July 15 Radio History

➦In 1913... Lloyd Estel Copas born (Died at age 49 – March 5, 1963).  He is known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, and was a country music singer popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw Hawkins. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Copas was born in 1913 in Blue Creek, Ohio, in Adams County. He began performing locally at age 14, and appeared on WLW-AM and WKRC-AM in Cincinnati during the 1930s. In 1940 he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he performed on WNOX-AM with his band, the Gold Star Rangers.

In 1943, Copas achieved national fame when he replaced Eddy Arnold as a vocalist in the Pee Wee King band and began performing on the Grand Ole Opry. His first solo single, "Filipino Baby", released by King Records in 1946, hit No. 4 on the Billboard country chart and sparked the most successful period of his career.

➦In 1929...“Music and the Spoken Word” debuted on KSL Salt Lake City.  It is still on the air today, the oldest continuous nationwide network broadcast in the world.  It is a 30-minute of inspiring messages and music produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; the music is performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Jocko Henderson

➦In 2000…Radio personality Douglas “Jocko” Henderson - WOV, WADO died.

Henderson began his broadcast career in 1952 at Baltimore station WSID, and in 1953 began broadcasting in Philadelphia on WHAT.  He hosted a show called "Rocket Ship" out of New York radio stations WOV and WADO from 1954 to 1964, which was an early conduit for rock & roll.

He was known for a distinctive style of rhythmic patter in his radio voice, which he had learned from a Baltimore deejay, Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert.   Henderson continued on the stations WDAS and WHAT until 1974, as a personality  in Philadelphia and New York as well as hosting concerts in both cities and a TV music program in New York. 

In addition to Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore, Henderson was also broadcast on stations in St. Louis, Detroit, Miami, and Boston.

The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Henderson into their Hall of Fame in 2004.

Linda Ronstadt is 76

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Actor Patrick Wayne is 83. 
• Singer Millie Jackson is 78. 
• Guitarist-singer Peter Lewis of Moby Grape is 77. 
• Singer Linda Ronstadt is 76. 
• Drummer Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd) is 74. 
• Actor Terry O’Quinn (“Lost,” ″West Wing,”) is 70. 
• Singer-guitarist David Pack (Ambrosia) is 70. 
• Drummer Marky Ramone (The Ramones) is 70. 
• Guitarist Joe Satriani is 66. 

• 

  Linda Benanti is 43

  Country songwriter Mac McAnally is 65. 
• Actor Willie Aames (“Eight Is Enough,” ″Charles In Charge”) is 62. 
• Model Kim Alexis is 62. 
• Actor Lolita Davidovich is 61. 
• Actor-director Forest Whitaker is 61. 
• Actor Shari Headley is 59. 
• Actor Brigitte Nielsen is 59. 
• Drummer Jason Bonham is 56. 
• Actor Amanda Foreman (“Parenthood,” ″Felicity”) is 56. 
• Singer Stokley of Mint Condition is 55. 
• Actor-comedian Eddie Griffin (“Malcolm and Eddie”) is 54. 
• Actor Reggie Hayes (“Girlfriends”) is 53. 
• Actor Jim Rash (“Community”) is 51. 
• Drummer John Dolmayan of System of a Down and of Scars on Broadway is 50. 
• Actor Scott Foley (“Scandal,” ″Felicity”) is 50. 
• Actor Brian Austin Green (“Beverly Hills 90210”) is 49. 
• Rapper Jim Jones is 46. 
• Actor Diane Kruger (“National Treasure,” “Troy”) is 46. 
• Actor Lana Parrilla (“Once Upon a Time,” ″Swingtown”) is 45. 
• Guitarist Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance is 45. 
• Actor Laura Benanti (“Law and Order: SVU”) is 43. 
• Singer Kia Thornton of Divine is 43. 
• Actor Taylor Kinney (“Chicago Fire”) is 41. 
• Actor Tristan “Mack” Wilds (“90210″) is 33. 
• Actor Iain Armitage (“Big Little Lies,” “Young Sheldon”) is 14.

✞DEATH ANNIVERSARIES

• Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was murdered in front of his Miami home by spree killer Andrew Cunanan on this day in 1997. He was 50.