MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE DISC JOCKEYS
From time to time, I'm asked who some of my favorite Dee Jays or air talent are, or have been.
Since I started in Radio in the Fall of 1955 to the present, I have compiled a mental list of those
whom to my way of thinking were some of the best "communicators" I have either worked with
or heard on the great electronic tube known as RADIO! Now, it may be time to ascribe that
mental list to paper. Keep in mind, this is only MY list. They are in no particular order, as it seems
impossible to rate each individual numerically due to his own persona on the air in markets which
are too varied for comparison. Each of us subjectively hear talent differently. Each of us have a
"taste" of what kind of DJ each likes...depending on the kind of format that DJ is performing in.
My list encompasses various formats and many styles of voice and delivery. Some you may know,
others you may not. So,with that in mind, let me list my "Top 40" Allyn's All-Timers:
Tom Clay
Lee "Baby" Simms
Jean Shepherd
John R.
Chuck Dunaway
Jimmy Rabbit
Dick "Moonglow" Martin
Frank Ward
Robert W. Morgan
Don Couser
Wally Philips
K.O. Bayley
"Happy Hare" (Harry Martin)
Howard Edwards
Rick Shaw
Gene "By Golly" Barry
Gary Owens
Bill Randle
The Real Don Steele
Jim Runyon
Picks That Also Clicked:
Dick Biondi
Bobby Ocean
Jim Hawthorn
Tom Lyons
"Wolfman" Jack
William B. Williams
Charlie Tuna
Morton Downey Jr.
Rege Cortic
Don Sherwood
Al Loman and Roger Barkley
Russ "Weird Beird" Knight
Alan Freed
"Shotgun" Tom Kelly
Chuck Brinkman
Hal "Baby" Moore
Robert L. Collins
Royce Johnson
Casey Kasem
Bubbling Under the Top 40
Chuck Buell
B. Bailey Brown
Perry Allen
Leo Underhill
Hy Lit
There they are, the Top 40 + air personalities who arrested my ear during my lifetime in and
around the Radio business. There are several "big names" from major markets missing, as
well as some from the medium and smaller markets. But this is, after all, MY Top 40 list.
I'm sure you have yours. Don't be offended if I left you off. The above mentioned are truly
"diamonds" in a broadcast sea of so many "gems". Most of these legends became so due to
their preparation, their attitude of wanting to entertain, and they were professional to the core.
Each unique personality connected one-on-one with the listener. That's what it's all about.
They knew how and when to sell the station's call letters and frequency, the music, and the
commercials that paid their salaries. If you want to hear greatness on the radio, just find one
of their airchecks, and you'll hear what I mean. If you want to get into this medium of Radio,
hearing any of these gentlemen listed above is must and mandatory homework! But, as usual,
that's just MY RadiOpinion....what's yours?
