I got started in radio at a young age. In 1963, I was working at my Dad's restaurant, The Patio in Westminster, MD one night, when I recognized a group of people coming into the restaurant - Emperor Paul Rodgers, Kerby Scott, Johnny Dark, and Alan Field from WCAO, the station all my friends and I listened to. They had the Pixies 3 and Freddie "Boom Boom" Cannon with them as they had just finished a record hop in Westminster.
I seated the group in a private room and took their order. When I returned with their food, things got a little crazy. Freddie Cannon had stacked chairs against the door, and when I pushed it open, chairs flew every which way. It was a crazy day at The Patio!
I got to talk to them and told them I was interested in radio as a career. They invited me to come to hang out at the station. I wasn't even of driving age, so my mom drove me and dropped me off. My hanging around became a regular occurrence. When I got my driver's license at 16, they hired me to be the sound guy at their record hops. I would set up the equipment and play the latest hits for dancing. By 17, I was an employee of the station answering phones, pulling music, and helping around the station. That was 1966; I have been working inside and with radio stations ever since!Many days, I still channel that 17-year-old boy excited about being inside a radio station and what comes out of the speakers. I feel so fortunate that I've made an entire career of helping create great radio. You can still hear my work on stations like KVNA Flagstaff AZ, WXRV The River Boston MA, and WNCS The Point Burlington VT. Long live great radio!
