My gerontologist tells me, Keep moving.. He is known as "BP with the GM," short for Bob Perkins with the Good Music. We all need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going. This music conjures up some beautiful memories. BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. Jazz host Bob Perkins in his office at WRTI. Music they danced and romanced to when they were young people.. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. WRTIs legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88, Police find ancient mummy in delivery mans cooler bag in Peru, At least 36 killed after passenger and freight trains collide in Greece, Florida 19-year-old accused of killing three, including reporter, in shootings, Lori Lightfoot concedes mayors race in Chicago, European space agency pushes for lunar time zone, College students turn to influencing as new side hustle. Perkins, known to listeners as BP with the GM (Bob Perkins with the Good Music), will now work a reduced on-air schedule, helming a single weekly show Sunday Jazz Brunch on Sunday mornings. And it is. Im just playing music. I lived on the same block as the famous Heath Brothers in South Philadelphia growing up, he said. The 88 year old Perkins has been on the air in Philadelphia since 1969 with stints as News Director at WDAS-FM and a Jazz host at WHYY before joining WRTI in 1997. A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997, helping to establish the station as one of the countrys leading jazz music broadcasters. Thats our savior, man.. ), I remember telling my friends about it, McKenna adds. By, Classical Events Calendar Submission Form, Bob Perkins Talks About Dave Brubeck's Legacy Back in 2012, BP Remembers The Glorious Jazz Vocalist Gloria Lynne. The world wasnt moving quite as fast. What makes history so important is it has to be true. Experience Board Chair Orennia 2021 - Present 2 years. I wrote for Hugo Warren for 20 years. What makes Bob so incredibly important to our music history and the history of Philadelphia is: he was there. That when I first became aware of who he was, said Larry McKenna, the tenor saxophonist who is one of the deans of Phillys jazz scene. I knew the Athletics batting averages like they were my own name. The South Philadelphia native has been one of the greatest voices of the citys airwaves since 1969, when he joined R&B station WDAS in an influential news and editorial position after working in Detroit radio for five years. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. Language: English Contact: WRTI-FM 1509 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19121 Website: http://www.wrti.org/ Email: Bob@wrti.org Episodes I had an insurance license and they told me, Youre going to start in a week. I walked out the door and I was very happy. After breaking in as a DJ and announcer at WGPR-FM, he then expanded to news at WCHB-AM while also working as jazz program director for its twin, WCHD-FM. A young BP with his brother Joe. But it seems like the longer I stayed out, [chuckles] the more positive response I got. BP's last WRTI weeknight shift is on Thursday, June 30th from 6 to 9 PM. If you, WRTIs Bob Perkins joined the 2016 Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame class on October 19th. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM) His father's illness is what really led to radio becoming an important part of the Perkins household. Perkins wandered into the station at WGPR-FM and got a position as on-air DJ and Announcer. We cant eat our dinner without you. Growing up in a two-bedroom rowhouse near 19th and Reed in South Philly during World War II, Bob Perkins received intimate and powerful instruction on the healing properties of radio. He regularly serves as master of ceremonies for major annual and special concert events in the region, such as the previous and very popular Mellon Jazz Festival Concert Series. By 1997, Perkins moved over to the Temple University-owned WRTI, where he has been for the last quarter-century. We love your GM ("Good Music . Wait two seconds and you'll hear about yet another award bestowed on "Ol' BP," as he calls himself. Bob Perkin's, a legendary DJ at the radio station WRTI,. Have Your Say - WRTI's Bob Perkins 97 views Aug 17, 2020 4 Dislike Share Save MLTV - Main Line Network 2.72K subscribers Hosts Anne Minicozzi and Diana Robertson welcome radio personality. His older brother had introduced him to the music of Duke Ellington, which sparked a lifelong love of big band and jazz music. Ive been in radio for about 55 years and in Philadelphia for 50 years. Bell Building Once I got some news training under my belt, I started trading news stories with the news team at WDAS in Philadelphia. Hear Bob on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Sunday Jazz Brunch. I try not to ad-lib and talk about what is going on. Not only with his actual speaking voice, but also with the music he selects, Block said. (Photo by WRTI). The world is a lot different than it used to be.. By Bob Perkins | WRTI-FM (Philadelphia, PA) One November night in the year 1934, a 17-year-old girl was about to take the stage at the Apollo theater's Amateur Night program and planned to do a dance routinebut changed her mind and decided to sing a song instead. Copyright 2022 RadioInsight / RadioBB Networks. [8] Philadelphia honored him in 2017 when he was inducted in Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame.[9]. WRTI, which broadcasts classical music from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. each day, and jazz from 6 p.m.-6 a.m. - What would I do without Bobbi Booker as my gentle alarm clock? BP broke into the radio business in 1964 when he landed an on-air job in Detroit. I did what I could, he said, because I didnt know a thing about writing editorials. I [then] looked up and I saw a sign that read WGPR-FM. Domain Insight 2/27: The First Audacy Atlas Divestiture Will Go To. This net worth approximation does not reflect any other investments that Mr. Perkins may own. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. It takes a little bit of thought. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the, Our very own "BP with the GM" shared his story, going back to childhood, with a large audience at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia on Feb. 22, 2019. Anybody who wants to hear jazz on the radio, you have to tune to WRTI and theres Bob Perkins. He also champions local musicians and music. The late teen years. My father must have been listening to radio from the very start. Friday evenings at 10 PM, veteran WRTI jazz host J. Michael Harrison presents The Bridge, exploring the merging platforms of popular music and jazz. Bob's contributions to jazz are innumerable. Mr. Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") WRTI jazz host extraordinaire turns 80 years old today. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Jazz-Classical WRTI/PHILADELPHIA evening host BOB PERKINS is stepping away from his weekday 6-9p (ET) show on JUNE 30th. In 1969, his hometown of Philadelphia beckoned him back with a gig at rhythm-and-blues station WDAS, where he worked for the next 19 years. You can find some solace in what you like. News was almost like a religion back in the day. Mr. Perkins in 2006. I guess I couldnt help but love radio, because from the time I was a little boy, radio was very much a part of my day every day growing up in South Philadelphia.. The radio station was owned by the Black Masons of Detroit. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote in 2019. In this new age of music streaming, where a service like Spotify uses neural networks, big data language analysis, and artificial intelligence machine learning techniques to winnow songs that are channeled down a high-tech digital assembly line to listeners, Perkins relies on a soft, squishy computer that he admits is a bit more unreliable since his stroke and which he refers to in his characteristic parlance as the old noggin. In other words, he plays what he knows and likes. We had great announcers back then. Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. Jazz Host Extraordinaire Bob Perkins is Retiring from Weeknights on WRTI Our beloved "BP with the GM"Bob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. Maybe its one of the high points in their life.". BP: No, I just put out the music. In addition to his radio duties, Perkins has written jazz columns for multiple publications over the years and has hosted concerts at jazz clubs and festivals. He later joined WHYY with a weekend jazz show before landing at WRTI. I think it would be silly to have me programming for a jazz historian.. He said yesand hes been here ever since. He had his own antennae that he had drilled into his table model radio. He throws in a four-hour show on Sunday mornings for good measure. We love your GM("Good Music")and you! He credits his love for radio to his father who repaired radios as a hobby when he was young. Five days a week, on WRTI, "BP with the GM" (that's Bob Perkins with the Good Music), plays jazz with a connoisseur's ear and an infectious sense of joy. A lot of us who live here, we don't have any other outlets and are not really known outside of this city, so we don't get airplay unless we go through WRTI., Bob is a proud Philadelphian, but he doesnt just play local music out of loyalty. TN: Whats the response been to your show recently? Every Saturday, I was there.. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. For 50 years he has been one of the great voices of Philadelphia radio, starting in 1969 with a nearly 20-year stint as a news and editorial reader for WDAS, known in those days as The Voice of the Black Community. Black Music Month means heritage, he said. In 2007, he was recognized with a proclamation by Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. I think in some way, Bob is able to bridge that gap, King said. Jazz radio legend Bob Perkins, 88, will retire in June from his full-time role as a host at Philadelphia's WRTI-FM. Bob is jazz radio, David Conant, former general manager at WRTI, told The Inquirer in 2016. We have a father right now and that's Bob Perkins.. I went downstairs at the same building, and told the insurance company, Im here to quit a job I never started. Leaving out the door of the insurance company, the man who had offered me a job selling insurance said, Do you know what theyre going to pay you up there? Do you have any anecdotes about BP you'd like to share? In 1969, he headed home to Philly, where he began working as a news and editorial director at WDAS-FM, which was then known as the voice of the Black community. He stayed at that station for nearly two decades. Any birthday wishes? Im the only one thats doing this thing on regular radio and I enjoy very much what Im doing, and the feedback that I get from people who enjoy it. I went to a radio school through my father. You dont know whos listening, how many people: could be one, could be 10,000. WRTI has not yet put a new DJ in Perkins usual weeknight spot, which will temporarily be filled by station associate general manager Josh Jackson, KYW Newsradio reported. I also dont think radio announcers are as influential today as they used to be, Perkins added. They were very kind at WDAS, and they also allowed me to moonlight at WHYY-FM. Until then, Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., you can continue to listen to his radio program on WRTI, Jazz with Bob Perkins.. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? A mainstay of the jazz music and radio community, Perkins has been on-air at WRTI since 1997. But at age 88, Perkins is signing off passing the ball to the next era of jazz lovers. It comes out of the head, out of the heart and out of your soul. The estimated net worth of Joe Bob Perkins is at least $6.75 million as of November 2nd, 2022. I like melody. I told the general manager about the job offer I had just received from the insurance company, and he replied, Take whichever job comes first., The general manager called me a couple days later and offered me the job, he said. READ MORE: Two Philly jazz masters celebrate their birthdays (and their best-friendship), Perkins had suffered a stroke. TN: When you had your stroke, did the way people reacted to you being off the air take you by surprise? We would listen to radio from sun-up, through the night, and into the next morning.. Bob Perkins reflects on his memories of Philadelphian tenor saxophonist Sam Reed, who passed away earlier this month.. TN: Why was it important for you to keep doing your show? But I had some qualifications, too, because my dad got into radio back in the 1920s, when radio was in its infancy. Something they can hum. You should hear this guy.. I always felt like they hired me because they wanted to get back at WDAS. I know Ive been very blessed. TN: Have you made any changes to your playlist, in light of whats happening? Perkins was honored with a bronze plaque in the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame on the citys Avenue of the Arts in 2016 and was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2003, among other awards and accolades. Mr. Perkins owns 88,692 shares of Targa Resources stock worth more than $6,747,687 as of February 16th. They just let me have my own way and they seem to like what I play. Ive been in radio for quite some time. Not doing anything heroic. Discovery, curation, community, performance, preservation. They were a great family of jazz artists. I program most of the music on the station, said Maureen Malloy. The host entered the Philadelphia radio world in 1967 with WDAM, where he served as a news and editorial director. Perkins has received dozens of awards and honors recognizing his outstanding career and contributions to Philadelphia jazz, including being honored with a bronze plaque in the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame on the citys Avenue of the Arts in 2016. But you try to always put that best music forward. All rights reserved. Radio was drilled in my head.. I was a war baby. Temple Public Radio 90.1 FM is amazing! I said yes, he said. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] And you had to visualize this man who could make himself invisible. Someone can think of something and express it in a musical form and without hitting any sour notes and make it sound melodic, where you can tap your foot or you can close your eyes and dream on it. Box 18869, Philadelphia, PA 19119 - Phone (215) 848-7864 - Fax (215) 848-7893 Philadelphia,PA19122 USA. I stayed over there about two years, but it really wasnt a good fit. Take a look at this photo album of Mr. Perkins through the years. After establishing himself on Detroit radio in news and jazz, Perkins returned to Philly in 1969 and became WDAS-FM's news/editorial director while hosting a jazz show at WHYY-FM. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. For the last 25 years, hes become known for his warm, personable on-air style, extensive knowledge of jazz, and thoughtful, wide-ranging music mix. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. BP means a great deal to listeners of all ages. He made his own antennas and we could sit and listen to Chicago, Detroit. [citation needed]. You can never know. I think I have some wisdom to impart.. Over the last 20-some years, BP with the GM has become an icon of the Philadelphia airwaves, holding down a prime, three-hour early evening time slot Monday through Thursday on WRTI. Ive met a lot of good people, a lot of entertainers, musicians, and politicians along the way. Bob Perkins' first radio gig at WGPR-FM in Detroit, 1964. He was too ill to work; he had rheumatoid arthritis. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. BP brought the GM back for the first time in more than four months his longest absence from the Philadelphia airwaves in 50 years on a Thursday night in December, followed a few days later by his Sunday show at 9 a.m. What he will bring to the microphone in a neat control room on Cecil B. Moore Boulevard just west of Broad Street is something his colleague Bob Craig describes as a style that is very, very warm and very personal and very loose. Perkins. Bob Perkins's Phone Number and Email. I was out for almost four months. Bob Perkins at home at WRTI-FM studios. His salvation was radio, Perkins said. In addition to his job as WRTI jazz host, Perkins has written numerous columns and commentaries on jazz, and has hosted a multitude of concerts at jazz clubs and festivals. June is observed nationally as Black Music Month, and so it seems fitting that someone who has worked in radio for almost six decades the last 20+ years playing jazz music would close out their career in June. You can touch a button and get any answer to any question that you have. He wanted to share his obsession. On the set of his jazz cable TV show at the old Greater Media Cable in South Philly in the early '90s with guest vocalist Paula Johns. Robert Bob Perkins (born December 6, 1933) is an American radio personality. I think hes been very good to all the local jazz musicians who have recorded music, McKenna said. Targa Resources 20 years . WRTI listeners will still be able to join him for Sunday Jazz Brunch, from 9 AM to 1 PM. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. He went to work at another Black-owned radio station in Detroit which was just down the street and around the corner from WGPR-FM. She was 81.Bob Perkins recalls how, Tommy Potters name wouldnt get much attention in jazz circles these daysunless the gathering were comprised of musicians and jazz fans with, WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source | Read More. I knew that people kind of liked my music. Melinda Whiting, Courtney Blue, Bobbi I. Booker, Susan Lewis and Maureen Malloy are familiar voices on WRTI. I had WDAS and WHYY, doing all of those things simultaneously for about 10 years. Sunday Jazz Brunch with Bob Perkins airs from 9 AM until 1 PM. The mix of music was an image of the man who chose it: smart and warm and nostalgic, displaying impeccable taste and a steady, low-key, and almost offhand hipness. I wondered to myself, could I get hired for two jobs in one day?, I went upstairs in the building where the radio station was located and I met the general manager, Perkins continued. Please let Bob know in the comments section below. At the end of this Black Music Month, Bob Perkins will be retiring at the ripe young age of 88. Perkins had a five-year relationship with The Philadelphia Tribune, where he wrote commentary on government, society and public affairs. But what are you going to do? This was in the mid-1920s., My father was kind of a genius in handling his radio, Perkins continued. BP broke into radio in Detroit on WGPR/WCHB/WCHD in 1964. Hed just play people that he liked. My mom would let me stay up on the weekends and sometimes we would pick up stations in other states. Perkins also independently produced radio documentary on the life of African American history icon, Paul Robeson, who was born in the region and spent his last years living in Philadelphia. 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