CLASSIC DJ & RADIO SCRAPBOOK: Memories Of BILL DRAKE

20081130

Memories Of BILL DRAKE

(Pictured: Bill Drake, 1962)

Hodges said...

I am in complete shock. It was Bill Drake and "Boss Radio" that led me to a long career in radio. A highlight came in 1973 when I got to work for him at KIQQ (K100) in Los Angeles. His voice will forever be heard...He was number one then....and will be number one now in rock and roll heaven. I'm sure that he's already been in touch with Morgan and Steele.
Rest in peace...
You were one of kind, Bill.
Jeffrey Leonard

Saturday, November 29, 2008 11:49:00 PM PST

Bill Earl said...

Late last summer and early fall, I used the name "PHIL HERON" on Manteca's KXOK...Phil Heron was a name I made up in 1966, as a tribute to Mr. Drake, in a play I wrote back in high school. "Phil Heron" is currently on the beach, but we know Bill Drake is in radio heaven downing his famous "winkiepoos." Sad that we lost Morgan, Steele, and now Drake to lung cancer. They all smoked non-filters back in the day. Here's a winkiepoo toast to the man who changed the face of L.A. radio, and I just happened to be home from school on April 28th, 1965 (with a broken collarbone) to hear it... the birth of Boss Radio 93/KHJ.

Sunday, November 30, 2008 6:24:00 AM PST

Anonymous said...

(In regard to Drake's death from lung cancer)

I smoked unfiltered Lucky Strikes for about 30 years. I quit 22 years ago.
When I was hanging out with Drake trying to get on at KHJ, and technically did for about 24 hours,
he was smoking unfiltered Pall Malls. Don Steele (years ago) smoked Alpine cigarettes which were filtered menthols. I don't know what he smoked later. Don did quit smoking but Robert W. Morgan never did.
I read that Drake had quit several years ago but it appears the damage was done.
So many in our generation smoked and it sure has taken its toll. I also think smoking in the confinement of the small on air studios, where your "own" second had smoke stayed in the air and the sound proofing acoustical tiles containing asbestos didn't help the situation.
Time and "bad habits" are catching up I guess."

Sunday, November 30, 2008 8:02:00 AM PST

HISTORY OF THIS SITE

In January 2006, a new blogsite called "BILL EARL" (http://billearl.blogspot.com/) edited by the twice-published TPB author & recognized longtime research archivist was launched, starting out as a mix of radio memorabilia, non-radio reviews of all kinds, op/ed politics, & pop culture scrapbook images.

After the op/ed politics was removed, & the various kinds of non-radio reviews dropped, the site (keeping the original URL) was renamed "BOSS COOL STUFF," a blend of radio & pop culture.

But as radio images became the most popular feature, all the pop culture (non-radio) images displayed since January 2006 were deleted, & the site (still keeping the original URL) became ALL-radio oriented in December 2006 under the title "WHEN RADIO WAS BOSS - VOLUME 2 - THE E-BOOK," an internet follow-up to the long promised "Volume 2" of the once-planned TPB scrapbook series (made obsolete by the color internet & printers) with a team of eleven contributors, including Kelli Rosenfeld (the daughter of KROQ-AM's STEVE SANDS) & KRLA 1110's JOHNNY ST. THOMAS.

The site was closed on Friday, June 27, 2008.

On Monday, June 30, 2008 (after two days "dark") this "scrapbook"-esque net site was opened up, featuring all the best images that were saved from that defunct site, PLUS almost all cartoon characters drawn by an Arcadia CA teenager (between age 12 and 16) from 1963 thru 1966 for a proposed newspaper comic strip about DJs & their radio station, and new ones drawn from 2011 on....a total of 136 different comic strip cartoon characters!

On Wednesday, May 27, 2009, this site reached the then-1024MB gratis image display space then allowed by the site host, Blogger, and became static, but with clickable links posted on the home page for "satellite sites" that would be able to display MORE classic DJ & radio station images that this site at that time could no longer display.

As EXCLUSIVES to this site, you'll find both

> "Commemorative Images"

These are where faded, yellowed, or just plain dull looking B & W radio memorabilia images were "freshened up" or "colorized" with computer screen-friendly bright, fresh colors for today's viewers who expect to see colorful visuals on their computer screens.

&

> "Artistic Re-Creations"

These are original image displays that were created by graphic artists. The best way to explain "Artistic Re-creations" would be like what is seen in the dealer's room at today's Beatles conventions....bright & fresh new "retro"-style items for sale that LOOK like they came from the 1964-1966 Beatlemania days, but were created today so collectors could have more items for their collections at reasonable prices, unlike the NEMS stuff from 1964 at huge $$$ amounts. Because "Silver Age" printed DJ & radio station memorabilia IS already so limited & rare, & seemingly getting rarer every year, in order to "spread the joy," graphic artists were commissioned to created fresh, new image displays to INCREASE the shrinking & already very limited amount of "Silver Age" printed material & memorabilia in circulation.

Several frequently asked questions.

Q. Can I just rummage through page by page? A. If you want to see everything, or find a particular DJ or radio station, the best way to do that is to look at the bottom of each page, where you can "scroll" back to OLDER POSTS, & if you keep doing that, you'll eventually reach the very last display (B. Mitchel Reed on KFWB in 1962) & then you've seen it all. You can ALWAYS rummage through the "Archives Vault" link on the right column of our home page (see above).

But just don't go by the "search blog" link. It just doesn't connect to ALL we've displayed.

Q. Can I print out anything you display?

A. YES. In fact, you are ENCOURAGED to use your COLOR printer & print out for your OWN scrapbooks, collections, or archives any image you find here. We don't want ANY of this to go extinct.

20081130

Memories Of BILL DRAKE

DREAM-HOUSE..the history of KRLA/1110

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ARCHIVES VAULT

TO CONTACT US AT RESAR...

HISTORY OF THIS SITE