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WHAT NORTHEAST OHIO DJs WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR AGAIN AND MISS THE MOST?

I'm not in the area, but I fondly remember a number of great talents on the air when I was an undergrad at Kent State. Pleased to see that one of 'em, JayBird Drennan, a co-worker at 1350WSLR got a mention.

Then, there was Li'l Foxx with his midnight "Masterful Jazz Theatre" on 106.5WXEN -- a cobbler by profession who did his own nightly jazz/r&b show peppered with tasty little spots for his fellow merchants up and down Chester Avenue -- one of a kind, a natural, and simply brilliant!

Of course, you've already touched on all the big guns out of Cleveland radio, which is only right!
 
You betcha, Yekimi -- the Foxx was a "natural," like you say -- an hour of brokered time a night, and he had a tremendous following amongst all us college types in the Cleveland area. At Kent, you needed a really good radio with an ANTENNA to get XEN to sit still for a full hour!

Doubt that he's still alive, but he was one of a kind!

Rock'n'Roll!
 
Yeah, I remember Don Allen. His show was on Sunday night.

Here are a few more DJ's that I don't believe have been mentioned yet: Wayne Mack, Joe Black, Al James, Tony Bianci, Ted Alexander, Ronnie Barrett, Mike Reneiri, Chuck Dunaway, Chuck Knapp and Dick "Wild Child" Kemp.
 
When I was listening to Big Don, it was on Sunday night starting at midnight. One of my high school classmates, Paul K., used to help him with the show. Maybe Don did the show on Saturday night at one time.
 
Is your friend Paul Klauda in Garfield Height? If so what is he doing these days?My brother Jeff(who passed away in 1988) visited Pauls's set up a number of times. Back to Don Allen, I think he was on Saturday and Sunday night. We used to call in requests on his show and promote a "click line" we were on. Remember the "click lines?"
 
Well, I'll be dog-gone! The Big 16, WKBC, 1610, and later as WDGY (Paul even had jingles for that one), and then an FM toward the lower end of the dial. I spun a few records there once in a while, as Bwana Don, I just lived a few houses down the "Boulevard". Neither one went much more than a block, but it was fun. I remember Paul's younger sister also DJ'ed. Joe K. used to spin records there also. I lost track of everyone except for Joe, as I got the traveling bug in me not long after that and never stayed in one place too long.

Yes the clicklines, would work on any prefix, always the same last 4 numbers, I forgot what they were, but you would call the request on one number, such as 475-9446, (can't remember what the last 4 were, something like that) and and at the studio we would be "monitoring" that number's match, such as 475-9447, it was one number different. Every few seconds the conversation would drop out for a second.

Anyways, me, Paul, and Joe visited Don Allen a couple of times. he had a vast record collection, and I bought "She's Gone" by Jerry G., and "Our Dream" by The Munx off of him (both on the Clevetown label). He lived a couple streets north of Southgate. He was broadcasting on a low power FM transmitter when I visited, which like Paul's would only reach maybe a block. He did have a nice studio. I can't 100% confirm this, but I think Don was the guy behind WMHR 1600 back about 1965, I used to listen to that in Garfield Hts. MHR stood for Maple Hts. Radio, and it must have been like 100 watts. I remember hearing artists like The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy"), etc. on that one.
 
Click lines were 9883 & 9884 as I recall. I lived in Solon off SOM Center... we could pick up the Pirates all the time.Fun radio back in the day. I got the bug in High School. we wired a radio shack FM Transmitter to my dad's TV antena.... the signal would go about 1/2 mile
 
Jim Trefney said:
Click lines were 9883 & 9884 as I recall. I lived in Solon off SOM Center... we could pick up the Pirates all the time.Fun radio back in the day. I got the bug in High School. we wired a radio shack FM Transmitter to my dad's TV antena.... the signal would go about 1/2 mile
Click to expand...

Yep, that was it, 9883/4, that joggled my memory. I was going to respond and ask if you and your brother lived on the same street as Paul and I, but now that I read Solon, it's someone with a similar last name that I can't quite recall. In fact I think the station started there on like 670 KC , then was moved to Paul's house, and he chose 1610. Paul had so many people at the station at times, I can't remember them all, so I'm not sure if I met Jeff, but anyways sorry to hear about that.
 
Yeah, otherwise I'd have to change it to "what illegally operating northeast Ohio Djs would you like to hear again"! ;) ;D ;)
 
I have not seen Paul since we graduated from high school in 75. I'm not positive, but I think he became a minister and moved out of state.
 
Kinda heavy on the 50s and 60s: Bill Randle, Phil McLean, Carl Reese, Jim Runyon, Dave Hawthorne, Hal Morgan, Ronnie Barrett, Pete Myers/Mad Daddy, Jockey John Slade (WJMO).
 
This latest post, as well as the related Ken Courtright thread, leads me to beleive that someone might remember the brief period (summer of '60?) that WERE went straight-ahead Top 40. Up to that point they were more of a "chicken-rock" format....softer music, older jocks. Then they switched, and were going head to head with WHK. I think this is the period during which Danny Dark was there (I remember reading in the PD that he got stopped for DWI...was only 19 years old), but I don't recall who any of the other jocks were. IIRC the format lasted less than a year. Can anyone provide further info?
 
I have a saved message regarding WERE in 1960 (with that year's Top 100 hits at WERE - still seems like chicken rock to me), as well as a little info on other stations that Bob Moke replied to me in 1999. I do vaguely remember WERE playing pop/rock around that time, I turned 7 in 1960, and was always listening to the radio.

Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1999 19:07:21 EST
From: BMoke@
Subject: Re: 1960 Cleveland year-end surveys
To: Bwana_Don@


Hi again, Dan....

One problem with the KYW survey is that it appeared to be compiled several
weeks before the end of the year (Exodus, Are You Lonesome Tonight....the
year-end #1's were not even on the list).

By the end of 1960 (I was 17 and a radio listening fanatic), KYW had
relinquished the strong influence it had held on the Cleveland ratings up
until a year earlier, when the payola scandals knocked its top jocks Joe Finan
and Wes Hopkins off the air. WHK then emerged as the first bona fide Top 40
station in Cleveland, spearheaded by Johnny Holliday in the afternoons. I've
worked with Johnny in recent years here in DC radio and it's fun to hear
stories of those old days in Cleveland radio. Not until 1962 when Ken Draper
put together that legendary station of Jim Stagg, Jim Runyon, Jerry G, Jay
Lawrence, Martin & Howard, etc., did KYW (later WKYC) again challenge WHK for
market leadership.

In the meantime WERE still had its own legendary lineup of Bill Randle, Phil
McLean, and Tom Edwards on the air in 1960, though in early 1961 they would
fire the bunch and make an ill-advised and highly unsuccessful venture into
Top 40 with an entirely new airstaff. After some lean years, they would
rehire Randle again in the mid-60s, but the old magic was gone.

Below is the 1960 WERE list to go with the other two I sent previously:

Best regards,

Bob M

----------------


BILL RANDLE presents WERE'S 100 TOP HIT RECORDS of 1960 (Cleveland)

1 THEME FROM A SUMMER PLACE - Percy Faith
2 CATHY'S CLOWN - Everly Brothers
3 IT'S NOW OR NEVER - Elvis Presley
4 SINK THE BISMARCK - Johnny Horton
5 GREENFIELDS - Brothers Four
6 EXODUS - Ferrante & Teicher
7 HE'LL HAVE TO GO - Jim Reeves
8 BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG - Duane Eddy
9 SAILOR - Lolita
10 ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT - Elvis Presley
11 THEME FROM THE APARTMENT - Ferrante & Teicher
12 PAPER ROSES - Anita Bryant
13 WONDERLAND BY NIGHT - Bert Kaempfert
14 MR. CUSTER - Larry Verne
15 LET IT BE ME - Everly Brothers
16 THEME FROM THE RAT RACE - Richard Maltby
17 I'M SORRY - Brenda Lee
18 FOOTSTEPS - Steve Lawrence
19 SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME - Drifters
20 ITSY BITSY....POLKA DOT BIKINI - Brian Hyland
21 MY HEART HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN - Connie Francis
22 VOLARE - Bobby Rydell
23 EVERYBODY'S SOMEBODY'S FOOL - Connie Francis
24 CHAIN GANG - Sam Cooke
25 GEORGIA ON MY MIND - Ray Charles
26 SWAY - Bobby Rydell
27 CALCUTTA - Lawrence Welk
28 GOOD TIMIN' - Jimmy Jones
29 ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS - Bobby Darin
30 WILD ONE / LITTLE BITTY GIRL - Bobby Rydell
31 SIXTEEN REASONS - Connie Stevens
32 BABY - Brook Benton & Dinah Washington
33 EL PASO - Marty Robbins
34 LONELY TEENAGER - Dion
35 THEME FROM THE UNFORGIVEN - Don Costa
36 TELL LAURA I LOVE HER - Ray Peterson
37 BEACHCOMBER - Bobby Darin
38 I WANT TO BE WANTED - Brenda Lee
39 POETRY IN MOTION - Johnny Tillotson
40 CORRINA CORRINA - Ray Peterson
41 CLEMENTINE - Bobby Darin
42 THE TWIST - Chubby Checker
43 NORTH TO ALASKA - Johnny Horton
44 BEYOND THE SEA - Bobby Darin
45 FOREVER - Little Dippers
46 ALLEY-OOP - Hollywood Argyles
47 LAST DATE - Floyd Cramer
48 PINEAPPLE PRINCESS - Annette
49 MAGNIFICENT SEVEN - Al Caiola
50 THE PUPPET SONG - Frankie Avalon
51 NIGHT - Jackie Wilson
52 WAIT FOR ME - Playmates
53 WALK..DON'T RUN - Ventures
54 WHERE ARE YOU - Frankie Avalon
55 STUCK ON YOU - Elvis Presley
56 NEVER ON SUNDAY - Don Costa
57 RUNNING BEAR - Johnny Preston
58 DOWN BY THE STATION - Four Preps
59 VILLAGE OF ST. BERNADETTE - Andy Williams
60 WHAT WOULD I DO - Mickey and Sylvia
61 TRACY'S THEME - Spencer Ross
62 OLD MacDONALD - Frank Sinatra
63 ONLY THE LONELY - Roy Orbison
64 CHRISTMAS AULD LANG SYNE - Bobby Darin
65 YOU TALK TOO MUCH - Joe Jones
66 SEALED WITH A KISS - Four Voices
67 CALENDAR GIRL - Neil Sedaka
68 IMAGE OF A GIRL - Safaris
69 JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE - Jimmie Rodgers
70 MISSION BELL - Donnie Brooks
71 ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES - Anita Bryant
72 MY HOME TOWN - Paul Anka
73 YOUNG EMOTIONS - Ricky Nelson
74 GOT A GIRL - Four Preps
75 PARADISE - Sammy Turner
76 HANDY MAN - Jimmy Jones
77 BIG HURT - Toni Fisher
78 C'EST SI BON - Conway Twitty
79 YOU MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME - Neil Sedaka
80 MR. LUCKY - Henry Mancini
81 PLEASE HELP ME I'M FALLING - Hank Locklin
82 BLUE ANGEL - Roy Orbison
83 O DIO MIO - Annette
84 DREAMIN' - Johnny Burnette
85 WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR - Dion & the Belmonts
86 LET'S THINK ABOUT LIVING - Bob Luman
87 THE OLD LAMPLIGHTER - Browns
88 BEATNIK FLY - Johnny & the Hurricanes
89 A MILLION TO ONE - Jimmy Charles
90 A KOOKIE LITTLE PARADISE - Jo Ann Campbell
91 TOGETHERNESS - Frankie Avalon
92 GO JIMMY GO - Jimmy Clanton
93 A THOUSAND STARS - Kathy Young
94 MAMA - Connie Francis
95 TEEN ANGEL - Mark Dinning
96 LONELY BLUE BOY - Conway Twitty
97 DEVIL OR ANGEL - Bobby Vee
98 WHAT IN THE WORLD'S COME OVER YOU - Jack Scott
99 MUSKRAT RAMBLE - Freddy Cannon
100 TEMPTATION - Roger Williams
 
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