WRTI’s Bob Perkins joined the 2016 Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame class on October 19th. Five of the most outstanding jazz personalities had bronze plaques installed into the Walk of Fame, joining more than 100 others on Broad Street. The Philadelphia Music Alliance announced that in the 30 years of these awards, there has never been an all-jazz class. Check out The Philadelphia Inquirer's October 14th bio of Bob Perkins!
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Along with Bob Perkins, the honorees were organist Joey DeFrancesco, saxophonist Benny Golson, bassist Christian McBride, and the late bassist Jaco Pastorius. The ceremony will include the inductee from earlier in the year, the founding artistic director of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society Anthony Checchia.
WRTI is especially proud of its association with each of these jazz luminaries. DeFrancesco, Golson, McBride, and Pastorius receive lots of airplay on WRTI, of course. Christian McBride is also the host of Jazz Night in America, airing Sundays from 8 to 9 pm on WRTI. Benny Golson swung by the station this past June to be interviewed by WRTI’s Meridee Duddleston. It was a whirlwind day for Golson and WRTI; he was on his book tour on the release of his autobiography Whisper Not and about to meet WRTI’s Jeff Duperon for an interview at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Bob Perkins is known as “BP with the GM,” or “Bob Perkins with the Good Music,” and is a true Philadelphia jazz treasure. After working in a dry cleaners and selling insurance in North Philadelphia, he began his career in radio broadcasting at Detroit’s WGPR in 1964. But he came back to Philadelphia five years later, working for WDAS, WHYY, a cable jazz show, and writing for The Philadelphia Tribune. He joined WRTI in 1997, and holds down Monday to Thursday evenings 6 to 9, and Sundays 9 am to 1 pm.
Bob’s intimate knowledge of the music and musicians is evident every hour he’s on the air. His warm, gentlemanly, and winning personality is no act; generations of music lovers know and love what Bob Perkins means for jazz in Philadelphia.
WRTI salutes BP and the entire 2016 class of Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame honorees. They join jazz giants John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Stanley Clarke, Gerry Mulligan, Grover Washington Jr., and many others. The October 19th induction at the University of the Arts will kick off two days of live music celebrations.