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RIP: Bwana Johnny

BossRadioDJ

BossRadioDJ

Sam Lee and Michael Hagerty emailed within the hour to let me know that one of my first radio heroes, Bwana Johnny (nom de radieux of Richard Johnson) died at a care center in Seattle where he had been hospitalized for several months due to congestive heart failure. He was only 56.

Bwana worked at my favorite radio station, 1260/KYA, back in the late 1960s. He was the first radio "star" that I met, and was the subject of the first article I ever wrote about radio: my sixth-grade class at Blacow School in Fremont played another neighborhood school in a "Banana Day" baseball game sponsored by Chiquita Bananas, and Bwana came out to emcee the event. I got to interview him for about ten minutes and became a fan for life.

He had most recently been working in production for Jones Radio Networks in Seattle.

If you've never heard him -- or heard of him -- give the Mighty Bwana a listen at:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kya/1970/kya_may-29-1970.shtml

That's a bad week-and-a-half for great radio people; we lost Bill King, Michael Spears and Bwana Johnny in the span of eleven days.

DJ
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> Sam Lee and Michael Hagerty emailed within the hour to let
> me know that one of my first radio heroes, Bwana Johnny (nom
> de radieux of Richard Johnson) died at a care center in
> Seattle where he had been hospitalized for several months
> due to congestive heart failure. He was only 56.

Wow, was he really only 56? I listened to him on the late great WWDJ (Hackensack, NJ, adjacent to NYC) from 1971-74, so that means he was only in his early 20s then, and he sounded like a radio veteran. RIP.
 
> There are also quite a few airchecks of Bwana Johnny at reelradio.com. I didn't know he'd been at KYA

Sam Lee and Michael Hagerty emailed within the hour to let
> me know that one of my first radio heroes, Bwana Johnny (nom
> de radieux of Richard Johnson) died at a care center in
> Seattle where he had been hospitalized for several months
> due to congestive heart failure. He was only 56.
>
> Bwana worked at my favorite radio station, 1260/KYA, back in
> the late 1960s. He was the first radio "star" that I met,
> and was the subject of the first article I ever wrote about
> radio: my sixth-grade class at Blacow School in Fremont
> played another neighborhood school in a "Banana Day"
> baseball game sponsored by Chiquita Bananas, and Bwana came
> out to emcee the event. I got to interview him for about ten
> minutes and became a fan for life.
>
> He had most recently been working in production for Jones
> Radio Networks in Seattle.
>
> If you've never heard him -- or heard of him -- give the
> Mighty Bwana a listen at:
>
http> ://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kya/1970/kya_may-29-1970.shtml
>
>
> That's a bad week-and-a-half for great radio people; we lost
> Bill King, Michael Spears and Bwana Johnny in the span of
> eleven days.
>
> DJ
>
 
> > Sam Lee and Michael Hagerty emailed within the hour to let
>
> > me know that one of my first radio heroes, Bwana Johnny
> (nom
> > de radieux of Richard Johnson) died at a care center in
> > Seattle where he had been hospitalized for several months
> > due to congestive heart failure. He was only 56.
>
> Wow, was he really only 56? I listened to him on the late
> great WWDJ (Hackensack, NJ, adjacent to NYC) from 1971-74,
> so that means he was only in his early 20s then, and he
> sounded like a radio veteran. RIP.
>
I was talking to a friend who worked with him in both Miami and at KYA this afternoon. We were both lamenting that he was indeed only in his 50's. It's sad to see in all entertainment fields...some of the huge talents seem to leave us so young.
 
B'wanna Johnny was a great jock on the best station when he was at KYA. I always liked his show. Sure he was only 56? He must have been 20 when he was at KYA.

Tom
 
CORRECTION: RIP: Bwana Johnny

> Sure he was only 56?
> He must have been 20 when he was at KYA.
>
> Tom


I just heard back from Sam Lee, who was the Bwana's caretaker during these final months. Sam corrected his original message and said that Bwana was actually born in 1946, not 1949.

DJ<P ID="signature">______________
<center>

</center></P>
 
> > Sam Lee and Michael Hagerty emailed within the hour to let
>
> > me know that one of my first radio heroes, Bwana Johnny
> (nom
> > de radieux of Richard Johnson) died at a care center in
> > Seattle where he had been hospitalized for several months
> > due to congestive heart failure. He was only 56.
>
> Wow, was he really only 56? I listened to him on the late
> great WWDJ (Hackensack, NJ, adjacent to NYC) from 1971-74,
> so that means he was only in his early 20s then, and he
> sounded like a radio veteran. RIP.
>

The guy was an incredible radio talent. He will be missed.
 
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