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Joe Allison with Red Stegall and Don Light
Joe Allison was the country voice for a long, long time. Joe was a musician, producer, writer "He'll Have to Go" and a truly fine DJ. Before Joe, country radio was hillbilly. He brought it modern.
Saturday, March 28, 2026
Army Hour 1970
The Army Hour had a long run. PAO shops all over the country getting the message out. Aired on hundreds of stations in the US, most of the time it was also aired on AFRTS.
Wolfman Jack 1976
Are you ready to rock and roll baby? Wolfman has the good on a 1976 show for the Air Force. Delicious...
Roger Carroll 1967
Roger Carroll
Mary Turner 1983
Mary Turner rocks. But after winning at that, she made the world better as a psychologist and philanthropist.
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Contest Theater 1955
Contest Theater was actually the NBC Radio Theater. Dane Clark stars in "Destination Mars". Pat O'Brien hosts with announcer Jimmy Wallington.
Herman Griffith 1967
Jim Pewter, Herman Griffith and Roger Carroll
Herman brought rock and soul to the troops. These are great!
Hear Herman Griffith every day at 3pm (Central) on www.mybestsounds.com
Herman Griffith 1967
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 1981
Creator's Workshop is still creating..
Roland is still on the air in Los Angeles on weekends and sounding better than ever.
Pete Smith 1983
Pete Smith was part of the EZ listening tradition at AFRTS. He followed John Doremus, who followed Jim Ameche. He had quite a career in Los Angeles radio KNX; KDAY, 1956-58; KRKD, 1958-61; KNOB; KPOL; KMPC, 1961-88; KJQI/KOJY, 1993-95; KGIL, 1998. Pete was part of "Music of Your Life."
Roger Carroll was telling me that Pete was fulltime swing at KMPC. What a gig.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Army Transportation Corps aniversary 1952
1952 was the tenth anniversary of the Army Transportation Corps. Must have been a big deal. Both Mark Warnow and Lynn Murray were huge at the time. They recorded this song:
Friday, March 20, 2026
Jim Pewter 1973
For St Paul to AFKN to Los Angeles, Jim made it happen. When he got back from Korea and AFKN he started with AFRTS. Phil would DX AFN Munich. The weekend starts soon. Fire up the grill and hear great oldies from Jim Pewter. It's crazy clothes day!
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Don Tracy 1980
Never really mattered what day it was, it always felt like the weekend during the Don Tracy Show.
Know Your Ally - Great Britain 1943
AFRS was always at it's best when it taught a message. WWII American soldiers didn't know much about their allies. In 1943 we learned about those exotic Brits...
Chris Noel 1970
Chris Noel brought sunshine into the day for a lot of Vietnam era troops.
Hear Chris every day at 11pm Central
Joe Ferguson 1983
Something very cool that our network did in the early 1980s was do a series of shows from personalities all over the country. Joe Ferguson from Portland OR radio donated his set of shows. Suddenly it's 1983...
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Gene Price 1974
Gene Price, Charlie Tuna and Jim Pewter
Gene had quite a run in Los Angeles radio: KDAY, 1966-67; KLAC, 1970-71; KFOX, 1972; KIQQ, 1973-74; KIIS, 1974; KLAC, 1975-84; KIKF, 1985-90; KLAC, 1990-93. In 1972 he signed with AFRTS. Here's a memory of 1980
Gene Price and Company with your Country Favorites. Inspired silliness.
Ira Cook 1965
KMPCs Ira Cook REALLY enjoyed his Hawaiian music, dropping one in wherever he could. He was a big piece of its 196os popularity. Here's a 1965 visit. Ira was with us well into the 80s, we lost him in 2007.
Mary Helen Barro 1983
Mary Helen is back with more of your Latina favorites. I can see the palm trees...
Charlie Tuna 1991
Sad day when we lost Charlie. Broadcasting at it's best. Waking up the world for a quarter century. Who did anything close to that? http://www.charlietuna.com .
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Joe Allison 1969
Joe Allison brought country music to the world on the Country Corner. Before Joe, the music was mostly "hillbilly". As a writer, producer, performer and DJ he brought it to the rest of America. Here's a 1969 visit.
Wolfman Jack 1984
He made his final syndicated radio broadcast from a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Washington, DC, on Friday Night, June 30, 1995.
Wolfman Jack was an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, and was officially known as "Reverend Jack".
Wolfman Jack worked as a disc jockey from 1958 to 1966 for the (then) 250,000 watt radio station XERF (1570 AM) in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, just across the river from Del Rio, Texas, USA.
He died almost immediately after returning home from a promotional tour for his autobiography, "Have Mercy." He entered his house, hugged his wife, said "Oh, it is so good to be home!" and literally died in his wife's arms.
"Wolfman Jack" was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1996.
Hit #106 on the Billboard Singles Charts in 1972 with "I Ain't Never Seen a White Man" (Wooden Nickel 0108)
Roger Carroll 1967
Roger Carroll at the ElectroVoice
Here's Roger with another visit to 1967. It's a classy sort of thing just not done anymore.
Mary Turner 1994
Mary Turner was rocking. In 1994 it had already been a ten year run. Take a listen..
E Power Biggs 1957
Sunday mornings in the 1950s and 60s we had the music of E. Power Biggs on Sunday mornings.
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:
Turn Back The Clock 1958
Turn Back the Clock was a regional show that ended up on NBC (regional?) in 1955. They came over to AFRTS and shared songs from their personal collection. They've got some good ones today.
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Jim Pewter 1992
(Picture - Laurie Allen) Transmitter site of Iraklion Radio Transmitter site, Crete, 1992 Station Manager Msgt Scott Kirby (who, but I didn't know this at the time, was going to my future husband), Ssgt Kevin Renshaw, Laurie Allen, Jim Pewter
This is fun, Laurie Allen and Jim Pewter musing about the great music of the 1960s and 70s.
This is one of my favorites. Jim had been playing our music for three decades. Laurie was helping out.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Chris Noel 1966
In 1966, Chris Noel started "A Date With Chris". This is from the second show she did for us and you can hear talent in the making. Must have been scary...
Joe Ferguson 1983
The majority of our programming was created at the McCadden Avenue studios. A lot of US syndicated programming found its way to us.
In 1983 they tried something different. AFRTS-LA reached out to jocks all over the country to do a series of shows for the worldwide audience. Joe Ferguson from KUPL in Portland OR was one that signed up.
"Actually my first radio was as a dependent high school student in the radio club, but it was in the castle at AFN Frankfurt..
Then after college as a DA civilian with Southern European Network, or SEN as it was known then."
Joe is sharing all of those shows with us.
Thank you Joe!
Sunday, February 22, 2026
John Doremus 1969
Talk about a voice. John Doremus was an Easy listening giant. In the states he was probably the first voice of music in flight. Had nightly radio shows on the biggest AM stations for the airlines, and did his show for AFRTS. Music for the dinner hour...
Gene Price 1975
Welcome back Gene Price! In 1975 I was making my career choices and you helped me decide on the army. Many Thanks. Here are all four shows for Roger Carroll's company. 2/75
GI Jive 1944
GI Jill (Martha Wilkerson) was our first big DJ. She was the voice of home to thousands.
The program continued well into the Korean War.
AFN Latin Tempo 1980
1980 was HOW many years ago? Anyone know who was doing the Spanish show on AFN in 1980? Good stuff.
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Charlie Tuna 1986
Charlie's career was amazing. Oklahoma City to Boston to Los Angeles. He was part of our team from 1971 until 1996. An incredible run. Hard to believe it's been years since we lost him.
Charlie has a neat biography with sound at the Radio Hall of Fame. Click here Find out what it sounds like to be on the air during a major earthquake.
Hear Charlie in the morning. 8AM Central on www.mybestsounds.com
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Joe Allison 1965
Joe Allison had a neat part of history. He's been called the DJ that bridged the gap between hillbilly radio and what he call country radio today. Take a listen:
Jubilee 1943
I certainly wish I had both parts of this. In 1943, Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Red Allen and an All-Star cast were part of Jubilee.
Los Angeles 10/April/1943 Henry Allen Sextet
Henry ‘Red’ Allen(t), J.C. Higginbotham (tb), Don Stovall (as), Alfred Williams(p), Benny Moten (b), Alvin Burroughs (d), Billie Holiday (v)
NBC Studios in Hollywood, and dubbed March 22. The broadcast took place on April 9 or 10, as they were normally transmitted on a Friday night.
Wolfman Jack 1977
This is nice, Wolfman recorded off of AFN in Germany in 1977, at the end Wolfman is on voice tracks talking about USAEUR. Did all of the AFRTS-LA team record these? Howl!
Roger Carroll 1967
Roger enlisted during the Korean War and ended up at the network as an announcer. Perfect place as he was an ABC network announcer. Shortly after the war he was doing the Roger Carroll Show until well into the early 80s. Super talent and a great guy. Let's remember 1967
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Parade Of Sports 1991
I remember the games, when I was in Korea or Panama we were using very lo-fi network lines (probably 1 or 2k). In 1991 AFN had a better line and Ric Crawford filling in the breaks.
March 3, 1991 Bradley takes on SW Missouri State
Mary Turner 1991
Mary Turner really rocked. Hard to believe how much that rattled the brass and talked to the troops. An amazing talent. Hard to conceive the amount of talent at Fort McCadden..
Mary Helen Barro 1983
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:
Jasin Street 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.
Turn Back The Clock 1958
Andy and Virginia Mansfield brought their brand of oldies to NBC and shortly around that time to AFRTS.
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