So the other day Facebook and No Depression friend Ed Maxim mentioned growing up in Philly and listening to Ed Sciaky well that got me thinking about those early days of Philadelphia FM Radio. We all grew up in the early 60s listening to WFIL and WIBG and then on April 29, 1968 Philadelphia Radio changed forever when at 10:00 pm we heard for the first time The Beatles “Flying” with the voice over:”Arise my heart, and fill your voice with music. For he who shares not dawn with his song, is one of the sons of ever darkness”. as the Marconi Experiment with Dave Herman began and as they say the rest is history! Soon from 10:00 to 12:00 at night, we were introduced to Elton John, The Moody Blues, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Also on the fateful day farther done the dial former AM jock and Philadelphia legend Hy Lit was starting Hyski’s Underground for 3:00 pm to 6:00 am at WDAS-FM. Hy Lit had convinced station owner Max Leon, a former candy manufacturer, that free-form was the next big thing.
“I remember being a teenager listening to Hyski’s Underground in my darkroom,” says DJ John Harvey. “You’d hear Thunderclap Newman, The Band, Janis. They’d do these spacey sort of promos in between. It was hipper and trippier than you could believe.”
What I remember most about WDAS was station owner Max Leon’s son Steve, who went by the name My Father’s Son. Who at one point was told that if he played any more drug songs or talked about drugs he would be fired. Needless to say he wasn’t on the air much longer. According to former DJ Steve Martarano; ”
“He’d do all kinds of wacky stuff on air Hyski couldn’t stand”
Through the years Philly radio personalities like Michael Tearson, David Dye, the aforementioned Ed Sciaky along with Gene Shay have introduced me to a lot of good music as the traveled up and down the Philadelphia Radio dial. (I know I’ve followed Gen Shay from WMMR, to WIOQ, WHYY and maybe some more stops along the way) Of course David Dye is still doing that at WXPN and nationally on NPR with World Cafe and Gene Shay also calls WXPN home with his weekly Folk Show on Sunday nights and also with his syndicated stream of Folk Alley. Michael Tearson can still be heard on WMGK on Saturday mornings and nationally on XMRadio! (I know was excited when Michael walked into the Tin Angel the night we were there to see Ellis Paul as I poked my wife and said there’s Micheal Tearson!). Micheal is still promoting Radio That Doesn’t Suck as a frequent contributor to that site. If you listen to Deep Tracks you’ll often hear a voice from WMMR’s past from Earl Bailey the former news director at “MMR. Pam Merly who was also a fixture on Philly radio for a few years is also on Deep Tracks.
So to all those old Philly DJs Micheal Tearson, T Morgan, Gene Shay, Dave Herman, Ed Sciaky, My Father’s Son, Hy Lit, and many, many more Thanks for some great radio memories and for those of you still going strong keep up the good work! Those were great times for radio and music!
So – Arise my heart, and fill your voice with music. For he who shares not dawn with his song, is one of the sons of ever darkness”.