Radio ... and Me -11

Local small-market radio stations could not ignore the rising tide of rock ‘n’ roll music, so they began taking their first, tentative steps to present the new sounds. And, with that, came a new crop of radio announcers, now called ‘disc jockeys.’
On the local stations which I listened to, country music still ruled in the mornings, with orchestra, Broadway or ‘standards’ played through the ‘homemaker’ shows and afternoons. So, rock ‘n’ roll was introduced usually during the ‘after-school’ periods. Saturday and Sunday afternoons sometimes featured a ‘Top Ten of the Week’ program.
Imagine listening all day to back-to-back programs of standards, or music from the latest movies or Broadway shows, presented by smooth-talking announcers in an easy style.
This was followed, after the news, of course, by a loose mix of these musical styles:
-- from rockabilly, Jerry Lee Lewis, singing / playing such hits as, Whole Lotta Shakin Goin’ On, Great Balls of Fire, with frenetic beats and wild piano riffs;
-- from ‘rhythm and blues,’ Little Richard, belting out Good Golly, Miss Molly, with screeching vocals; the Platters, crooning Twilight Time, and Fats Domino’s updated version of the standard,Blueberry Hill;
-- from country, the Everly Brothers, Bye-Bye Love, and All I Have to Do is Dream, or Buddy Holly’s That’ll Be the Day, and Peggy Sue;
-- from standards, Canada’s Paul Anka, singing such ballads as Diana or Puppy Love.
To get the right presentation, the stations would usually hire a young announcer with a deep voice, who had to come up with some patter to go with the music, such as requests / dedications, or promos for ‘record hops,’ hosted by ... you guessed it, our young dee-jay friend. (And, please note, dear reader, that his was a male-only job; women did not begin to play rock 'n' roll on radio for another 10-plus years!)
He would also be expected to ‘run a tight board,’ radio talk for operating all the technical gear, while avoiding even a brief silence ... the dreaded, 'dead air' ... between the elements of a program: records, station promos, jingles, live or recorded commercials, or remotes or news / sports reports.
It also meant hard work and long shifts, but many of the greatest radio voices of the next decades would relate stories of their humble beginnings at small local stations.
I know about that, first-hand; I have met, worked with and LEARNED FROM some of the best in the business.