Damn. I has a sad

While playin' around the internet early this AM, I found an old radio website for two great radio stations I first listened to in my young life. We lived in Clarksville, IN, back in 1968, not far from the Ohio River. It was the first time I became aware of rock and roll, and radio. My maternal grandmother gave me a transistor radio (the caveman - or in this case - cavewoman's version of the mp3 and Ipod) that picked up WKLO AM 1080 from Louisville.

That's how I got to know the Duke of Louisville, aka Bill Bailey, and what DJ's were all about. They spun records, did commercials, performed all kinds of funny bits. Bill Bailey led me to Uncle Lar (Larry Lujack) of WLS AM. I was hooked on radio thanks to them, and eventually found my way into broadcasting as a career choice.

Well, no body's purrfect.

So, I was reading about the radio station staff of WAKY and WKLO on their web pages, and found out that just a little less than a month ago, The Duke of Louisville had died at the ripe old age of 81.

Damn.

When I hear the Monkees, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Lovin' Spoonful, Cowsills, Jimi Hendrix, 1910 Fruitgum Co, the Turtles, and all those other fun bands from that era, I can't help but think of Bill Bailey.

These days, there's all the syndicated shows that replace good old local talent like Mr. Bailey and Mr. Lujack. They're OK, but they aren't the same as local talent that's intended for the local audience. It seemed more personal and personable back then. You felt like the DJ was a friend to you, talkin' directly to you.

I can't count the number of times Mr. Lujack kept me company on the drive to and from college classes (back in the day, many cars only had AM radio). Nor can I count the number of times I'd wake up to hear Bill Bailey up to his old tricks, and many new ones.

I feel like a piece of my youth has slipped away. That's why I haz a sad.

If you want to learn more, check out these sites:

http://www.1080wklo.com/wklodjs.htm

http://www.79waky.com/

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Duke-of-Louisville-Bill-Bailey/361927073966