Rock Radio Heaven: J

Also known as: The Wolfman, His real name was Robert Weston Smith. Known as Daddy Jules at WYOU and Big Smith at KCIJ.

Stations: WYOU Newport News, Virginia, WTID Norfolk, Virgina, KCIJ Shreveport, Louisiana, XERF Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, XERB-XPRS Rosarito Beach, Mexico, XTRA Tijuana, Mexico, KDAY, KRTH, KRLA Los Angeles, WNBC New York

Notes: Gained national spotlight with a cameo appearance in the 1973 movie "American Graffiti". Later hosted his own TV show, the unforgettable "Midnight Special". His life story is told in the excellent book, "Have Mercy". The Wolfman died at his home in Belvidere, North Carolina, of a heart attack. He did his final show at Planet Hollywood just the previous evening.

Stations: WINX, WOOK, WUST Washington, D.C., WLIB, WMCA, WABC, WWRL, WBLS New York, WNJR Newark, New Jersey, WANN Annapolis, Maryland, WSID Baltimore, also worked in Philadelphia.

Notes: First African-American on network radio and first minority (along with Herb Kent) in the Radio Hall of Fame. Broke the colour line at WINX when he hosted The Bronze Review in 1939. Hosted programs on four different Washington stations at one time in the 1940s. Moved to New York in 1954 and became the first radio personality to broadcast three daily shows on three different New York stations. In 1971, Jackson co-founded the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, which acquired WLIB-AM, the first African-American owned and operated station in New York. First black to do play-by-play sports on radio. Received four presidential commendations. Hosted Sunday Classics on WBLS until a couple of weeks before his death. His slogan was

: "It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice."

Born: April 8, 1941, The Bronx, N.Y.

Also known as: Birth name was John J. Jackson

Stations: WRKO, WBCN-FM Boston, WQXI Atlanta, KSON San Diego, KLOS, KDAY, KROQ-FM, KMPC-FM-KEDJ, KTWV, KISS, KABC-TV Los Angeles

Notes: One of the five original veejays on MTV in 1981. Was program director at modern rock/alternative KEDG in late '80s. Hosted the syndicated show The Beatle Years that aired on 200 stations in 1994.

Stations: CFUN, CKLG, CKWX Vancouver, CKY Winnipeg, CKXL Calgary

Notes: Left the mic in the late '60s to work in sales at CKWX. Had a successful career in real estate after his radio days ended.

Born: September 3, 1937, Honolulu

Died: March 8, 2016, Pearl City, Hawaii

Stations: KMEN San Bernardino, California, KMAK Fresno, California, KHJ Los Angeles, KGB-AM-FM San Diego, KHON, KGU, KKUA, KHVH-TV, KGMB-TV, KDEO, KRTR, KCCN Honolulu

Notes: Program directot during KHJ's golden years as a Drake Top 40 station from 1965 to 1969. Before that, he launched and programmed Hawaii's first Top 40 outlet - KPOI - in 1957. After leaving KHJ, he co-founded Watermark Inc., creating American Top 40, the most widely syndicated radio show in history. He was also responsible for the History of Rock and Roll, the Elvis Presley Story and the 13-album Cruisin' record series, which featured Top 40 radio jocks from the '50s and '60s. He later programmed KGB San Diego and moved into concert production. In 1980, he launched KDEO, Hawaii's first country music station. Died of natural causes.

CARROLL JAMES

Born: July 21, 1936

Died: March 24, 1997, Silver Springs, Maryland

Stations: WHAG Hagerstown, Maryland, WWDC Washington, D.C.

Also known as: CJ the DJ

Notes: Claimed to be first to play Beatles record in U.S. (ed: not true). Had a B.O.A.C. stewardess bring the Beatles record "I Want to Hold Your Hand" over from England and he played it in December, 1963.

J.J. JEFFREY

Born: May 29, 1940, Portland, Maine

Died: October 10, 2024

Also known as: Melvin X. Melvin (WRKO), Birth name was Joseph Noyes Jeffrey, Jr.

Stations: WMEX, WRKO Boston, WNVY Pensacola, Florida, WFIL Philadelphia, WLS Chicago

Notes: Went into station ownership in 1975 with the purchase of WBLM-FM in Portland. He and partner Bob Fuller formed Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting, which they sold to Citadel Broadcasting in 1999. Later formed Atlantic Coast Radio, which owns three stations in the Portland area. He and Fuller were inducted into the Maine Association of Broadcasters in 1997. Died of cancer. Known for phrases like, "This is J.J. Jeffrey, whippin' by great, Greek-god like body into a frenzy for ya."

BWANA JOHNNY

Died: October 28, 2005, Seattle

Also known as: Birth name was Richard Johnson; was Crazy Dick Simms at KISN

Stations: KLOO, KFLY Corvallis, Oregon, KLOG Kelso, Washington, KJR Seattle, WUBE Cincinnati, KUUY Cheyenne, Wyoming, KYA San Francisco, KGB San Diego, WWDJ Hackensack, New Jersey, WFUN Miami, KSND, KODZ, KPNW Eugene, Oregon, KKBR Billings, Montana,

KISN Portland, Oregon

Notes: Died of congestive heart failure at age 56.

DAVE JOHNSON

Died: October 20, 1980, Toronto

Stations: CKEY Toronto (operator), CKOY Ottawa, CHUM Toronto, CFGM Richmond Hill, Ontario

Notes: Did evening shift at CHUM from 1958 to 1965. From there, he moved to country-formatted CFGM where he did afternoon drive and also served as music director until his death of a heart attack at age 48.

AL JORDAN

Died: May 11, 2009, Vancouver

Also known as: The Happy Pappy

Stations: CKWX, CJOR, CFUN Vancouver, CKOK Penticton, B.C., CKOC Hamilton, Ontario, CHBC Kelowna, B.C.

Notes: Hosted "Theme for Teens" program in 1953; production director at CJOR to 1954; Helped launch CHBC-TV from 1957 to 59. One of the original CFUN "Good Guys". Did commercial production for ad agencies and was a very popular commercial voice in Vancouver market.

E. RODNEY JONES

Born: August 8, 1927, Texarkana, Arkansas

Died: January, 2004, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Stations: WVON Chicago, WXOK Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Notes: Also worked in St. Louis radio. Died of cancer.

REX JONES

Born: February 4, 1922

Died: June 29, 1998

Stations: KLIF Dallas

Notes: Was on the air at KLIF on November 22, 1963 when John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas.

MIKE JOSEPH

Died: April 14, 2018, Los Angeles

Stations: WTNS Coshocton, Ohio, WTAC Flint, Michigan, WMAX, WJEF, WLAV Grand Rapids, Michigan, WKBW Buffalo, New York, WABC New York, WKNR Dearborn, Michigan, WFIL Philadelphia, WFBL Syracuse, New York, WMVM-WZUU Milwaukee, WPJB Providence, Rhode Island, WTIC-FM Hartford, WCAU-FM, WTRK Philadelphia, WBBM-FM Chicago, WHYT Detroit, WGY-FM Schenectady, New York, WQBA-FM Miami (Spanish) and stations in other markets such as Minneapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans, Puerto Rico.

Notes: One of America's leading independent consultants, he's best known for his "Hot Hits" format which he trademarked in 1979. It was a more music, less personality approach with lots of promotions and contests that was popular in the late '70s and '80s. Native of Youngstown, Ohio died at age 90.

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