Norm Nathan, 1926-1996

[Dan Strassberg]

Norm was on WMEX before I got to Boston (1956) and on the station again
sometime in the 80s when it had a nostalgia format and the calls were (I
believe) WMRE. Bill Marlowe did a show at the station concurrently with
Norm. On the air on WBZ, Norm would often tell stories about his days as a
young announcer at the original WMEX--though, of course, he didn't mention
the calls. Norm may also have worked briefly at WESX, although I have no
proof of that. If he did so, it was probably either before WMEX or between
WMEX and WHDH. I would think that research could locate the year in which
Norm first appeared on WHDH (Donna?). I don't think he started there doing
Sounds in the Night, although I think that he was either doing the show in
June 1956 when I arrived in Boston or started it very shortly afterward.

Having come to Boston from New York's Capital District, I was intrigued by
the fact that, in the overnights (and I think this was true even in the
early days of Norm's tenure on Sounds in the Night), WHDH used the same
jingle package that WTRY used in the same time period--although the vocals
were customized to the different stations. (IIRC, one jingle began with "In
the dark of night/when the stars are bright/and the old dog howls at the
moon...") I had a friend who worked at a recording studio in the basement of
the Brill Building in Times Sq (the Brill Building was considered the center
of Tin Pan Alley) and, while visiting the studio, I had heard vocals being
recorded for packages from what probably was the same producer. I didn't
hear the WHDH or WTRY packages being recorded, but I did hear Ginny Gibson
and a vocal group record a package for WMPS Memphis. Later the same
instrumental tracks (which had already been recorded prior to the session at
which I was present) but with different vocals appeared on co-owned (Plough)
WCOP.

I am a little skeptical about the year of Norm's birth (1926) mentioned in
Scott's posting. I think Norm was in his mid-seventies at the time of his
death in 1996. That would mean he was born around 1921. (Donna? again...)

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Q. George" <radiojunkie3@yahoo.com>
To: "SteveOrdinetz" <hykker@grolen.com>;
<boston-radio-interest@rolinin.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 7:00 AM
Subject: Re: Norm Nathan, 1926-1996


> Oh, yes.... Norm did "the rounds" in Boston radio.  In
> addition to his days at the old WHDH (AM 850/FM 94.5),
> Norm also worked at WCVB-TV, WBMS/WHEE (now WILD), All
> News WEEI (590), WRKO (and there might a few more
> here) and finally at WBZ.  It was truly an honor to
> meet Norm while doing a taping of WJIB's "Let's Talk
> About Radio" (with our fellow radio enthusiasts Scott
> Fybush, Bob Bittner and crew) .  He was very friendly,
> down-to-earth and truly a gentleman in EVERY sense of
> the word.  They definitely don't make many of them
> like that, anymore... (sigh).
>
>
> --- SteveOrdinetz <hykker@grolen.com> wrote:
>
> > At 04:15 PM 10/29/2006, Scott Fybush wrote:
> > >The only thing I'd add in 2006 is that I'm proud of
> > my alma mater
> > >for keeping Norm's old timeslot live, local and in
> > the same light
> > >spirit with which Norm conducted his show. I know
> > he'd be proud of
> > >what Steve Leveille and Jordan Rich are doing all
> > night long on 1030.
> >
> >
> > I didn't realize Norm worked at WBZ...I always
> > associate him with
> > overnights on the old WHDH.
> >
> >
>
>
> Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
> Whitman, Massachusetts
>                            "Scanning the bands since 1967"
> radiojunkie1@yahoo.com
> radiojunkie3@yahoo.com
> ***********************************************************
>
>
>
>
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