Someone asked what does San Francisco sound like?
Well, way back in ancient history when both God and I were kids, there was indeed a San Francisco sound, at least on the radio. It was a sound of urbane sophistication. Let me explain...
Every Saturday night, KNBR (KNBC) had live music from various hotel dance venues, such as Ernie Heckscher from the Top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel. George Liberace (pianist Libarace's brother) had his dance band from another hotel ballroom, Ted Fiorito had another, etc. It was live and it was local. And there was a certain old-time kind of thing that endeared those broadcasts to me even though the music was somewhat long in the tooth.
And there was KGO early in its talkshow years. In those days, when Jim Dunbar was program director, KGO was pretty much an unknown has-been from another era, laboring in the shadows of KNBC. He decided to bring KGO out of the studio and into the world. So, talk host Owen Spann did his shows from Johnny Kan's restaurant in Chinatown, Senor Pico's restaurant wherever that was, etc. And there were always celebrities passing through town he could interview.
Ira Blue was on KGO in the evenings (and before that I guess it was Les Crane, but I'm too young to remember much of that). That talkshow came from the back room of the Hungry i nightclub. This was back in the day when Enrico Banducci owned the club and the Hungry i was the hotspot for nightclub comics and bands (before he sold the name to a topless club). Ira would interview all kinds of people, especially performers appearing at the club. Woody Allen, Phyllis Diller, the Kingston Trio, Irwin Corey, etc.
Ah, but there was more. There was KJAZ in Alameda, the hotspot for jazz. Not only were the DJs knowledgeable about jazz, but most of them (Gene Miller, Dick Conte, Herb Wong, etc.) So, not only could you hear good jazz, but you were plugged into what was going on in jazz.
And there was KSFO under Gene Autry, often called the World's Greatest Radio Station because they employed the best of the best DJs. Their San Francisco sound was a mellow pop kind of thing, and the KSFO DJs knew where the parties were and where the "A list" people hung out.
Oh, and what else, KABL with its elegant mix of elevator music and short classical tunes. And the classical stations, KDFC, KKHI, KBRG, KSFR, KRON-FM. And the opera and the symphony both broadcast on the radio.
Okay, that's ONE version of the San Francisco sound. It was elegant; it was sophisticated; it was a sound that said San Francisco was a big-time CITY, not a backwater.
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But then there was another San Francisco sound -- KDIA and KSAN (1450, later known as KSOL). KDIA and KSAN were very black, very much in touch with the R&B, blues, jazz, and gospel scenes. KDIA's newscast was called "Truth in Soul". They had some of the best of the best. That was also pre-redevelopment when the Fillmore district had black-owned nightclubs and you could walk down the street and hear live bands. Here it is 4 decades later and the city is trying desperately to repeat the success they demolished. It ain't working, even with Yoshi's.
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But there was still another SF sound -- the jamrock sound exemplified by not only the Grateful Dead, but the Charlatans, and a host of other bands now pretty much forgotten. This sound made up the basis of stations like KMPX, KSAN 94.9, and the local college stations such as KALX. Even ABC tried to get into it with a syndicated FM format called "Love", which ran on KGO-FM.
So, what exactly is the San Francisco sound today?
Well, way back in ancient history when both God and I were kids, there was indeed a San Francisco sound, at least on the radio. It was a sound of urbane sophistication. Let me explain...
Every Saturday night, KNBR (KNBC) had live music from various hotel dance venues, such as Ernie Heckscher from the Top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel. George Liberace (pianist Libarace's brother) had his dance band from another hotel ballroom, Ted Fiorito had another, etc. It was live and it was local. And there was a certain old-time kind of thing that endeared those broadcasts to me even though the music was somewhat long in the tooth.
And there was KGO early in its talkshow years. In those days, when Jim Dunbar was program director, KGO was pretty much an unknown has-been from another era, laboring in the shadows of KNBC. He decided to bring KGO out of the studio and into the world. So, talk host Owen Spann did his shows from Johnny Kan's restaurant in Chinatown, Senor Pico's restaurant wherever that was, etc. And there were always celebrities passing through town he could interview.
Ira Blue was on KGO in the evenings (and before that I guess it was Les Crane, but I'm too young to remember much of that). That talkshow came from the back room of the Hungry i nightclub. This was back in the day when Enrico Banducci owned the club and the Hungry i was the hotspot for nightclub comics and bands (before he sold the name to a topless club). Ira would interview all kinds of people, especially performers appearing at the club. Woody Allen, Phyllis Diller, the Kingston Trio, Irwin Corey, etc.
Ah, but there was more. There was KJAZ in Alameda, the hotspot for jazz. Not only were the DJs knowledgeable about jazz, but most of them (Gene Miller, Dick Conte, Herb Wong, etc.) So, not only could you hear good jazz, but you were plugged into what was going on in jazz.
And there was KSFO under Gene Autry, often called the World's Greatest Radio Station because they employed the best of the best DJs. Their San Francisco sound was a mellow pop kind of thing, and the KSFO DJs knew where the parties were and where the "A list" people hung out.
Oh, and what else, KABL with its elegant mix of elevator music and short classical tunes. And the classical stations, KDFC, KKHI, KBRG, KSFR, KRON-FM. And the opera and the symphony both broadcast on the radio.
Okay, that's ONE version of the San Francisco sound. It was elegant; it was sophisticated; it was a sound that said San Francisco was a big-time CITY, not a backwater.
-------
But then there was another San Francisco sound -- KDIA and KSAN (1450, later known as KSOL). KDIA and KSAN were very black, very much in touch with the R&B, blues, jazz, and gospel scenes. KDIA's newscast was called "Truth in Soul". They had some of the best of the best. That was also pre-redevelopment when the Fillmore district had black-owned nightclubs and you could walk down the street and hear live bands. Here it is 4 decades later and the city is trying desperately to repeat the success they demolished. It ain't working, even with Yoshi's.
-------
But there was still another SF sound -- the jamrock sound exemplified by not only the Grateful Dead, but the Charlatans, and a host of other bands now pretty much forgotten. This sound made up the basis of stations like KMPX, KSAN 94.9, and the local college stations such as KALX. Even ABC tried to get into it with a syndicated FM format called "Love", which ran on KGO-FM.
So, what exactly is the San Francisco sound today?
