EVER SINCE I WAS A CHILD, I CAN REMEMBER
MY MOTHER GIVING ME A 9 VOLT
TRANSISTOR RADIO TO LISTEN TO. I HEARD
THE BEGINNINGS OF ROCK AND ROLL (WHEN
R&B WAS CONSIDERED A PART OF THIS
CATERGORY). I REMEMBER THE BRITISH
INVASION, THE ARRIVAL OF THE BEATLES,
THE RISE OF MOTOWN, THE EVOLTION OF
R&B TO SOUL TO FUNK AND FINALLY TO RAP.
MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WERE JAMES
BROWN, JACKIE WILSON, THE 4 SEASONS,
FRANK SINATRA, THE TEMPTATIONS, THE 4
TOPS, THE TURTLES, THE ROLLING STONES.
JOHNNY MATHIS, TONY BENNETT, THE LIST
GOES, AS YOU CAN SEE, I HAD ALOT OF
PEOPLE KEEPING ME COMPANY . THE THING I
HATED ABOUT THE 9 VOLT RADIO WAS THAT
THE BATTERIES RAN DOWN SO QUICKLY. SO I
WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE RADIO OFF AT
TIMES TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE
BATTERY.
I REMEMBER ONCE WHEN A MARVIN GAYE
SONG WAS O9N THE RADIO THAT I WANTED
TO BE A 'DISC JOCKEY' AND MY MOTHER SAID
TO ME, 'YES, SON, YOU CAN DOTHAT, YOU
CAN BE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BE'. AND
THAT'S ALL I NEEDED TO HEAR, BECAUSE IN
1971, MY VOICE CAME THROUGH THE
SPEAKERS OF THE CHARLES EVANS HUGHES
AUDIO SYSTEM. I WAS ON MY WAY.
WHEN YOU GROW UP IN 'THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD', YOU
CAN'T HELP BUT BE INFLUENCED BY MANY BUT MY MAIN
INFLUENCE FILTERED THROUGH THE THREE MAIN RADIO
STATIONS THAT SERVICED THE NY METRO AREA, WWRL, WABC
AND WABC.
WWRL 1600 WAS A SMALL RADIO STATION PROGRAMMED R&B,
GOSPEL AND REGGAE MUSIC TO 'THE BROTHERHOOD'. SOME OF
THE CATS ON THE PLANET DID THEIR THING ON 'SUPER 16'. GARY
BYRD WHO WORKED OVERNIGHTS WAS THE JOCK, I'D EVER HEARD
WHO DID HIS POETRY LIVE. BYRD HAD A FLAIR SECOND TO NONE.
THEN THERE WAS GERRY BLEDSOE WHO DID MIDDAYS AND
AFTERNOONS, AND WHO WAS VOICE OF BUD BEER AND THE
EBONY SHOWCASE, A LOCAL MUSIC VIDEO SHOW IN THE EARLY
70'S. BLEDSOE WAS SMOOTH AS WINE, A PLEASURE TO LISTEN
TO.
AND LAST BUT LEAST WAS ONE OF THE TWO CATS WHO HAD THE
MOST INFLUENCE ON ME, HANK SPANN, 'THE SOUL SERVER'.MR.
SPANN WORKED AFTERNOON/EVENINGS AT SUPER 16. THE SOUL
SERVER MADE EVERY RECORD SEEM LIKE A SOUL SHAKING
EVENT. HIS SHOW WAS LIKE DYNAMITE ENCOMPASSED IN SPHERE
OF NITRO GLISERENE AND THEN IGNITED WITH C4.
EVERY PHRASE WAS POETRY IN MOTION, HE MADE A BROTHER
PROUD TO BE BLACK BECAUSE IT WAS ALWAYS GOING ON IN THE
BROTHERHOOD. WHEN I STARTED MY RADIO CAREER, I DID MY
BEST TO SOUND JUST LIKE HANK SPANN, BUT ALAS' I WAS TOO
YOUNG AND DIDN'T HAVE THE PIPES (THE VOICE) OR THE SAVVY
TO DO WHAT VETERAN DID EASE, BUT IT WOULD ALL HAPPEN
LATER AT WVBX GEORGETOWN. IN LATER YEARS, I DID SOME
RESEARCH ON MR. SPANN BUT I COULD ONLY FIND THAT HE HAD
WORKED AT A LOUISIANA STATION BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS
BEFORE OR AFTER HIS STINT WITH WWRL. ANYWAY, HANK SPANN
WAS AN ENTERTAINER BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE ME
BECAUSE THE GODFATHER OF SOUL ON AT LEAST TWO
OCCASIONS PUT THE SOUL SERVER VOICE ON HIS RECORD
BECAUSE HE LOVED THE WAY HE ANNOUNCED IT, THAT IS THE
HIGHEST TRIBUTE THAT ANYONE CAN PAY A ' DISC JOCKEY'.
AND NOW THE CAT THAT I NICKNAMED MYSELF AFTER
'HOLLYWOOD FRANKIE CROCKER', THERE ARE ADJECTIVES TO
DESCRIBE THIS BROTHER. HE INITALLY WORKED FOR THE GOOD
GUYS OF WMCA NEW YORK IN EVENINGS. FRANKIE WAS A
HAPPENING, HE BROKE FORMAT AND PLAYED SONGS HE WANTED
TO PLAY, HE PLAYED THEM OVER IF HE CHOSE TO BUT IT WASN'T
NECESSARYLY WHAT HE PLAYED BECAUSE 'IF FRANKIE CROCKER
WASN'T ON YOUR RADIO THEN YOUR RADIO WASN'T REALLY ON'.
YOU LISTENED TO FRANKIE WAS HE DEFINED COOL. HE WAS THE
BAROMETER FOR COOL, IF HE SAID THEN IT WAS COOL TO SAY,
'YOU HAD A GLIDE IN YOUR STRIDE AND A CUT IN YOUR STRUT
AND IF YOU DON'T DIG IT, YOU DON'T EAT CHICKEN ON SUNDAY'
.THEN MR CROCKER WENT TO WBLS NEW YORK AND HE BEAT
'THE MOST LISTENED RADIO IN THE WORLD, WABC NEW YORK'.
77MUSIC RADIO ACTUALLY COULD THAT THEY HAD OVER 2
MILLION LISTENERS IN ANY 15 MINUTE PERIOD, THEY HAD BEEN
NUMBER ONE FOR OVER 17 YEARS. AND WHEN NO ONE COULD
CONCEIVE OF SUCH A THING, LET ALONE AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN
RADIO PROGRAMMER DOING. FRANKIE CROCKER TOPPLED WABC
IN THE LATE SEVENTIES WHICH HELPED IN CAUSING WABC TO
CHANGE FORMAT. FRANKIE PROGRAMMED A STATION IN LA AND
DETROIT AND WAS THE FIRST BLACK VJ FOR VH - 1. FRANKIE
CROCKER WAS THE KING!!
WHEN I WENT ON TO HELP FOUND AND PROGRAM THE FIRST
BLACK STATION WVBX GEORGETOWN, I USED EVERYTHING THAT I
HAD LEARNED LISTENING TO MY IDOLS. I BECAME 'HOLLYWOOD', I
USED HANK SPANN CATCH PHRASES AND HIS PATENTED
GOODBYE' BE NICE TO SOMEBODY SHORT, YOU NEVER KNOW
WHEN SOMEBODY SHORT MAY HAVE TO STAND TALL FOR YOU,
CATCH YOU ON THE REBOUND, LATER!'. WVBX BECAME THE
PRESENT DAY REPRESENTATIVE OF WWRL , WBLS AND WABC.
AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAD MANY THINGS GOING AGAINST US,
WVBX BECAME A NUMBER ONE STATION. I WILL ALWAYS BE
PROUD OF THAT FACT. I HAD TAKEN PROGRAMMING PRECEPTS
FROM MY CHILDHOOD 20 YEARS EARLIER, UPDATED AND
ADAPTED THEM TO AN 80'S & 90'S FLAIR. I ALSO ENJOYED THE
FACT THAT YOUNG AND OLD, BLACK AND WHITE ALL LISTENED
ALIKE AND NONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAME AFTER ME WERE
EVER ABLE TO DUPLICATE MY SUCCESS. I LOVED IT ALL!!!!
BESIDES THE GREAT MUSIC THAT WAS
PLAYED DURING MY YOUTH, I WAS ALSO
HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY THE RADIO SERIALS
THAT WERE DYING OFF AS 'ROCK&ROLL'
BECAME KING. ORSON WELLES HAD A
PROFOUND EFFECT ON ME. AS I LISTENED
INTENTLY TO THE RERUNS OF HIS
PROGRAMS OF OVER 20 YEARS, I WOULD GET
LOST IN THE WORLDS THAT HE RECREATED
THROUGH HIS MERCURY THEATRE
PRODUCTIONS. WELLES COMMANDED LIKE
NO ONE ELSE IN THE HISTORY OF RADIO WITH
HIS INFAMOUS 'WAR OF THE WORLDS'
BROADCAST. I LIKE, ORSON WELLES STROVE
TO TRANSPORT MY LISTENERS TO A
DIFFERENT PLACE.
THE VBX CREW ORIGINALLY CONSISTED OF
ALL MEMBERS OF THE STATION WHO WERE
WILLING TO HELP OUT(VOLUNTEER) ON
REMOTE BROADCASTS AND IN NIGHTCLUBS.
IT WAS LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME
BECAUSE I PLAYED MAINSTREAM CLUBS AND
NOT ANY URBAN CLUBS. AND TO MAKE
MATTERS WORSE, THE YOUNG HIP HOP
AUDIENCE WOULDN'T ACCEPT US. OOOH IT
WAS TOUGH. SO AFTER MANY LEAN NIGHTS,
THE REAL 'VBX CREW CAME INTO EXISTENCE.
LA DON HARRELL, WHO WAS OUR
MOUTHPIECE, HE SET UP ALL OF THE DEALS
AND NEGOTIATED THE FEES, NORMAN THE
SWEETMAN, WHO HAD A BROADCAST
ENGINEERING BACKGROUND AND WHO LIKE
MYSELF AND A SERIOUS OLDIES COLLECTION
AND OF COURSE, HOLLYWOOD SWINTON,
DJ/MC, FACE OF THE STATION BUT WE WERE
ALL KNOWN. WE HAD A HUGE FOLLOWING
AND WE LOVED IT AND WE ALWAYS
ENDEAVORED TO DELIVER THE BEST.
WE DID CONTESTS WITH THE 'MIAMI VICE' TV
SHOW, SPONSORED CONCERTS FEATURING
BIG DADDY KANE, THE 2LIVE CREW, JAMES
BROWN AND BEACH MUSIC AWARDS SHOW
AMONG OTHERS.
WE CELEBRATED THE WOMEN OUR
COMMUNITY WITH FLOWERS AND GIFTS AS
WELL AS PROMINENT AFRICAN-AMERICANS
THROUGH PROFILES IN BLACK.
WE BROADCAST THE HIGH SCHOOL AND
LITTLE LEAGUE FOOTBALL PROGRAMS AND
RECOGNISED OUR YOUTH WITH AWARDS
BANQUETS.
WE WORKED WITH THE LOCAL FRATERNIES
AND SORORITIES TO PROMOTE THEIR
AGENDAS.
THE VBX CREW WORKED FOR THE
COMMUNITY AND WAS CELEBRATED WITH
NUMEROUS AWARDS AND THE CREW ALSO
ENJOYED VALUED ASSISTANCE FROM BILLY
MAYBANK, WHO GAVE BACK MUCH TO THE
COMMUNITY.
THERE WERE MANY WHO ASSISTED THE
CREW IN THEIR ACTIVITIES AND MUCH
THANKS GO OUT TO YOU.
WE STARTED OUT AS CO-WORKERS, WE
BECAME ASSOCIATES THEN WE BECAME
BROTHERS AND FINALLY WE BECAME
COMMUNITY, THE VBX CREW, 4EVER!!!!1
WHEN WVBX WAS FIRST OPENED BACK IN 1985, ROBBIE CUNNINGHAM AND I HAD
DECIDED THAT ALOT OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PAST GEORGETOWN
BROADCASTERS OUGHT TO BE REMEMBERED AND CELEBRATED. SO WE HAD
DEDICATED A ROOM FOR PICTURES, AWARDS, EQUIPMENT, ETC.
UNFORTUNATELY WE WERE NEVER ABLE TO MAKE IT A REALITY BUT I WISH TO
RECOGNIZE A FEW PEOPLE HERE ON THIS WEBSITE.
I SALUTE WITH PRIDE THE FOLLOWING BROADCAST PROFESSIONALS:
BILL NICHOLS, WGTN/WSHG/WAZX TAD FOGEL, WGOO/WINH/WGMB
BERT BAILEY, WGTN KEVIN COTTINGHAM, WGTN BILL PETTY, WGTN
DAVE WRENN, WGTN JOE MCLAINE, WGTN CHRIS BAILEY, WGTN
MARK YOUNG(EDDIE MARKS) WGMB/WAZX - TRUE ROCK AND ROLLER
HARRY GINHART WGMB - THE BEST PD ON THE PLANET
MATT GARRETT WGMB - GREAT PRODUCTION MAN
BILLY KINROSS WGMB/WAZX - A BALL OF FIRE
ANDY UNDERWOOD WGMB TERRI DENNIS WGTN/WAZX/97ROCK/WVBX
BILL OBERST WGMB/WINH/ROCK OF THE BAY
AND OF COURSE THE VBX CREW, WHO I RECOGNISED ELSEWHERE ON THIS
WEBSITE
