Afn American Forces Network

[Stateside]

In the early 70's I used to listen to Sgt Milt Kemp playing the latest releases on his late night show broadcast on MW from Germany. The signal was weak but I remember first hearing Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager - Ain't Understanding Mellow, & The Dramatics - In the Rain. Just on the off chance that the world is a much smaller place now, does anyone out there know if there are any recordings of his shows. Maybe some GI's based in Germany recorded them or even knows Sgt, Milt Kemp himself.

[Roburt]

I've never really known enough about the AFN Europe broadcasts. Only a few of their shows were soul related but I know for a fact that when the US DoD put on touring shows that featured soul singers, those singers / performers would be interviewed on the network to publicise their shows and which bases they would be appearing at. There was an AFN studio at either Mildenhall or Lakenheath in Suffolk as Kenny Hamber & his package were interviewed there when he toured US bases in Europe and the UK.

Lots of US bases had their own base newspapers / magazines and these would feature info on celebs that visited the bases, including singers & DJ's. There's a library in Norwich which keeps lots of historic info / documents on what occurred on the US bases in Norfolk & Suffolk but they didn't seem to regard keeping recordings of the normal AFN radio shows or the base newspapers / magazines as a priority. 

 

I would have thought that somewhere on the net someone would have a site that dealt with AFN Europe, their DJ's and what the network got up to. I haven't thought to look for such a site though.

[Dave Pinch]

i remember listenin to afn when on exercise down in bavaria in the mid 80`s.....only chart stuff like creedence and the guess who tho. couldnt listen when back on camp tho

[Guest Garry Huxley]

Spent 5 years in total in Germany and never could get AFN even though i was in an army enviroment seems like there  transmiters were only designed for local use on usa bases

[Peter99]

In the early 70's I used to listen to Sgt Milt Kemp playing the latest releases on his late night show broadcast on MW from Germany. The signal was weak but I remember first hearing Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager - Ain't Understanding Mellow, & The Dramatics - In the Rain. Just on the off chance that the world is a much smaller place now, does anyone out there know if there are any recordings of his shows. Maybe some GI's based in Germany recorded them or even knows Sgt, Milt Kemp himself.

Interesting post.

 

Peter

[Stateside]

Spent 5 years in total in Germany and never could get AFN even though i was in an army enviroment seems like there  transmiters were only designed for local use on usa bases

I was listening on a transistor radio in the UK. I seem to remember it was around midnight. He was playing all the stuff that was in the american soul charts, plus new releases. In those days all you had to go on was the description on the mail out list from Record Corner in Balham, so Milt Kemp's show was the chance to hear them. I know I wasn't the only one in the UK who listened to his show. There must be others on SS who listened to him.

[Guest Garry Huxley]

yes i had heard of the network but never could get it wa s based in Bergen Hohne (Belsen) 1979 and Minden  Germany mid 80's American base about 30 miles from both but couldent recieve signal even though i was aware of the network which was broadcast all over their bases

Edited January 18, 2014 by Garry Huxley

[jam66]

Library Congress Online has some things on the AFN, not too sure what's there.

 

https://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&Search_Arg=american+forces+network&Search_Code=GKEY%5E*&CNT=100&hist=1&type=quick

 

There's this on the main site.

 

https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/awrs9/afrts.html

 

This is the page for the above link and it has a few others.

 

https://www.loc.gov/search/?q=american+forces+radio

 

Finally this one from the Department Of Defence. Haven't followed the links but I should imagine these are as good a resource as any.

 

https://www.defense.gov/specials/transform/afrtsarchivevid.html

 

Edited to add the web page of AFN

 

https://www.afneurope.net/

 

They have a facebook page as well, could be worth throwing a question/enquiry up on that.

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150815147847602&set=a.10150640102027602.388036.74799177601&type=1

Edited January 19, 2014 by jam66

[Guest]

I used to listen in to AFN early 70's.

Great chance to hear the current USA 45s.

Milt Kemp sounded rather cool....he rounded off each show with "Remember, health is wealth.....and it's tax free" 

The one track that reminds me of those shows was Johnnie Taylor "I don't wanna lose you"

Blues & Soul  (Godin?) mentioned the show...there must have been a few listeners in the UK

[John Benson]

I also used to listen to AFN during the early 70's, generally in bed with my transistor radio and the latest copy of Blues & Soul opened at the US charts page. Ticking them off as I heard them.

I've still got the mags in the loft, but can't remember the name of the DJ for certain. I didn't have the means to record the shows then either.

It must have been first mentioned in B&S otherwise I wouldn't have known about it, none of my friends at that time would have told me.

It would be nice if any recordings turn up though, I recall the signal being a bit like Luxembourg in that it came and went quite a bit, but it opened up a world of music to me that I wouldn't have been able to hear otherwise. 

[Stateside]

American forces network popped into my head today for some reason, so I searched Mixcloud and found this amazingly clear recording, broadcast from Frankfurt in May 1972. A bit of everything from 60's and 70's and worth listening to until the end, with the ads and news about president Nixon

Highly likely that I listened to it at the time on my little transistor.

Enjoy

 

Kev

 

[Davebanks]

Used to listen to AFN all the time in the early seventies on a tiny tinny tranny, signal can't have been that bad, I was on merseyside.

Do remember first hearing the ChiLites Power to the people and being blown away by its contrast to the Motown and sweet soul I had been listening to before, and not Brown type FUNKY.

Happy days

 

Dave Banks

[Stateside]

42 minutes ago, davebanks said:

Used to listen to AFN all the time in the early seventies on a tiny tinny tranny, signal can't have been that bad, I was on merseyside.

Do remember first hearing the ChiLites Power to the people and being blown away by its contrast to the Motown and sweet soul I had been listening to before, and not Brown type FUNKY.

Happy days

 

Dave Banks

Funnily enough I was in Merseyside and still am !  It must have been a good place to get a reception

I also remember him playing The Chi-Lites.

 

Kev

[Michael V]

Ah,yes AFN- Just a boy in the early 70's so did'nt discover AFN until the 80's(could pick it up reasonably well in London at times,although the signal  was often weak)I used to listen to Jim Pewter's Oldies Show in the evening,which was one of the few places you could hear Doo-Wop in the UK then,making discoveries which were exciting at the time;I heard 'Brenda' by The Cupids for the first time on his show,which I loved immediately and remember being thrilled to find it at a record fair about a year later,in those pre-internet days. Always associate 'Brenda' with AFN and Jim Pewter,whose closing catch phrase each show was "remember..we went to different High Schools together".Other than that I don't recall much else worth listening to on AFN in the 80's-no Soul shows of any kind,just chart stuff of the day.