Back in the 60's, DJ's on most black radio stations across the US could pick a lot of the 45 tracks they would spin ... of course, this left them open to 'financial incentives' but it also brought us loads of good tracks that otherwise would have been lost in the mix.

A DJ would flip a 45 & spin the B side. They'd reactivate a track months / years after the original 45 had been released. They'd lift a track from an LP and the act's record label would have to put it out on a 45 if it took off. They pick up on a local recording, put out by a new little indie label; many times this leading to a national company such as Atlantic, Chess, Amy/Mala/Bell picking it up & releasing it nationwide. They'd go see a live show by an act that really impressed them & then go find an old 45 cut to play on their show.

Of course, many times such tracks didn't catch on with the radio stn's audiences, but on lots of other occasions they would.

But it all came to an end in the 70's when big corporations took over most of the black radio stns, strict play lists were introduced & very few indie tracks got much exposure after that.

A montage of a few such radio stn's charts followed by two lists of radio stn plays from just one week back then ... 

 

I have this one from a Detroit newspaper... just used it in a YouTube video of Emanuel Laskey's interview, hence the highlighted part.

 

WCHB - Detroit - September 9th, 1968...

Here's another Detroit chart - again used it in the YouTube video as mentioned above. Some great 45s listed: 

I know this is about Black radio stations but, The Steinways did very well on this Pop station in Virginia going all the way to #2- 

 

I used these WCHB (Detroit) one for a video about The Magictones... hence the highlighted part at the bottom.

 

Edited May 28, 20231 yr by G F
another image added

Here is one from New York with a Melvin Davis's disc highlighted...

 .

This is a WCHB (Detroit) chart from 1968... 

KNOK charts from 1966 + some KNOK DJ reports from 64/65 (& other stns reporting at the same time) ... 

From the 3 DJ report sheets, it's evident just how different the 45's being played by each stn were back then. 

Edited May 29, 20231 yr by Roburt

Here is another from WWRL... 

It's hard to pin down exactly when things started to go wrong with US black radio (when the indie releases were all but excluded & central committees started to pick the 45's that would get played) ... BUT I'd place it somewhere in the period between 1974 to 1976.

Of course, university based radio stns carried on as normal with regard to what was played but by the early 70's, most of those were playing mainly rock / blues rock / a bit of funk, jazz & 'black blues'. It was only really the black US uni's that stuck with soul.  

Here's 3 1970's charts from KSOL .... or K-SOUL as I think the stn's DJ's dubbed it.

The 74 chart features Eugene Blacknell & The New Breed --  Get in a Hurry

local funk .. . . . .     //www.youtube.com/watch?v=El9Q3Lmt7BQ

Edited May 30, 20231 yr by Roburt

Wilmington based WWIL ... 1974 ... some goodies on the chart ...

Curtom's Natural Four, Bobby Womack, Lamont Dozier, Tyrone Davis, Melvin Davis, Edwin Starr & Bloodstone's "Outside Woman"(recorded in the Cotswolds @ Chipping Norton Studios). 

Edited June 2, 20231 yr by Roburt

Two more radio charts; one from 62, one from 72 ... 

Mary Wells, Barbara Lynn, Billy Stewart, Jerry Butler, Jive Five & more on the 62 chart ... 

Mel & Tim, Jerry Butler (again), J R Bailey, Millie Jackson, Tommy Tate & more on the 72 chart.

1966 chart from Detroit station WCHB...

  

Another Detroit stn ... a 1979 chart ... 

& a vid to go with it ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sn5XzMF2qA

 

Edited June 2, 20231 yr by Roburt

4 hours ago, Roburt said:

Another Detroit stn ... a 1979 chart ... 

& a vid to go with it ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sn5XzMF2qA

 

 

I interviewed the owner of Watt's Club Mozambique - Cornelious Watt - many years ago. He started off managing clubs in the 1950s and ran the Parizian, then the Hobby Bar in the 60s. He initially got his money from running numbers for Ed Wingate. Watts Club Mozambique became a male strip joint as live music fell by the wayside.

 

 

 

A clip from the Michigan Chronicle... 

A chart from the Michigan Chronicle...

 

Another chart one from 'Frantic' Ernie...

Here's a photo of Ernie and other jocks on WJLB - ad from 1968...

Mamie Galore at the top... and other great 45s listed

Thanks for the very informative posts GF.

It's interesting that Ed Wingate was running a numbers racket -- probably using his record label offices / studio as a front.

The very same thing went on in Cleveland -- Way Out Records there came about the closest to becoming the established label from the city & their studio was really more of a front for 'number runners' than for recording acts. Way Out's owners kept their studio very busy -- they recorded around 10 tracks for every one that got released. The constant flow of singers, groups, musicians, pluggers in & out of the studio / office building helped 'hide' the many numbers runners also coming in & out. 

A few ballads on this one from January, 1966... 

Kenny Gamble's  rare 45 in this 1965 chart...

 

Another radio DJ's chart from the Michigan Chronicle - August 1962...

.

This one is from February 1960 and has the Distants' 45 "Come On"...

 

Matt Lucas and the Jackie & The Tonettes get mentioned on this WGPR chart (Detroit) dated Jan. 1966....

11 hours ago, Roburt said:

 

Here's an ad for when Watts Club Mozambique open in 1969... 

 

 

2 hours ago, Roburt said:

It's interesting that Ed Wingate was running a numbers racket -- probably using his record label offices / studio as a front... 

No - Mr Wingate used his house on Buena Vista as his base. He was Detroit's main numbers guy and was loaded long before he started Golden World. The recording company was more like a hobby for him. The police didn't care, but the Feds did and his brother did time for it.

 

 

A Philly chart from station WHAT dated 1967.

It's one of many I sold years ago on eBay - hence the piece of brown paper.

Note that Edward Hamilton is that week's 'pick' : 

 

A 1967 chart from WWRL...

And a 1966 from Baltimore station WWIN

Here are some more that I found on eBay...

 

 

Got the WHAT & WINN ones ... have to check if I have the WWRL one.

I love old US black radio stn charts ... so many obscure 45 tracks on many of them back in the 60's.

...  The top 60's DJ on Philly based WHAT passed away just over 4 months ago  ...  

Edited June 5, 20231 yr by Roburt

Here's a WWRL survey from July 21, 1966 with DJ Frankie "Ton Of Dynamite" Crocker. It's interesting that Patrice Holloway's "Stolen Hours " was "On The Move" when the trades and other stations went with the A (?) side "Lucky My Boy" .-

Edited June 5, 20231 yr by The Yank

Fascinating stuff, especially the Detroit 60s charts. It must have been amazing to hear records from all these small labels, just shows that the old line that these records disappeared without trace is way out.

In 1976 I spent three weeks travelling from NY to Florida with Terry Thomas (Mr Tee of Kidderminster). These photos are of a radio station we got to go round ( Terry would just go in anywhere and ask, not always successfully, to be shown round). We got to meet a DJ during his show but I don't remember who or what the format was, probably soul/RnB, it would be nice to see a chart of what the station played. What I do remember is that all the singles were unsleeved on the desk with back ups hung on wooden dowels fixed to the wall. There is a WPDQ in Jacksonville so it could be that one but it is now a sports radio station.

A year before this I was working in Philly and tried to listen to the local radio stations. The playlists seemed to be mainstream hits from the major artists and labels with almost nothing from small indie labels. One title that was getting a lot of plays was Fat Larry Band's -Centre City. Ian Levine started playing this at The Mecca but it must have been at least six weeks after I'd heard it in the US. Perhaps it was a local Philly hit before going national and then making it's way over here.

9 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

 

In 1976 I spent three weeks travelling from NY to Florida with Terry Thomas (Mr Tee of Kidderminster). These photos are of a radio station we got to go round ( Terry would just go in anywhere and ask, not always successfully, to be shown round). We got to meet a DJ during his show but I don't remember who or what the format was, probably soul/RnB, it would be nice to see a chart of what the station played. 

 One title that was getting a lot of plays was Fat Larry Band's -Centre City. Ian Levine started playing this at The Mecca but it must have been at least six weeks after I'd heard it in the US. Perhaps it was a local Philly hit before going national and then making it's way over here.

I'll start with the Fat Larry Band's track. Yes, it would have been a Philly radio hit initially. Years later, I was taken around lots of Vegas music rooms by Lou Ragland to meet the acts performing live. One act I hit it off with was a 4 / 5 strong group in a small casino next to New York, New York (<< where the Motown Cafe was based back then). Can't remember the name of the group but they were good live (have a video of them here somewhere & they have been mentioned on here before). Anyway, being a Brit I asked if they'd recorded as that was how their name would become known outside of Vegas. They said NO, coz you always get ripped off when recording. Then their singer chipped in ... "I was the lead vocalist on "Centre City" he said but didn't stay with Fay Larry coz of a dispute ... STRANGE OLD WORLD.  

WPDQ .... it was more usually a pop stn but went R&B by the 80's ...

they did play lots of soul in the 70's though ... 

 

Edited June 6, 20231 yr by Roburt

WPDQ were tipping a Jonathan King 45 in late 72, no accounting for taste I guess. They were still pop in 74 as were spinning a James Taylor track. Still pop / rock in early / mid 75 as they were playing tracks by Kraftwerk & UK rockers Yes. They switched formats in summer 75. By 1976 / 77 / 78 / 79, they'd seen the writing on the wall and were then tipping 45's by the likes of the Dramatics, Ashford & Simpson, David Oliver & Platypus. The Billboard report (below) seems to be wrong as WPDQ was still going strong in the late 70's & 80's.

By 85 it seems they were well established as a R&B stn and getting a 45 played by them was influencing other similar stns to playlist them also (so the stn seemed to be a trendsetter).

Edited June 6, 20231 yr by Roburt

Owned by Chess; run by THE GOOD GUYS ...

E Rodney Jones was one of the good guys ...

he had a few records credited to him; which no doubt he used (at various times) as his WVON show theme tune. His was the voice used (as that of a radio DJ) in the film MAHOGANY ... 

 

Edited June 10, 20231 yr by Roburt

Speaking of WVON, Don Cornelius delivered the news on the station before his  moving on to "Soul Train" - 

Hi was very interested in the article of radio stations USA. Does anyone out there have any old recordings of a show that was aired on Radio One on a Saturday night between FIVE and SIX THIRTY presented by DAVE SIMMONS this was in the early seventies and lasted for around FOUR years. Anybody that's got any tapes I would dearly like copies of those shows. Hope you can help. Cheers.

Record companies always knew the power that radio stns had on their sales market ...

so lots would 'butter them up' by giving promo / plugging jobs to radio DJ's or by sending their acts to play free live gigs on radio DJ promoted events.

Baltimore was always considered an influential market in black music circles -- some 45's were even test released just in Baltimore initially (if the 45 didn't take off there, then it wouldn't get a national release).

The 'Music That's Made It' WSID ad shows the changes by around 1973 -- in the 60's, many black  stns were driving the market forward; spinning new unknown tracks & breaking them to record buyers -- by the mid 70's, they were almost exclusively following trends and just concentrating on spinning the hits. 

  

Edited June 17, 20231 yr by Roburt

A couple of books that may be of interest...

2 or 3 decent books on black radio & it's decline too.

 

WJMO --- JULY 67 ... AND IN AT #30 is ....

 

1 hour ago, Roburt said:

WJMO --- JULY 67 ... AND IN AT #30 is ....

 

Soul Action with Jimmy Connell on Gemini, Jackie Higher, Norma Jenkins on Carnival, Syl Johnson Sock it to me, Lou Ragland on Amy, The Cruisers on Gamble, Jive Five cryin', The Epitome of Sounds, Lewis Clark on Brent, Sam & Bill on Decca, Jimmy Holiday on Minit, Otis Clay magistral that's how it is, Jimmy Bee overlooks GEM and Marshall and the Chilites price of love ! What-a-week !!!

"You Don't Love Me" was also doing well on WJLB (#27) -

1 hour ago, The Yank said:

"You Don't Love Me" was also doing well on WJLB (#27) -

Is the Buddy Lamp disc at 22 a typo?

I also thought the Jimmy Delphs' 45 (Almost) was released in May 1968... nearly a year later. Unless this was a demo and the disc got shelved. Anyone here know/comment?

Edited June 20, 20231 yr by G F
extra

35 minutes ago, G F said:

Is the Buddy Lamp disc at 22 a typo?

I also thought the Jimmy Delphs' 45 (Almost) was released in May 1968... nearly a year later. Unless this was a demo and the disc got shelved. Anyone here know/comment?

Overlooked it at first but paying attention again at it yes you're right 'save your love' on Wee 3 ! That does not exists. On Wheelsville yes. Or it's flip side 'confusion' (very suiting here) was also re-issued later on the Wee 3 label but not 'save your love'...

Jimmy Delphi would be on Carla at that time. The Karen was re-issued ten months later but stuck on the flip side of his then new hit 'don't sign the papers' as credited on this most visionary or premonitory chart on Ollie McLaughlin sister label Karen. 

Edited June 20, 20231 yr by Tlscapital

From the above 2 charts it's plain to see that black radio was still giving just about every 'decent' 45 a fair crack of the whip in 67.

By 73/74, unless your 45 was on a 'big label' it stood little chance of getting radio exposure.

Many soul acts were ripped off with regard to record royalties but still signed deals & cut stuff to go on 45 ... that's coz a chart placed 45 would result in lots of extra bookings for higher fees & so having a successful single would result in them earning more from their live work. If their 45 charted on a stn from another city, then they'd get bookings over there too. Other acts were much more 'once bitten, twice shy' about such things. Having been ripped off by their initial record label, they'd show little or no interest in signing with a 2nd record company. 

Many, who took the 2nd option (not recording), were shocked when I'd say to them ... BUT you were good, you should have recorded more. Then your group would probably be known by soul single collectors around the world & not just by club goers in your home city.  

Edited June 20, 20231 yr by Roburt

A 1972 chart from Nashville's WVOL ... not too many obscure things on this listing ...

BTW, this was the stn that Billy Sha-Rae went to be a DJ on in the 70's (not sure he was with the stn as early as 72 ... unless he's the guy calling himself 7th son) ... 

On 30/05/2023 at 12:16, Roburt said:

Here's 3 1970's charts from KSOL .... or K-SOUL as I think the stn's DJ's dubbed it.

I think this Station put out Soul complation Lp’s or Radio Lp's if you want to callthem that,  the label was ‘Blue Soul’ if I remember right...

Edited June 20, 20231 yr by Mal C

There was the Blue Soul label and also an album on KSOL. The KSOL version was released on yellow and black vinyl.