January 18 Radio History

➦In 1913...comedian/actor Danny Kaye was born David Daniel Kaminski in Brooklyn.

While most of his impact was on the big screen, he had his own radio show in the 1940’s, and his own TV show in the 60’s.  Surprisingly, he has only two appearances listed for the Ed Sullivan Show.  As a partner in Kaye/Smith Broadcasting he was a co-owner of KJR AM/FM in Seattle & KJRB, Spokane.

He died Mar 3, 1987 at age 74 after a heart attack.

➦In 1914...announcer/actor Rod O’Connor was born in Houston.

In Chicago he became announcer for both Don McNeill‘s Breakfast Club and The First Nighter Program. While serving in WWII he met comedian Red Skelton, who offered O’Connor an announcing gig on his Raleigh Cigarette Program in 1945.  He stayed on when Skelton went to television.  O’Connor also worked with some of the biggest names in radio including Art Linkletter, Dennis Day, Rudy Vallée and Danny Thomas.

He died June 5 1964 at age 50 after losing a battle with cancer.

➦In 1929...“New York Daily Mirror” columnist Walter Winchell made his debut on radio, broadcasting a blend of political commentary and celebrity gossip to “Mr. and Mrs. America…” His quick-jabbing, penetrating manner became his trademark. And so did his fedora hat.

Walt Winchell

He began his career in journalism by posting notes about his acting troupe on backstage bulletin boards. Joining the Vaudeville News in 1920, Winchell left the paper for the Evening Graphic in 1924, and in turn was hired on June 10, 1929 by the New York Daily Mirror where he finally became the author of what would be the first syndicated gossip column, entitled On-Broadway.

Using connections in the entertainment, social, and governmental realms, he would expose exciting or embarrassing information about celebrities in those industries. This caused him to become very feared, as a journalist, because he would routinely impact the lives of famous or powerful people, exposing alleged information and rumors about them, using this as ammunition to attack his enemies, and to blackmail influential people. He used this power, trading positive mention in his column (and later, his radio show) for more rumors and secrets.

He made his radio debut over WABC in New York, then a CBS affiliate, on May 12, 1930.

His newspaper column was syndicated in over 2,000 newspapers worldwide, and he was read by 50 million people a day from the 1920s until the early 1960s. His Sunday-night radio broadcast was heard by another 20 million people from 1930 to the late 1950s.

Aunt Jenny

➦In 1937...CBS radio introduced listeners to “Aunt Jenny’s Real Life Stories” for the first time. A complete story was told in five, 15-minute episodes which aired Monday thru Friday each week. Aunt Jenny was played by Edith Spencer (pictured) and later, by Agnes Young. The show continued on radio until 1956 and was sponsored over the years by Spry shortening and Lux soap. Aunt Jenny’s whistling canary, for those of you ready to inquire, was played by animal imitator, Henry Boyd.

➦In 1948... Ted Mack came to television as “The Original Amateur Hour” debuted on the DuMont network. The program continued on different networks for a total 22-year run.  The original, “Original Amateur Hour”, on radio, was hosted by Major Bowes. In the TV version, Mack introduced many up-and-coming stars who later claimed great fame in show biz. Teresa Brewer and Pat Boone are just two of those discoveries.

➦In 1964..Fifty-one years ago today, the Beatles appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time.

The band's breakthrough, and ultimately, pop culture-redefining, first U.S smash, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 45.

The issue was dated Jan. 18, 1964.

The following week, the song rocketed to No. 3. It became the Beatles' first of 20 No. 1s the following week (Feb. 1, 1964).

The Beatles' 20 toppers remain the most by any artist in the Hot 100's history. When Billboard ranked the top acts of the chart's first 55 years this past August, the Beatles ranked at No. 1. 

➦In 1971...Canadian AM radio stations were required for the first time to play 30% Canadian music content. Many stations such as CKLG and CKVN in Vancouver ran marathon Beatles or “rock music” specials over the previous weekend before the rules came into effect. CanCon – a contraction of the words Canadian content – requiring that, from 6 a.m. to Midnight, 30% of all music aired on Canadian radio must be by Canadian artists. As originally prescribed, the recorded performances count as Canadian if two of the following four characteristics are met: *Music composed entirely by a Canadian, *Artist is Canadian, *Produced in Canada, *Lyrics written entirely by a Canadian.

➦In 1983...First GUI/mouse computer, the Apple Lisa, was unveiled.

➦In 1985...Cleveland, Ohio was chosen to be the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

➦In 2004...Personality Harry Fleetwood died. He aired on WNBC-AM's "Music Through the Night" in 1954. In 1975, he moved to WNCN to host classical music.

➦In 2011…the FCC gave approval to the $28 billion sale of NBC Universal by General Electric to Comcast Corporation.

➦In 2016...Founding member of The Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. He was 67.

Bobby Goldsboro is 82

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro is 82. 
• Comedian-singer Brett Hudson of the Hudson Brothers is 70. 
• Actor-director Kevin Costner is 68. 
• Country singer-actor Mark Collie (“Nashville”) is 67. 
• Actor Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies,” ″The Other Boleyn Girl”) is 63. 
• Actor Alison Arngrim (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 61. 
• Actor Jane Horrocks (“Absolutely Fabulous”) is 59. 
• Comedian Dave Attell (“Insomniac”) is 58. 
• Actor Jesse L. Martin (TV’s “The Flash,” ″Law & Order”) is 54. 
• Rapper DJ Quik is 53. 
• Singer Jonathan Davis of Korn is 52. 
• Singer Christian Burns of BBMak is 49. 
• Actor Derek Richardson (“Men in Trees”) is 47.
• Actor-screenwriter Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother,” ″Freaks and Geeks”) is 43. 
• Singer-actor Samantha Mumba is 40. 
• Actor Ashleigh Murray (“Riverdale”) is 35. 
• Actor Zeeko Zaki (“FBI,” “24: Legacy”) is 33. 
• Actor Mateus Ward (“Hostages”) is 24.

✞DEATH ANNIVERSARIES

• In 2016..Glenn Frey, Grammy Award-winning guitarist, singer-songwriter (The Eagles - "Take it Easy"; "Heartache Tonight";"Tequila Sunrise"; solo - "Smuggler's Blues"; "The Heat Is On"), and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member, dies from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia at 67
• In 2017..Roberta Peters [Peterman], Operatic soprano (NY Metropolitan Opera, 1950-85), dies of Parkinson's disease at 86
• In 2021..James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers, Pop singer and guitarist ("Honey Comb" ; “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling In Love Again”), dies of kidney disease at 87
• In 2022..Ron Franklin, Sportscaster (ESPN 1987-2011; ESPN College Football Primetime), dies at 79