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    WVON (Cicero, IL) Aircheck, January 29, 1965 (Pt. 3)
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About Me
Courtesy of Jason Stone

HERB KENT
Soul on the Air
WVON, Cicero, IL, April 1970

Listen to an actual hour long Aircheck (live program from 1970)

*This brings back sooo many memories for me...*

Courtesy of Jason Stone: WELCOME Stepfather!

Also find Jason Stone's blog at:

http://stepfatherofsoul.blogspot.com/

Jason just posted Soul On The Air #2,
this one with Bill Kenner from September 8, 1966.
I remember him!
The station was WBEE in Harvey, Ill..
and of course you know I'm eating this goodness UP!! LOL..
thanks for supporting it too, Solemann. I told Jason about the jocks you mentioned. Maybe he can find something with them on airchecks..I hope.
Anyway, go over and welcome The Stepfather!!!

Soul On The Air #2: Bill Kenner, 1966

Jay Johnson, WVON Chicago | 1972

WVON had great personalities from Joe Cobb (the voice of Soul Train… at least at the beginning, Herb Kent “The Cool Gent”, Bill “Butterball” Crane, E. Rodney Jones, Cecil Hale, Richard Pegue, Pervis Spann and others.
After WVON, he ventured to WTLC in Indianapolis to serve as PD and on air duties. He was Super Jay in his twilight at WVON and carried over into the Indianapolis market.
Soul on the Air: Herb Kent,
WVON, Cicero, IL, April 1970
Herb Kent, WVON Chicago, May 19, 1971 . . . Has anybody seen the 5000 foot tall chicken? . . . By contributor Greg Barman

Deep-voiced, tall, skinny, laidback and free-spirited, Herb Kent had a sound and style all his own. He was known variously as The Cool Gent, HK the DJ, Herbert Rogers Kent, and The King Of the Dusties. For more than a decade Herb Kent did the evening shift on WVON with a spontaneous freewheeling style. He would say anything he wanted at any time, often in the middle of a record. On this show he felt like clicking his tongue a lot. He apparently had the freedom to play artists not on the regular playlist, or occasionally, a long soul LP cut. He did running bits such as The Electric Crazy People, the Gym Shoe Creeper (a crimefighter with smelly feet), The Wahoo man, and as you'll hear on this aircheck, a 5,000 foot tall chicken. And he had a loyal following, especially with the teen audience.

Picture of
Herb Kent, 1971 (Photo by Greg Barman)

In 1971 I did a high school TV interview project on Chicago DJ's and Herb Kent was a guest. As preparation for the program I visited WVON and asked him for this studio aircheck of his show. "What do you want on it?" he asked. "I dunno," I replied, "maybe throw in some jingles." Which he did. The aircheck begins with part of Jim Maloney's news headlines at :14 (part of WVON's "14-50 news"). The aircheck has a few skips due to tape decay.

Herb Kent recently turned 80 and as of this writing (March 2009) he is still on the air in Chicago on the weekends at WVAZ(FM). Kent was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. He has just authored a book, "The Cool Gent: The Nine Lives of Radio Legend Herb Kent".
CHICAGO RADIO
WVON History

From 1963 to the present, WVON has gone from being "The Voice of the Negro" to "The Voice of the Nation." We provide an interactive forum for the African-American community to discuss current, social, economic, and political issues. WVON is "The Talk of Chicago," where we are always giving you something to talk about.

From Where We Began...

WVON originated from the acquisition of WHFC-1450AM, a 1,000-watt station licensed to Cicero, Illinois, by Leonard and Phil Chess, the owners of Chess Records, a successful record label, which produced mega-hits for local artists such as Muddy Waters, Lil' Howlin' Wolf, and others. The brothers envisioned one station that would pull together the best radio talent who could galvanize all of black Chicago.

On April 1, 1963, WVON hit the airwaves in Chicago with a group of handpicked personalities: Franklin McCarthy, E. Rodney Jones, Herb Kent, Wesley South, and Pervis Spann. They became known as "The Good Guys," and Ric Ricardo, Bill "Butterball" Crane, Ed Cook, Joe Cobb, Roy Wood, Ed Maloney, Bill "Doc" Lee, Don Cornelius, Richard Pegue, Isabel Joseph Johnson, Cecil Hale, and McKee Fitzhugh eventually joined the roster. Under the direction of the station's general manager, Lucky Cordell, and its "Ambassador of Good Will," Bernadine C. Washington, The Good Guys held Black Chicago captive for more than a decade and ranked consistently in the top 5 of the "most listened to" stations in the market.

The power of WVON went beyond the Chicago market. Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, had a special arrangement with WVON that every song he produced would be sent immediately to WVON before any other station. Rotation on WVON was so powerful that it influenced airplay in other markets, which impacted the overall sales and success of the project.

WVON has always been more than just a radio station. During a time when Blacks were actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement, WVON was the voice of information for local and national affairs. During the riots that followed the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., WVON on-air personalities were there to lift the spirits and ease the tension that had erupted in neighborhoods across the city.

Following the death of Leonard Chess in 1969, the Chess family decided to sell WVON to George Gillette (heir to shaving products company) and Potter Palmer (heir to Palmer House), who formed Globetrotter Communications. Their first order of business was to move WVON from 1450 frequency to the 5,000 watt 1390 signal, which would improve their coverage of Chicago. The 1450 frequency was left dormant.

In the mid '70's, as the radio market in Chicago became more competitive and FM radio began to gain momentum, new management at Globetrotter Communications decided that the Good Guy era had run its course and fired the entire staff. New personalities took to the airwaves, but never with the fanfare of the Good Guys.

In 1977, Globetrotter Communications sold WVON to the Gannett Company, whose major holdings were in print media. Gannett had purchased an FM station in Chicago, which became known as WGCI.

Many of the Good Guys revitalized successful careers in other endeavors. Pervis Spann and Wesley South formed Midway Broadcasting Corporation and purchased the 1450 frequency. Their station. WXOL premiered in August 1979. In 1984, following Gannett's decision to drop the WVON call letters from their signal, WXOL's owners immediately filed with the FCC to obtain the WVON call letters and the Voice of the Negro returned to 1450.

In 1986, at the height of the Black community's political involvement in Chicago, which resulted in the election of Harold Washington, Chicago's first African-American mayor, Wesley South, co-owner of WVON, opted to change the station's format to talk, providing Chicago with its first Black-talk radio format.

For 40 years, WVON has been and remains the drum major for the African-American community of Chicago. It continues to provide a platform on which Black Chicago can air its concerns, voice its differences, and discuss the issues that affect our society.

From "The Voice of the Negro" to "The Voice of the Nation", WVON has carved a special niche in the history of Chicago radio.

E. Rodney Jones Pervis Spann
Lucky Cordell Biography Disc jockey Moses "Lucky" Cordell, affectionately known as "The Baron of Bounce," was born in Grenada, Mississippi, on July 28, 1928, to Grace and Moses Cordell. At age three, his mother died unexpectedly and his family moved to Chicago. Cordell attended Chicago Public Schools and graduated from Dunbar Technical High School in 1946. Shortly after graduation, Cordell joined the U.S. Army, serving in the Special Services Branch. While in the military, Cordell developed his theatrical ability. He received an honorable discharge in 1948. He was hired at WGES as a disk jockey in 1952 to work under Al Benson. While working at WGRY in Gary, Indiana, Cordell hosted the popular show House of Hits. The show was well known for its audience participation and became a community favorite among African Americans in Gary. In 1956, local newspapers held an election for the "Honorary Mayor of the Negro Community" and Cordell won unanimously (beating four other radio personalities, religious leaders and political leaders). He held this honor for four years, until he decided not to run in 1960. Cordell worked at several other radio stations in the Chicago area before taking a position as a disc jockey at WVON in Chicago. WVON, owned and operated by Chess Records, would become one of the most influential radio stations in United States history. Cordell became WVON's program and music director in 1965, and in 1968 he was promoted to assistant general manager. After a change in station ownership in late 1970, Cordell became general manager. Under his leadership, the station increased its ratings and almost doubled the income received from advertising. In the late 1960s, Cordell joined the Chicago Urban League. Now retired from the radio business, Cordell remains an active member of Chicago's African American community. Cordell was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on January 16, 2001.
E RODNEY JONES VIDEO-R&B TIME
E RODNEY JONES - 2 TRACKS
E. Rodney Jones & Larry & the Hippies Band - Right On , Right On
E. Rodney Jones & Larry & the Hippies Band - Chicken On DownE RODNEY JONES VIDEO - INTERVIEW

One of, if not 'thee' founding fathers of Black Radio in Chicago. This video is a pre-cursor to the RADIO Group that I will do soon. Stay tuned..and enjoy the insight into a dear man's personal historical account of our radio heritage. We love you E. Rodney!---edie antoinette

E RODNEY JONES-PEACE OF MIND

What a VOICE! in Black Radio Chicago-WVON.

Born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in 1932, Pervis Spann has distinguished himself as a broadcaster, exposing generations to the blues. Spann worked hard from an early age, caring for his mother after she suffered a stroke. At age fourteen, he managed the Dixie Theater, a local all-black theater. In 1949, he moved with his mother and sister to Battle Creek, Michigan. However, Spann soon left to work in Gary, Indiana. Spann enlisted in the U.S. Army toward the end of the Korean War. After completing his service, he moved to Chicago and settled down. He became interested in broadcasting and attended the Midway Television Institute and the Midwestern Broadcasting School on the G.I. Bill. In the 1950s, Spann was granted a four-hour overnight time slot on WOPA. In 1960, he organized his first concert, showcasing B.B. King and Junior Parker. In 1963, Phil and Leonard Chess bought the radio station, which became WVON, a twenty-four-hour blues station. Spann became the "all-night blues man." He gained notoriety with an on-air eighty-seven-hour "sleepless sit-in," raising money for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Spann widened his sphere of influence during the 1960s and began managing talented performers such as B.B. King. He booked major acts, including the Jackson 5 and Aretha Franklin. Spann also owned several South Side clubs in Chicago, including the Burning Spear. In 1975, WVON was sold and changed frequency. Forming a business syndicate with Vernon Jarrett and Wesley South, Spann bought the license to the original frequency in 1979. Listeners to the new station, WXOL, heard an all-blues format and many of the same voices from the old WVON. The station reclaimed its old call letters in 1983. In the 1980s, Spann added another station to his radio empire, WXSS in Memphis. He later sold this station. His focus then returned to building WVON with his daughter, Melody Spann-Cooper, at the helm. He continues his career promoting the blues as the co-host of the popular cable show Blues and More. Spann was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on February 8, 2002.

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