Audio clips of classic Chicago radio! (And sometimes, even classic Chicago TV audio...)
Airchecks, funny bits, vintage moments, songs, jingles, rarities, and so much more!
CHECK BACK OFTEN! NEW audio clips will be added at least once or twice each week!
Please note: The audio quality has been improved as much as possible, but overall quality will vary from recording to recording. Some older recordings may contain weaker audio, minor tape hiss or even vinyl record snaps & pops.
Chicagoland Radio & Media makes no ownership or copyright claims on any of the audio recordings below. Recordings are posted here for entertainment, historical and educational purposes only.
Do you have some classic Chicago-related audio that you would like to share with others here? Please let us know!
Once again, here is that lovable cab driver/doughnut shop owner/used car salesman from the WLUP-FM/WCKG-FM Jonathon Brandmeier showgram: Rana Khan -- best known as Piranha Man from Pakistan! On this audio track from the mid-90s, Piranha Man pays tribute to Whitney Houston (long before it was fashionable to pay tribute to her) by attempting to sing her version of "I Will Always Love You." Caution: Not recommended for those with sensitive eardrums or stomachs... (Running time: 4:32)
This is an aircheck of Rick O'Dell's final moments on the air hosting the possibly last-ever "Smooth Jazz Sunday Brunch" broadcast today on WLFM-LP/Smooth 87.7, which is changing formats tomorrow. (Running time: 2:23)
In the mid-1960s WCFL-AM's Dick Orkin came up with a comedic serial called "Chickenman." In 1971, he created a new serial and character called "The Tooth Fairy," only this time it aired locally on WLS-AM. (It also aired on thousands of other radio stations nationwide.) Well over 300 episodes -- each about 2 to 2.5 minutes in length -- were produced. Here now are three early episodes of "The Secret Adventures of the Tooth Fairy."
This quick audio treat features John Symons and his "Love Notes" program from November 4th, 2004. This was the final night the station was known as WNND-FM/Windy 100. A matter of hours after this signoff of Symons', the station flipped to WILV-FM/100.3 Love FM. Although there is nothing said about the name change to the station, this audio clip is John Symons saying goodbye for the night for WNND-FM, and in a way, saying goodbye to Windy 100. John Symons and his "Love Notes" show was also heard on 100.3 Love FM, and then on WLIT-FM/The Lite. Unfortunately, despite his talents as a broadcaster and the show's popularity, Symons and "Love Notes" remain off the air in Chicago at this time. At least fans still have airchecks like this... (Running time: 0:53)
This audio clip comes from WLS-AM from 38 years ago this month, April 1974. It features WLS-AM's famous nighttime DJ John Records Landecker doing an interview with "Richard Nixon." Landecker and "Nixon" talk about the swear words found in the White House/Watergate recording transcripts. (Running time: 1:56)
Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards, famed for their 70s & 80s "Animal Stories" bits on WLS-AM, have reunited for a series of public service announcements reminding Illinois residents about emergency preparedness for their home's pets. (See the full story HERE.) The following are the seven new PSAs by "Uncle Lar' & Lil' Tommy," with the first three being 30 seconds in length and the last four being 60 seconds in length. (Audio clips courtesy of Ready.Illinois.Gov.)
Here are a pair of fun promos from Chicago's old WRCX-FM/Rock 103.5 station (now known as Kiss FM) for their "Big Blatant Prize" $1,000 giveaway from 1998. (Running time: 1:47)
For just over one year on WKQX-FM/Q101 (January 1995-February 1996), the station had a duo on the air called Lance & Stoley. Lance Tawzer & Doug "Stoley" Stoll were members of the Chicago-based band The Lupins, who each had a natural "gift of gab." Then-Program Director Bill Gamble asked them to do a nighttime show on Q101 and quickly had them take over mornings on the alternative rock station. While the "Lance & Stoley Show" is fondly remembered by fans, it was far from a ratings success and did not last long. (Lance Tawzer famously proposed marriage to Q101 midday host Samantha James live on the air. Luckily for them, that marriage has indeed lasted long.) Here now is a quick jingle that was created just for this show in 1995. It is sort of a parody of the common radio jingles of the 70s. (Running time: 0:12)
Today's audio addition to the CRM library is an unique one. This song, "One More Day," is probably best known today for its chorus being played each & every Friday on Jonathon Brandmeier's radio shows on WLUP-FM in the past. Most Brandmeier fans thought the words of the chorus were "Only one more day for Johnny, one more day, for rock 'n roll me over, one more day." In actuality, the words are "Only one more day my Johnny, one more day, for rock and row me over, one more day." That would be row, not roll, as in rowing a boat. Although through the years, some have sung the song with the word "roll" instead of "row," but it was meant as the seas rocking and rolling, not from any kind of electric guitar music which was still ages away from being invented. "One More Day" is a U.S. boating song from over 200 hundred years ago. The old sea shanty is a long song with many verses, however the chorus that Brandmeier played was taken from a short version, well under two minutes in length, sung by a famous Chicago radio & television star of a couple generations ago, Win Stracke.
Stracke was known as one of the founding fathers of this city's folk music scene and started up Chicago's famous Old Town School of Folk Music. He was a reoccurring performer on such 1930s-1950s Chicago-based nationwide radio shows such as the "National Barn Dance" and the "Chicago Theater of the Air." In the 1950s, he became a local TV star appearing on numerous shows, including Stud Terkel's "Stud's Place," as the two men had become close friends. He hosted two Chicago children's programs, "Animal Playtime" and "Time for Uncle Win." This particular song, "One More Day" comes from a 1958 children's album, "A Golden Treasury of Songs America Sings," recorded in 1957 and released on Golden Records in 1958.
Even though it isn't Friday, here is "One More Day" by Win Stracke. (Running time 1:38)
This entry onto the CRM Audio Page features two separate, but connected airchecks from March 1976 -- exactly 36 years ago.
At the start of March, 1976, WCFL-AM announced to its staff that the station would soon be flipping to a "Beautiful Music" and easy listening format and that all DJs (except Larry Lujack) were being fired in just a matter of days. On March 2, 1976, WCFL-AM allowed their morning team of Dick Sainte and Doug Dahlgren, aka "The Dick 'N Doug Show," to have one last day on the air, on the condition that they do NOT talk about it being their last show and not mention the upcoming format flip. Of course, Sainte & Dahlgren took to the airwaves and immediately said that this was their last show on the station, said why, continuously made fun of the WCFL jingle package done by Dallas' TM Productions (who was under contract to create new jingles for the station after the format flip), and called up competing WLS-AM DJ Fred Winston and had him on the air. General Manager Lew Witz was out of town, but heard about what was happening and became furious. Witz had Sales Manager Bob Gould come into the studio, a half hour before the official end of the show, a removed Dick & Doug from the airwaves. At 9:27am, WCFL went into a commercial, Gould had the engineers cut the microphones and Sainte & Dahlgren were escorted to the elevator immediately.
Dick & Doug's final words on the air on WCFL were them talking to Bob Gould, who was in the studio, talking with Lew Witz on the studio's hotline phone. Upon sensing they were in trouble with the boss, Dick Sainte said to Gould "If they're gonna jerk us off the air... Do it now, Bob!", which was daring the boss to take a stand. Dahlgren joked and said "...'take us off' sounds better..." and those were their last words on the air at WCFL-AM.
Also heard on this aircheck, in addition to Saint, Dahlgren, Gould, and Winston, are newsman Jim Frank and producer Warren Callahan.
Here is an aircheck featuring highlights of the final Dick 'N Doug Show taken from just before 7:00am until their last words at 9:27am. (Running time: 7:07)
This second audio clip comes from a few days later, March 12th, when the now-fired Dick & Doug pay a visit to Fred Winston on WLS-AM, spending the whole last hour of the show with him, and even pretending to toss him out of the studio to take over his show. This is classic '70s radio! (Running time: 19:38)
Dick Sainte and Doug Dalgren were paired as a team on WCFL-AM in the fall of 1974. The two had great chemistry together and were a big hit with fans. After being among the airstaff fired from WCFL in the spring or 1976, the two eventually went their separate ways, each working in other markets. Dick Sainte passed away in 2005 at the age of 67. Doug Dahlgren is retired from radio and has returned to live here in the Chicago area.
With the sad passing of The Monkees' Davy Jones last week, here is an audio clip of him on Chicago radio, singing his biggest hit. On December 6, 2002, WLS-AM's Roe & Garry Show did a live remote show from the Fairmont Hotel. Among Conn & Meier's many guests that afternoon was 60s/70s musical & cultural icon Davy Jones. Backed by the Chicago cover band Montgomery Street (who often worked Roe & Garry's live remotes as the house band), here is Davy Jones singing "Daydream Believer" for the audience at the remote broadcast. (Audio courtesy of wlsam.com) (Running time: 2:36)
With many clips on the audio page this February being dedicated to Black History Month, one of the very best ways to pay tribute to the month is with the following salute to Chicago's Black history. It features the voice of Chicago radio & TV veteran, Harold Lee Rush. Mr. Rush has been an on-air personality and producer for WGCI-AM/FM, WVON-AM, WLNR-FM/WJPC-FM, WKKC-FM, CAN-TV and more. He also helps shape the minds of young broadcasters as a trainer for the Broadcast programs at Kennedy King College/City Colleges of Chicago. (He previously taught at Columbia College, as well.) Here, he puts his vocal & written talents to great use with this spoken word work of art that he wrote in 2006, entitled "I Am Black Chicago." (Running time: 4:14)
Continuing with the Black History month audio clips... This audio clip comes from Chicago television, not radio. It is the audio of a very special interview with Malcolm X, the civil rights advocate. In this March 1963 interview, Malcolm X appeared on WMAQ-TV's "City Desk" and was interviewed (some could say "grilled") by famed Chicago NBC newsmen Jim Hurlbut, Floyd Kalber, Len O'Connor, and Charles McCuen. It is a very interesting look back at the attitudes on both sides of the early 1960's racial divide. (Running time: 27:39)
This is a very special aircheck from one Chicago's most special and overlooked DJs: WVON-AM's Bill "Butterball" Crane. "Butterball" was phenomenal at doing fast & fun intros and outros of songs. He also liked to cut into songs whenever he pleased, making jokes at the lyrics, singing along, or adding sound effects (including one of woman enjoying herself a bit too much). Crane's shows were always fast-paced, always funny, always entertaining. He would rip & tease the engineers, his fellow DJs, and his bosses throughout the show, but it was all done in jest, as he was very much loved by his co-workers. This particular aircheck comes from late August 1967 and has about 30 minutes of "Butterball" doing his act, taken from a three hour shift. Crane was filling in for Joe Cobb's shift (and you'll hear him mention Cobb a few times), but still did his own style of show. Also heard on this audio clip is Roy Wood delivering the news and Bernadine Washington's "On The Scene" report. (Running time: 30:17)
For Black History Month, here is an aircheck from one of Chicago radio's best radio personalities (African-American or otherwise) and a true trailblazer: Moses "Lucky" Cordell. This comes from WGES-AM (now known as WGRB-AM) from the Summer of 1962. The music may be trimmed out, but this clip features plenty of Lucky Cordell live commercial reads, as well as a poetry reading, both things Cordell was known for doing well on his show. Cordell, aka "The Baron of Bounce," a top R&B DJ in the 50s and 60s, went on to become a famous radio executive with WVON-AM in the mid-60s and into the early 70s. (Running time: 19:52)
With today being the start of Black History Month, it seem appropriate to play an interview of former Chicago radio/TV personality and creator/producer/host of "Soul Train" Don Cornelius. Sadly, it is also due to the fact that Don Cornelius passed away shockingly earlier today. This audio clip comes from WBEZ-FM's "Eight Forty-Eight" news magazine-style show from this past August 31st, just days before the City of Chicago honored Cornelius with a giant "Soul Train 40th Anniversary Concert" on Labor Day at Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion and publicly announced the honorary naming of a street after him. The interview, conducted by WBRZ-FM's Richard Steele, covers many aspects of Don Cornelius' incredible career. Also heard on this clip in the beginning and end is show host Alison Cuddy. (Running time: 14:04)
In the very early days of WKQX-DM (now WIQI-FM) when it was known as "Chicago 101," the then-Adult Contemporary music station used a handful of jingles between songs. Here is a collection of full-length jingles for "Chicago 101" from 1979, right after the station flipped from a Rock format to the AC format. (Running time: 8:12)
One year ago this very day, Jonathon Brandmeier made a surprise appearance on the radio, after not being heard from for many months. He turned up as a call-in guest on WSCR-AM's "Danny Mac Show" with hosts Dan McNeil and Matt Spiegel to talk about the then-upcoming Bears/Packers NFC championship game, sports radio, his funny song parodies from WLUP, and much more. Here is that entire guest spot by Johnny B on The Score from last year. (Running time: 10:10)
Chicago radio legend John Records Landecker had his own band that played around Chicagoland for many years, appropriately named Landecker & the Legends. The band primarily did cover songs and parody songs showcasing Landecker's wacky sense of humor. This track is a take off on AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)" and has to do with Mayor Jane Byrne's decision to move into the crime-riddled Cabrini Green project for a short while. Here now is the 1997 updated version of "Cabrini Green (Rent's Dirt Cheap)" by Landecker & the Legends... (Running time: 4:12)
