Thursday, July 25, 2024

Turn Back The Clock 1958

 


Andy and Virginia Mansfield share some highlights of their record collection, and they're excited about it.  That always makes for great listening.  Andy had to build special shed to store his collection.  Hmmm...

Andy went on to do other shows for AFRTS for many years.



Tom Campbell 1975

   

Time for another trip down memory lane with Bay Area fave, Tom Campbell (for Cal Stereo). Here's a neat 1975 show..

When Tom got out of the Air Force, he got a gigs in Shreveport, WDGY Minneapolis (The Twin Cities connection continues) and Dayton. 1967 it was to San Francisco where fame struck. between radio and agency work he bounced around southern California including for us at AFRTS








Roland Bynum 1982

 


Roland brings the party. Play it loud...

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Bill Stewart 1967

 

It's time for a "Musical Bill Affair," a phrase that's as intriguing as it is mysterious, originating from a jingle. Bill was a renowned talent at KMPC during 1951-59, and subsequently worked at KGIL and KRHM. His acclaim extended to record production, culminating in a celebrated concert at the Hollywood Palladium in 1969. Bill also curated in-flight music programming. Sadly, we bid farewell to Bill in 1993, when he passed away due to congestive heart failure.



 

JIm Pewter 1979

 


This is nice, about an hour excerpts of Jim's shows with the music not scoped.   We went to different high schools together.



Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Don Tracy 1983

 



Don Tracy was from Hartford.  Learned his trade at the Conneticut School of Broadcasting with gigs in Hartford and New Haven before the lure of California.  Then to KGFJ, KABC TV and KDAY and KMBY in Capitola CA then where most of us found him AFRTS.  In 1997 Don was selling at KNX after that he was a part of Malloy and Associates, an advertising agency in Los Angeles. Here's a short piece from 1983.

Chris Noel 1969

 


Chris Noel is back with another hour of 1969 memories on "A Date With Chris"



Joe Ferguson 1983

 


Joe Ferguson is back with 1983.  A while back Joe donated these shows to the archive and it's quite a feeling to run the same disks that I ran three decades ago.  Thanks Joe!!


Sunday, July 21, 2024

Pete Smith 1975

   



When I was in at the stations the Easy Listening shows felt painful. As I "mature" I can understand the genius behind them.

Gene Price 1974

  

Gene, Charlie and Jim
 
It's been a privilege to stay in touch with all three.  Here's Gene Price with your 1974 country favorites:
 
 

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Joe Allison 1965

 




I've been getting requests for more of Joe.  He was a great person, a giant in country music and a wonderful jock.



Wolfman Jack 1975

 



It's howlin' great.  Here's another visit with Wolfman Jack:




Wolfman Jack 1975


More Wolfman Jack

Monday, July 15, 2024

Polka Party 1968

 


Dick Sinclair was in the first class of AFRS talent during WWII.  He later served with the Mosquito Network on Guadacanal.  When he came back he had a big career, mostly hosting polkas.  In the 50s and 60s that really was a huge deal.


Dick was doing Polka Party starting in the 1950s and AFRTS picked it up.  We were running the show well into the 1960s




Ralph Gebes AFTN 1973

 


Captain Madrack sent in some nice sounding memories of the Thailand network.


I really appreciate it and I'm sure that a lot of others do when you share your airchecks with us all. I threw mine away and greatly regretted it later. Please let me know what you have.

Today the good Captain (Ralph Gebes) is still involved with the troops:

Thom I am very involved in support our deployed troops. Operation Support Our Troops Illinois www.osotil.org. We have a concert every year with Gary Sinise and the Lt Dan Band. I will send you a copy of last year’s concert. I have taken up video production I am not making a living at it but produce videos for the VFW, OSOTIL, and the local cable access channel. I enjoy the creative side of things and often wish I could be on the air again.

Roger Carroll 1970

 

Roger Carroll and Glen Campbell

It's a Tuesday in 1970 and time for the Happy Hour.  Roger swings!



Mary Turner 1984

   



Received a nice note from Mary Turner:

"I often think about my 18 years at Fort McCadden with great fondness. Loved that Roach Coach-I remember always getting teased for actually paying for a bottle of water. I was ahead of my time!"
And she certainly was.

Herman Griffith 1968

   



Jim Pewter, Herman and Roger Carroll

Herman was the first of the really great soul jocks at AFRTS.  He was making waves at KGFJ and went worldwide.  Herman was the one that brought Roland Bynum in..

1968 was great year for music.  Take a listen:


Andy Mansfield - America's Popular Music 1965

 


We've always had oldies.  In 1965 that would have been music from the 1930s and 40s.  Andy Mansfield did a pair of oldies shows for AFRTS.  First was one with his wife Virginia in the 50s "Turn Back The Clock".  Later he did this one "America's Popular Music".

On this broadcast Andy plays requests for our shadow audience, Americans that live overseas, residents of other countries.  We always knew they were there but they were rarely acknowledged on the network.




Tom Campbell 1979

   


So what kind of jock would put his home phone number in ads?  Tom Campbell would.  You can say he was accessible... In 1971 Tom joined the network for a long run.

Hear Tom every day at 11am Pacific, p2m Eastern on the Hook:





Bill Stewart - Rocketing Rhythms

 


We counted them down.  The first rock countdown show was Rocketing Rhythms, usually hosted by Jack Brown.  Today Jack is on vacation and KLACs Bill Stewart steps in with the hits from the pages of Cash Box.  Here are the pre-Beatles years hits!


Sunday, July 14, 2024

Jim Pewter 1981

  


Come and get your memories.  Jim's back again with another great half hour.  Starts with the original version of a song made huge by the Beatles. Jim was one of us and it shows up on every show.  They don't make music like this anymore.  No one ever presented it better.

Don Browne has more: All AFRTS radio programming records are spotty, but Jim Pewter is more complicated.

Jim Pewter started his AFRTS-LA career in January 1967, presumably with #1M in flight RU 27-7. His "oldies" specialty show was initially 5-25:00 and lasted about two years. About March 1969, just in time for my arrival at FEN, Tokyo, JP, Jim Pewter was demoted to once a week at 1-55:00. I made a note of it in my FEN log when I reviewed show #366, RU 41-9 in April 1969. The Jim Pewter Show 1-55:00 lasted for about seven years (364 weeks)!

Then at the start of the Bicentennial Year, the Jim Pewter Show was promoted to 5-30:00 with (approximately) #752M in flight RU 1-76 (the first transitional quarter) in January 1976. Because of the long period of one-per-week, the numbering system was in complete disarray. For five-per-week, Mondays, which normally started with xxx1 followed by Mondays as xxx6, instead started with Mondays as xxx2 followed by Mondays as xxx7.

If Jim Pewter continued his 5-30:00 "oldies" show through the transition to Unistar/SMN satellite programming in October 1995, his final cassette-delivered program would have been (about) #5961F in flight RC 52-5, December 1995.



Don Tracy 1980

 



Never really mattered what day it was, it always felt like the weekend during the Don Tracy Show.



Chris Noel 1970

 


I first heard Chris when I had gotten to AFKN-TDC.  It was 1976.  TDC was in the middle of the 2nd Infantry Division and these were perfect.  Unfortunately no practical way to edit them.  Hundreds of her shows had been saved and they were every bit as relevant.



Joe Ferguson 1983

 


Joe Ferguson back with more memories of 1983.  In 1983 the network tried being less LA-centric and got jocks all over the country to do shows for the troops.  Joe was in Portland OR and brings it home...  A few years ago Joe sent his set of disks for us to hear again.  Many thanks!



Saturday, July 13, 2024

John Doremus 1967

  




It's been a busy day and time for orchestral music and stories for the dinner hour from John Doremus.




Gene Price 1974

  


Gene Price starts our week with some 1974 fun for Todays Army..



Thursday, July 11, 2024

AFRTS Guam 1965


 


"Would you like some tape from the Guam station?"  AFRS Guam was there in 1944.  Radioman Cousin Mike held down the fort on the "Night Beat". I believe that's from the Naval Communication Station at Finegayan, Guam.



It's a pretty good hour..

Chiquita 1955

 


 


Starting in 1945 Chiquita Juarez  started her show for our Spanish speaking troops.  I wish I had more information on Sre Juarez.  She showed up on at least one Duffy's Tavern and had smaller parts in several movies.  For AFRS, she was Chiquita...