January 24 Radio History

➦In 1916...Longtime Chicago baseball announcer Jack Brickhouse was born in Peoria Illinois.  Brickhouse was the TV voice of the Cubs from the 1940’s into the ’80’s.  At one time he also did radio for the NFL’s Chicago Bears.  He died at age 82 on Aug 6, 1998 after suffering a heart attack.

➦In 1942..."Abie's Irish Rose," with a cast that variously included Clayton "Bud" Collyer, and Mercedes McCambridge, began a 2½-year run on NBC Radio.



➦In 1958...The Quarry Men gave their only performance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. It would be three years later that the group returned as The Beatles.

➦In 1962...Brian Epstein signed with The Beatles as their manager. The contract stipulated that  Epstein was to get 25 percent of the group's earnings, if they grossed at least $400 each per week.



Beatles' Manager Brian Epstein is interviewed in New York City by Murray the K for WOR-FM Radio in 1967.

➦In 1962...the Twist dance craze was evidents on Billboard's charts.  Four of the Top Ten LPs belonged to Chubby Checker: “For Twisters Only,” “Let’s Twist Again,” “Your Twist Party,” and “Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker.”

➦In 1984...Apple introduces the Macintosh 128K

➦In 1992...choral director & composer Ken Darby died of heart problems at age 82. In 1929 he formed the King’s Men vocal quartet featured for years on the Fibber McGee & Molly radio show.

He also won three Oscars and was the principal composer of Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" but signed the rights over to his wife Vera Matson, whose name appears as co-lyricist and co-composer with Presley. He also had a choral group, the Ken Darby Singers, who sang backup to  Bing Crosby on the original 1942 recording of "White Christmas."

➦In 1993...Ashley Jade Stern was born, the daughter of Radio personality Howard Stern

➦In 2001...bandleader Les Brown died at age 88.  His “Band of Renown” introduced Doris Day to North American audiences, and played radio, TV & live events for Bob Hope including 18 USO tours, for almost 50 years.

➦In 2015…Pioneering radio-television talk show host Joe Franklin, who hosted his own TV show in New York City for more than 40 years, died of prostate cancer at the age of 88.

At 14, Franklin began writing skits for The Kate Smith Hour and at 16, Franklin officially began his entertainment career as a record picker on radio sensation Martin Block's Make Believe Ballroom where he became known as "The Young Wreck with the Old Records".