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Who was the greatest DJ of the 60s?

1. Bobby Wayne
2. Bwanna Johnny
3. Big Al Law
4. Paul Purtain
5. Gene Barry
6. Dusty Rhoades
7. Bruce Morrow
8. Bill Todd
9. Wayne Shane

Okay, now I know some of you have never heard of some of these, but they were GREAT
 
FRR said:
1. Bobby Wayne
2. Bwanna Johnny
3. Big Al Law
4. Paul Purtain
5. Gene Barry
6. Dusty Rhoades
7. Bruce Morrow
8. Bill Todd
9. Wayne Shane

Okay, now I know some of you have never heard of some of these, but they were GREAT
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're a Cincinnati man.
 
The greatest DJ of the 60's - that's a hard question to answer, it all depends upon which market is your point of reference. I'll go back and include a few from earlier years, and various markets:

Tommy "Dr Jive" Smalls - WWRL, NY
Peter Tripp - WMGM, NY
"Jocko" Henderson - WLIB, NY & WHAT - Philly
Willie "The Mayor Of Harlem" Bryant, WHOM, NY
George "Hound Dog" Lorenz - WKBW, Buffalo
"Symphony Sid" Torin - WEZE, Boston
Porky "Platter Pushin' Papa" Chedick, WAMO, Pittsburg
Chuck Dunaway - WRIT, Milwaukee
Al Benson - WGES, Chicago
Herb "Kool Gent" Kent - WBEE, Chicago
Hunter Hancock - KFVD, Los Angeles
Art LeBoe - KGFJ
Dick "Huggie Boy" Hugg - KRKD, Los Angeles

Notice, for the most part, DJ's from the past had a hook in their name - something to push in their quest for popularity. We don't get much of that anymore.

On the subject of DJ's - and motion pictures, something no one has mentioned. The 50s brought us many fine films to highlight and showcase the music of the era and the teen rebellion which scared the pants off of parents. Examples: "The Wild One" (1953) - not so musical, but a classic teen-anger film. Then there was "The Blackboard Jungle" (1955) featuring the song which became a teen anthem and signature for the whole Rock n' Roll movement - Bill Haley/Comets and "Rock Around The Clock." Alan Freed became known nationwide for his 1956 roles in "Rock Around The Clock" and "Rock, Rock, Rock." 1956 brought us even more, with "The Girl Can't Help It," and "Love Me Tender." Sadly to say, another fine DJ, Willie Bryant, emceed two full-length feature films in 1955, "The Rock 'n' Roll Revue" and "The Rhythm & Blues Revue", both of which showcased all-black talent but was geared for a black audience. Few whites knew of their existence, then and today. Watch them if you find them, you won't be disappointed.

Nuff said.
 
From the 60s (through about 2008 I guess) - Pete Berry, The Flying Dutchman - Outrageously fun disc jockey, also an author, who with his wife, Betty, ran a pretty tight ship (so to speak, with all puns if you choose) all over the country.

These days he has a primo website with quite an eclectic collection of information. The link below will get you to his main site.

http://www.tfdutch.com/alert.html
 
GridLeakBias said:
The greatest DJ of the 60's - that's a hard question to answer, it all depends upon which market is your point of reference. I'll go back and include a few from earlier years, and various markets:

Tommy "Dr Jive" Smalls - WWRL, NY
Peter Tripp - WMGM, NY
"Jocko" Henderson - WLIB, NY & WHAT - Philly
Willie "The Mayor Of Harlem" Bryant, WHOM, NY
George "Hound Dog" Lorenz - WKBW, Buffalo
"Symphony Sid" Torin - WEZE, Boston
Porky "Platter Pushin' Papa" Chedick, WAMO, Pittsburg
Chuck Dunaway - WRIT, Milwaukee
Al Benson - WGES, Chicago
Herb "Kool Gent" Kent - WBEE, Chicago
Hunter Hancock - KFVD, Los Angeles
Art LeBoe - KGFJ
Dick "Huggie Boy" Hugg - KRKD, Los Angeles

Notice, for the most part, DJ's from the past had a hook in their name - something to push in their quest for popularity. We don't get much of that anymore.

On the subject of DJ's - and motion pictures, something no one has mentioned. The 50s brought us many fine films to highlight and showcase the music of the era and the teen rebellion which scared the pants off of parents. Examples: "The Wild One" (1953) - not so musical, but a classic teen-anger film. Then there was "The Blackboard Jungle" (1955) featuring the song which became a teen anthem and signature for the whole Rock n' Roll movement - Bill Haley/Comets and "Rock Around The Clock." Alan Freed became known nationwide for his 1956 roles in "Rock Around The Clock" and "Rock, Rock, Rock." 1956 brought us even more, with "The Girl Can't Help It," and "Love Me Tender." Sadly to say, another fine DJ, Willie Bryant, emceed two full-length feature films in 1955, "The Rock 'n' Roll Revue" and "The Rhythm & Blues Revue", both of which showcased all-black talent but was geared for a black audience. Few whites knew of their existence, then and today. Watch them if you find them, you won't be disappointed.

Nuff said.
Click to expand...

Some great names, but the stations that you have them associated with (in some cases) were from the 50s. For example, Herb Kent was never on WBEE in the 60s. He was on WVON. Didn't Peter Tripp's career pretty much peek in the late 50s before the payola scandal?
Also, wasn't Hound Dog gone from WKBW in the 60s?
 
Hard to narrow it down to one as most here have noticed. It also depends where one grew up listening to the DJs. IOW I'm from NJ not Calif. where I live now so I will be influenced by the DJs I heard locally or even DXed for.

My Top 10:

Hy Lit (WIBG)
Dan Ingram (WABC)
Joe Niagra (WIBG)
Herb Oscar Anderson (WABC)
Murray the K (WINS, WOR-FM)
Jack Spector (WMCA)
Joe O'Brien (WMCA)
Joey Reynolds (WKBW)
Harry Harrison (WMCA)
B. Mitchell Reid
 
B Mitchell Reed doesn't get enough credit. He was a great Top 40 DJ in NYC & LA. Problem is that he left Top 40 in the 60s and went to AOR.
He was among the pioneers in that format too. Many people tend to forget his Top 40 years.
 
radioman148 said:
FRR said:
1. Bobby Wayne
2. Bwanna Johnny
3. Big Al Law
4. Paul Purtain
5. Gene Barry
6. Dusty Rhoades
7. Bruce Morrow
8. Bill Todd
9. Wayne Shane

Okay, now I know some of you have never heard of some of these, but they were GREAT
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're a Cincinnati man.
Click to expand...


Lol I think you got it right
 
Top 10 1960's Djs... They are not in any order, I just remember that they were interesting and fun to listen to...
Gene Price (KEWB) Dave Hull (KRLA) Rich Brother Robbin (KCBQ & KGB and later, RICH BRO.COM) Johnny Holliday (WHK & KYA) Gene Nelson (KYA) Big Daddy Tom Donahue (KYA) Charlie Tuna (KHJ) Casey Kasem (KEWB) Shotgun Tom Kelly (KCBQ & KGB and later KRTH) Johnny Hayes (KYA & KRLA).
 
kenb said:
Top 10 1960's Djs... They are not in any order, I just remember that they were interesting and fun to listen to...
Gene Price (KEWB) Dave Hull (KRLA) Rich Brother Robbin (KCBQ & KGB and later, RICH BRO.COM) Johnny Holliday (WHK & KYA) Gene Nelson (KYA) Big Daddy Tom Donahue (KYA) Charlie Tuna (KHJ) Casey Kasem (KEWB) Shotgun Tom Kelly (KCBQ & KGB and later KRTH) Johnny Hayes (KYA & KRLA).
Click to expand...

Ahh, a California guy. What no Real Don Steele or Robert W Morgan?
 
radioman148 said:
GridLeakBias said:
The greatest DJ of the 60's - that's a hard question to answer, it all depends upon which market is your point of reference. I'll go back and include a few from earlier years, and various markets:

Tommy "Dr Jive" Smalls - WWRL, NY
Peter Tripp - WMGM, NY
"Jocko" Henderson - WLIB, NY & WHAT - Philly
Willie "The Mayor Of Harlem" Bryant, WHOM, NY
George "Hound Dog" Lorenz - WKBW, Buffalo
"Symphony Sid" Torin - WEZE, Boston
Porky "Platter Pushin' Papa" Chedick, WAMO, Pittsburg
Chuck Dunaway - WRIT, Milwaukee
Al Benson - WGES, Chicago
Herb "Kool Gent" Kent - WBEE, Chicago
Hunter Hancock - KFVD, Los Angeles
Art LeBoe - KGFJ
Dick "Huggie Boy" Hugg - KRKD, Los Angeles

Notice, for the most part, DJ's from the past had a hook in their name - something to push in their quest for popularity. We don't get much of that anymore.

On the subject of DJ's - and motion pictures, something no one has mentioned. The 50s brought us many fine films to highlight and showcase the music of the era and the teen rebellion which scared the pants off of parents. Examples: "The Wild One" (1953) - not so musical, but a classic teen-anger film. Then there was "The Blackboard Jungle" (1955) featuring the song which became a teen anthem and signature for the whole Rock n' Roll movement - Bill Haley/Comets and "Rock Around The Clock." Alan Freed became known nationwide for his 1956 roles in "Rock Around The Clock" and "Rock, Rock, Rock." 1956 brought us even more, with "The Girl Can't Help It," and "Love Me Tender." Sadly to say, another fine DJ, Willie Bryant, emceed two full-length feature films in 1955, "The Rock 'n' Roll Revue" and "The Rhythm & Blues Revue", both of which showcased all-black talent but was geared for a black audience. Few whites knew of their existence, then and today. Watch them if you find them, you won't be disappointed.

Nuff said.
Click to expand...

Some great names, but the stations that you have them associated with (in some cases) were from the 50s. For example, Herb Kent was never on WBEE in the 60s. He was on WVON. Didn't Peter Tripp's career pretty much peek in the late 50s before the payola scandal?
Also, wasn't Hound Dog gone from WKBW in the 60s?
Click to expand...
Sorry to take so long to answer, been gone for a while.

1st: Please note from my post, I was listing DJs from earlier years - meaning late 40s and 50s. I realize the thread is for the 60s, but I thought the earlier DJs deserved some credit for their popularity which led into the Rock 'n' roll era.

To answer your questions:
According to radio broadcasting history, Peter Tripp was indicted and found guilty of accepting $36,050 in payola. He was fined $500 and given a six-month suspended sentence. He left WMGM and bumped around at KYA, San Fransisco, KGFJ, Los Angeles, and WOHO, Toledo, Ohio, but never got his big name back. He left radio and became somewhat successful in marketing. He died Jan 31, 2000 at age 73.

The "Hound Dog" left WKBW in Jul 58 when the station when Top 40. In 1962, George applied for the last FM frequency in the Buffalo market, 93.7 FM, and his station WBLK went on the air Dec 10, 64. George rocked that station until his sudden death in 1972.
 
To Radioman: Yes, I should have listed Real Don Steele and Robert W. Morgan as I listened to them early on in the San Francisco Bay Area on KEWB Channel 91. They really hit it big when they moved south to L.A. and occupied multiple stations for long periods of time garnering lots of followers and were considered rating giants. My bad! :-[
 
kenb said:
To Radioman: Yes, I should have listed Real Don Steele and Robert W. Morgan as I listened to them early on in the San Francisco Bay Area on KEWB Channel 91. They really hit it big when they moved south to L.A. and occupied multiple stations for long periods of time garnering lots of followers and were considered rating giants. My bad! :-[
Click to expand...

One of the DJs you mentioned was Johnny Hayes. Is he now retired?
 
I'm a little late to the movie and I certainly have no quarrel with any of those listed here.  All are deserving. 

As a Chicago guy, I'll add my two cents......  Biondi first.  Followed (in no particular order) by Art Roberts, Larry Lujack, Herb Kent, Mal Bellairs, Ron Britain, Jim Stagg, Jim Runyan, and Joel Sebastian.  From Milwaukee in no particular order:  Eddie Doucette (WRIT), King Zbornik (sp?) (WRIT).  Bob Barry (WOKY).

Moving farther afield to my college days....  Dic Youngs first (42 years at KIOA for "The Old Youngster").  Followed in no particular order by others I was fortunate enough to be able to hear.....Wolfman Jack (XERF), Bruce Bradley (WBZ), John R (WLAC), Bobby Rich (KSTT), Charlie Tuna (KOMA), Mort Crowley (KXOK...ex-WLS), Phil Jaye (WHB), Johnny Dolan (WHB).

Having spent my junior year of high school in Honolulu, I should also add (again, no particular order)....  Tom Rounds and Dave "Moose" Donnely (KPOI).  Ted Sachs (later Sax) and Robert E. Lee (KORL), and Blair Rockwell (KUMU).  Not a Deejay, but I'd also shout out to pioneer nighttime talk show host, Sam Fisk at KULA.  (Well...maybe Fisk WAS a deejay.  He'd put on a record and call it "the dial dance" whenever he had to take transmitter readings!)
 
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