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R
Rock Bottom
Guest
Sad news. I remember listening to him on WKBW in the late 60's. Listening to him gave me the passion to get into this business. I can't think of a more compelling radio personality. In today's world of liner readers, Jackson Armstrong was one of a kind.
T
theadgal
Guest
I loved watching Jack Armstrong "perform" .... when he was on-air he was all over the place .... his energy was amazing and he was 100% into his on-air presentation. I always had a lot of repect for Jack and The Gorilla .... I recently saw a you tube of Jack doing a reunion show and it took me back to the many mornings I watched him and the Gorillia wake up the the Traid. Jack ... I know your flying now. Here's to you ... you will be missed on the airwaves but welcomed in another place.
AllAccess now reporting on Jack's death. He and AllAccess' Joel Denver were very close. Denver of course has ties to Charlotte.
For those that do not have reelradio.com memberships... I've uploaded an aircheck from the 1997 WMJI/WIXY Cleveland Reunion Weekend.
www.chuckmatthewsvoice.com/downloads/misc
please forgive the VHS flutter
Jack and former WMJI pm driver Scott Howitt live on location for "Ghoulardi-fest".
Who is Ghoulardi? None other than Ernie Anderson (ABC TV, Love Boat, Z100, KISS/Boston). Ernie did a low-fi tv show in Cleveland in the early 60s.
For those that do not have reelradio.com memberships... I've uploaded an aircheck from the 1997 WMJI/WIXY Cleveland Reunion Weekend.
www.chuckmatthewsvoice.com/downloads/misc
please forgive the VHS flutter
Jack and former WMJI pm driver Scott Howitt live on location for "Ghoulardi-fest".
Who is Ghoulardi? None other than Ernie Anderson (ABC TV, Love Boat, Z100, KISS/Boston). Ernie did a low-fi tv show in Cleveland in the early 60s.
Thanks Chuck..Appreciate It..Hell I just logged into Reel radio and found out my stuff had expired.. Anybody that don't think this is worth 12 bucks is crazy.. Rock N Roll.. Jack, John..Bud You were one of the best.. Could someone please post an Obit so I could see the people to send condos to etc.. Thanks Dave
Jack and I were in touch almost every week. The last text I got from him was a reply to my asking him how he was doing. He said "I guess I'm getting by...It isn't easy". I kept needling him to finish that book. I think it was almost done. He was the best in my opinion. I planned to go by and see him when I get in from New England this week. He'll be riding with me ALL the time now.
My sincere condolences on the loss of your father, Devon. My apologies for this lengthy post, but I think it speaks for a lot of guys, especially those of us in Buffalo (and on the Buffalo board) who grew up listening to Jack on WKBW and being influenced by his incredible passion for radio.
There’s not a radio guy in America, Devon, who hasn’t in some way been influenced by your father’s professionalism, talent and quick wit. Jack Armstrong was legendary and his legend will live on. Yes, he was a fast talker; but he was an equally fast thinker with great sense of humor and amazing character voices.
Jack Armstrong was an outstanding radio performer who helped make some of America’s (and Canada’s) great radio stations better for having worked at them. He raised the bar for guys who worked with him and if you had the formidable task of competing against him, you had no choice but to get better… or find a job in another market.
Like most kids who grew up with a transistor radio stuck in his ear, I first heard Jack Armstrong when he did nights on the 50 thousand Watt blowtorch, 1100 WKYC Cleveland and was immediately hooked. He was playin’ the hits and smokin’! He defined the meaning of “having fun on the radio.”
Being a radio geek, I’d tell all my friends about this great jock in Cleveland that I’d discovered while scanning the AM dial and how they just had to listen to him because he was unlike any other disc jockey on the radio at the time. Buffalo’s favorite Top 40 stations, WKBW 1520 and WYSL 1400, were #1 and #2 on my radio but there were many nights when I’d tune down the dial to hear Big Jack doing his amazing act on 1100 WKYC.
It was great to hear Jack Armstrong riding the airwaves when he landed 90 miles up the road at Toronto’s 1050 CHUM. And when WKBW Program Director Jeff Kaye hired Jack to take over the 7 to midnight show at “KB,” it was the best of both worlds, as if he'd come home to Buffalo.
Night after night, Jack Armstrong put on a clinic for radio novices and veterans alike. There were those great song intros, never stepping on a vocal; those subtle lines, some of them couched in double entendre. There were the character voices, his sidekick The Gorilla being the most notorious.
Young wannabee d-j’s got a nightly lesson in flawless on-air production and presentation. And then there was that classic sign-off, a litany of advice and down home humor, weaved together in a 100 mile-an-hour delivery, but always clearly understandable and meaningful.
A few years later I met Jack and was awestruck. The man’s graciousness was equally impressive. He was down to earth and just “good people.” I was working at a small radio station at the time and was a candidate for a summer weekend job (which I didn’t get until a year later) at WKBW, but Jack encouraged me and wished me luck.
In our brief meeting, I chronicled his career like a kid who recites the stats of his favorite pro athlete… “I first heard you on WKYC, then you went to… and then… and when you went to CHUM you sounded great… and then you came to KB…” I suspect he’d heard it all before from better jocks than me, but he listened with an "aw shucks" attitude.
Years later, I had the pleasure of talking to him again at the Oldies 104 WHTT reunion. We’d talk a little shop, but he was more interested in talking about family and his father. Knowing he was a Carolina boy, I mentioned that my family and I had enjoyed vacationing on Carolina’s beautiful Outer Banks. He recalled roaming the beaches of the Outer Banks as a kid, long before they became over-built with condominiums, hotels and commercial strip malls. He made me laugh when he offered, “I used to go there when there wasn't anything more than a few piers and fishing shacks. Now it looks more like the other end of the horse!" There was that great sense of humor and wit that was Classic Jack!
Jack Armstrong may have signed off from this frequency, but he lives on in the memories of thousands of listeners and hundreds of radio people on whom he left his mark. He remains the epitome of a “personality jock” who set the bar high and always surpassed it.
And think about this, since FM signals travel through the ionosphere and just keep going, somewhere in another galaxy it's quite likely that intelligent life forms are picking up his show and saying, "Check this guy out, he's great!"
Eternal Peace, Jack!
There’s not a radio guy in America, Devon, who hasn’t in some way been influenced by your father’s professionalism, talent and quick wit. Jack Armstrong was legendary and his legend will live on. Yes, he was a fast talker; but he was an equally fast thinker with great sense of humor and amazing character voices.
Jack Armstrong was an outstanding radio performer who helped make some of America’s (and Canada’s) great radio stations better for having worked at them. He raised the bar for guys who worked with him and if you had the formidable task of competing against him, you had no choice but to get better… or find a job in another market.
Like most kids who grew up with a transistor radio stuck in his ear, I first heard Jack Armstrong when he did nights on the 50 thousand Watt blowtorch, 1100 WKYC Cleveland and was immediately hooked. He was playin’ the hits and smokin’! He defined the meaning of “having fun on the radio.”
Being a radio geek, I’d tell all my friends about this great jock in Cleveland that I’d discovered while scanning the AM dial and how they just had to listen to him because he was unlike any other disc jockey on the radio at the time. Buffalo’s favorite Top 40 stations, WKBW 1520 and WYSL 1400, were #1 and #2 on my radio but there were many nights when I’d tune down the dial to hear Big Jack doing his amazing act on 1100 WKYC.
It was great to hear Jack Armstrong riding the airwaves when he landed 90 miles up the road at Toronto’s 1050 CHUM. And when WKBW Program Director Jeff Kaye hired Jack to take over the 7 to midnight show at “KB,” it was the best of both worlds, as if he'd come home to Buffalo.
Night after night, Jack Armstrong put on a clinic for radio novices and veterans alike. There were those great song intros, never stepping on a vocal; those subtle lines, some of them couched in double entendre. There were the character voices, his sidekick The Gorilla being the most notorious.
Young wannabee d-j’s got a nightly lesson in flawless on-air production and presentation. And then there was that classic sign-off, a litany of advice and down home humor, weaved together in a 100 mile-an-hour delivery, but always clearly understandable and meaningful.
A few years later I met Jack and was awestruck. The man’s graciousness was equally impressive. He was down to earth and just “good people.” I was working at a small radio station at the time and was a candidate for a summer weekend job (which I didn’t get until a year later) at WKBW, but Jack encouraged me and wished me luck.
In our brief meeting, I chronicled his career like a kid who recites the stats of his favorite pro athlete… “I first heard you on WKYC, then you went to… and then… and when you went to CHUM you sounded great… and then you came to KB…” I suspect he’d heard it all before from better jocks than me, but he listened with an "aw shucks" attitude.
Years later, I had the pleasure of talking to him again at the Oldies 104 WHTT reunion. We’d talk a little shop, but he was more interested in talking about family and his father. Knowing he was a Carolina boy, I mentioned that my family and I had enjoyed vacationing on Carolina’s beautiful Outer Banks. He recalled roaming the beaches of the Outer Banks as a kid, long before they became over-built with condominiums, hotels and commercial strip malls. He made me laugh when he offered, “I used to go there when there wasn't anything more than a few piers and fishing shacks. Now it looks more like the other end of the horse!" There was that great sense of humor and wit that was Classic Jack!
Jack Armstrong may have signed off from this frequency, but he lives on in the memories of thousands of listeners and hundreds of radio people on whom he left his mark. He remains the epitome of a “personality jock” who set the bar high and always surpassed it.
And think about this, since FM signals travel through the ionosphere and just keep going, somewhere in another galaxy it's quite likely that intelligent life forms are picking up his show and saying, "Check this guy out, he's great!"
Eternal Peace, Jack!
Ed Salamon and I shared career paths while working for Storer radio in LA. And Jack Armstrong was a great part of our shared experiences. He was the most efficient ratings machine anystation would be fortunate enough to have working any shift. I fondly remember hearing him at WKBW while I grew up in Pittsburgh listening to KQV - simply amazing and totally entertaining.
And here we all are - mourning - remembering the great Jack Armstrong days of radio. And, I'm pleased to be a part of this team. Special greetings to Ed Salamon.
Jim Conlee
Mornings/APD
KQXT, San Antonio
And here we all are - mourning - remembering the great Jack Armstrong days of radio. And, I'm pleased to be a part of this team. Special greetings to Ed Salamon.
Jim Conlee
Mornings/APD
KQXT, San Antonio
From what I have been able to find out, Jack fell down the steps in his home.
I feel a sense of responsibility to respond to a legend of our profession's passing. To his loved one's NOT in the business...
I never knew him, worked with him, or was mentored by him like so many others. But I always heard of him as being "one of the best!" I have worked in radio in Cleveland, Charlotte, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, and a few other respected markets just like your Dad. He was a PRO amongst pros! A cool guy in a profession with alot of posers, ego-maniacs, and divas! You should be proud of him... He must've stayed close to you despite not living in the same city for much of his career. It couldn't have been easy for any of you!!
This career many of us have chosen isn't the highest paying, or the most secure. As it turns out, there aren't a lot of jobs for 55-year-old Top 40 Jocks. We all know the end of our "significant" careers will end by age 50 or so. Even so, it's hard to walk away from your "God-given" talent. We all seemingly found our niche on the radio!
I'm having a beer tonight in his honor, and hope all of his friends (and those that just know "of him") will appreciate a guy who followed his passion!
Much Respect, my friend!!
% (is that the sign for 2 drinks toasting...?)
I never knew him, worked with him, or was mentored by him like so many others. But I always heard of him as being "one of the best!" I have worked in radio in Cleveland, Charlotte, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, and a few other respected markets just like your Dad. He was a PRO amongst pros! A cool guy in a profession with alot of posers, ego-maniacs, and divas! You should be proud of him... He must've stayed close to you despite not living in the same city for much of his career. It couldn't have been easy for any of you!!
This career many of us have chosen isn't the highest paying, or the most secure. As it turns out, there aren't a lot of jobs for 55-year-old Top 40 Jocks. We all know the end of our "significant" careers will end by age 50 or so. Even so, it's hard to walk away from your "God-given" talent. We all seemingly found our niche on the radio!
I'm having a beer tonight in his honor, and hope all of his friends (and those that just know "of him") will appreciate a guy who followed his passion!
Much Respect, my friend!!
% (is that the sign for 2 drinks toasting...?)
K
kirkiefan
Guest
I miss Jack..Met him only once at the former(and original) WIFE-AM in Indy.
Wish he could have worked in the Dayton market so I could have got to know him better...but I remember his 1972 WKBW aircheck on a Programmer's Digest LP.
I pray for the repose of his soul. It is a consolation that he was loved by his children and that he also loved them...not easy being a DJ ("town to town and up and down the dial" as the WKRP theme song conveys)and a father at the same time and for that I hold him in great esteem in spite of the greedy and self-seeking nature of this biz.
Radio DJs have far too long been at the bottom of the broadcast caste system...it is a skilled trade worthy of journeyman wages. They are the ones who are forced to put their families on hold and at risk on account of the coprorate circlejerks who refuse to admit the sancitity of marriage and family. Wolfman Jack and Cincy's Bob Braun would have agreed with that.
Peace be with 'ya Jack
Kirkiefan
Wish he could have worked in the Dayton market so I could have got to know him better...but I remember his 1972 WKBW aircheck on a Programmer's Digest LP.
I pray for the repose of his soul. It is a consolation that he was loved by his children and that he also loved them...not easy being a DJ ("town to town and up and down the dial" as the WKRP theme song conveys)and a father at the same time and for that I hold him in great esteem in spite of the greedy and self-seeking nature of this biz.
Radio DJs have far too long been at the bottom of the broadcast caste system...it is a skilled trade worthy of journeyman wages. They are the ones who are forced to put their families on hold and at risk on account of the coprorate circlejerks who refuse to admit the sancitity of marriage and family. Wolfman Jack and Cincy's Bob Braun would have agreed with that.
Peace be with 'ya Jack
Kirkiefan
That wonderful AM nighttime skywave gave so many of us the opportunity to hear the jocks we all wanted to emulate, and Jack was at the top of that heap. As a kid, all I wanted to do was be a night jock on some 50kw flamethrower. Although I've done a lot, that didn't happen for me... but I am so glad it happened for Big Jack! A truly amazing talent who thought as fast as he spoke. Remember him best from WKYC and WKBW. I was lucky enough to hear some of his work on the recreated KB (that ended too soon) WWKB oldies format, and that sign off... Glad I rolled some tape.
Funny thing. I live in Naples, Florida these days, now beyond WWKB's reach, except for one night early in the recreation of KB. On 1520, a couple of layers down but clearly audible, was Jack Armstrong talking up "Mama Told Me Not to Come". Perfectly.
Funny thing. I live in Naples, Florida these days, now beyond WWKB's reach, except for one night early in the recreation of KB. On 1520, a couple of layers down but clearly audible, was Jack Armstrong talking up "Mama Told Me Not to Come". Perfectly.
From the Hoosier Kid who listened to you in INDY.... By far, one of my five biggest influences in my jocking, and as I get to 50, I am thankful for the fun I've had, just like Mr. Larsh did, wherever size station or market he worked in.... Our Leeeeeeeader has passed over and passed on to us a lifetime of memories...... Good bye to a hero of mine... :'( ;D
Jack Armstrong was my uncle..Uncle Johnny or 'Jack'...
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for the kind words as myself and my family deals with the death of such a fine person.
I first met my uncle in the mid-70's when I was a young boy and he first visited my home in Texas. I remember his uniqueness even then. A tall man with a thick mustache and long hair. A happy and powerful demeanor. He was always very kind to me. He 'loved me like a son' as he would say.
It wasn't until I visited him in LA in 1978 that I realized what it was that drove this man. It was radio. I listened to him on the radio and heard his quick talking booming voice. His bellowing laugh. His quick wit. I never forgot and will never forget that this was the way of him.
In later years I got to know him man to man. In the early 90's, he moved out to NC to be closer to his father, brother and sister. I would visit NC when I could. We would have long talks about many and varied things. Solving the worlds problem, if you will.
And he loved radio. He was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He had met the Beatles. And others. Radio was his passion.
I think that he is in a better place and that he made his mark while he was here as best he could. He will be missed sorely. If those of us who are here now could live our days with the same vigor as he lived his, I know we will have done our best and will have had a full life when our day once comes.
I am glad to know he made a positive influence in so many of you in radio and otherwise. It makes me ever more proud to have experienced such a great person as my uncle.
Sincerely, Tom Larsh
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for the kind words as myself and my family deals with the death of such a fine person.
I first met my uncle in the mid-70's when I was a young boy and he first visited my home in Texas. I remember his uniqueness even then. A tall man with a thick mustache and long hair. A happy and powerful demeanor. He was always very kind to me. He 'loved me like a son' as he would say.
It wasn't until I visited him in LA in 1978 that I realized what it was that drove this man. It was radio. I listened to him on the radio and heard his quick talking booming voice. His bellowing laugh. His quick wit. I never forgot and will never forget that this was the way of him.
In later years I got to know him man to man. In the early 90's, he moved out to NC to be closer to his father, brother and sister. I would visit NC when I could. We would have long talks about many and varied things. Solving the worlds problem, if you will.
And he loved radio. He was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He had met the Beatles. And others. Radio was his passion.
I think that he is in a better place and that he made his mark while he was here as best he could. He will be missed sorely. If those of us who are here now could live our days with the same vigor as he lived his, I know we will have done our best and will have had a full life when our day once comes.
I am glad to know he made a positive influence in so many of you in radio and otherwise. It makes me ever more proud to have experienced such a great person as my uncle.
Sincerely, Tom Larsh
A
audioconnell Voice Talent
Guest
Devon, Tom and to all of Jack's family.
One of radio's lasting (and sadly few remaining) legacies is the impact the on-air talents have had on so many lives.
More than disc-jockeys, the great radio performers were able to keep our attention because of their professional talent and dedication to the theatre of the mind.
Jack was absolutely in that category. Anyone who ever heard him (as I had on KB Radio) knows what I'm talking about.
Our sadness pales in comparison to the loss you are all dealing with. Individually and collectively we wish we could lessen the pain of your loss.
But the loss is so great for us because his talent was so great. And your loss is so great because the man you knew was probably just as great.
Not all of us make THAT kind of impact on the world. I hope that his strong legacy helps bring you peace and joy in the times ahead.
Best always,
- Peter O'Connell
Buffalo, NY
One of radio's lasting (and sadly few remaining) legacies is the impact the on-air talents have had on so many lives.
More than disc-jockeys, the great radio performers were able to keep our attention because of their professional talent and dedication to the theatre of the mind.
Jack was absolutely in that category. Anyone who ever heard him (as I had on KB Radio) knows what I'm talking about.
Our sadness pales in comparison to the loss you are all dealing with. Individually and collectively we wish we could lessen the pain of your loss.
But the loss is so great for us because his talent was so great. And your loss is so great because the man you knew was probably just as great.
Not all of us make THAT kind of impact on the world. I hope that his strong legacy helps bring you peace and joy in the times ahead.
Best always,
- Peter O'Connell
Buffalo, NY
To the Larsh family: you must know by now that John touched many people. This is the man's legacy. It should warm your heart...forever.
I was born and raised in Greensboro, so I got to hear him every night on WCOG The Big 1320. Man, this guy was out there! He was IT! All those characters...we had never heard anything like him! I was bitten by the radio bug at 13 so I was calling him every night...and eventually he would up putting me on every night at 8:30 (prime time!) I don't remember exactly what it was I did, a school report, something funny...I don't know...but the man actually put ME on the radio! Every night! He actually promo'd it too!
Several years later I weaseled my way into WCOG and a weekend gig and so began a long career...so John Larsh gave me my break in radio! Years later, when I would come home to visit my mother, I would call him and we'd catch up. He actually did remember me, and I was in awe of the man then, just as I was as a kid.
Just wanted to pass along my memories of a one-of-a-kind. You don't hear anyone like him any more...all the talent has been micro-managed out of people these days.
As he said every night when he signed off...."Don't get none on ya"!
Steve Mitchell
www.stevemitchellvoiceworks.com
I was born and raised in Greensboro, so I got to hear him every night on WCOG The Big 1320. Man, this guy was out there! He was IT! All those characters...we had never heard anything like him! I was bitten by the radio bug at 13 so I was calling him every night...and eventually he would up putting me on every night at 8:30 (prime time!) I don't remember exactly what it was I did, a school report, something funny...I don't know...but the man actually put ME on the radio! Every night! He actually promo'd it too!
Several years later I weaseled my way into WCOG and a weekend gig and so began a long career...so John Larsh gave me my break in radio! Years later, when I would come home to visit my mother, I would call him and we'd catch up. He actually did remember me, and I was in awe of the man then, just as I was as a kid.
Just wanted to pass along my memories of a one-of-a-kind. You don't hear anyone like him any more...all the talent has been micro-managed out of people these days.
As he said every night when he signed off...."Don't get none on ya"!
Steve Mitchell
www.stevemitchellvoiceworks.com
I will soon be posting another Jack aircheck from the 1997 WMJI/WIXY Cleveland Reunion weekend. Took place Oct 10-11 of that year.
This aircheck is Jack doing 7-11pm, running the board himself.
Included; former WIXY Superman Billy Bass, Jim LaBarbara and former Oldies 93 PD Kris Abrams
Will be posted later today, after 5pm EST at www.chuckmatthewsvoice.com/downloads/misc
And there's an aircheck of Jack from earlier in the day live on location with former WMJI pm driver Scott Howitt.
That is currently posted.
This aircheck is Jack doing 7-11pm, running the board himself.
Included; former WIXY Superman Billy Bass, Jim LaBarbara and former Oldies 93 PD Kris Abrams
Will be posted later today, after 5pm EST at www.chuckmatthewsvoice.com/downloads/misc
And there's an aircheck of Jack from earlier in the day live on location with former WMJI pm driver Scott Howitt.
That is currently posted.
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