Joe Smith

Dan Strassberg dan.strassberg@att.net
Sun Jul 2 17:17:01 EDT 2006


He mentioned buying the time for the night show on which he played what were
then called "race" records, later renamed to the more politically correct
rock n' roll. I think his audience, like that of Alan Freed and others in
other markets, consisted primarly of White teens. Smith must have been in
the vanguard of introducing this music, then recorded almost exclusively by
African-American artists, to a White audience.

--
Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@att.net
eFax 707-215-6367

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul B. Currier" <paulcurrier@adelphia.net>
To: "Dan Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>; "Donna Halper"
<dlh@donnahalper.com>; "Boston Radio Interest"
<boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: Joe Smith


> It was WVDA.  I recall an afternoon (2-5?) and evening shift (8-10?) and
> Arnie Ginsburg on WBOS 1600 welcoming "all you Joe Smith listeners" at 10
so
> I guess Arnie began his show at 9 or 9:30.  Great Radio days!!!
>
> Paul
> Sandwich Cape Cod
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>
> To: "Donna Halper" <dlh@donnahalper.com>; "Boston Radio Interest"
> <boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>
> Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 12:41 PM
> Subject: Joe Smith
>
>
> > Early this morning, I happened on Rollye James on WPHT (1210
Philadelphia)
> > doing an interview (apparently live) with long-ago Boston radio
> personaility
> > (and not quite so long ago record-company exec) Joe Smith. Among the
> things
> > I learned is that Smith is a Yale alum. I gather that Smith is about my
> age
> > and is the author of several books about the record business. He sounded
> > just fine. The two Boston stations that James mentioned as places where
> > Smith had worked were WMEX and WILD. I don't recall him on WMEX. What
> years
> > did he work there? Although I DO remember him on 1260, I don't recall
> > whether it was WVDA or WEZE at the time. I suspect, however, that Air
> Trails
> > bought 1260 (ex WNAC) from Vic Diehm--and changed the calls to
> WEZE--before
> > I arrived in Boston around June 1 1956.
> >
> > --
> > Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@att.net
> > eFax 707-215-6367
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>





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