Rock Radio Heaven (U-V-W)
TOMMY VANCE
Born: July 11, 1941, Oxford, England
Died: March 6, 2005, Dartford, England
Also known as: His birth name was Richard Anthony Crispian Francis Prew Hope-Weston; called himself Rick West on-air when he first arrived in the U.S.
Stations: KOL Seattle, KHJ Los Angeles, Radio London, Radio Caroline, Radio Luxembourg, BBC Radio 1, Capitol Radio, Greater London Radio (GLR), Virgin Radio, VH-1 in the U.K.
Notes: Got his air name at KOL after taking the Tommy Vance name that had been intended for another jock. Interviewed an estimated 10,000 guests in his career, including Prince Charles and the Rolling Stones. Died of a heart attack.
LONG JOHN WADE
Died: May 15, 2005, Cape Cod, Mass.
Also known as: The Love Leader, His birth name was Carl Wehde
Stations: WDRC Hartford, WFIL, WIBG, WIFI, WCAU Philadelphia, WSPR-AM Springfield, Mass., WHIL Medford, Mass., WAAB Worcester, Mass., WHAV Haverville, Mass., WORL, WTAO Boston, WCBS-AM New York
Notes: Was the only deejay to accompany the Beatles for their entire 1964 tour, some 35 days, 26 cities and 15,000 miles. His brother, Don Wade, worked at WDRC at the same time he did. Ran the American Academy of Broadcasting from 1970 to 1979. Was Jerry Blavat's announcer on his syndicated TV show. Gave up his school and broadcasting after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Settled in Cape Cod in 1993 but suffered a stroke in 1995 which left with speech problems and loss of the use of his right hand. Died of heart failure at the age of 66.
JACK WALKER
Also known as: The Pear Shape
Stations: WADO, WLIB New York
Notes: Shot to death in 1970.
GLENN WALTERS
Born: 1937
Died: December 9, 1999, Thunder Bay, Ont.
Also known as: Big G
Stations: CKEY, CKFH, CFTR Toronto; CJLB Thunder Bay, Ont.
Notes: Did "The Whole Bag" show at CKFH, one of Canada's first progressive rock radio shows. Worked in 14 radio markets during 40-year career, including New York, Los Angeles and Honolulu. Nickname "Big G" came from General Foods, a sponsor of one of his early shows. Had voice part in the movie "Jaws". Died at age 62.
BILL WARD
Born: January 29, 1930, Italy, Texas
Died: July 30, 2004, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Also known as: Birth name was Billy John Wardlaw, Nickname was "Butch"
Stations: KBEC Waxahachie, Tex., WAKY Louisville, Ky., WRR Arlington, Tex., WPKO Providence, R.I., WPLO Atlanta, KBOX Dallas, KBLA-KBBQ, KRLA, KLAC, KMPC, KUTE-KMPC/FM-KEDG-KLIT-KSCA Los Angeles
Notes: Started in radio at age 15 in Waxahachi, Tex., near his hometown. Programmed WPLO and KBOX. Also programmed KBLA, helping that station transition to a country format as KBBQ. Later became station manager at KBBQ, then at KLAC and went on to become executive VP and then president of Metromedia. Left Metromedia in the early '80s to become president of Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters, where he became VP-GM of KMPC. In 1985, Ward bought KUTE for Golden West and a few call-letter changes later it became the first AAA station in Los Angeles as KSCA. Ward retired after the station was sold in 1997 and made into a Spanish-language station. Died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 65.
EARL WARREN
Born: October 10, 1933, Regina
Died: October 19, 2002, Toronto
Also known as: Birth name was Earl Warren Segal
Stations: CKCK Regina, CKY, CJOB Winnipeg, CFRN Edmonton, CFRB Toronto, CING-FM Burlington, Ont., CHWO Oakville, Ont.
Notes: His midday program "The House of Warren" was an institution at CFRB for 22 years. Spent 52 years in broadcasting. Died of cancer.
ALLAN WATERS
Born: August 21, 1921, Toronto
Died: December 2, 2005, Toronto
Stations: Best known for making CHUM Toronto the first 24-hour Top 40 station in Canada.
Notes: Waters was selling patent medicine in 1954 when his boss offered to sell one of his properties to him. The property he wound up with was CHUM, a low-rated dawn-to-dusk station that didn't seem to have much of a future. Under Waters leadership, CHUM became one of the leading Top 40 stations of all time, and CHUM Limited became one of Canada's leading broadcasting companies.
BOBBY WAYNE
Died: 1990
Also known as: Wizard, as in Wizard Bobby Wayne; Birth name was Wayne Satterfield.
Stations: WITH Baltimore, WGKV Charleston, W. Va., WWHY Huntington, W. Va, WSAI Cincinnati, KDWB Minneapolis, KCBQ San Diego, WUBE Cincinnati, WCBS-FM, WYNY, WHN New York, WSRZ, WAMR Sarasota, Fla.
HAL WEAVER
Died: December 31, 1971, Surrey, B.C.
Also known as: Birth name was Harold Douglas Weaver
Stations: CKRD Red Deer, Alta., CJCA Edmonton, CHLO London, Ont., CKOC Hamilton, Ont., CHUM Toronto, CFUN-CKVN, CJOR Vancouver
Notes: One of the many notable afternoon drive men CKOC has had (others include Roger Ashby, Dave Charles, Dave Smith and Jason Farr.) Died of cancer at age 28.
GENE WEED
Born: April 12, 1935
Died: August 5, 1999
Nickname: "The Weedy One"
Stations: KFWB, KLAC, Los Angeles, WQAM Miami, Armed Forces Radio, also worked in Texas and Omaha radio
Notes: Did last music show on KFWB on March 10, 1968. Voted top all-night deejay by Billboard Magazine in 1966. Produced "song films" well before they became popularily known as "music videos". Also produced many television programs, including the Golden Globe Awards. Died of lung cancer.
WEIRD BEARD
Died: November 22, 1995, Pewee Valley, Ky.
Also known as: Birth name was Carl Burton Markert
Stations: WPDF Coryton, Ind., WINN, WAKY Louisville, WBBF Rochester, N.Y.
Notes: Diagnosed with MS as a young man, but that did not stop from from becoming a great career in broadcasting and law enforcement. Went into law enforcement with the Rochester Police Department after his stay as PD at WBBF. Sometimes played his father's old bugle on the air. Died of complications due to MS.
BOB WELLS
Died: December 7, 1989
Stations: WEBR, WGR, WKBW-TV, WGR-TV Buffalo, N.Y., WBTA Batavia, N.Y.
Notes: Did famous Saturday morning "Hi-Teen Show" in the fifties; some say it was a forerunner to American Bandstand. Did "Pick-a-Polka" show on WGR-TV in 1950s. The Niagara Falls, N.Y.-native died at age 68.
DARYL WELLS
Born: December 10, 1922, Victoria, B.C.
Died: December 12, 2003, Niagara Falls, Ont.
Also known as: Birth name was Daryl Wille
Stations: CHML, CHCH-TV Hamilton, Ont., CFRB Toronto
Notes: Best-known as the "Voice of Racing" at Woodbine and Fort Erie race tracks in southern Ontario from 1956-1986. Worked as a deejay, sportscaster, big-band announcer and host of "Bandstand"-style TV show from Hamilton, Ont., in late '50s. Was voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (football) and Hamilton Red Wings (hockey). Son Daryl, Jr., followed in his footsteps as a track announcer. Died of heart disease.
CACTUS JACK WELLS
Died: 1999
Stations: CKY Winnipeg
Notes: Did mornings at CKY. Father of TSN's John Wells.
KENNY WELLS
Died: May 25, 2003
Stations: CKFH Toronto, CING-FM Burlington, Ont.
Notes: Wells was part of the first year rock lineup of a CKFH, part of an on-air staff that included Tom Fulton, Big G. Walters, Norman B., and Mike Williams, also deceased. Died in boating accident near Honey Harbour, Ont.
MARK WHEELER
Died: October 28, 2001
Stations: WONN Lakeland, Fla., WLCY, WINQ Tampa Bay, Fla., WYSE-WWAB Lakeland, Fla.
Notes: Started in radio at age 14 in Rock City, S.C., His great voice enabled him to do much production work on his side with his company Wheeler Productions. Was PD and air personality at both WYSE-WWAB and WONN. Operations director at WLCY. Died in his sleep of a massive heart attack.
BIG JIM WILLIAMS
Died: 1974
Stations: KDKA, KDKA-TV, WWSW Pittsburgh
Notes: Originally from Uniontown, Pa. Williams did weekly countdown show on Monday nights during his 1960-69 stay at KDKA. He did the last-ever all-night music show at KDKA in the summer of 1969. After leaving KDKA, Williams managed an ice cream parlour in the South Hills section of Pittsburgh. Died of a heart attack at the age of 51.
MIKE WILLIAMS
Born: 1941
Died: December 30, 1985
Also known as: Mysterious Mike Williams; Birth name was Ken Clarke which he used at CJSB.
Stations: CKFH Toronto, CFOX, CKGM, CJAD Montreal, CJED Edmonton, CJSB Ottawa
Notes: Originally from the Vancouver area. His brother is Terry Clarke, jazz drummer with the Jim Hall Trio and Oscar Peterson among others. Williams was killed in an auto accident while driving between Ottawa and Montreal on December 30, 1985.
NAT D. WILLIAMS
Born: October 19, 1907
Died: October 27, 1983
Stations: WDIA Memphis
Notes: Williams broke the colour barrier in the south with his "Tan Town Jubilee" program on WDIA from 1948 to 1972. For more on Williams, click here.
BIG WILSON
Died: October, 1989, Selma, S.C.
Also known as: Birth name was Malcolm John Wilson, Jr.
Stations: WNEW-AM, WNBC, WHN New York, WKAY, WIOD, WCIX-TV Miami, KYW Cleveland (among others)
Notes: Spent 11 years at WNBC before leaving in 1974. TV voice of the PBS program Star Hustler. Was a movie host at WCIX-TV. Was 6 feet, six inches tall and weighed over 300 pounds. Died on 65th birthday.
GERRY WILSON
Died: June, 1998
Stations: CKFH, CJCL Toronto
Notes: Producer at CKFH during its glory years as a rock station and thereafter. Produced Toronto Maple Leaf and Toronto Blue Jay broadcasts for years. Of trivial importance is the fact that he hired this site's webmaster for his first radio job in 1974. Died of cancer in June, 1998.
LARRY WILSON
Died: January 5, 1997
Stations: CHUM, CHUM-FM Toronto
Notes: Wilson worked as a newsman deejay at both CHUM and CHUM-FM and also did sports at CHUM. Broke news of John Lennon's death on CHUM-FM. Left radio and moved to Dominican Republic after three decades at CHUM.
VERNON WINSLOW
Born: April 1, 1911
Died: December 13, 1993
Stations: WJMR, WYLD, WMRY, WWEZ, WJBW New Orleans
Notes: Doctor Daddy O; wrote column under the name Poppa Stoppa and tutored many white deejays who used the Poppa Stoppa nickname. Was fired from WJMR for talking into the mic when a white deejay was a no-show. He then moved to WWEZ, but had ride freight train to the studios because of his colour. Billed as "New Orleans First Coloured Disc Jockey". His show - called Jivin' with Jax (it was sponsored by Jax beer) - was the top-rated in New Orleans. Taught art at the Chicago Art Institute prior to moving to New Orleans.
JACK WINTER
Died: April 7, 2004, Toronto
Stations: CKFH Toronto
Notes: Was music director at 'FH in the 1970s, during that station's oldies and country formats. Died of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
BILL WINTERS
Died: November 27, 1975
Stations: WCEC, WFMA, WEED Rocky Mountain, N.C., WGAI Elizabeth City, N.C., WFBS Spring Lake, N.C., WHAP Hopewell, Va., WLCY, WALT Tampa, Fla., WQAM Miami, KYW, WKYC Cleveland, WIBG Philadelphia, CKLW Windsor, Ont., WCBS-FM New York, WPOP Hartford, WCAO Baltimore, WBZ Boston
Notes: While at WPOP in the late '60s, had that station's highest-ratings for the morning. Was CKLW morning man in the early '70s.
JIM WOOD
Born: 1932, Tyler, Tex.
Died: 1990
Also known as: Big Jim Wood; The Vanilla Gorilla
Stations: KBLA, KGFJ, KRLA, KFFJ, KROQ Los Angeles, XEPRS Mexico, KILT Houston, WIBG Philadelphia, KONO San Antonio
Notes: Won Billboard's Leading Soul Music Air Personality in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Was dubbed the "Vanilla Gorilla" when he was one of only two white d.j.'s on r&b KGFJ. Worked as a security guard after his radio days. Died of complications from emphysema. He was 58.
GEORGIE WOODS
Born: May 11, 1927, Georgia
Died: June 18, 2005, Boynton Beach, Fla.
Also known as: The Guy with the Goods, The Man with the Goods
Stations worked at: WWRL New York, WHAT, WDAS, WPGR, WPHL-TV, WIBF-TV Philadelphia
Notes: Spent more than 40 years on the air. Hosted TV dance show in the '60s. Made the Philadelphia charts in the 1960's with "Potato Salad", a novelty song about his on-air patter. Gave Jerry Butler his nickname "The Ice Man" (because he was so cool on stage) and in 1964 coined the phrase "blue-eyed soul" in reference to the Righteous Brothers. Program director at WDAS. Inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2005. Was a prominent voice in the U.S. civil rights movement. Participated in civil rights marches on Selma, Ala., and Washington, D.C. The City of Philadelphia declared May 14, 1993 "Georgie Woods Day". Died of an apparent heart attack.
DON WRIGHT
Died: June 1, 1997
Also known as: Dandy
Stations: WMJX, WFUN, Miami, WRMF West Palm Beach, Fla.
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