the AM/FM/TV station. There is even a building on top of where the tower used to be. Attached is a shot I took the other day of what is on the site now. So much for my trip down memory lane…
Jerry
Chris Noel - 1967
Hard to think of such a thing as a personality that left such an impact after being off the air for such a long time. Chris stopped doing the show in the early 70s and still has so many fans that remember like it was yesterday.
Labels:
1967,
Chris Noel,
Date With Chris
Monday, May 11, 2015
Roger Carroll - 1969
It's another visit with RC on a Friday get together. It swings and Frank Sinatra has more of "A Man And His Music".
Labels:
1969,
Roger Carroll
Jubilee - 1944
The program originates from New York City. The first tune is, "Jumping In A Gin Mill." Colonel Stoopnagel appears. The announcer mentions Una Mae Carlisle as being in the cast, but she is not heard. Claude Hopkins and His Orchestra, Dorothy Donagan Mel Allen (announcer), Pigmeat Markham, Ralph Cooper (m. c.), The Stuff Smith Trio.
Rocketing Rhythms - 1961
Jack Brown is back with Rocketing Rhythms. our 1961 show with tunes for the kids. Today Jack has the top hits and visit with Kay Starr...
Labels:
1961,
Jack Brown,
Rocketing Rhythms
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Did you save stuff?
We now have probably half of the W library 1964-80. Some great listening and several nice program disks 1971-72. If you do have some of these packed away please let me know. If you saved any airchecks, they're always welcome.
Thanks!!
Thom
Johnny Bond - 1961
In 1961 the shows came to the network usually recorded somewhere else. Generally this worked well but I'm very curious where these were actually recorded. Johnny is great, the music is wonderful.
Labels:
1961,
Johnny Bond
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Herman Griffith - 1968
This was nice, last year I had done some Herman Griffith transfers that didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. I couldn't locate the cd to redo it. Well, Garry had the shows and sent them... nice..
Labels:
1968,
Herman Griffith
Wolfman Jack - 1976
A good party would sound a lot like Wolfman Jack. It's the weekend...
Labels:
1976,
Recruiting,
USAF,
Wolfman Jack
Friday, May 8, 2015
Adventures In Good Music - 1972
Karl Haas was perfect for AFRTS. He made classical music accessible for young troops that had never heard such a thing and gave a gift. He did the same thing on Detroit radio for decades. His show was syndicated all over the country and is probably still being aired somewhere.
Labels:
1972,
Adventures in Good Music,
Karl Haas
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Jay Jasin - 1971
Jay with Joi Lancing
So sometimes it's still a surprise. I just received a bundle of disks and in there was "Jasin Street". Never heard of it. Jay Jasin (Herman Jasinski) started jocking in the late 40s, mostly through the Midwest. By 1962 he had teamed with Jim Ameche to syndicate a jazz show. Around then he started acting and was in Spinout and Hillbillies in A Haunted House. In 1971 it was traditional jazz on AFRTS. We lost Jay in 1984.
Labels:
1971,
Jasin Street,
Jay Jasin
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Chris Noel - 1969
While Chris was doing the show, she did a lot of tours to see the troops. They look back wistfully...
Labels:
1969,
Chris Noel,
Date With Chris
AFN Berlin - Mark White 1980-83
We lost Mark White last year. Mark did well over three decades in Berlin keeping the highlight on the big bands. After he retired he stayed in Germany and was a legend.
Labels:
1980,
AFN,
AFN Berlin,
Mark White
Monday, May 4, 2015
Roger Carroll - 1969
Young Roger Carroll
Roger was an important part of AFRTS for well over three decades, it was more than playing records. Here's some 1969 gold..
Labels:
1969,
Roger Carroll
Al "Jazzbo" Collins - 1969
Jazzbo was the swinging jock on WNEW New York. Hard to explain, but in 1969 he brought the Purple Grotto to AFRTS.
Labels:
1969,
Al Collins,
Jazzbo Collins,
Purple Grotto
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Jimmy Wakely - 1969
Jimmy Wakely was a huge star in the movies, on US radio, television even the Grand Old Opry and we were lucky to have him on AFRTS. Here's a 1969 visit.
Labels:
1969,
Jimmy Wakely
Spectrum USA - 1971
In 1971 the Marine Reserves presented the stories of the presidents in Spectrum USA.
Dick Stark was a child actor in silent movies. He worked in radio from the 1930s-60s. He was on active duty in the Pacific during WWII and went back on active duty to Vietnam in 1966, later running the NY PAO shop for the Marines until retiring in 1973. Today we have the story of Grover Cleveland.
Labels:
1971,
Dick Stark,
Recruiting,
Spectrum USA,
USMC
Sports Interviews - 1943
Joe Hassle is back with Sports Interviews talking with early 1900s baseball legend Honus Wagner.
Labels:
1943,
Sports,
Sports Interviews
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