R.I.P.: Papa Don Schroeder, Pensacola Broadcaster

Pensacola radio legend Papa Don Schroeder died Friday morning passed away after a long battle with throat cancer.  He was 77-years-of-age, reports The Penscaola News-Journal.

Don Schroeder

Schroeder, born December 29, 1940), was radio station owner and former record producer, radio personality, and singer-songwriter, who was responsible for producing hit singles in the 1960s and 1970s by James & Bobby Purify, Carl Carlton, and others.

His hugely successful radio program at WBSR, and later at WNVY, in the 1960s was unparalleled in terms of local ratings. One of the secrets was his energetic style, and the other was his outreach. He was one of the first DJs to put callers on the air. And the first to integrate local airwaves.

"I was the first white DJ to play James Brown,'' Schroeder once said. "I wanted music to bring black and white people together. I really believed music could do that."

In 1968, he built his own studio in Pensacola, but failed to recruit the musicians to make it successful.

After disagreements with James Purify, he closed down his record production business in 1969. In 1970, he took ownership of radio station WPNN in Pensacola, and remained the station president until his passing. He returned to record production in the mid-1970s, producing Carl Carlton's hit version of "Everlasting Love" as well as further tracks by James and Bobby Purify.