Saturday, November 2, 2024

Jim Ameche 1965




Jim Ameche was known for his soothing sounds, hosting a high-profile easy listening show. His career began in 1930s radio, portraying the original "Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy." After his brother Don Ameche departed from the Chase and Sanborn Show, Jim took over as the announcer, enjoying numerous successes during the Golden Age of Radio. By the 1950s, he had become a successful DJ in Los Angeles and New York, eventually syndicating his show nationwide. It was also during this period that he signed with AFRTS, continuing his career into the 1960s. Jim passed away in 1983.

 

Joe Ferguson 1983

 


In 1983 Joe Ferguson was at KUPL.  AFRTS picked him up for a series of shows from around the country, really being the voice of home.  It's a Tuesday in 1983 and time for the Joe Show!




Thursday, October 31, 2024

Gene Price 1974

  

Gene and Janet

Thank you Mr. Pierce.  Gene Price has the best in country on the Country Express, for today's Army!
Thank you Arie!



Ira Cook 1961

 




Ira was a disc jockey in Hollywood for over 25 years working at KMPC the majority of the time. He also broadcast over the Armed Forces Radio Services.  We lost Ira in 2007.

Ira Cook 1961

More Ira Cook

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Chiquita 1949

  


 

We tried to serve all soldiers.  Part of that being our native Spanish speaking troops.  Chiquita debuted during WWII and was still going strong in the 1950s.  I'm trying to locate more information about her.  Apparently, she had some small movie roles in the 1940s.


Gracias amiga por todo!




Charlie Tuna 1993

 


Been too long since we've heard from Charlie Tuna.  Charlie always brought magic, KOMA, WMEX, AFRTS and seemingly every radio station in southern California. Visit Charlie's website at http://www.charlietuna.com 

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Joe Allison, 1970

 


Joe Allison was still going the Country Corner well into the 1970s.  Somehow the music didn't need autotune...



Wolfman Jack 1974


Welcome back Wolf, here's a 1974 USAF recruiting show.  Will there ever be radio like this again?



Saturday, October 26, 2024

Roger Carroll 1971

 


Roger is getting ready to visit AFN with another great Happy Hour



Mary Turner 1992

    



It was a scandal.  In the early 80s when the network started the Mary Turner show.  Loud Rock and Roll.  What will the generals say?  We'll find out.  Mary brought her KMET show to the world and it was a very good thing.



Herman Griffith 1967

    


Herman Griffith leads the records caravan in this 1967 visit.


Tom Campbell 1980

   


Tom is still around.  Great guy who helped a lot with the Best Sounds stream.  And now from Torrejon..



Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Mail Call 1943




 During WWII Hollywood made their biggest and brightest stars available to shine worldwide over AFRS in several variety shows.  Mail Call was one of these.


November 1943.  Here's Fanny Brice, Dennis Day, Lionel Barrymore, Harlow Wilcox and many more.





Andy Mansfield 1967

 
 
Andy Mansfield played those oldies from the turn of the century to the mid 20th century for over two decades, from Turn Back the Clock to America's Popular music.  Today is a 1967 visit..



Roland Bynum 1973

 

 
In 1973 Roland was making magic for AFRTS and for Roger Carroll's company with these shows for Air Force recruiting.  Off to the Creators Workshop and "Soul In Motion"
 
 


Tuesday, October 22, 2024

mybestsounds.com More shows added.

www.mybestsounds.com

More shows have been added

UPDATE: The biggest problem we've had before was scheduling programs to be heard every day.  There will be a schedule, to make it easier.  This can't be done with all of the shows, but...

Times are Central (Subtract 2 hours for Pacific (LA), add one for Eastern (NYC)

0700 Gene Price

0800 Charlie Tuna

0900 Roger Carroll

1100 Joe Ferguson

1:00PM Tom Campbell

6:00PM Jim Pewter

8:00PM Golden Days Of Radio

9:00PM Roland Bynum

11:00 Chris Noel

More will be added.


Monday, October 21, 2024

Bill Stewart 1969

  


Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Leonard Feather

Bill Stewart swung.  He played a lot of the best of jazz.  AFRTS had a lot of famous guests on the radio shows.  Leonard Feather had a unique role in the history of jazz, responsible for a lot of legendary recordings.  By the 1950s he was documenting the "Encyclopedia of Jazz" with a lot of first hand knowledge and friendships.  In 1969 volume two had come out and Leonard made an appearance on the Bill Stewart show..



Jim Pewter 1982

 




Our AFKN brother Jim Pewter is back with another oldies party from the malt shop!  If it starts with Louie, Louie it's gotta be great!

Don Tracy 1980

 

 

Young Don Tracy at WTIC, Hartford

It's a Friday with Don Tracy.  The party starts now...



Sunday, October 20, 2024

Chris Noel 1967

 


The run wasn't that long but "A Date With Chris" was a very important thing to a lot of Vietnam era troops.  It's easy to hear why.



Joe Ferguson 1983

 In Panama, my biggest complaint with the network was how LA centric the programming was "There's nobody good in New York?" would usually be how that tirade started.  They surprised me with series of jocks from around the country with an AFRTS connection.


In the weeks before the Bob Moke show, Joe Ferguson from KUPL in Portland had his turn.  Joe also saved the disks and has made them available once again:
First of all, I was an army brat with my dad a 30 year career man. In the early sixties, we were stationed in Germany and I attended high school in Frankfurt. The school had a radio club and produced a weekly program for teenagers. We produced and recorded it at AFN studios just outside Frankfurt. I was part of that club and got my first exposure to radio and was hooked.


When I graduated, I returned to the US for college and got a job as a dj at a local station to pay for my education. After graduation, I went to visit my family, now stationed in Italy. On the way I had a stopover in Frankfurt and went to see a couple of people that were still at AFN from my high school days. They told me there was a civilian announcer job open in Italy and I should talk to the SEN folks, so I did.

SEN was interested and offered me the job. As a result, I was in Vicenza for a couple of years. It was great and I have many wonderful memories from the experience. Next stop, (1971) KFOX AM-FM Los Angeles, where I was the afternoon jock. I was working with people whose programs I had played while at SEN. While I was at KFOX, I was on staff with Charlie Williams, Hugh Cherry and Gene Price as well as some other great talent. I had to pinch myself frequently to convince myself I was actually there.

I also did some syndication work in Hollywood for Programming DB which was one of the pioneers for syndicating long form programming. It was a partnership of two of the innovative programmers of the day, Ken Draper and Chuck Blore. At one time, I think I was doing a daily 4 hour program in 20 or so markets, all via voice track and automation equipment.

My next encounter with AFRTS was in 1983 when they contacted me at KUPL AM-FM in Portland, Oregon, where I was the program director. They asked if I was interested in doing a 30 minute, daily show from Portland for 13 weeks. It was part of a project where they selected a personality from a different part of the country to highlight a new area every quarter. Of course I was delighted to accept.


John Doremus 1967

  




Music about hands and letter writing... It's the John Doremus show..  Wonderful stories wound into beautiful orchestral music.




Saturday, October 19, 2024

Could This Be You? 1961





 Beginning in the 1950s, KVI Seattle produced an intriguing show called "Could This Be You?" which aired on the Golden West stations and later on Mutual.

The program featured live recordings of people being pulled over and served as a precursor to shows like "Highway Patrol" and "Cops."

It was an impressive example of educational radio, making it ideal for AFRTS.


Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Gene Price 1974

  

This is another program from a nice cache of transcriptions I picked up last month, Gene Price's Country World

 

Ira Cook 1961

  

Ira Cook with Elvis Presley

Ira started with us in 1960, still there 20 years later.



Mary Helen Barro 1983

 


Mary Helen Barro with Joe Ortiz 1972

Mary Helen is back with some wonderful music.



Monday, October 14, 2024

Charlie Tuna 1978

 


Singing legend Bill Withers backstage at the Greek Theatre with Charlie.(June 16, 2007)

Charlie Tuna taught a lot of DJs how to do it right, pacing, topicality, personality.  Every day it was a textbook.

link is fixed

Joe Allison 1965

 





Joe Allison is back with more of your favorites from the Country Corner. Joe Allison was country music.  A performer, writer, producer and he brought back home to the radio.




Wolfman Jack 1975

 


Time for a 1975 look see with Wolfman Jack.  Much better if you play it loud!





Sunday, October 13, 2024

Roger Carroll 1978

 


Today it is Roger, with the Happy Hour and memories of 1978.
 
"Thom there was a young attractive production lady who worked on a TV show I announced her boy friend was an artist at Disney. They both listened to me on KMPC It was a birthday gift I cannot remember what show it was or her name. I now walk a little slower, memory is not what it used be also repeat things Dad get a hearing aid (you want something at Rite Aid ) BUT I sure do remember she was very attractive I think many of the attractive production ladies maybe were hand-picked may be some of those ladies are on FB they would be old today the ones I worked with."
 
And it had a place of honor at Roger's
 
 
Thank you once again RC!