Edition #1396 |
Talent: DICK BIONDI
Station: WLS Chicago
Date: May 2, 1963
Time: 27:50
(unscoped)
13:38 (scoped)
Dick Biondi was a jock ahead of his time.
In the winter of 1963, the popular WLS personality became the first known U.S. jock to play a Beatles record, "Please, Please Me" by the Beatles. Despite Biondi's enthusiasm for it, the record didn't catch on, spending only two weeks on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey before falling off.
Biondi got the same reaction when he moved to KRLA in the summer of 1963 and kid told him to "take that crap off and play the Beach Boys." Biondi got the last laugh in 1964 when the Beatles exploded onto the American scene and fans couldn't get enough of the Fab Four.
This aircheck features Biondi - the "Wild I-Tralian" living up to that nickname on the third anniversary on the station switching from country to rock and roll. He wouldn't be around for the fourth - he left WLS because of a dispute over the number of commercials in his show.
Enjoy Dick Biondi on WLS
(UNSCOPED) here. 
Enjoy Dick Biondi on WLS
(SCOPED) here.
(The Don Shuttleworth Collection)
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