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Jerry Crocker & KLBS --- Mel Pennington & KXYZ

B

Bill Cherry

Guest
Does anyone other than me remember when KILT was KLBS and there was a DJ there named Jerry Crocker, and he was supposed to have died of cancer? What's the story here?

And what ever happened to Mel Pennington?
 
I definitely remember KLBS - it's what got me interested in radio - but I don't recall Crocker. What shift did he work?

I think Pennington went over to KODA-AM when it signed on; they became the ABC affiliate, had the KODAbird, tried to be a major factor although only a daytimer. By the mid-60s, he was in Austin on a UHF, the first one in Austin, I think. KHFI-TV? It's been so long, I don't recall the calls.

Oh, but here's a brief blurb (scroll down): http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid:173109
 
Thanks for the info on Mel. I worked with him many years ago.

As for Jerry Crocker, he worked the evening shift. I remember his theme song was Eddie Hayward's (sp) "Soft Summer Breeze." I liked the song a lot.

I play the piano for receptions, etc., from time to time. I always play "Soft Summer Breeze," and I never fail to recall listening as a teenager to KLBS and Jerry Crocker. In fact, that was about the time Great Pipes Don LeBlanc was around town.
 
I didn't listen much to KLBS in the evening, I guess. Homework, maybe? The jocks I remember best from KLBS were Bob Byron, who went on to join up with Tim Nolan from KXYZ on the Tim and Bob show on KPRC for many years after KLBS flipped to KILT. He must've been on middays or late mornings. And Reed Farrell, who was the afternoon drive dj and very, very funny, sometimes referred to as Feed Barrel. He almost killed my family one time. My Dad was easily provoked into gales of laughter and one time we were driving down a narrow 2 lane country road with deep ditches on the sides and Farrell told a joke that got my Dad going so much he almost lost control of the car and plunged into the ditch. Sure wish I could remember the joke. I was fascinated by radio and radio jocks but hadn't ever considered getting into it at the time.

Then there was Rev. Lester Roloff from Corpus Christi, every morning, 7:30 to 8am I think, the reason we didn't listen much to KLBS in the mornings.

The name Don LeBlanc rings a bell but I can't place it.

I ran into Mel on the street in Austin one time; I had seen him on TV here in Houston and recognized him immediately. I had already recognized him on TV and wondered why he left Houston; I guess to get into TV.
 
hrhwebmaster said:
I definitely remember KLBS - it's what got me interested in radio - but I don't recall Crocker. What shift did he work?

I think Pennington [snip] By the mid-60s, he was in Austin on a UHF, the first one in Austin, I think. KHFI-TV?
Click to expand...

Besides the sports anchor gig on the old KHFI/42, Mel also pulled an air shift for a while on sister Top 40 KTAP 970. One of Mel's co-workers at the time was a young Ed Brandon, then much thinner with more hair.
 
I remember Ed Brandon doing mornings on KNOW. KTAP must've been after my time.

I was thinking of where I had seen Pennington in Houston. All 3 TV stations (yes, that's all 3) in the late 50s had teen dance party shows. 13 had Larry Kane, Channel 2 had a show hosted every Saturday afternoon by Bob Byron. 11 also had a Saturday afternoon show hosted by a revolving list of djs from various stations, not all top 40. I think that's where I saw Pennington one time.

Shallow tallow, lacquer cracker, cookie, biscuit, brisk disc, drastic plastic, the shellac, the twisters - Nomenclature used by professional radio announcers to refer to the recording media from which they play musical selections.
 
hrhwebmaster said:
I remember Ed Brandon doing mornings on KNOW. KTAP must've been after my time.
Click to expand...

Correct, Brandon did mornings on the old KNOW in the late 60's before heading over to the KHFI radio/TV combo. I think Ed was the first morning jock on 970 after the flip from MOR KHFI to Top 40 KTAP...that would have been in the summer of 1969. Ed did quite a bit of work on the TV side, as well, and (IIRC) eventually dropped all the radio shifts to concentrate on TV...then headed to Houston. Bret Lewis, who had been doing nights on KNOW, replaced him on mornings at KTAP.

Hard to believe that was almost 40 years ago...yikes.
 
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