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A whike back, Mary checked in:
"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.
Sunday, June 21, 2026
Turn Back The Clock 1958
Andy Mansfield and Kay Starr
Turn Back the Clock was a fascinating show. Andy and Virginia Mansfield were playing the songs of 20 and 30 years ago. Of course, in the mid-50s that could mean Al Jolson and acoustic cylinders. Let's revisit 1958 and Turn Back the Clock.
Roland Bynum 1978
Roland Bynum now, with daughter April
Are you ready for the weekend? Here's Roland with a Friday party from 1978
Hear Roland and the Creators Workshop Evenings at 9p Central on mybestsounds.com
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Mary Helen Barro 1983
Seemed like every time I was at finance, trying to guess what they did to my check Mary Helen Barro was on. It was great mid-day show. Take a listen.
AFN Nightside - Craig Miller with Van Morriison 1974
Van Morrison
The stars sure came out for AFN in the 70s. Today Craig Miller speaks with Van Morrison in 1974
Charlie Tuna 1973
Photo: Charlie with Jessica Alba
Charlie Tuna? Always great. How did he do it, always a great show and as close to perfect consistency than anyone. There have been a lot of greats over the years but for a Dan Ingram or a Larry Lujack there's changes over the years. Charlie never really changes, he nailed it.. Let's revisit 1973, it's Thursday. Stay Tuna'd.
Joe Allison 1968
Joe Allison was a Nashville songwriter and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame who's credits included "He'll Have To Go" ,"Live Fast Love Hard and Die Young" and many others. His songs were recorded by Elvis, Tom Jones, Nat King Cole, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold and The Limeliters. He died in 2002 aged 77 from lung disease.
Wolfman Jack 1975
From 1975, Here comes the Wolfman, totally on his game. Quite a guy...
Wolfman Jack - 1975
Roger Carroll 1981
Roger has another hour of the best sounds in town. Roger is shared a bunch of his shows with us and I for one am very grateful.
The majority of the shows that he sent in were the same shows that I ran in Korea and in Panama. Deja Vu...
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Mary Turner 1983
Mary Turner and Ted Nugent
Mary Turner was the opposite of GI Jill and Chris Noel, a broadcaster that was a female, it kept with the times, yet still was the girl left behind.
When Mary started her show we were concerned about how an hour of slamming rock and roll would go over. I knew the troops would love it but the Colonel. The Canal Zone civilians? They really liked to complain. It went over great and was a wonderful addition.
Melody Roundup 1947 - Spade Cooley
He made some pretty amazing music and performed for the troops a lot. Take a listen.
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Herman Griffith 1967
For the brave and the bold! It's the Records Caravan!! Some pretty amazing radio from Herman.
Her Herman every day at 3pm Central on My Best Sounds
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 AFRTS demo 1971
Tom Campbell is one of the AFRTS-LA friends that's been great in keeping this whole thing running.
After serving in the United States Air Force, Campbell was hired for his first radio job, at KEEL in Shreveport, La., by Al Hart, who would later become a newscaster and radio personality in San Francisco. Campbell subsequently worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota and at WONE in Dayton, Ohio before his move to KYA San Francisco in 1967.
In 1971 was one of the periodic restructurings of AFRTS. They were concerned we'd be rocking too hard.. AFRTS sent a demo...
Roland Bynum 1981
Roland's back in the Creators Corner with your Thursday favorites on American Forces Radio.
Hear Roland every night at 9pm on mybestsounds.com
Bill Stewart 1970
Bill Stewart was another of the KMPC talent that had the AFRTS gig, He was the Bill of the KMPC jingle..."Ira, Johnny, Bill and Dick!" Bill graced LA playing his mixture of Swing, jazz and MOR at several great stations.
KMPC, 1951-59; KGIL, 1965-66; KRHM, 1966 and 1969; KGIL, 1973-75. For Armed Forces Radio he hosted "A Quarter Century of Swing." In 1969, the 30-year veteran was honored with a concert at the Palladium. For 20 years he did in-flight airline music programming. Bill died in 1993 of congestive heart failure.
Bill Stewart - 1970
Chris Noel 1968
Memories of 1968. Chris Noel takes us home with "A Date with Chris"
Hear Chris nightly at 11pm Central on mybestsounds.com
Jim Pewter 1967
When we ask enough, there are answers. Mike Brown checked in to say that Jim Pewter worked at Radio Cavalier in the 1964-65 timeframe. By 1967 Jim was doing the AFRTS-LA show. Something I hadn't heard was that Jim worked at the station with the late Richard Nader. Nader was responsible for the big oldies rock and roll shows in the 1970s
Hear Jim evenings at 6pm Central on mybestsounds.com
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Don Tracy 1983
Don paid his dues in Connecticut radio, through WPOP, WNHC and WAVZ then to win in Los Angeles.
KGFJ, KDAY, KABC-TV, KNX as a sales executive, his own ad agency and editor of the R&B Report.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Joe Ferguson 1983
Live from Portland, OR it's the "Joe Show" on AFRTS. I'm grateful Joe shared these with us.
John Doremus 1968
That voice, here's John Doremus with symphonic music and stories. It's always a treat.
AFKN Park Chung Hee Assasinated 1979
I started in Yongsan in the newsroom. If any story mentioned Korea, it had to be cleared by the 8th Army/UN Command PAO. Send the story over, wait a few weeks and maybe it can be read... or just don't run it in the first place. Compare that to this 1979 aircheck when President Park Chung Hee was assassinated.
Jim Ameche 1959
Jim Ameche - 1940
Jim Ameche had two shows, the Jim Ameche show and the Jim Ameche Pop Concert. Both of them featured the great orchestral music from around the world. This is part of one of the first Pop Concerts
Mary Helen Barro 1983
Summer in Minnesota. Tropical memories of Panama indeed. Let's have the music with Mary Helen Barro.
Charlie Tuna 1982
Charlie Tuna
Charlie Tuna spent a quarter century entertaining the troops on AFRTS and showing us how it was done. Time for another visit. It's 1982 "Stay Tuna'd".
Start your day with Charlie Tuna. 8AM Central www.mybestsounds.com
Monday, May 25, 2026
Lyndon Johnson - Memorial Day 1963
Vice president Lyndon Johnson on Memorial Day 1963 as broadcast by AFRTS
.
Memorial Day
In the late 1940s, the network produced a lot of "troop information" programs. For a variety of reasons it was a lot harder to produce things like Command Performance.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Joe Allison 1963
Joe Allison with his gold record
for writing "He'll Have To Go"
Wolfman Jack 1981
When I came back from Korea I met Wolfman at LAX. The only time in my life I was totally blown away by meeting a celebrity. Only thing I remember was that he was nice with magic. I've been a fan ever since.
Wolfman Jack - 1981
Wolfman Jack - 1981
All That Jazz 1968
Sometimes there's a show with zero information. Jack Taylor was playing some smoky jazz in the 1960s
Roger Carroll 1981
Here's Roger's hit record, Going To Maui:
Mary Turner 1985
A solitary GI yearning for a female voice found solace in Mary Turner's broadcasts, as she carried on the legacy of GI Jill, Rebel Randall, and Chris Noel, speaking directly to the hearts of the troops.
Vance Graham 1974
Victor was Vance Graham. Vance had entered Los Angeles radio in the 1930s and found his greatest success as a spanish DJ. Bolero Time was heard on multiple stations and recorded for AFRTS well into the 1970s.
Herman Griffith 1967
Jim Pewter, Herman Griffith and Roger Carroll
Herman Griffith kicked up a storm, with KGFJ and with AFRTS. I wish I knew more of his story. Roland Bynum says that Herman helped him get his job with us.
Hear Herman every day at 3pm Central on mybestsounds.com
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Andy Mansfield 1964
Glenn Miller records "I Sustain the Wings"
Andy Mansfield continues his tribute to Glenn Miller, part five, it's America's Popular Music.
Tom Campbell 1971
AFRTS network programming was like driving a battleship, small changes when necessary. In 1971 they got serious about a more contemporary sound. In the first group were Tom Campbell and Wolfman Jack, with Charlie Tuna to follow shortly. Here's Tom's first show for AFRTS.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
My Best Sounds
Over the weekend was a major server crash on the live stream. We were up and running several hours later. I've been cleaning that up. Fingers crossed, we're back up and running.
Update: The new server and updated processing is working great. Let me know if you hear issues,
Roland Bynum 1981
Roland always got the party started. Let's take a listen.
Hear Roland every day at 9pm My Best Sounds
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Tom Campbell 1980
Tom was another guy who worked Minneapolis. He was Paul Bunyan at WDGY before getting to the coast and killin' it in San Francisco.
Great phone number...
Hear Tom 1pm (central() everyday mybestsounds.com
So, from Torrejon...
Rocketing Rhythms 1961
Here's something for the kids. KLACs Bill Stewart fills in for Jack Brown. Rocketing Rhythms was sort of a countdown show sometimes with guests.
Jim Pewter 1976
Jim was another giant, I wish I had more tape of the show. Jim was an AFKN vet, who went on to be a successful producer, songwriter and jock. Today we take another look at rocks beginnings. The top seven hits of 1964.
Straight ahead, don't bunch up...
Don Tracy 1995
The network kept rocking til the end. In 1995 the Network we all knew was changing but Don Tracy still had his chops...
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Chris Noel 1967
In 1967, the biggest show was "A Date With Chris". Chris Noel brought a helping of home every day. She still does way more than her share with her veterans shelter in Florida. Please do what you can to help. Click here.
Hear Chris every evening at 11pm Central on mybestsounds.com
Joe Ferguson 1983
It's a Wednesday in the summer of 1983 and blogfan Joe Ferguson has "The Joe Show". I ran these on SCN... Thanks again for sharing the memories Joe!
Hear Joe every day at 11 Central on mybestsounds.com
John Doremus 1967
Jose Fritz did a very nice writeup about the life of John Doremus.
Now some music for the dinner hour:
Myron J Bennett 1971
We had some odd filler programs. Myron J Bennett was a big deal in Des Moines radio for many years. Apparently "Talk Digest" went out on Mutual and AFRTS picked it up.
I'd always wondered what the deal was with these until I got out of the army and went to work at a very profitable daytimer (in 1984), near Christmas about 15 minutes of news and up to 27 of commercials. THAT'S what these were designed for. For us in the early 70s they were shipping shows with strange lengths. Charlie Tuna, John Doremus and Gary Owens were 45 minutes and it did need some fillers.
Paul Bottoms AFVN 1969
It's the summer of 1969 and Paul A. Bottoms is rocking Saigon on the Orient Express.
Former KSCS/Dallas and KWCY/Phoenix morning news anchor Paul Bottoms passed away March 7, 2019 at age 70. Bottoms was a member of The Dorsey Gang in Dallas from 1987 to 1996 before working with Tim & Willy in Phoenix from 1997-1998. Other stops include KONO/San Antonio, WJJD/Chicago, WCXR/Washington and WLVK/Charlotte. Bottoms retired in 2011 after a decade as News-Talk WRVA/Richmond Dir./News. He was a Vietnam veteran and did news for Pat Sajak on Armed Forces Radio
Air Rescue Vietnam 1968
I was going through crates of ETs looking for something else, and found this. Glad I did. Air Force SGT Herb Manchester did this from AFVN.
Sometimes AFRTS-LA would have contests. If something was really well done, it was distributed worldwide.
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Gene Price 1980
Gene Price is back, Leonard is ready to go. It's 1983 and great!
Hear Gene every morning at 7AM Central at mybestsounds.com
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