Since I turned 65, he reports with a tone more of irony than self-pity, its been one thing after another. After a longtime gig at WHYY, he joined WRTI in 1997. He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. "[4] He is also an accomplished radio news journalist and a First Call Master of Ceremonies for regional jazz music events. Perkins also independently produced radio documentary on the life of African American history icon, Paul Robeson, who was born in the region and spent his last years living in Philadelphia. Everything is so fast nowadays. They don't think that it's accessible to younger people. "I look forward to the opportunity to pick up the mic at WRTI on Sundays to continue to serve all the listeners with finely-tuned ears who have said that I've helped keep jazz music alive in Philadelphia, and beyond.. We all need that role model, that patriarch to keep it going. His show will come to an end June 30, but he says this wont be the last his fans hear from him. Here's a great in-depth article about Bob from the Chestnut Hill Local. After establishing himself on Detroit radio in news and jazz, Perkins returned to Philly in 1969 and became WDAS-FM's news/editorial director while hosting a jazz show at WHYY-FM. How does it connect with them in a way other things dont? Bob has always taken that part of his life very seriously and gives credit where credit is due. Jazz Host Extraordinaire Bob Perkins is Retiring from Weeknights on WRTI Our beloved "BP with the GM"Bob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. Perkins is currently engaged for the annual Cape May Jazz Festival Concert Series and the Tony Williams Jazz Festival Concert Series. The estimated net worth of Joe Bob Perkins is at least $6.75 million as of November 2nd, 2022. When Bob Perkins was growing up at 19th and Gerritt Streets in South Philadelphia during the Great Depression, his father, Deforrest, was stricken by arthritis at age 39 and could no longer work at his job as a freight elevator operator. I dont know why music is so much more powerful than some other entity. I had a mild stroke. Until then, Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., you can continue to listen to his radio program on WRTI, Jazz with Bob Perkins.. Bobs staying power is a testament to his greatness. Radio started I think, in 1920 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I told the general manager about the job offer I had just received from the insurance company, and he replied, Take whichever job comes first., The general manager called me a couple days later and offered me the job, he said. The music that appeals to BPs old noggin is what he calls the melodic stuff with no expiration date, most of it recorded decades ago. His selections are like a familiar hug from Jazz Land featuring your favorite standards and vocalists such as Sarah, Ella, and Nat, some Big Band legends including the Duke and the Count . TN: When you had your stroke, did the way people reacted to you being off the air take you by surprise? June is observed nationally as Black Music Month, and so it seems fitting that someone who has worked in radio for almost six decades the last 20+ years playing jazz music would close out their career in June. And I listened to these magnificent voices not knowing that one day I would be doing what they were doing. Happy Birthday BP! I next made a move over to WRTI, which is Temple Universitys radio station, as a volunteer DJ playing jazz music. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Jazz-Classical WRTI/PHILADELPHIA evening host BOB PERKINS is stepping away from his weekday 6-9p (ET) show on JUNE 30th. He began his career at WGPR Detroit. And to have that kind of confidence in a guy whos just sitting around playing music [laughs], thats pretty good. Have Your Say - WRTI's Bob Perkins 97 views Aug 17, 2020 4 Dislike Share Save MLTV - Main Line Network 2.72K subscribers Hosts Anne Minicozzi and Diana Robertson welcome radio personality. Five days a week, on WRTI, "BP with the GM" (that's Bob Perkins with the Good Music), plays jazz with a connoisseur's ear and an infectious sense of joy. Our beloved BP with the GMBob Perkins with the Good Musicis turning off his mic on weeknights starting on June 30th after a long and storied career. After 58 years of working in broadcast radio, Philadelphias Bob Perkins will lay down his microphone by the end of this month. They were a great family of jazz artists. A stroke survivor from three years ago, Perkins is still kicking and hes still ticking, playing some of the best jazz music you ever want to hear on WRTI-FM. Ive been in radio for quite some time. Music has brought us through some very challenging times.. Perkins' jazz show has been broadcast Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays. ", BP going one on one with the audience shows a very strong kinship, said Craig, himself a 40-year veteran of local radio. He is genuine, a real original.. Bob Perkins has been instrumental in establishing WRTI as one of the premier jazz stations in the country since 1997. And whats he talking about doing after that? This net worth approximation does not reflect any other investments that Mr. Perkins may own. But he played the radio, that was his only salvation from the pain. Scroll down to see recent playlists. Someone can think of something and express it in a musical form and without hitting any sour notes and make it sound melodic, where you can tap your foot or you can close your eyes and dream on it. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. Music, said BP about the GM. He currently hosts from 6-9pm Monday through Thursday, and from . Mr. Bob Perkins, WRTIs own BP with the GM," is retiring from full-time broadcasting after 25 years at the station and 57 on the air. I look forward to you lending me your finely tuned ears very soon.". In 2016, he was awarded a bronze plaque on Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. Perkins has been ill and off the air for a few months but will make his return in the first week of January. BP: People, they never call me, seemingly. And hopefully its working. They can take you away. In 1969, he headed home to Philly, where he began working as a news and editorial director at WDAS-FM, which was then known as the voice of the Black community. He stayed at that station for nearly two decades. "He is a gentleman, a kind soul, and every bit as nice in person as you hear on-air. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the delight of thousands and thousands of listeners. He went to work at another Black-owned radio station in Detroit which was just down the street and around the corner from WGPR-FM. Im just playing music. He said yesand hes been here ever since. Or when times are not tight and everythings loose? BP with Dave Brubeck in 1983 - backstage at the Academy of Music. TN: People staying at home have been listening more to the radio and less to streaming services. The 88 year old Perkins has been on the air in Philadelphia since 1969 with stints as News Director at WDAS-FM and a Jazz host at WHYY before joining WRTI in 1997. BP with jazz pianist McCoy Tyner at WRTI in 2015. ABOVE PHOTO: The Legendary BP with the GM (Photo courtesy of WRTI-FM). How is someone out there feeling? Bob Perkins, WRTI DJ has been spinning music in Philadelphia since 1969. I remember saying, I dont know how to write editorials. LeBaron Taylor said [to me], You take the job and if you mess up, well get somebody else. I did that for 13 years pretty good. News was almost like a religion back in the day. Longtime jazz radio host Bob Perkins will retire from full-time hosting on WRTI-FM/Philadelphia in June, the public radio station of Temple University in Philadelphia announced Tuesday. He was known for his laid-back and mellow style. And Ive been a newsman, editorial writer, disc jockeyI guess just about everything with the spoken word in radio. Since his Bloomberg profile states that he has gone to both . They offered me a job and I accepted. Not really fair to the jazz side, IMO, since most people sleep 8 hours of that half, but if you hook yourself up through the website, you can get streaming of whatever . NPR news updates every hour. I was out for almost four months. And for 50 of those years he's been on the radio to the, Our very own "BP with the GM" shared his story, going back to childhood, with a large audience at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia on Feb. 22, 2019. I think because of them, thats where my love of jazz music was solidified.. I think what separates him from some of the other programming is that Bob is tried and true, said vocalist Denise King. Looking back over his broadcast career, Perkins said he had dual passions one for anchoring the news, the other for playing jazz greats on the radio. I became the news and editorial director after Jim Clash died at WDAS, Perkins said. Partner Tupper Lake Partners 2021 - Present 2 years. He continued to grow, working as newsman and assistant director at WJLB-AM in Detroit, before his career path returned him to Philadelphia, where in 1969 he joined WDAS-AM/FM as a newsman and after two years became News Director there;[5] after another year he also became the Editorial Director. I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. Ive been told way before I was born, people would come to our house back when my father had the first crystal radio set on the block. WRTI's legendary jazz host, Bob Perkins, is surrounded by his cd collection of jazz recordings in his home in Wyncote, PA on December 19, 2019. Perkins sat and listened and learned his lessons and developed a calling. WRTIs legendary jazz DJ Bob Perkins retires at age 88, Police find ancient mummy in delivery mans cooler bag in Peru, At least 36 killed after passenger and freight trains collide in Greece, Florida 19-year-old accused of killing three, including reporter, in shootings, Lori Lightfoot concedes mayors race in Chicago, European space agency pushes for lunar time zone, College students turn to influencing as new side hustle. This website uses cookies. Perkins was born and raised in South Philadelphia and currently lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sheila. I wondered to myself, could I get hired for two jobs in one day?, I went upstairs in the building where the radio station was located and I met the general manager, Perkins continued. He grew up in South Philadelphia and fell in love with radio as a child. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] Hes speaking their language especially people who have been listening for years and years.. You can also hear the GM on Sunday Jazz Brunch with BP from 9 am to 1 pm. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and the musicians, and has known many of the greats. Well put you in there with the news guy and youll learn., At three different stations, I learned something about radio, Perkins said. BP: It seems that way. She was 81.Bob Perkins recalls how, Tommy Potters name wouldnt get much attention in jazz circles these daysunless the gathering were comprised of musicians and jazz fans with, WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source | TN: Why do you feel people respond so strongly to music? He announced his retirement from weeknight shows in April. TN: Why was it important for you to keep doing your show? His show appeals to me in that way. Ive got high mileage on my odometer, Perkins wrote. But I mimicked what I thought the great guys Id grown up with would do, and I got away with it for years., READ MORE: Talking all that jazz with WRTI legend Bob Perkins. You should hear this guy.. That petered out, but I was still at WHYY playing jazz music and loving it. [citation needed]. Bob Perkins: I do itand Im not trying to be funnybut I do it really by braille, a feel. But on the other side of the coin, technology can be very dangerous.. Bob in the mid '60s - a seasoned veteran on the job for one year at WGPR in Detroit. For the last 25 years, hes become known for his warm, personable on-air style, extensive knowledge of jazz, and thoughtful, wide-ranging music mix. Bob received a Master of Science degree degree from Nazareth College. Bob Perkins has been a fixture on Philadelphias airwaves for 50 years. Went to Texas A&M University. Domain Insight 2/27: The First Audacy Atlas Divestiture Will Go To. Last Update. [1] His radio career began in 1964 in Detroit, Michigan. I met him when he was a frequent visitor to the 900, One November night in the year 1934, a 17-year-old girl was about to take the stage at the Apollo theaters Amateur Night program and planned to do a, Many years ago, a group of teenage musicians decided to form a small jazz band in South Phillythey went on to become high-profile players in the jazz, WRTI's own jazz legend Bob Perkins sat down with Kile Smith in December, 2012 for a wide-ranging interview about Dave Brubeck the man, his music, and his, I believe the year was 1983 when I was asked if Id like to emcee a concert at the Academy of Music, headlined by Dave Brubeck and his sons and the Modern, Some folkseven jazz fanswouldnt know that 'Robert Chudnick' was the real name of the musician whose handle was Red Rodney. He goes way back and he studied by listening to some of the great commentators and broadcasters over the years, he said. 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