Dan Daniel called himself "the world's most adequate swinging disc jockey", but he was much more than that.

Daniel spent nearly a half-century in commercial radio, beginning with his first gig at KXYZ Houston in 1955 (he had previously worked at Armed Forces Radio with the U.S. Navy). From there he went to WDGY Minneapolis before joining the "Good Guys" at WMCA New York in 1961. After starting in overnights, "Dandy Dan" moved to afternoon drive in 1963 as part of a stellar lineup that included Joe O'Brien, Harry Harrison, Jack Spector and B. Mitchel Reed.

Daniel spent nearly nine years at WMCA, leaving in 1970 a couple of months before the station switched to a talk format. He later played country music at WHN and did two stints at WYNY ending in 1996. New York oldies outlet WCBS-FM then quickly scooped him up for weekends where he spun many of the same hits he had played three decades earlier at 'MCA. Daniel replaced Ron Lundy in late mornings at WCBS-FM in 1997, holding the shift until his retirement from radio in 2002.

Daniel, who would end each show with a reference to "size nine" (his wife), died June 21, 2016. He was 82.

Enjoy Dan Daniel on WMCA here.

Enjoy Dan Daniel on WMCA here.


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More great airchecks from 1963!