WELCOME TO JIM ROSE REMEMBERS RADIO
March 17, 2008 [Monday]
Issue #478

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ALL THE NEWS THAT IS NEWS

R.I.P. BYRD BURTON
Highly talented guitarist Barry Byrd Burton whose work graces many Country & Pop Classics dies at 61 on Monday, March 10, 2008 at Vanderbilt Medical Center after a long fight with leukemia. We fondly remember his guitar on the Amazing Rhythm Aces' hit Third Rate Romance and Don Williams' Tulsa Time. Barry picks on records by Brooks & Dunn, Dan Fogelberg, Dolly Parton, Nanci Griffith and many others. His guitar licks appear on Emmylou Harris' Cimarron, The Oak Ridge Boys' Fancy Free, Don Williams' Expressions and Nanci Griffith's Late Night Grand Hotel albums. Motown bass player Bob Babbitt moves to Nashville and works with Burton: In the studio, he was so easy to get along with. He came in knowing the song, and he was great at writing out the charts. He took care of business. And then he sat down and played his butt off. Barry leaves his sister, Luan Smathers; son, Rick Burton; wife, Bonnie of Rogersville, TN; 2 granddaughters, Misty Burton of Knoxville & Kristy Burton of Indianapolis and niece, Tara Harrell.

METALLICA GOES VINYL
Rock group Metallica rejoins as a live band on May 28, 2008 in Poland. We need to dig out our record players because Metallica returns to the past with re-issues of their old albums on brand new vinyl records. Remember LP records? Good news for us Oldies fans because even if we do have the original vinyl LPs, the new batch is different. There are 2 versions, one just like the original on a single disc at 33 1/3; the other is a two disc, 180 gram vinyl, 45 rpm package all in a double gatefold. The cuts Master & Justice arrive on vinyl in June 2008.

FABRIS GIOVANNI LUCA (Italy) plcpf@tin.it Subject: Red Smith. Hi Jim this is Fabris G. Luca, Italy, still researching on Elvis early days and DJ Red Smith. I now know Red Smith worked for KLLL Lubbock in 1958. Any connection there or someone who worked there in 1958 who might remember this guy and his real name? Thanks, Luca

GARY ALLYN (San Diego, CA) Hi again, Jim. I was saddened to learn of Ken Carter's passing. I had the pleasure of working with Ken at KONO in the 60's. He was a handsome "man's man" with a big voice. He was terrific in the production room, and women listeners were attracted to his warm approach on the air. My sincere condolences to his friends and family. On another note, it was good to see Nick St. John's memo to JRRR. Funny, Nick, I thought it was YOU who had disappeared! Sometime Nick, you'll have to share your account of the infamous story of when you and Lee "Baby" Simms were riding in your Corvette late one night, and managed to run through a fence and front yard of the home of the President of Pearl Brewery. I know Lee gave a full account of the "accident" on the airthe next day...which led to a meeting with Lee, Jack Roth (KONO owner) and me. I never quite heard your side of the incident. I chuckle quietly to myself whenever I think of it. Jack Roth may have been amused, but he didn't seem so that day. I'm sure his thoughts were of possibly losing one of KONO's biggest annual sales contracts. Jimbo...the site is getting better every day. All the best. Gary Allyn

NICK ST. JOHN (San Antonio, TX) yes, Jim, please send me Liz's email address. I'll also pass the info along to Sam Kendrick...he's in touch a number of ex-San Antonio jocks...like Ron Houston and a few others. Maybe we can have a great turn-out for the San Antonio DJ Reunion Luncheon. ~Nick

PAUL KELLY (Hemet-San Jacinto, CA) I was at KOGT in Orange...then KBMT in Beaumont before coming to San Antone. But you are correct in thinking that. I guess that comes from so many years on the air, and then having to change a career. But we all knew Radio was just a temporary thing. For most of us it seemed like a career then BOOM some new owner, or PD from somewhere else comes in and cleans house! It has happened oh so many times to me and to many I have known. The only exempt air staff were either related to the owner, a pet of some high paying sponsor, or if he had the Hooper, or Pulse, or, some other rating service in higher numbers than the competing station. But woe be it to him that dropped The Arbitron numbers. I flew high for a while here in Hemet/San Jacinto even competing with the big FM's out of Los Angeles..I had so much higher numbers than even the Big Guns..but with a unique format and my own style of delivery it paid off. Then the owner sold out to a Mexican network based in Mexico City, and the format changed overnight to Spanish. Making three of the four stations in the area all Spanish Speaking. Then the fourth moved South of here to Temecula...But to continue to speak to the real issue you bring up Jim, it has, always has, and probably always will be. But that is the nature of the business, and the minute we had all realized it, we became old dinosaurs of the electronic miracle of radio. I got out for a few years, then the old calling came back along with the opportunity, and I went back into it. Not the same as before, and it was as you so aptly put it a tad disillusioning. But I poured my heart and soul into it, and became almost al popular as I was in San Antone, but this time using my real name. But then I had to teach a crew from Mexico how to run our board, and take readings, etc. And I was off to the retired old jock home again. Sure I miss radio, but with the advent of XM, and Sirius satellite radio, the good old terrestrial stations are just going by the wayside. Even the big FM's are switching to all talk formats as did the big guns of the AM side did with the advent of FM. So all in all we call it progress, and it will always be just that. I wonder though what will come along to replace XM??? With all the ipods, and music downloads, we won't need any radio of any kind. For example I have XM in both cars, and XM at home, and in addition I have 30 or more music channels on my Time Warner Cable. Plus I have over 58,000 songs on my computer hard drive. Every top hit from 1928 through 2001. But will I ever have the chance to listen to all 3,248 hours of this??? I think not! Well any way Jim I know you have to get back to JRRR, which I enjoy immensely especially the reminders to get it from the web site. It is almost like going down to the corner to pick up my morning newspaper. Newspaper???? Yeah they still exist, although they like AM, and soon FM radio will just be like the old soldiers MacArthur talked about they will just fade away. Paul Kelly-Bill Hoadley

MOSES DRUXMAN (DFW-Azle, TX) Mr. Rose this is Moses Druxman, Cal Druxman's grandson. I was wondering if you had any stories about my grandfather, you wouldn’t mind sharing with me? Moses Druxman

CALVIN H.  DRUXMAN is the very best radio GM and friend that I ever have in radio. In 1966, Cal hires me to be PD/MD/DJ of KHFI FM in Austin, TX. He always has a pleasant smile on his face and a great sense of humor. We work together at two other radio stations, too. In 1973, I move to Ft. Worth to be the all night DJ on Top 40 KFJZ-1270. Cal is GM of Pop Standards KJIM-870. He hires me to be the PM Drive DJ. KFJZ's PD Ray Potter, who is another good radio person, says it's OK with him but have to use another air name. Am Jim Rose all over Texas for years, plus that's my real name and do not really want to use any other name on the air. About 5 minutes before I go on the air, Cal sticks his head out of his office and says Do you have a new name yet? Tell him No. Cal says How about JIM NELSON? So that's my air name on KJIM. In 1974, KFJZ moves me to the 9am-noon DJ spot which means that I have to reluctantly quit KJIM. Hate badly to do that because Cal is such a wonderful friend. In 1975, I move over to Top 40 KXOL-1360 as MD/DJ. Cal joins us in the sales department. So we're back together again. On KXOL, I perform several different DJ shifts. One of them is 6-10pm. Cal sells a remote broadcast for my show at a converted bowling alley. Its new life is as a teen game center with all kinds of electronic games. Cal stays right there with me. The place overfills with kids. It is jam-packed elbow-to-elbow. Security has to put a rope around my DJ booth because kids knock the needle off records as they play on the air. Cal sits in a chair on my right side and we have an absolute blast. He cannot believe how many kids show up because of my live broadcast. Two young girls who sit on a ledge above us keep reaching down to play with my hair which is a little bit long at the time. Cannot say enough nice things about Cal Druxman. He is truly a fine gentleman. Sadly he dies in the mid 1980s. Ray Potter also is no longer with us. Brings tears to my eyes right now as I remember the good times we have. Two of the best folks I ever encounter in a long radio journey that takes me all across Texas. 

RICHARD HARRIS (October 1, 1930-October 25, 2002) I often sit back and think, I wish I'd done that, and find out later that I already have.

Jim Rose and Tejas
Houston, Texas
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