Rock Radio Heaven (D)
BOBBY DALE
Born: July 27, 1931, Minneapolis
Died: January 17, 2001, San Rafael, Calif.
Also known as: Birth name was Robert Dale Bastiansen
Stations: KOIL Omaha, Neb., KDWB Minneapolis, KEWB, KFRC, KSFO, KSAN, KKCY, KOFY San Francisco, KFWB, KRLA, KGBS Los Angeles, KTIM San Rafael, Calif., KUSF University of San Francisco
Notes: Minneapolis native got his radio start at age 25 in Glendive, Mt. Was 70 when he died of cancer, three days before a special celebration in his honour.
JOHN "JD" DALE
Died: May 26, 2006
Stations: CHIC, CFNY Brampton, Ont., CKNX Wingham, Ont., CHAY, CKBB Barrie, Ont., JACK-FM Orillia.
Notes: First voice heard on CFNY in 1976. Died of cancer at the age 54.
YVONNE DANIELS
Died: June 21, 1991
Also known as: The Lady of the Night, The First Lady of Chicago Radio
Stations: WYNR, WSDM, WCFL, WLS, WVON, WGCI, WNUA Chicago
Notes: Native of Jacksonville, Fla. Did popular jazz shows at WYNR and WSDM before moving to Top 40 and the all-night show on WLS in 1973. Her WSDM show was called "Daniels' Den" Also did jazz show at WCFL; she left when it went Top 40. Daughter of jazz singer Billy Daniels. Did some 2,700 radio commercials. Member of the Radio Hall of Fame. A street in Chicago is named after her. Died of cancer.
MIKE DAROW
Died: December, 1996
Stations worked at: CHUM Toronto
Notes: Worked swing and afternoons at CHUM from 1959 to 1965. Was a member of the Chumingbirds, a vocal group that also included John Spragge, Gary Ferrier and Bob McAdorey. The Chumingbirds had a #24 CHUM chart hit with "Brotherhood of Man" in 1964. Mike Darow and the CHUMs charted at #17 with "The Battle of Queenston Heights." Prior to CHUM was in radio in western Canada. Hosted the ABC-TV game show "Dream House" from 1968 to 1970.
BUD DAVIES
Born: 1924, Windsor, Ont.
Died: October 20, 2006, Florida
Stations: CKLW Windsor, Ont., CKLW-TV, CKEY, CFRB Toronto
Notes: Spent 29 years at CKLW, ending in 1966 as morning show host. Hosted the "Bud Davies Top 10 Dance Party" on CKLW-TV in the late '50s. His minister father once hosted a talk show on 'CK called "The Quiet Sanctuary", and he helped get his son started at the station in the mail room. Moved to Florida in 1978. A passionate sports fan, he rooted for the Detroit Tigers right up to the end - they won the American League pennant six days before he died at the age of 82 after a long illness.
JAY DAVIS
Died: 1992
Also known as: Jay the Jock
Stations: WLOA Braddock, Pa., WHJB Greensburg, Pa., WPSL Monroeville, Pa., KQV, WYDD, WDVE Pittsburgh
Notes: Was also sales manager at WTAE and WHTX Pittsburgh
BOB DAYTON
Died: 1995
Also known as: The Milkman, Robin Scott
Stations: KBOX, KLIF Dallas, WIL St. Louis, WABC, WPIX, WCBS-FM New York, KBLA, KRLA Los Angeles, WGBB Freeport, N.Y., WPAC Patchogue, N.Y., WGLI Long Island, N.Y., ABC Super Radio
Notes: Remembered for his "Hiroshima-Happy Birthday Sixteen Candles" comment on WABC (Aug. 6, 1965), which quite understandably got him fired. For many years closed his show with "I ... gotta go now! Goodbye, world." The New York native died of cancer at age 62.
BUDDY DEANE
Born: Saint Charles, Ark.
Died: July 16, 2003, Pine Bluff, Ark.
Also known as: His real name was Winston J. Deane
Stations: KLXR Little Rock, Ark., WITH Baltimore, KOTN, Pine Bluff, Ark.
Notes: Named Billboard deejay of the year in 1962. Hosted highly-rated teen-dance show on WJZ-TV in Baltimore from 1957 to 1964. The show formed the basis for the 1988 movie "Hairspray", and Deane had a bit part in it. Died of complications from a stroke. He was 78.
MICHEL DESROCHERS
Born: June 4, 1945
Died: September 10, 2005
Stations: CJMS, CKAC, CFGL, CBF, CFAV Montreal, Europe 1 (France)
Notes: One of the major stars of the 1960s heyday of CJMS, one of "Les Bons Gars" ("Good Guys") and one of three deejays to introduce the Beatles on stage at the Montreal Forum on September 8, 1964. He was the first of two Canadians (the other was Jim McKenna of CFCF) to interview the Rolling Stones for CJMS for their first visit to Canada in Montreal on April 23, 1965. Desrochers was also a Radio-Canada network quiz show host and French CBC radio morning man in Montreal for a few years. He was also a major voice talent on many French-language spots over the years. His last gig was at Radio Nostalgie 1570 in the fall of 2004. (Our thanks to Marc Denis for background information).
CARL DeSUZE
Born: October 14, 1915
Died: April 30, 1998
Also known as: New England's Alarm Clock
Stations: WGN Portland, Me., WBZ Boston
Notes: DeSuze was at WBZ from 1940 to 1980.
JACK DIAMOND
Died: 2002
Also known as: The All-American Boy
Stations: WYJS Jackson, Miss.
BERNARD (BERNIE) DITTMAN
Born: September 3, 1927
Died: October 25, 2006
Stations: WABB AM/FM Mobile, Ala., WAPI AM/FM Birmingham, Ala.
Notes: Dittman and his father bought WABB 1480 in 1959 and turned it into Top 40; WABB-FM later. The stations (first AM, then FM) have dominated the format continuously since (48 years as of 2007). Believed to the longest-running Top 40/CHR station in existence with no ownership change. Also owned WAPI AM/FM Birmingham at one time. Died at the age of 78 after suffering a stroke.
BILL DRAKE
Born: January 14, 1937, Waycross, Ga.
Died: November 29, 2008, Los Angeles
Stations (as a deejay only): WMGR Bainbridge, Ga., WAKE Atlanta
Also known as: Birth name was Philip Taylor Yarbrough
Notes: One of Top 40 radio's most influential programmers, Drake and partner Gene Chenault were responsible for the "Drake format", which streamlined hit radio programming in the 1960s. The format featured more music (a minimum of 14 songs an hour) less time devoted to commercials (13 minutes and 40 seconds an hour), short jingles, tighter playlists and strict rules on what deejays could say and how long they had to say it. In addition, news was programmed at odd times, like 20 minutes before the hour (20-20 News). Some of the major "Drake" stations included KHJ Los Angeles, KFRC San Francisco, CKLW Windsor-Detroit, WRKO Boston and WOR-FM New York. At its peak, Drake-Chenault had 350 stations on its roster and was syndicating six formats. Drake sold his interest in Drake-Chenault Enterprises in 1983 but returned to program KRTH Los Angeles in the 1990s. The three-times married and divorced Drake died of lung cancer, the same illness that claimed two of his star KHJ deejays - Robert W. Morgan and The Real Don Steele.
TOM DONAHUE
Born: May 21, 1928, South Bend, Ind.
Died: April 28, 1975
Also known as: Birth name was Thomas Coman
Stations: WTIP Charleston, S.C., WINX Rockville, Md., WIBG Philadelphia, KYA, KMPX, KSAN San Francisco, KMET, KPPC Los Angeles
Nicknames: Big Daddy, the Father of Progressive Radio
Notes: Donahue, Alan Freed and Dick Clark are the only disc jockeys in the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. A pioneer of progressive rock radio, he was also a concert promoter and also owned a record label, Autumn Records. His wife, Raechel, has been one of southern California's top radio personalities.
ERNIE DURHAM
Died: December 2, 1992
Also known as: The Frantic One, Ernie D.
Stations worked at: WBBC Flint, Mich., WJLB, WJR, WDET-FM Detroit
Notes: A journalism graduate of New York University, Durham got his start at the leading black newspaper the Pittsburgh Courier. Went to radio news and got his start as a deejay when he filled in for a jock who had phoned in sick. A successful businessman, he helped many a major Detroit musical act get its start.
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