R.I.P.: Former NYC Radio Personality Jim Lowe

Jim Lowe

Sixty years ago, Jim Lowe’s gold record "Green Door" knocked Elvis Presley out of the top spot on the Billboard charts. After the release of his hit record, Jim Lowe was heard on New York City's flagship radio stations for decades.

James Ellsworth (Jim) Lowe died on Monday morning at his home in East Hampton, on Long Island, New York, after a long illness.

The native of Springfield, MO was 93, according to KSPR.

Millions of WCBS-AM, WNEW-AM and WNBC-AM radio listeners became Lowe’s fans. He also hosted NBC Radio's "Monitor" in its heyday.

Here’s more information from the obituary that his family wrote:

His longest and latest tenure on radio was with the legendary WNEW, where he was acquainted with virtually all the greats and near greats of American popular music, Broadway and broadcasting. His friends included Frank Sinatra, who routinely called him on his radio show to sing Happy Birthday to him, dozens of composers including Irving Berlin, and great singers such as Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Andy Williams, Sarah Vaughan and Margaret Whiting among countless others.



After interruption for U.S. Army service in World War II, Lowe graduated from the University of Missouri in 1948. He began his radio career at Mizzou, with short radio stints afterward in Springfield, Indianapolis and Chicago before moving to WCBS in New York City in 1956. At CBS he was the featured host of "Jazz is my Beat" and "Upbeat Saturday Night," and teamed up there with Florence Henderson to showcase the CBS TV audience participation series "Sing Along" in 1958.

Lowe took his talents to WNBC in 1959. He had a daily show, also was heard on NBC Radio’s “Monitor,” and did several stints on “Today” on NBC-TV.

Lowe’s tenure at WNEW began in 1964, and was long and notable for his encyclopedic knowledge of American popular music from the ‘30s, ‘40s and early ‘50s, its composers, lyricists, and singers.

His daily show was a staple of New York radio life throughout the 60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. He was known to his listeners as Mr. Broadway. Lowe carried an amazing depth of information about lyrics, composers, arrangers and performers, and could retell it at will in astonishing detail.



As a sideline to his radio career, his #1 gold record hit "Green Door" was recorded in 1956, sold two and a half million records, and for a brief time knocked Elvis Presley out of Billboard’s top spot.