Gary Burbank retires

[AlbumOldies]

I am currently listening to WLW Cincinnati as Gary Burbank is wrapping up his last show with a "Gilbert Gnarley" bit. I earlier was able to catch his last "Sports or Consequences" show - that was always one of my favorites.

Why post this on the Memphis board? Gary is originally from Memphis, and, although I don't really remember it, worked at WMPS in the 60's as Johnny Apollo. He owns a BBQ restaurant north of Cincinnati called "Burbanks" which serves Memphis style BBQ and ribs.

I am sure some of you on this forum will remember Gary's days in Memphis.

 

[kudzooter]

Came here to post a season's thing, and saw this... Wow, flash me back, bigtime.

1968...PD at WHBQ...station cookin' like a mothah...being from Arkansas, I'm in Hawg Heaven--great facility...great signal...great staff--
but getting vibes some of them aren't feeling that great about the trip...worried about what to do if someone splits. Mention it to promo
legend Stan Terry. He drawls, "Scottie, why don'cha tawk to Johnny Apollo?" I tell him I'd love to, but don't feel comfortable calling him at
WMPS. Stan wired up a deal where he was standing in someone else's office, holding two phones together in "69" position while JA
(real name, as best I remember, ?Bill Perser?) and I hollered at each other...agreed we'd like to talk about "possibilities," and left it at that.
Next I heard, he was on his way to WHAS ... and Q continued to cook, with a great staff...and he became Gary-freakin'-Burbank. Nice as
our scene was, not sure we could have launching-padded him for that.

 

[robgrayson]

At the risk of someone accusing me of living in the past, or having actully enjoyed radio at one time because it was entertaing... If you ever get to hear an aircheck of Gary Burbank getting "shot" during his last show at WAKY... now that was neat! For medium-to-old-timers, perhaps you remember Gary doing the VO on the WMPS ID's in the "Musicradio" days of the 70's "From Mid-America's Big New City..."

 

[hwg901]

I knew the guy. We used to hang out at Gary Phillips apartment on Madison when he got off the air.

The guy really had some strange quirks off the air.

Rioght Scooter??

greg hamilton

 

[kudzooter]

GregZilla, I'd love to be able to answer that. But the only contact I ever had with him, was that one phone "shout" where Stan Terry was in an office with two phones. He called me on one, "Johnny Apollo" ("Gary Burbank") on the other, then held them together so we could scream about how we'd like to get together and talk about "possibilities." But he became a WHAS-been, and I never spoke to him again. But if you say "strange quirks," podjo, I'll take that as what the legal guys call "expert testimony."
One final "ho, ho, ho" -- just don't tell Al Jackson or Jesse Sharpton I said so.

 

[Tom Prestigiacomo]

I'm pretty sure Johnny Apollo left Memphis to work for WAKY with fellow Memphian, Johnny Daugherty, known on-air in Louisville as John W. "Dude" Walker. Johnny Randolph was the p.d at WAKY. (Randolph would come to Memphis in 78 to program the Plough country station)....Burbank would move to WNOE as P.d. (hiring the one and only Trigger Black!) then to CKLW and THEN back to WHAS in 1977 (and was there the day Elvis died with incredible interviews with Knox and Sam Phillips) before swimming 108 miles up river to WLW in Cinncinnati in the mid-80's...
WAKY era photographs and substance can be found at www.79waky.com and long time Memphodites will recognize "Dude" Walker as someone from their 80's television days
....
Merry Christmas,
Tom

 

[8Balla]

Oh Yeah now I remember the guy doing the voiceovers from 68 MPS with the "Great New Mid America City". Now that does bring back some memories for me as well as hearing those drops just after the news.