Three Radio Show Sound Clips Of Famous African American Radio DJs: Frankie Crocker, Jocko Henderson, & Daddy-O Alexander

Ellis Feaster, May 10, 2017

WBLS 107.5 New York - Frankie Crocker - September 1972. Radio Aircheck.

Song - Soulful Drums

Artist - Brother Jack McDuff
-snip-
This is a compilation of sound clips from several Frankie Crocker radio shows.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents three radio clips that are found on YouTube of famous African American radio deejays (djs): Frankie Crocker, Jocko Henderson, & Daddy-O Alexander.

Some information about these showcased djs.  history of African American radio deejays is included in this post.

These radio clips aren't given in any particular order and the selection of these djs doesn't necessarily reflect any ranking of historical African American radio deejays (djs). 

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Frankie Crocker, Jocko Henderson, & Daddy-O Alexander and other African American djs for their cultural legacies. Thanks to all those who are associated with these YouTube clips and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-early-history-of-african-american.html for Part I of a three part pancocojams series about African American radio djs. The links for the other posts in that series are found in that post.

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SOME INFORMATION ABOUT FRANKIE CROCKER
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Crocker
"Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker (December 18, 1937 – October 21, 2000) was an American disc jockey who helped grow WBLS, the black music radio station in New York.

Early soul radio

According to popeducation.org, Crocker began his career in Buffalo at the AM Soul powerhouse WUFO (also the home to future greats Gerry Bledsoe,[1] Eddie O'Jay,[2] Herb Hamlett, Gary Byrd and Chucky T) before moving to Manhattan, where he first worked for Soul station WWRL and later top-40 WMCA in 1969. He then worked for WBLS as program director, taking that station to the top of the ratings during the late 1970s and pioneering the radio format now known as urban contemporary. He sometimes called himself the "Chief Rocker", and he was as well known for his boastful on-air patter as for his off-air flamboyance.[3]

[…]

"Moody's Mood for Love"

When Studio 54 was at the height of its popularity, Crocker once rode in through the front entrance on a white stallion.[4] In the studio, before he left for the day, Crocker would light a candle and invite female listeners to enjoy a candlelight bath with him. He signed off the air each night to the tune "Moody's Mood For Love" by vocalese crooner King Pleasure. Crocker, a native of Buffalo, coined the phrase "urban contemporary" in the 1970s, a label for the eclectic mix of songs that he played.[5]

TV and film career

Crocker was the master of ceremonies of shows at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and was one of the first VJs on VH-1, the cable music video channel, in addition to hosting the TV series Solid Gold and NBC's Friday Night Videos. As an actor, Crocker appeared in five films, including Cleopatra Jones (1973), Five on the Black Hand Side (1973), and Darktown Strutters (Get Down and Boogie) (1975).[10]

 He is credited with introducing as many as 30 new artists to the mainstream, including Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa" to American audiences.”…

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SHOWCASE YOUTUBE CLIP #2:  WOV 1280am New York - Doug Jocko Henderson - 1957

Ellis, Feaster, Dec 8, 2014 Radio aircheck. WOV 1280am New York - Doug Jocko Henderson - 1957. -snip-
Here's some information about Jocko Henderson from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jocko_Henderson :
"Douglas "Jocko" Henderson (March 8, 1918 – July 15, 2000) was an American radio disc jockey, businessman, and hip hop music pioneer.

Early life

Henderson grew up in Baltimore, where both of his parents were teachers.[2]

Radio broadcasting

Henderson began his broadcast career in 1952 at Baltimore station WSID, and in 1953 began broadcasting in Philadelphia on WHAT.[3] He hosted a show called Jocko's Rocket Ship Show out of New York radio stations WOV and WADO and Philadelphia stations WHAT and WDAS from 1954 to 1964, which was an early conduit for rock & roll.[4][5] He was known for a distinctive style of rhythmic patter in his radio voice, which he had learned from a Baltimore deejay, Maurice "Hot Rod" Hulbert.[4] This fast-talking jive was exemplary of the style of Black Appeal Radio, which emerged in the early 1950s after black urban stations switched to playing bebop.[6] With a heavy reliance on rapping and rhyming, the double entendres and street slang were a hit with audiences.[7] Henderson continued on the stations WDAS and WHAT until 1974, deejaying in Philadelphia and New York as well as hosting concerts in both cities and a TV music program in New York.[8] In addition to Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore, Henderson was also broadcast on stations inSt. Louis, Detroit, Miami, and Boston.[3]"...

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SHOWCASE YOUTUBE CLIP #3:  Listen to DJ Oscar 'Daddy Oh' Alexander 


W.G. Smith, Jun 29, 2013

Based on research from the groundbreaking urban radio sales research book and tool Urban Radio - Unlocked!. DJ Oscar "Daddy-Oh" Alexander was an announcer on WAAA-AM in Winston Salem North Carolina during the late 1950's. He was a living legend and his "Daddy-Oh On The Patio" live remote radio broadcast from Ray's Drive-In Restaurant stands as the first social media and is still fondly remembered in all corners of the Winston Salem community. -snip-
Here's some more information about "Daddy-Oh" Alexander and WAAA-AM radio from https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn85042324/1995-10-26/ed-1/seq-26/ocr/ Winston-Salem Chronicle, Oct. 26, 1995 "Media Legacy Celebrates 45th Anniversary by cheryl Harry
" "I got a dog in the east, I got a dog in the west,., my dog can monkey just like yours, but can your dog do the monkey like Daddy-O's?" If you were in an earshot of Winston-Salem back during the late 50's and early 60's,  I'm sure you can recall those words echoed by "Daddy Oh from his infamous Patio.

Oscar "Daddy-Oh" Alexander was among the early announcers for the legendary, WAAA radio station. WAAA (Triple A) was not only Winston-Salem's first all Black programmed radio station, but was also the only station in North Carolina with an all Black format. I would be  remiss if I did not mention two other announcers who laid the foundation for WAAA's legacy. Robert "Bobcat" Roundtree who came to Winston-salem from WTMP in Tampa, Florida and Larry Williams who was a part of the station's first staff.

WAAA signed on the air October 28, 1950 at 1 p.m…

WAAA's format has been the distinguishing factor that has set it apart from other radio stations Its format has set the standard for other stations targeting the Black community. Many feel the hallmark of WAAA is its full day of Sunday gospel services and the daily obituaries. WAAA has been a concerned and caring station that stays tuned-in to the concerns of its listeners. The station continues to strive to promote excellence in meeting the needs and interests of Winston-Salem's Black community."..
-snip-
I reformatted this excerpt to enhance its readability.

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Did Black Americans Originate The Rhyming Sayings "See You Later Alligator" And Its Usual Response "Afterwhile Crocodile?"

 Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the popular catchphrases "See You Later. alligator and its usual response "After while, crocodile".

Part III of this pancocojams series includes my editorial comments and some article excerpts that I believe corroborate my position that the sayings "See you later, alligator", and "Afterwhile, crocodile" originated from and were first popularized by Black Americans.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/two-records-of-see-you-later-alligator.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I showcases two YouTube examples of this song. The first example is a sound file by Bobby Charles, that song's composer and the second is a YouTube video of Bill Hailey & The Comets performing the most popular cover recording of that song.

Information about Bobby Charles and information about Bill Hailey & The Comets are included in Part I along with the lyrics for the song "See You Later Alligator".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/two-excerpts-from-online-article-and.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II presents an excerpt of  the 2020 article ‘See You Later Alligator ' Originated In U.S. Teenagers' Slang" by Pascal Tréguer and an excerpt of a 2012 National Public Radio (NPR) transcript of a "Fresh Air" segment about Bobby Charles, the composer of the song "See You Later, Alligator".  

The content of this post is presented for cultural and linguistic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners. 

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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SOME PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENTS (WITH SOME ONLINE EXCERPTS)
These comments are presented as a series of thoughts and article excerpts that are separated by asterisks.

In Part II of this pancocojams series, I quoted Pascal Tréguer's 2020 article  ‘See You Later Alligator Originated In U.S. Teenager's Slang"

From https://wordhistories.net/2017/12/29/see-later-alligator/#:~:text=The%20colloquial%20see%20you%20later,after%2C%20a%20while%2C%20crocodile.

Pascal Tréguer indicates that "The earliest instance of see you later, alligator and its expected response afterwhile crocodile that I have found was from Teenagers’ Slang Expressions Are Explained by Columnists, by “Jackie and Jane, Star-Bulletin Teen Columnists”, published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) of 1st May 1952:

[…]

Lots of the Hawaii-style slang can be credited to or blamed on the Mainland. Some of it’s strictly jive talk. And of course there’s the additional “pidgin” and Hawaiian words to dress it up.

[…]

Besides the everyday “slang,” many high school students use expressions such as “toodle-oo tofu,” “so long, dai-kong,” or “see you later, alligator.” "
-end of quote-
The words in italics and the words in bold font were given that way in that article.
-snip-
Notice the use of the word "jive" in that 1952 article. 
Here's an excerpt from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_jive_talk#:~:text=Jive%20talk%2C%20Harlem%20jive%20or,in%20African%2DAmerican%20society%2C%20peaking
"Jive talk, Harlem jive or simply Jive (also known as the argot of jazz, jazz jargon, vernacular of the jazz world, slang of jazz, and parlance of hip[1]) is an African-American Vernacular English slang that developed in Harlem, where "jive" (jazz) was played and was adopted more widely in African-American society, peaking in the 1940s."....

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If indeed these colloquial rhyming sayings did originate with American teenagers, which population/s of American teenagers were those columnist referring to?

(I ask this question from the standpoint of 2021, knowing that in the early 1950s White people were almost always considered the default population for any good historic events or any positive creations or inventions.)

Instead of the position that "American teenagers" came up with the srhyming sayings "See you later alligator" and "Afterwhile, crocodile", my position is that African Americans were the creators of those sayings. To be even more specific, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that those sayings came from the 1950s or earlier African American Jazz culture. And I wouldn't be surprised to learn that African American teenagers help popularize those sayings in the United States and elsewhere.
-snip-
I used italics to highlight these referents.

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In the 1950s when I heard the rhyming saying "See you later, alligator" and its usual response "Afterwhile crocodile" iad when I used those sayings then and up until fairly recently, I thought that "alligator" and "the crocodile" just referred to the animals with those names. (I wrote that near the end of this comment that I wrote in a Mudcat folk music discussion thread that I started in May 2005 entitled "I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes" https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81350 )

Subject: RE: I'm Rubber . You're Glue: Children's Rhymes
From: Azizi
Date: 24 May 05 - 09:09 PM 

"Snuffy[name of another Mudcat commenter], when I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1950s I remember hearing and saying: "What's your number? Cucumber".

Here's another rhyme in the pattern of your example posted on 24 May 05 - 07:16 PM.:

Where you live?
In a sieve.
-snip-

This pattern of short rhyming sentences is very much a part African American [and others] oral tradition.

Here's some additional examples of jive talk used by children, youth,and adults:

See ya later, alligator.
After while, crocodile?

****
What's the word, mocking bird?
What I said, cabbage head.

****
If I'm lyin I'm flyin.
[and] grits aint groceries
and Mona Lisa is a man.

-snip-
Incidentally, Music Slang Expressions* indicates that the word 'alligator' in the rhyme provided above referred to a jazz musician:

Alligator       Originally, a slang term for "Musician".
Very early in Jazz history, musicians referred
to themselves as "alligators". Now it simply refers
to any Swing Devotee (abbrev. 'Gator or Gate)
Note: Louis Armstrong is often called 'Gate Mouth',
from the same source.

Ex:
'Cat' #1: See ya later, alligator.

'Cat' #2: After while, crocodile.

 
Gate or Gator   Jazz musician. Originally used as a
loving and warm description of Louis Armstrong.
Folks said his mouth was as large as a "Satchel",
from which came one of his nick-names -"Satchmo".
He was also called "Gate Mouth", referring to an
 'Alligator's mouth' (see Alligator definition above)
from which we get the expression "Gate" or
"Gator" - originally denoting a person as a musician,
but today it denotes anyone.

Ex: 'Skin me' "Gate". (Shake hands)

 -snip-

Well, if 'alligator' mean a musician, what does 'crocodile' mean? [Maybe that question belongs in the current 'Imponderable' thread].

Frankly, that definition kinda fishy to me...I'm sticking to my belief that most people who said "See ya latah alligatah; afta while crocodile" figured they were talking about the animals with those names- nothing more and nothing less.
-end of quote-
*The website Music Slang Expressions was given as a hyperlink. Unfortunately, when I tried to access that site on March 10, 2021 that link is no longer active. However, I found several websites that quote the first part of that quote [the part about the early Jazz meaning for the word "alligator", including this website: https://abigpond.com/blog/2006/07/02/later-gator/

"Later Gator
July 2, 2006 By Al Martine
"I have a habit of using the phrase ‘Later Gator’ or the politically correct ‘Later Gatorette’ in emails/IM. Over the last couple months, I’ve been asked by a couple friends whose first language isn’t English to explain.

After a little searching on Google, I’ve found a suitable answer. It apparently comes from the Swing/Jazz era in the US:

Popular Music Slang Expressions:

Alligator

Originally, a slang term for ‘Musician’. Very early in Jazz history, musicians referred to themselves as ‘alligators’. Now it simply refers to any Swing Devotee (abbrev. ‘Gator or Gate)

 Note: Louis Armstrong is often called ‘Gate Mouth’, from the same source.

Ex: ‘Cat’ #1: See ya later, alligator.

Cat’ #2: After while, crocodile.” "

****
Here are some other online resources about the Jazz meaning of the words "alligator", "gator", and some other words. Note: I found no Jazz meaning for "crocodile" so I guess in that rhyming saying "crocodile" is just used because it rhymes with the English word while (In a while" and "afterwhile".

Cab Calloway's book Hepster Dictionary Of Jive: Commonly used Jive terms & phrases, [https://www.apassion4jazz.net/jive-terms.html] published by Cab Calloway around 1939 includes this entry "Alligator (n): jitterbug."*

Here's an entry from that Hepster Dictionary for the word "gate":
"Gate (n): a male person (a salutation), abbr. for "gate-mouth."
-snip-
*My guess is that "jitterbug" here means a man who jitterbugs (plays jitterbug music)? 

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Here's some glossary entries from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_jive_talk Glossary of Jive Talk
"Alligator - A devotee of jazz or swing music. Perhaps alludes to sharp-dressing with alligator leather.[10]

Gate  - Any man, usually used as a greeting. "Yo, gate, what's the word from the herd?"

Gatemouth - A horn player who has a large mouth or a mouth that is habitually open. Playing brass instruments often results in larger cheeks and a callus on the player's lip. The larger cheeks is the origin of the word "chops". After 1930, however, "Gatemouth" generally referred only to Louis Armstrong.[12]"

Jive- Cab Calloway defines this in the 1930s as "Harlemese speech", meaning the style of slang. In basic terms jive means talk.[13] It can also mean kidding with someone. It is often confused with jibe which means "be in accordance with".

Jive talk - "Whaddya say, gate? Are you in the know, or are you a solid bringer-downer?" —Cab Calloway. "Are you Hep to the Jive" —Cab Calloway."

****   
It wouldn't be surprising if the rhyming sayings "See you later, alligator" and "Afterwhile crocodile" originated from Black Americans since so much of United States' slang came from and still comes from us.

Check out these three excerpts:
1. From https://stacker.com/stories/3361/americas-most-common-slang-words-explained
America's Most Common Slang Words Explained
by Zack Abrams, July 30, 2019
..."Slang has always had a contentious relationship with ordinary English. A century ago, the word was used to describe language that was unseemly and vulgar; only more recently have we accepted slang as a valid alternate lexicon generally used by younger people. Much of today’s slang comes from African American Vernacular English, or AAVE, the English dialect commonly spoken by the African American community and popularized by hip-hop, rap, and R&B artists. Some slang also comes from the African American LGBTQ+ community, particularly drag culture."....

**
2. From https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/african-american-vernacular-english African American Vernacular English
..."Many expressions used in AAVE have ‘crossed over’ into mainstream colloquial AMERICAN ENGLISH: hip or hep, referring to someone who is very knowledgeable about popular (especially inner-city African-American) culture; dude as a generic reference for any male: That dude be crazy."

**
3. From https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/12/30/2018-slang-words-appropriation_a_23629985/
"These Were 2018's Hottest Slang Words — But Should You Use Them?

Words matter and you can choose to use them thoughtfully.

By Sima Shakeri, December 31, 2018
"Many of the words and phrases that blew up on social media this year come from Black Twitter, American black culture and African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).

[…]

What is AAVE?

AAVE is a dialect of English spoken by many African Americans and some black Canadians. It has its own grammatical structures, vocabulary, and accents, which makes it just as valid a variant of English as British English.

[…]

"Every year new slang from Black culture is beat into the ground by people who just catch wind of it, without any knowledge or care of its origin. RIP Turnt and Bye Felicia," writer and comedian Luna Malbroux shared in a blog.

Dominant groups get to decide, for example, when and if certain words are worth appropriation, when and how the words should be used, and then when the word becomes cliché, overused and therefore passé.

Robin Boylorn, communications professor

But some words [from African American Vernacular English]  are so ubiquitous in current North American English, that it's hard to remember they were ever AAVE at all. Terms like "cool," "my bad," "hater," "24/7," "back in the day," "high-five," "lame" and "rip off" are only a few that started out in black communities but are now used everywhere and by everyone, according to Vox.

Everyone, including Black people, is erroneously taught that Black genius is more or less, public property with no clear 'ownership.'

Chaédria LaBouvier

This is linked to the history of slavery in the U.S. The most accepted theory is that slaves combined their native languages with English, or invented new words entirely. White people would then hear slaves use the terms, and would start to use them too, which led to these words becoming popularized. Even after slavery ended, this pattern continued, according to Margaret Lee, a linguist and author who spoke to Vox.”….
-snip-
The words in italics are written that way in that article.

Although cultural appropriation is a topic that is worthy of discussion, in this post I'm interested in the comments about the fact that examples of African American Vernacular English have become common terms and sayings in standard American English.

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In the scheme of things, it's not all that important who came up with the rhyming sayings "See you later, alligator", its usual response "Afterwhile, crocodile" and other similar rhyming words.

However, I believe that the failure to credit these sayings to Black folks is another example of the disregarding Black creativity while automatically and perhaps unconsciously crediting  White folks with our creativity. Doing so has real harmful consequences to Black people's self esteem and group esteem. 

So if I'm asked who created these rhyming sayings (and even if I'm not asked that question), I will say we (African Americans) did. PeriodT.

****
This concludes Part III of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome. 

Two Excerpts From An Online Article And A National Public Radio Transcript About The Saying "See You Later Alligator" And Its Standard Response "After While Crocodile"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on the popular catchphrases "See You Later. alligator and its usual response "After while, crocodile".

Part II of this pancocojams series presents an excerpt of  the 2020 article ‘See You Later Alligator ' Originated In U.S. Teenagers' Slang" by Pascal Tréguer and an excerpt of a 2012 National Public Radio (NPR) transcript of a "Fresh Air" segment about Bobby Charles, the composer of the song "See You Later, Alligator".  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/two-records-of-see-you-later-alligator.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I showcases two YouTube examples of this song. The first example is a sound file by Bobby Charles, that song's composer and the second is a YouTube video of Bill Hailey & The Comets performing the most popular cover recording of that song.

Information about Bobby Charles and information about Bill Hailey & The Comets are included in Part I along with the lyrics for the song "See You Later Alligator".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/did-black-americans-originate-rhyming.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III includes my editorial comments and some article excerpts that I believe corroborate my position that the sayings "See you later, alligator", and "Afterwhile, crocodile" originated from and were first popularized by Black Americans. 

The content of this post is presented for cultural and linguistic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners. 

Thanks to Pascal Tréguer and thanks to all those who were associated with the NPR radio show that is quoted in this post.
-snip-
I encourage pancocojams visitors to read that entire article Pascal Tréguer. I also encourage pancocojams visitors to hear that entire NPR radio show and read that entire NPR radio show transcript on the "Puddin Tane" saying . 

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ARTICLE EXCERPT:
" ‘See You Later Alligator Originated In U.S. Teenager's Slang"
by Pascal Tréguer (no publishing date is given, but two comments have the publishing dates of April 8, 2020)
From https://wordhistories.net/2017/12/29/see-later-alligator/#:~:text=The%20colloquial%20see%20you%20later,after%2C%20a%20while%2C%20crocodile.
"The colloquial see you later, alligator, which originated in American English, is a catchphrase used on parting. The expected response is in, or after, a while, crocodile.

[…]

The earliest instance of see you later, alligator that I have found is from Teenagers’ Slang Expressions Are Explained by Columnists, by “Jackie and Jane, Star-Bulletin Teen Columnists”, published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) of 1st May 1952:

Lots of the Hawaii-style slang can be credited to or blamed on the Mainland. Some of it’s strictly jive talk. And of course there’s the additional “pidgin” and Hawaiian words to dress it up.

[…]

Besides the everyday “slang,” many high school students use expressions such as “toodle-oo tofu,” “so long, dai-kong,” or “see you later, alligator.”

These sayings invite expressions like “see you soon, goon,” and “hit the road, toad.”

On 15th February 1954, The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri) published Words, Wit and Wisdom, in which William Morris wrote:

It has long been my conviction that the most effervescent and everchanging department of the American language is the subdivision labeled “Teenage slang.” So I suggested that my younger readers send in the favorite expressions of their teenage set.

Well the mails have brought literally hundreds of letters and postcards from youngsters all over the country. Here are just as few and catchphrases like:

[…]

Melt down and float away: meaning get lost, drop dead, or in grown-up language, go away.

Go dad: meaning wonderful.

Solid Jackson: meaning excellent.

See you later, alligator: meaning good-bye.
 

On 28th February 1954, The Sunday Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) published Do Kids Speak English?, in which Lester Rand, president of the Youth Research Institute, “an organization which exclusively surveys the tastes, attitudes and buying habits of young people five through 25”, explained that youngsters develop their own talk as a way of excluding grownups; about see you later, alligator, he said:

“The ‘alligator’ is an all-encompassing term and relieves the party of having to recite several names.”

The author of the article, Beulah Racklin, wrote that, additionally:

Rhyming expressions, which are mainly for effect rather than to convey any actual meaning, are very popular and somewhat confusing like ‘Do you know what I mean, jellybean?’ ‘Let me have steak, Jake,’ ‘Have a piece of salami, Tommy,’ etc. In few instances does the person addressed comply with the speaker’s demands. In most cases names are changed for ones that rhyme.

So popular was the phrase that in 1955 it was one of the twenty-four slogans printed on the badges offered by Armour Star Franks, a brand of frankfurters…

[…]

“See You Later, Alligator, a song written and first recorded in 1955 by the American singer-songwriter Bobby Charles (Robert Charles Guidry – 1938-2010) capitalised on the popularity of the catchphrase among children and teenagers.

(In the Catalog [sic] of Copyright Entries (Washington, 1956), it appeared as See Ya Later, Alligator, words and music by Robert Charles Guidry, copyright claimed by Robert Charles Guidry, registered on 6th September 1955, as number EU409054.)

The most popular recording of the song, however, is that made by Bill Haley* & His Comets later in 1955; it appears for example in this advertisement for Millikan’s Records, published in The Hammond Times (Hammond–East Chicago, Indiana) on 30th December 1955”….
-snip-
-end of quote-
The words in italics and the words in bold font were given that way in that article.

****
EXCERPT FROM A 2012 FRESH AIR (NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO) TRANSCRIPT:
THE UNTOLD STORY OF BOBBY CHARLES 
https://www.npr.org/2012/06/13/150960729/the-untold-story-of-singer-bobby-charles
June 13, 2012 1:10 PM ET; Heard on Fresh Air; Ed Ward (host) 

"When he was around 13, Robert Charles Guidry began singing with a band around his hometown of Abbeville, La., deep in the Cajun swamps. The group played Cajun and country music and, after he passed through town and played a show, Fats Domino's music. It was a life-changing experience for the young man, and he found himself with a new ambition: to write a song for Fats.

One night as he left a gig, Charles said to his friends, "See ya later, alligator," and one of them yelled back, "In a while, crocodile." Charles stopped in his tracks. "What did you say?" he asked. The friend repeated it. At that moment, as would happen countless times in the future, the song "See You Later, Alligator" came to him, fully formed.

Fats didn't want the song, and told the young man he didn't want to sing about alligators. Somehow, though, the kid wound up singing the song over the phone to Leonard Chess, whose Chess Records in Chicago was the hottest blues label in town. Chess didn't hesitate: He sent the kid a ticket and when Charles showed up at his office, Chess said something I can't say on the air. The sentence ended with the word "white" and a question mark, though.

Chess recorded him, though, and put the song out, changing Guidry's name to Bobby Charles; almost immediately, Bill Haley grabbed it for himself. Haley's record was one of the best sellers of 1956, and both Chess and Charles made some decent money from it. They tried follow-ups called "Watch It, Sprocket," which wasn't something people actually said, and "Take It Easy, Greasy," which was, but the record was a little too, well, greasy to be too popular. Charles recorded for Chess until 1958, but his records only sold locally. Along the way, though, he seems to have pioneered a genre called swamp pop.

He also got to realize a dream. One evening, Fats Domino played Abbeville, and Fats invited Charles to a show in New Orleans. The young singer said he had no way to get there. "Well," the fat man said, "you'd better start walking." And sure enough, a song popped into Charles' head: "Walking To New Orleans." "…

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Legendary Black Radio DJ Frankie Crocker (Information, Sayings, & Sound Files

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part series on African American radio disc jockeys (DJs).

Part III provides information about legendary Black DJ Frankie Crocker and includes some examples of his sayings. Part III also features two YouTube sound files of Frankie Crocker's shows.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-early-history-of-african-american.html for Part I. Part I presents excerpts from various books and other online sources about the early history of African American radio (Black radio).

The Addendum to Part I features biographical information about three African American disc jockeys from the 1930 through the 1960s. Part II provides a definition of the term "jive talk" and presents excerpts from various books and other online sources about the use of African American jive talk (Black jive talk) by pioneer Black radio DJs and White radio DJs and by other Black radio DJs.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/radio-disc-jockeys-use-of-black.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents excerpts from various books and other online sources about the use of African American jive talk (Black jive talk) by pioneer Black radio DJs and White radio DJs and by other Black radio DJs.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Frankie Crocker for his entertainment legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of the videos that are featured in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT FRANKIE CROCKER
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Crocker
Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker (December 18, 1937, Buffalo, New York, USA - October 21, 2000, age 62, North Miami Beach, Florida) was a famous New York radio DJ.[1] (Coined "Hollywood" for his keen sense of showmanship and self-marketing tactics.)

Early Soul radio
According to popeducation.org, Crocker began his career in Buffalo at the AM Soul powerhouse WUFO (also the home to future greats Gerry Bledsoe,[2] Eddie O'Jay,[3] Herb Hamlett, Gary Byrd and Chucky T) before moving to Manhattan, where he first worked for Soul station WWRL and later top-40 WMCA in 1969. He then worked for WBLS-FM as program director, taking that station to the top of the ratings during the late 1970s and pioneering the radio format now known as urban contemporary. He sometimes called himself the "Chief Rocker", and he was as well known for his boastful on-air patter as for his off-air flamboyance.
"Moody's Mood for Love"

When Studio 54 was at the height of its popularity, Crocker rode in through the front entrance on a white stallion. In the studio, before he left for the day, Crocker would light a candle and invite female listeners to enjoy a candlelight bath with him. He signed off the air each night to the tune "Moody's Mood For Love" by vocalese crooner King Pleasure. Crocker, a native of Buffalo, coined the phrase "urban contemporary" in the 1970s, a label for the eclectic mix of songs that he played.[4]"....

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From http://newsone.com/1093115/top-20-radio-jockeys-of-all-time/ "Top 20 Black Radio Jockeys Of All Time" Written By smokey fontaine
2010
"9) Frankie Crocker
Crocker first became a household name on New York’s Black station, WWRL. But after becoming one of the first Black jocks to “cross over” into more mainstream radio (as one of WMCA’s “Good Guys”), Crocker crossed back when a Black-owned consortium hired him for a new FM station in New York called WBLS. Crocker assembled a huge, multiracial audience, and had a great influence on the mainstreaming of disco. Though resistant to rap, he played some of the first hip-hop records and hired hip-hop’s first legendary radio jock, Mr.Magic."

****
From https://www.facebook.com/Frankie-Crocker-Tribute-Page-177795635568980/ Frankie Crocker Tribute Page (Facebook)
"Mr. Frances M. Crocker lays out the "basis" for the success of the "early" BLS sound and mix; "The Recipe" a NYC mix of the blues, jazz, soul, RnB, Latin(Salsa), Caribbean music. We called the "original" BLS "The Total Black Experience in Sound" = BLS, it changed the way FM Radio sounded and caused "spin off" sounds, ie, Lite Jazz stations ('cause we mixed in George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Miles, Errol Garner, ) Lite Rock & Pop stations ( caused we mixed Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, along with Johnny Mathis, Dionne Warwick etc). So what's the excuse for the current "State of NYC Radio's" lack luster existence? Better ask someone who knows how to create "The Sound"."...
-LeRoy Gillead, October 23, 2012

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EXAMPLES OF RADIO DJ FRANKIE CROCKER'S SAYINGS
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1
From The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop by Dan Charnas [Google books- no page given]

Click https://www.amazon.com/Big-Payback-History-Business-Hip-Hop/dp/0451234782 for more information about this book.

“In junior high school, Anthony [Holloway] was captivated by the between-song spiel of New York’s most popular Black DJ-Frankie Crocker, on the AM soul station, Harlem’s WWRL. Frankie talked fast. Frankie talked slick:
I’ll put a dip in your hip, more cut in your strut, and more glide in your stride”, he said. “If you don’t dig it, you got a hole in your soul.”/”Don’t eat chicken on Sunday. ‘ Other cats be laughin and jokin/ Frankie Crocker be steady takin care of business.,’ “Cookin and smokin’.”/”For there is no other like this soul brother.”

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Excerpt #2
From https://achilliad.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/book-exerpt-frankie-crocker-the-chief-rocker/
“If Frankie Crocker’s not on your radio, your radio’s not really ON…”
:-D ~~ Jimi

****
Excerpt #3
From https://www.facebook.com/Frankie-Crocker-Tribute-Page-177795635568980/ Frankie Crocker Tribute Page (Facebook)
"If you don't dig it you got a hole in your soul and you don't eat chicken on Sunday"...
-Karla Solomon Gittens,February 10, 2012

"More strut in your step, more glide in your stride, clyde!"
-Shirley Kent, April 21, 2014

**
"Do it Frankie do it to it."
-Christine Robinson, May 14, 2015
-snip-
This was a saying from Frankie Crocker's show (directed to Frankie by a sexy sounding woman.)

**
Excerpt #4
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc_3ke1h9tI WRKS 98.7 Kiss New York - Frankie Crocker Tribute (Part 1/3) - Oct 2000 [Video given as Example #2 below]
"Tall, tan, young, and fly. Anytime you want me baby, reach out for me. I'm your guy.'

**

"Just as good to you as it is for you."

**
"Um! How could you lose with the stuff I use."

**
Excerpt #5
From redcatbiker - July 14, 2014 (reposted from a YouTube video on https://plus.google.com/113257494299848567110/posts/N9iA5aXoFts
"Frankie Crocker used to also end his show saying this: "I hope you all live to be one hundred, but me, one hundred minus a day, so, that I never have to know that good people like you passed away."

****
From http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/10/1580353/-Trump-threatens-to-put-Clinton-jail-taking-down-the-entire-Republican-Party-with-him

Denise Oliver Velez Oct 10, 2016 · 11:50:51 AM
heh. They are stuck with his ass — like white on rice.
-snip-
This comment refers to the Republicans being stuck with their Presidential candidate Donald Trump, whether they want to be on not.

**
LamontCranston reply to Denise Oliver Velez Oct 10, 2016 11:53:45 AM
"like white on rice.
Heh…. I like that….. n/t

**
Denise Oliver Velez reply to LamontCranston Oct 10, 2016 12:02:53 PM
"An old saying — Frankie Crocker — a famous radio DJ in NY used to say:

“closer than white on rice, closer than cold on ice, closer than the collar on a dog...closer than the ham on a country hog”"

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILES
Example #1:Frankie Crocker The Chief Rocker



Elmo 'Magic' Christian Published on Mar 29, 2012

Tribute to Frankie Crocker by John Noel

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Example #2: WRKS 98.7 Kiss New York - Frankie Crocker Tribute (Part 1/3) - Oct 2000



Ellis Feaster, Uploaded on Dec 10, 2011

Shortly after the passing of ledgenary radio programmer Frankie Crocker, 98.7 KISS aired this tribute. I would have expected this to be on WBLS, but Kiss did a great job remembering the Chief Rocker Frankie Crocker. Oct 2000. Features Ken Webb, G Keith Alexander, Bob Slade, and more.
-snip-
Here are a few selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread
1. Vaughn Baskin, 2013
"Frankie Crocker Alongside Jocko Henderson, Butterball, & Gary Byrd They Were The Original DJ Who Planted The Seeds Of Hip-Hopradio."

**
2. Powerule, 2015
Still miss this dude...grew up on him. The greatest ever on urban radio.

**
Reply
3. Ellis Feaster, 2015
"+Powerule Frankie was always a bit part of our afternoons in the 70s & 80s."

**
Reply
4. Powerule, 2015
"+Ellis Feaster Very true. He was ever much a part of lives. It's sad that urban radio, which was once eloquent, insightful, inspiring, and entertaining has been replaced with ebonics, baby mama drama, whose got beef, how much did you spend for that chain, etc. It's all so self-suppressive, yet so sadly acceptable."

** 
Reply
5. Ellis Feaster, 2015
"True. Frankie was all about class & elegance, and an upscale lifestyle." 

**
6. Cheryl David-Bailey, 2015
"Peace and Blessing ... I remember him from Kiss and had to hear Moody's Mood for Love."
-snip-
"Frankie Crocker would end his show each night on WBLS before 8 with Moody's Mood For Love by King Pleasure. 'There I go, There I go, There...I...go..'"[posted by Frankie Crocker Tribute Page on November 22, 2010 'The link for that page is given above].

**
5. Taheem Akbar, 2015
"All I know growing up in the Bronx was Frankie was the man.. upon moving to Los Angeles in 1976 I heard him once again on KUTE 102 Glendale... which upon he did his same version of mixing from WBLS.. I know for a FACT he was mixing BEFORE any CALIFORNIA radio station MIXED.... If I am incorrect let me stand down.... RIP THE MASTER ROCKER."...

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This concludes Part III of this three part series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Please add any other Frankie Crocker sayings that you remember.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Radio Disc Jockeys' Use Of Black Originated Jive Talk

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part series on African American radio disc jockeys (DJs).

Part II provides a definition of the term "jive talk" and presents excerpts from various books and other online sources about the use of African American jive talk (Black jive talk) by pioneer Black radio DJs and White radio DJs and by other Black radio DJs.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-early-history-of-african-american.html for Part I. Part I presents excerpts from various books and other online sources about the early history of African American radio (Black radio).

The Addendum to Part I features biographical information about three African American disc jockeys from the 1930 through the 1960s.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/legendary-black-radio-dj-frankie.html for Part III of this series. Part III provides information about legendary Black DJ Frankie Crocker and includes some examples of his sayings. Part III also features two YouTube sound files of Frankie Crocker's shows.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

Please share any radio DJ jive talk (banter) that you remember with the decade, radio station, city, and the DJ's name if you recall it. Thanks!

****
DEFINITION OF "JIVE"
Definition #1 (noun)
From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jive
- the jargon of hipsters
- a special jargon of difficult or slang terms
-snip-
In the 1930s Cab Calloway and other African American Jazz musicians used "jive" to refer to the slang that terms that they created or adapted.
Click http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/09/25/are-you-hep-to-the-jive-the-cab-calloway-hepster-dictionary/ "Are You Hep to the Jive? The Cab Calloway Hepster Dictionary" by Brett & Kate McKay September 25, 2008 for a list of "jive" terms and their meanings.
-snip-

In the context of radio disc jockeys, talking jive refers to a certain way of talking, a certain way of using words, and playing with words. In that context, a person who jive talks is a verbal wordsmith, i.e. a person who is skillful in the use of spoken words. A person who talks jive uses African American Vernacular English (Black slang and grammatical constructs), and constructs that talk in the form of a short rhyme. Many of these sentences contain internal rhyming words or near rhymes. For example, (from Excerpt #3 below) "Stick around, don't be no clown. Listen to what I'm puttin' down. This is Hooty-Tooty, the bandit's booty." Jive talk is often self-confident and self-promoting. Also, people who talk jive often talk fast, but their manner of delivery is also "smooth".

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Definition #2 (adjective)
Another definition of the word "jive" is (adjective) "glib, deceptive, or foolish talk". [www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jive].

Also, read this definition of "jive turkey" from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jive%20turkey
"Jive Turkey was a derogatory slang word in African American Vernacular English (Ebonics), used to refer to someone who was unreliable, made empty promises, or who was full of bluster. Several funk groups in the late 1960s and 1970s used the term, particularly the Ohio Players in songs such as "Jive Turkey" on the album Skin Tight from 1974. The insult became widely known in the 1980s, particularly via television comedies (e.g., The Jeffersons). The term has been used by later television characters (e.g., Homer Simpson) in order to demonstrate that they are out of touch with modern youth trends, culture, and language. The term was also used in the film Semi-Pro starring Will Ferrell and in Weird Science starring Kelly LeBrock 1985. "Jive turkey" also garnered attention in the movie Trading Places. Jive turkey, however, was already falling into disuse when it was spoken by "hip" television characters in the 1970s, such as George Jefferson. Jive turkey is also a quick step dance in Germany in the 1930s."
That Billy Madison sure is a jive turkey!
#unreliable #jive turkey #liar #jive #turkey"

by nlc82 November 21, 2011
-snip-

These adjectival meanings for the word "jive" aren't pertinent to this post about radio disc jockeys use of "jive talk."

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EXCERPTS ABOUT RADIO DJS' JIVE TALK
These excerpts are presented in no particular order. I've assigned numbers for referencing purposes only.
Most of these excerpts are transcribed from Google books. The transcriptions are given without footnotes or other citations excerpt for the book title, author, and page number (if given). No hyperlink is given for those transcriptions. However, a link is given for more information about that featured book.

Additional quotes from a number of these sources given below can be found in Part I of this pancocojams series.

Excerpt #1
From Freedom Is, Freedom Ain't: Jazz and the Making of the Sixties by Scott Saul
[Google book]

Click http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674018532&content=reviews for more information about this book.

[Pancocojams editor: This beginning sentence refers to bebop music]

Page 39
"The jive of Calloway, Gibson, and Gailliard was exported in the late forties to an even larger mass audience by hep-talking DJs-some white and some black- who found their niche in urban locales across the country. Between 1946 and 1954, the number of small and independent radio stations mushroomed as the FCC broke up the domination of radio by newspaper publishers....

[DJs] engaged in imaginary dialogue with listeners out there, using the second person address; and they fielded listener phone calls, and played requests.

Jive was the language of this new invisible intimacy. Participation in a racial ventriloquism that descended from the minstrel show but had several new kinks, white listeners bonded with black DJs, black listeners bonded with white DJs, and -most commonly as R&B segued into rock ‘n’ roll- white listeners bonded with white DJs like Alan Freed, who specialized in “talking black”. In every part of the United States, DJs brought irreverent black rapping and rhyming games into their dialogue with listeners (much of which centered around promotions of their own show or of the products advertised on it. In Austin, Texas, Albert Lavada Durst-better known as Dr. Hepcat-became the city’s first Black DJ in 1947 and found fame for his Rosewood Ramble, a show where he peppered R&B, jazz, and blues music with a surreal patter perfected in an earlier career

Page 40
as a Negro League announcer.

In New Orleans, white owned radio stations refused to hire a black DJ, but one station did hire Vernon Winslow, a black journalist and professor, to teach its DJs the art of jive and to write and direct a show called Jam, Jive, and Gumbo which had a black-sounding DJ nicknamed Poppa Stoppa. Once in the door, Winslow broke the larger barrier at New Orleans’ WJMR: a few years later, in 1949, he landed his own show as “Doctor Daddy-O” and remained on the air until the 1980s.

After nearly one million black southerners migrated to the North during World War II in search of factory work, the airwaves of cities such as Chicago and New York were thick with the banter of jive. In Chicago, Holmes “Daddy-O” Daylie, after serving as a bartender of the El Grotto Supper Club, became an announcer for the club’s radio in 1948. His bartending gig was then subsumed by a thirty-nine year carrier as one of Chicago’s most prominent black radio personalities, a DJ who addressed the programming abyss between the white pop favored on the radio and the R&B audience on the Southside.”…

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Excerpt #2:
From African Americans and US Popular Culture by Kevern Verney [Google Books]

Click https://www.amazon.com/African-Americans-Popular-Culture-Introductions/dp/0415275288 for more information about this book.
"In contrast to earlier black presenters, who had adopted the style of white presenters, the new DJs emphasized their African American identity. They discussed issues of interest to black listeners. In a style pioneered by presenter Al Benson in Chicago, Black DJs spoke in “jive talk”, streetwise language and pronunciation that comprised the daily speech of black communities. Commonly known as ‘rhyming and signifying’, this involved speaking in rhyming sentences and engaging in verbal banter using ghetto slang. A means of conveying information in a way that made it incomprehensible to most whites, the practice had its origins in the speech pattern of ante-bellum slaves.

....

Page 1954
In the 1950s white ‘crossover’ DJs began to take advantage of the popularity of black presenters. In what historian William Barlow has described as ‘racial ventriloquy’, whit broadcasters like ‘John R’ Richbourg in Nashville, Tennessee, Alan ‘Moondog’ Freed in Cleveland, Ohio and Robert ‘Wolfman’ Jack, broadcasting to the United States from Mexico, adopted African American speaking styles, Well versed in African American culture and playing R&B records, they consciously developed a black style persona"....

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Excerpt #3:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEGO_(AM)
"City: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Broadcast area: Piedmont Triad
Branding: Classic Hits WTOB
Frequency: 980 kHz
First air date: October 28, 1950 (as WAAA)

WAAA was owned by white businessman Roger Page when it first began broadcasting in 1950. This was rare at this time in the Deep South that a white owner would own and operate a mainly black radio station.
On the afternoon of October 28, 1950 Larry L. Williams, an African-American, signed on WAAA. The first program broadcast was a football game between Morgan State University and A & T State University. The game was announced from the stadium by Togo West, Sr. (principal of Atkins High School) while Larry L. Williams conducted station operations.

On the morning of October 29, 1950 Williams signed on WAAA for the first full day of broadcasting[3] as the second radio station in the state (after WGIV in 1947) specifically targeting an African American audience.

WAAA was believed to be the third black radio station in the United States,[6] preceded by WDIA in Memphis and WERD in Atlanta.[7] WAAA was also the first black-owned station in North Carolina.[8]

Prior to becoming the General Manager of WAAA, Larry L. Williams gave play-by-play action of the Winston-Salem State University football and basketball games; becoming known as the "Voice of the Rams." Larry L. Williams went on to become General Manager of radio stations in Alabama, South Carolina, and Charlotte, NC. He returned to his home in Asheville, North Carolina in 2002 to become General Manager of WOXL-FM. Larry L. Williams, a pioneer in radio, retired in 2008 at the age of 90.

Oscar "Daddy-Oh" Alexander was the station's best known DJ. He was described as "a jive-talking hipster who radiated cool while spinning hits from Motown and Stax."[9]
Jazz pianist Keith Byrd, who once lived near him, described Alexander this way:

He had a voice that was like gravel going through molasses. You know what I'm saying? It was smooth and sweet. He was a good spirit, a great character and he played the hottest songs. He was almost like the black Wolfman Jack in this area.[9]

Alexander left the station in 1962 after five years. But he made quite an impression with lines such as these:
It's Hooty-Tooty your host, the one that loves you the most.

It's 24 O'Roolies past 4 Mac Vouchers.

Here in the atmospheric conditions of our universal solar system - it's clear as a bell and hot as - 98 degrees.

Stick around, don't be no clown. Listen to what I'm puttin' down. This is Hooty-Tooty, the bandit's booty.[10]"

****
This concludes Part II of this three part series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Examples of DJ Frankie Crocker's jive talk are included in Part III of this series.

For the cultural record, please share any radio DJ jive talk (banter) that you remember with the decade, radio station, city, and the DJ's name if you recall it. Thanks!

Visitor comments are welcome.

The Early History Of African American Radio Disc Jockeys

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a three part series on African American radio disc jockeys (DJs).

Part I presents excerpts from various books and other online sources about the early history of African American radio (Black radio).

The Addendum to Part I features biographical information about three African American disc jockeys from the 1930 through the 1960s.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/radio-disc-jockeys-use-of-black.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents excerpts from various books and other online sources about the use of African American jive talk (Black jive talk) by pioneer Black radio DJs and White radio DJs and by other Black radio DJs.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/10/legendary-black-radio-dj-frankie.html for Part III of this series. Part III provides information about legendary Black DJ Frankie Crocker and includes some examples of his sayings. Part III also features two YouTube sound files of Frankie Crocker's shows.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all the Black pioneer radio disc jockeys, thanks to other influential Black radio DJs in the United States, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
EXCERPTS ABOUT THE EARLY HISTORY OF BLACK RADIO
These excerpts are presented in no particular order. I've assigned numbers for referencing purposes only.
Most of these excerpts are transcribed from Google books. The transcriptions are given without footnotes or other citations excerpt for the book title, author, and page number (if given). No hyperlink is given for those transcriptions. However, a link is given for more information about that featured book.

Additional quotes from a number of these sources given below can be found in Part II of this pancocojams series.

Excerpt #1
From Only Connect: A Cultural History of Broadcasting in the United States By Michele Hilmes [Google books]

Click
https://www.amazon.com/Only-Connect-Cultural-History-Broadcasting/dp/0495050369 for information about this book and its author.

Page 174
"In the late 1940s, African Americans finally found a foothold on radio. A few programs and innovative entrepreneurs gave foretaste of things to come. As William Barlow describes in The Voice Over: The Making Of Black Radio (1999), urban radio pioneers like Jack L. Cooper and Al Benson built up their own radio empires in the 1930s and early 1940s by buying time on local radio stations like WGES, in Chicago, finding sponsors eager to sell to the black community, and playing music that they knew that community wanted to hear. In the early 1930s Cooper had originated a prototype of the disc jockey format on Chicago radio station WSBC. Because “race records”-recordings featuring black musicians playing black-oriented music-were not licensed by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), they provided a virtually free form of programming that, if the DJ owned a record store, could provide profits down the line. Cooper’s All Negro Hour became the first DJ program on the air, and he soon added other DJs playing different varieties of music as he built up his Chicago radio business.

Many other local broadcasters, black and white, would adopt some form of the record-based program. But it is Benson’s crucial addition of the distinctive, hip, jive-talking personality in 1945 that inspired the DJ format….Early black DJs prided themselves on their colorful verbal style- referred to as “rhymin’ and signifyin’”-which was also reflected in the unique names they used on air. WDIA’s staff included Maurice “Hot Rod” Hulbert, A. C. “Moohah” Williams, the Reverend Dwight “Gatemouth” Moore, and Jean “The Queen” Steinberg. America’s only black-owned station, WERD- Atlanta featured “Joltin” John Howard and “Jocky Jack” Gibson, and “Daddy-O” Daily held forth on WAIT -Chicago.

Soon the familiar process of cultural appropriation began to take place, as white DJs adopted the black style and personas on air. This process was assisted by an ASCAP decision to raise its radio fees, prompting the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to start its own music licensing bureau, called Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI). To compete with the behemoth ASCAP, BMI began looking for new artists and styles to promote. In the right

Page 175
place at the right time was Alan “Moon Dog” Freed, who started out with a R&B program on Cleveland’s WJW in 1951. Adopting black street slang, playing black music, affecting a black accent, Freed was not the first racial ventriloquist to take to the airwaves (his ancestors can be found in Amos n Andy’s creators), but his “crossover” privilege as a white man would allow him to reach a national audience playing what he began calling rock ‘n’ roll music...

Another equally famous racial ventriloquist was Wolfman Jack on the border blaster XERF in Tijuana. Though he was actually Robert Smith from Brooklyn, New York, Wolfman Jack came to personify the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll in southern California (glorified forever in the movie American Graffiti). The Wolfman learned his technique from the black DJ John R. of WLAC-Nashville, who by that time ran a DJ school to teach white adherents how best to sound like black radio jocks. John R. was not the only one to adopt this tactic: Vernon Winslow of New Orleans trained a whole series of white men to take on his original “Poppa Stoppa” personality over WJMR. The station’s white owners would not allow the original Vernon on the air, but instead paid him to produce acceptable black-sounding white substitutes. Later, Winslow rose to fame himself as Doctor Daddy-O on rival WEZZ...

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Excerpt #2
From Freedom Is, Freedom Ain't: Jazz and the Making of the Sixties by Scott Saul
[Google book]

Click http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674018532&content=reviews for more information about this book.

Page 39
"In New Orleans, white owned radio stations refused to hire a black DJ, but one station did hire Vernon Winslow, a black journalist and professor, to teach its DJs the art of jive and to write and direct a show called Jam, Jive, and Gumbo which had a black-sounding DJ nicknamed Poppa Stoppa. Once in the door, Winslow broke the larger barrier at New Orleans’ WJMR: a few years later, in 1949, he landed his own show as “Doctor Daddy-O” and remained on the air until the 1980s.

After nearly one million black southerners migrated to the North during World War II in search of factory work, the airwaves of cities such as Chicago and New York were thick with the banter of jive. In Chicago, Holmes “Daddy-O” Daylie, after serving as a bartender of the El Grotto Supper Club, became an announcer for the club’s radio in 1948. His bartending gig was then subsumed by a thirty-nine year carrier as one of Chicago’s most prominent black radio personalities, a DJ who addressed the programming abyss between the white pop favored on the radio and the R&B audience on the Southside.”...

****
Excerpt #3
From African Americans and US Popular Culture by Kevern Verney [Google Books]

Click https://www.amazon.com/African-Americans-Popular-Culture-Introductions/dp/0415275288 for more information about this book.

Page 1952
“The rise of Bebop and Rhythm and Blues reflected a growing sense of racial and cultural pride among young African Americans in the 1940s….

Radio underwent a radical transformation as a result of the rise of television. Once the nation’s most popular form of entertainment, from the late 1940s radio audience collapsed…

In order to survive these setbacks radio stations were forced to undertake a rethink of their programming strategy...

An important consequence of that strategy was the emergence of black-appeal radio. Largely ignored by the major radio networks during the golden age of radio in the 1930s, stations now began to seek out black listeners. The reasons for this were commercial rather than more enlightened thinking. The continued migration of African Americans to urban centers in the north and on the west coast meant that many cities in the United States had a large black population living within a small geographical area. This made them an ideal target audience for local radio stations with a limited broadcasting radius.

Moreover, black Americans were one of the groups most likely to be won over by radio. In the 1940s many African Americans were unable to afford the cost of purchasing a television set, but over 90% of urban blacks and 70% of blacks in rural areas, had access to radio. Television entertainment programmes, filled with images of wholesome white families and presenters, also offered little to attract black viewers...

In 1948, the year that national network television was launched, WDIA in Memphis, Tennessee, a city with a 40 per cent black population, became the first radio station to capitalize on the importance of African American listeners. Moving to a black-appeal format the

Page 1953
stations white owners, John Pepper and Bert Ferguson, consciously targeted black audiences. By 1949 WDIA had risen from last to first place in radio ratings….The net profits of the station rose from under $2, 000 in 1948 to $100, 000 in 1957, when Pepper and Ferguson sold the station for $1 million dollars.
Other radio stations heeded the message….
In 1949 there were four radio stations in the United States wiih black-appeal formats. This rose to over 200 by 1954 and some 400 by 1956.

An obvious prerequisite of black-appeal radio was the hiring of more black presenters. Also important was the move to a disc jockey format. This was not only inexpensive, but allowed radio stations to win over black listeners by playing the new R&B records which were shunned by television and more conservative radio stations.

Black disc jockeys playing music by Rhythm and Blues artists became increasingly common across the United States during the 1950s. To give themselves a distinctive airtime identity they often adopted a flamboyant persona, with broadcasting names like “Daddie O’ Daylie” in Chicago, “Doctor Hep Cat” in Austin, Texas, and “Jocko Henderson” and “Lord Fauntleroy” in Philadelphia."...

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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_personality#African_American_disc_jockeys African American disc jockeys
"African American radio DJs emerged in the mid 1930s and late 1940s, mostly in cities with large black populations such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Detroit. Jack L. Cooper was on the air 91⁄2 hours each week on Chicago's WCAP and is credited with being one of the first black radio announcers to broadcast gramophone records, including gospel music and jazz, using his own phonograph.[30]

Other prominent DJs included Al Benson on WGES in Chicago, who was the first popular disc jockey to play urban blues and use "black street slang" in his broadcasts, and Jesse "Spider" Burke on KXLW in Saint Louis, James Early on WROX (AM) in Clarkesdale, as well as Ramon Bruce on WHAT (AM) in Philadelphia. Most major U.S. cities operated a full-time rhythm and blues radio station, and as African Americans traveled the country they would spread the word of their favorite radio personalities.[31]"...

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ADDENDUM- BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THREE BLACK RADIO DISC JOCKEYS FROM THE 1930S-1950S
[Pancocojams' Editor's note:
I'm only showcasing the DJs who were featured in that article who were active from the 1930s through the 1960s.
From http://newsone.com/1093115/top-20-radio-jockeys-of-all-time/ Top 20 Black Radio Jockeys Of All Time
Written By smokey fontaine, 2010
2010
"Throughout American history, Black disc jockeys did more than just spin records. They were, for African-American listeners across the country, the important and influential voices and leaders of their communities.

Here are NewsOne’s top 20 Black radio jockeys of all time, picked for their pioneering spirit and influence.

[DJs who made their name before becoming radio personalities have been excluded, but honorable mentions must go to folks like Steve Harvey, Rickey Smiley, and Yolanda Adams].

"1) Jack L. Cooper
Widely considered to be the first African-American radio announcer, Jack L. Cooper’s “All Negro” radio show aired in the 1930s on Chicago’s WSBC. Cooper was succeeded in Black Chicago radio by very important air personalities like Al Benson — who brought the blues and jazz to Chicago on WGES — and his colleague Herb Kent, who made his mark after his move to WVON, where he was a strong voice for progress during the tumultuous Civil Rights movement.

2) Jack “The Rapper” Gibson
Gibson got his start on the very first Black owned radio station, Atlanta’s WERD, in 1949. Embodying the fast talking style for which he was named, Gibson also went on to create one of the first Black radio trades, “Jack The Rapper,” and the infamous Black music convention of the same name.

4) Jocko Henderson
A legendary disc jockey on the airwaves of Philadelphia and New York in the 1950s and 1960s, Douglas Wendell “Jocko” Henderson was a pioneer of the slick-talking, rapid-fire radio patter that influenced Black and White jockeys nationwide and laid a cultural foundation for “rap” music."

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This concludes Part I of this three part series.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Two Examples Of The 1942 Song "Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revised October 7, 2018

This post showcases examples of the 1942 song "Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal)" by Paul White and Dorothy Dandridge (soundie)* and Kay Kyser & his Orchestra (sound file) with photographs. The Kay Kyser example is showcased on this blog in large part because of that examples' publisher summary which presents information about that song and zoot suit cultures.

Information about zoot suits and information about this song (and a link to a version of its lyrics) are also included in this post. A bonus video that showcases examples of zoot suits is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composers, vocalists, and musicians featured in this post. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

*"Soundies were three-minute musical films, produced in New York City, Chicago, and Hollywood, between 1940 and 1946, often including short dance sequences, similar to later music videos. The completed Soundies were generally released within a few months of their filming; the last group was released in March 1947. The films were displayed on the Panoram, a coin-operated film jukebox or machine music, in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, factory lounges, and amusement centers." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundies

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INFORMATION ABOUT ZOOT SUITS
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit
"A zoot suit (occasionally spelled zuit suit) is a men's suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing became popular within the African American, Chicano and Italian American communities during the 1940s.[1][2] In Britain the bright-coloured suits with velvet lapels worn by Teddy Boys bore a slight resemblance to zoot suits in the length of the jacket.

The zoot suit was originally associated with black musicians and their sub-culture. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word zoot probably comes from a reduplication* of suit."
-snip-
*Reduplication in linguistics is a ... process in which the root or stem of a word (or part of it) or even the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "ZOOT SUIT (FOR MY SUNDAY GAL)"
From http://electricka.com/etaf/muses/music/gone_but_not_forgotten/second_world_war_era/zoot_suit/zoot_suit.htm
..." "A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal)" was written by Wolfe Gilbert and Bob O'Brien. It received a lot of attention; it was one of the most popular tunes of its time. It was played on jukeboxes, in diners, bars, and juke joints everywhere. It seemed to say something valid and important about the music and spirit of the times...

A zoot suit (For My Sunday Gal) was an integral part of the Big Band era when it was cool to be cool in America, but only in certain circles. The vast majority of "circles" varied from conservative to ultra conservative. Most of America was square.

There were far more "not cool" people than cool people. Their differences rubbed some of them the wrong way, causing friction that gradually heated up until it boiled over into the streets of wartime Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and other cities. A succession of riots lead to some deaths and many arrests, rapidly bringing to a close this brief but colorful period in American history.

A zoot suit was not just a song, it was a style of dress and a symbol of a lifestyle that a group of people in search of their own identity used to distinguish themselves from others whom they believed to be "not cool."...

The mentality behind "A zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal)" was an integral part of the zoot suit scene, which in turn was part of the Big Band era. Also part of the zoot suit scene was a now-famous series of riots that broke out in Los Angeles in 1943 between whites and Chicano zoot suiters. These riots became known as the Zoot Suit Riots."...
-snip-
The lyrics to the Kay Kyser version of this song can be found on that page.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_Suit_Riots for information about the "Zoot Suit Riots". Here's an excerpt from that page:
"The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots in 1943 during World War II that broke out in Los Angeles, California, between Anglo American sailors and Marines stationed in the city and Latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored. Mexican Americans and military servicemen were the main parties in the riots, and some African American and Filipino/Filipino American youths were involved as well".

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: Dorothy Dandridge and Paul White - Zoot Suit soundie



horrormovieshows, Uploaded on Oct 19, 2008

Dorothy Dandridge and Paul White strut their stuff in A ZOOT SUIT, an engaging Soundie from 1942.
-snip-
The sign at the beginning of this soundie reads
"Groove Clothiers
Our stitches are hep to the jive
for males and frails"
-snip-
This sign, written in "jive talk" of the 1940s, announces that the tailors are "hep to the jive", meaning they are up to date with the latest Jazz talk, and by extension, the latest Black urban fashions for men and women.

"Frails" was a jive talk referent for "women".

Click http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/09/25/are-you-hep-to-the-jive-the-cab-calloway-hepster-dictionary/ for a listing of words and phrases from Cab Calloway's hepster dictionary.

Also, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_jive_talk for more information about 1940s Jive talk, a form of African American Vernacular English.

[Sentence revised October 7, 2018] Note that nowadays, particularly among African Americans, the word "jive" can also mean "something or someone that is worthless, or lame [not "hip”, not up to date with the latest fashions] OR something that is poorly made, cheap, or inauthentic

"Jive" is often given as "jive ass"

Example: He gave me a jive Mickey Mouse watch for my birthday. What a cheapskate!
-snip-
"Mickey Mouse" further reinforces the definition of "cheap", no good, since watches and other products sold by Disney franchises including clothing with depictions of Mickey Mouse characters were considered to be poorly made, and un-hip. (as per some African Americans from at least 1980s to date)

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Example #2: A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal) ~ Kay Kyser & his Orchestra 1942



MrRJDB1969, Uploaded on Jan 12, 2010

"A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal) ~ Sully Mason w/ vocal group ~ Kay Kyser & his Orchestra ~January 16, 1942 ~ Columbia Records. The vocal group consisted of Trudy Erwin, Dorothy Crawford, Jack Martin, & Max Williams. Composed by L. Wolfe Gilbert & Bob O'Brien.

The history of what is known as a "Zoot Suit" finds some it's origins in France, then leads it's way into the "French Quarter" (due to it's once large French population) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Also, there is a link between the suits worn by The Southern Gentlemen of the deep South, such as South Carolina, Mississppi, etc. etc., during the 1800's and the Zoot Suit, similar minus some of the bag. During the late 1930's until just after the very beginning of WWII, the "Zoot Suit" found some minor popularity, but as a whole, it never really caught on and as rationing increased and with the Zoot Suits need of so much extra fabric , the Zoot Suit was slowly phased out .

As was common practice in the 1920's - 1930's - 1940's - 1950's, A ZOOT SUIT (For My Sunday Gal) had multiple versions recorded of it by a variety of top recording stars of the day, including : The Andrews Sisters, Bob Crosby's Orchestra, Art Kassell's Orchestra, Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, Benny Goodman's Orchestra, Ray Herbeck's Orchestra, & Harry Roy's Orchestra.

Though criticized by 1970's & 1980's music critics and being dubbed "Covering" or "Stealing" by these same people, who obviously had no knowledge of the history of the music business, multiple versions of the top songs of the day was common practice. It continued on into the 1950's. There was NO "stealing" or nothing racially motivated about the practice. Simple competition between record companies and the performers who recorded for them.
-snip-
This summary also stated that L. Wolfe Gilbert & Bob O'Brien, the composers of "A Zoot Suit (For My Sunday Gal)", were both white, as were most of those who recorded the song in 1942.
-snip-
[Added October 7, 2018] This summary is one opinion of the origin of zoot suits. Most researchers indicate that zoot suits originated among African Americans in the east coast of the United States. There's a famous photograph of Cab Calloway wearing a zoot suit in 2929.

TricksterDa, a commenter on this sound file's viewer comment thread, wrote "That's Cab Calloway in his gold colored zoot suit, which he had become famous for wearing. It had a matching wide brimmed hat, as well."
-snip-
The now famous photograph of African American Jazz singer, composer, and band leader Cab Calloway wearing a zoot suit first appears at .027 of that photographic collage.

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BONUS VIDEO: 1940's Zoot Suit Fashion



Patricia Fleming·6 videos
-snip-
I believe the music for this video is Cherry Poppin' Daddies - "Zoot Suit Riot"

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