Dick LaPalm is a legendary jazz and pop record promoter who made his reputation in the 1950s and 1960s. Back in those days, Dick's job was to get records on the air for artists like Nat King Cole, Ahmad Jamal and others. Often musicians consulted with him to determine what types of songs and albums would have the best shot of clicking with listeners. Which meant enormous musical knowledge on Dick's part as well as super networking skills and a tack-sharp memory. Remember, no cell phones, no emails, no Internet back then. Just a Rolodex, a telephone, and plenty of shoe leather and horse-trading.
Last week, Dick sent along a wonderful list of radio disc jockeys who he says were most influential in breaking in jazz artists. As Dick wrote in his email to me: “It's often hard to believe that with the exception of five or six of the names on the list, I called on every one of them and enjoyed many great 'hangs.' “
Here then is Dick's swinging list of platter batters who mattered:
Most Influential:- Mort Fega - WEVD - New York City
- “Symphony" Sid (Torin) - WADO - New York City
- Sid McCoy - WCFL - Chicago
- Dick Buckley - WNIB and WBEZ - Chicago
- Felix Grant - WWDC - Washington DC
- Dick Martin - WWL - New Orleans
- Chuck Niles - KBCA - Los Angeles
- Rick Holmes - KBCA - Los Angeles
- Harvey Huston - WPEN - Philadelphia
- Doug Arthur - WCAU - Philadelphia
- Norm Nathan - WHDH - Boston
- Bill Marlowe - WBZ - Boston
- Jim Rockwell - WKMH - Detroit
- Ed Love - WCHD and WDET - Detroit
- Jim Lowe - WRR - Dallas
- Leo Chears - KWK and WSIE - St. Louis
- Pat Henry - KJAZ - San Francisco
- Oscar Treadwell - WNOP - Cincinnati
- Bill Currie - WBT - Charlotte
- Al “Jazzbeaux" Collins - WNEW - New York City
- Ed Beach - WRVR - New York City
- Fred Robbins - WOV - New York City
- Holmes “Daddy-O" Daylie - WAIT - Chicago
- Marty Faye - WAAF - Chicago
- Yvonne Daniels - WSDM and WCFL - Chicago
- Bob Perkins - WHYY and WRTI - Philadelphia
- Sid Mark - WHAT - Philadelphia
- Joel Dorn - WHAT - Philadelphia
- Bob Murphy - WJBK - Detroit
- John McClellan - WCOP - Boston
- Tony Cennamo - WBUR - Boston
- Alex “Sleepy" Stein - KNOB - Los Angeles
- Jim Gosa - KBCA - Los Angeles
- Gene Norman - KLAC - Los Angeles
- Willis Conover - WWDC - Washington DC, VOA
- Bill Mayhugh - WMAL - Washington DC
- Paul Anthony - WRC - Washington DC
- Harley Brinsfield - WBAL - Baltimore
- John Hardy - KFRC - San Francisco
- Jerry Dean - KJAZ - San Francisco
- Herb Wong - KJAZ - San Francisco
- China Valles - WTMI - Miami
- Tony Mowod - WDUQ - Pittsburgh
- Phil Brooks - WKPA - Pittsburgh
- Ronnie Barrett - WDOK - Cleveland
- Dave Hawthorne - WDOK - Cleveland
- Tom Brown - WHK - Cleveland
- Ray Scott - WNOP - Cincinnati
- Leo Underhill - WCKY - Cincinnati
- Leigh Kamman - MN Public Radio
- Al Gourrier - WYLD - New Orleans
- Spider Burke - KXLW - St. Louis
- Jim Bolen - KWK - St. Louis
- Joe Rico - WEBR - Buffalo
- Carroll Hardy WEBR - Buffalo
- Phil McKellar - CBC - Toronto
- Herb Lance -WERD - Atlanta
- H. Johnson - WABE - Atlanta
- Tom Mercein - WTMJ - Milwaukee
- Ron Cuzner - WFMR - Milwaukee
- Bill Ardis - WHAM - Rochester, NY
- Harry Abraham - WHAM - Rochester, NY
- Gene Amole - KVOD - Denver
- Wes Bowen - KSL - Salt Lake City
- Ed Horne - WLOK - Memphis
- Henry Wailes - WCVE - Richmond, VA
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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