93 KHJ: The Defining Sounds of 1960s Los Angeles
93 KHJ billboard outside of the Villa Frascati Restaurant, 1966
Tina Delgado is still very much alive – that is if you listen to 93 KHJ’s archived recordings in the present day. In what is perhaps as close as we’ll get to time travel, the salvaged KHJ broadcasts transport listeners to the psychedelic-tinged heyday of California’s musical epicenter. Schlitz Beer jingles, Firebird 400 convertible giveaway contests, Sears record sale commercials, staticky voices of the stars of yesteryear, and advertisements for the biggest shows at the Hollywood Bowl pepper each radio recording as if completely frozen in time. Meanwhile, the iconic voices of disc jockeys burst across airwaves, delivering the latest songs with their signature, vigorous enthusiasm that ultimately solidified the station’s pioneering legacy.
Radio programmer Bill Drake brought to life the vision of Boss Radio in the spring of 1965. Debuting on Wednesday, April 28 at 3 p.m. the Real Don Steele was the first to open the microphone, ushering in an entirely new era in radio broadcast history. There was less chatter from jockeys and fewer commercials played which allowed more time for music. Sneak previews of the new Boss Radio format were played in the few days before the official big launch as testers, the station labeled as “the station that’s happenin’.” By the time KHJ reached popularity among teens, it was esteemed for its hip and diverse music choice. “It was the most influential station in America,” Boss jockey Robert W. Morgan told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. “There was a lot of circus elements put into the format, but it was all tempered with discipline. I had no idea it would have this long-term impact. We were too busy doing it to deal with the historical significance of it all.”
With popular music spanning the genres in the late 1960s, KHJ boasted an eclectic playlist of current top 30 hits. Everything from Motown and psychedelic rock to bubblegum pop and 1950s throwbacks was played. “Back then, the Beatles were fighting for chart space with the Mamas & the Papas and Dylan,” Greg Braxton reflected. “Young people were becoming angrier about the Vietnam War and civil rights. Motown was in its glory days. It was a perfect time for rock ‘n’ roll, and a perfect time for KHJ/Boss 30 radio to make history.” Among those DJs to spin the fan-favorite tunes on air included Robert W. Morgan, Charlie Tuna, Sam Riddle, Gary Mack, Humble Harve, Frank Terry, and Don Steele all of who brought their rapid-fire style and high-energy delivery to their respective broadcasts – precisely the key element that made the station unique in its approach. Alongside playing current hits of the day and debuting soon-to-be hits, it was KHJ’s radio personalities that helped to make radio an integral part of the country’s pop culture.
Without a doubt, it was KHJ’s disc jocks that animated the sounds of the station. “KHJ was strong, shiny, clean, bright and tight,” notes Lee Michael Withers. “Its structure was so precise that the disc jockey became just another element in its flawless mix, a resonant, friendly, professional voice blending between music, commercials, contests, 20/20 News, public service announcements and station identifications and promotions. He became just another element, that is, unless he were someone on the order of The Real Don Steele, or Robert W. Morgan. Morgan (and Steele, and Sam Riddle, and a few others) was able to assert his identity through the fractions of minutes the Bill Drake format allowed disc jockeys. His confidence drove him to take chances few others would dare within those small crevices of time and his wit enabled him to make them good. Robert W. Morgan was among the first to take telephone calls over the rapids of Top 40 radio, bringing the idea of the vastly popular radio talk shows into a new area. His quick intelligence is coupled with a near-perfect radio voice: rich and deep and clear.”
Together, the Boss Jocks worked around the clock to provide the heavy sounds for Boss Angeles. “The KHJ format was distinguished by fast-talking jocks, a limited amount of commercials, a cappella jingles by the Johnny Mann Singers, a Top 30 playlist instead of a Top 40, and the promise of ‘much more music,’” Braxton writes. “Groups such as the Byrds and Sonny & Cher would show up at the Melrose Avenue studio, begging the jocks to play their records.” The formulated approach to capturing the attention of listeners all came down to a strict schedule that documented the precise moments in which Boss Jocks should play advertisements, music, promos, news broadcasts, weather forecasts, and more. Since each jock was given their own 3-hour air slot, the detailed format clocks acted as a cheat sheet to guide them through their respective shift. Though tactful and carefully mapped out, this regime audibly sounded anything but. It gave listeners variety and, with the infectious jingles sounding more like songs themselves, it all certainly was pleasant on the ears.
In addition to winning over the youth of America’s hearts with popular tunes, a large part of KHJ’s appeal was its many far-out contests. The station often gave away tickets to shows at the Hollywood Bowl including those to see the Doors, the Rolling Stones, the Monkees, and The Mamas & The Papas. In the same vein, the station also held annual appreciation concerts for the likes of The Supremes and Sonny & Cher. The bill for KHJ’s appreciation concerts would feature several large artists as opening acts such as Buffalo Springfield, the 5th Dimension, Donovan, and The Turtles. For the Sonny & Cher concert, tickets were advertised for only 93 cents and exclusive coupons were printed in the LA Times. It was the frequency and scale of their contests that brought fans closer to their favorite artists, providing an intimate musical experience, and setting a trend for future stations to come.
The Mamas & the Papas at the Hollywood Bowl by Guy Webster, 1966
One notable event hosted by KHJ was The Last Train To Clarksville, where the city of Del Mar was officially renamed Clarksville for the day. On September 11, 1966, the station held a round-trip train expedition for four hundred KHJ and Monkees fans alike. Touching down on the beaches of Del Mar, the Monkees arrived at the event via helicopter before hopping on the train for the ride back to Los Angeles. During the trip, they performed an exclusive set in a train car for contest winners, which was also televised in color by KHJ-TV for their show Boss City (more on this later). The next day, their show would air for the first time on NBC at 7:30 p.m. to more than seven million viewers. From all of their extensive preceding promotion, including that given to them from the station in the months leading up to the show’s initial air date, the group had secured a devoted fanbase before their series had even aired.
In his 1993 autobiography, I’m a Believer: My Life of Monkees, Music, and Madness, Micky Dolenz reflected on the exact moment he turned on KHJ to hear the Monkees’ voices pouring over the airwaves. “In the autumn of 1966, Davy [Jones] and I decided to rent a place together. We found this wonderful old house up in the Hollywood Hills and moved in. One day, we were just pulling up in the front of the house when the disc jockey on KHJ announced, ‘And now, here’s the new one from that fabulous new group … The Monkees!’ ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ came blasting out of the car radio. Davy and I just looked at each other and beamed. The record had been released a few weeks before the show’s first air date and was receiving an enormous push from the record company, the network, everybody. The show premiered on NBC on September 12 … even though the show started out with only moderate numbers it was soon number one in its time slot. We had a Hit! By the end of October, the show and the first Monkees album were number one. I was hearing my voice all over the radio and watching myself every Monday night on television.”
Beyond catapulting burgeoning future California musicians into mainstream notability, the wide success of the station also expanded into the realm of television. KHJ hosted dance shows including The Groovy Show, Hollywood a Go-Go and The Real Don Steele’s eponymous show which all featured teenagers moving and grooving to the latest beats.
First introduced as Ninth Street West, Hollywood a Go-Go followed in the same path as a music variety show that aired from 1965 to 1966. The host? None other than Boss Jock Sam Riddle. The show’s success caused its title change, and despite its short-lived run of only 52 episodes, it featured some of the biggest performers of the time. Bands from the Stones to the Turtles and James Brown to Chuck Berry took center stage as go-go dancers swayed on the stage next to them. One of the most notable dancers, Kam Nelson, gained a star status of sorts for her moves and teen magazine modeling career. A viewer and friend of Nelson wrote: “Kam Nelson was a featured dancer and co-host of KHJ Channel 9 TV's Ninth Street West dance show. Well actually her sidekick hostess role was subordinate to main honcho and Boss Jock Sam Riddle, but who looked at him? Kam got us on the 9th Street West show several times, and it was not easy to get through those doors. I felt a taste of VIP being ushered past disappointed hopefuls standing on Melrose who would not be granted access to the dance floor festivities that particular evening.” Nelson would go on to be memorialized for her moves and grace and can be seen dancing alongside James Brown below.
It’s also interesting to note this unfavorable review written by Billboard reviewer Gil Faggan following the debut episode of Hollywood a Go-Go in 1965: “One gets the feeling of being amidst a Zulu uprising or witnessing a contemporary interpretation of Dante's Inferno. Host Sam Riddle ... introduces his guests shouting at the top of his voice to the accompaniment of jungle drums. The set is reminiscent of a speakeasy or a prison yard with its stone wall backdrop. The studio guests, ore-screened and all over 18 year of age, dress informally in slacks, bulky sweaters while squiggling, squirming and undulating to the various dance crazes. During the lip-synched performances of the guest artists, members of the Gazzari [sic] dancers swing, sway, weave and gyrate with flailing arms from a postage stamp sized stage, step ladders and other lofty perches. The show is a fast-mover frequently sequin from act to act without interruption. The tempo is mostly upbeat with the emphasis on the driving, breast-beating sounds. With more than half of this nation's population seen to be under 25 years of age, there is much practical economics in this programming.”
As for The Groovy Show, it premiered on KHJ-TV on weekdays at 6 pm from 1967 through 1970, initially featuring actor Michael Blodgett as the ever-so-tanned and toned host. The first iteration of the show was filmed live on sunny Los Angeles beaches and parks and incorporated musical guests, bikini contests and physical pie fights. Writer Mark Evanier reminisces, “Much of the show was, of course, teens dancing to records. There was one real musical act each day … usually a group that would come on to pantomime/lip sync to their current record, which made for an odd sight. There would be these musicians acting like they were playing on the beach … with their amps and electric guitars plugged into absolutely nothing. Most records of that era ended with the track fading out and I guess the acoustics out there weren't great insofar as hearing the playback was concerned. As a song drew to its close, you could see the performers become unsure if it was through so they'd keep ‘playing’ and then one guy would stop and maybe another. And then you could tell someone had yelled, ‘It's not over! Keep playing!’ And they'd scurry back into mime mode. Very odd stuff.”
Around a year later, after Blodgett’s departure from the show, Boss Jock Sam Riddle and the aforementioned Kam Nelson ran the show, which had moved to an in-studio location and embraced a game-show-oriented format. Later, Boss Jock Robert W. Morgan took over The Groovy Show until its demise in 1970. During Morgan’s run as host, the show no longer featured dancing tailored to teens, but rather shifted its focus to talk and performances. Almost little to no footage of The Groovy Show survives today, but its legacy is remembered by those who witnessed it firsthand.
In the case of the Real Don Steele’s show, the Boss Jockey was the host of his own weekly dance-centered show that aired on KHJ-TV. Although it was first given the title Boss City in 1965, the Saturday show eventually took on the name The Real Don Steele Show toward the end of its run from 1970 to 1975. As a whole, Boss City’s main goal was to advertise its ultrahip station and provide a platform for rising local artists. Bands like The Doors performed on the show and dancers pulled from a live studio audience. When the rise of glam rock dominated the music world in the early seventies, Steele’s “Dick Clark on Acid” show inclusively incorporated a variety of acts. In each episode, go-go dancers would accompany the host (one of which included famous groupie Pamela Des Barres) while he held dance contests and threw trendily-clad attendees into the spotlight for their five seconds of fame. Steele’s show, Retro Video states, “was not only a hit with TV viewers but also L.A.’s local scenesters, and tapings were attended religiously by the same congregation of groupies and proto-punks known to attend Rodney’s English Disco at that time. Steele kept up to the minute on the fads from the UK and the ever-mutating Sunset Strip underground and his infectious enthusiasm for music ranging from the mainstream to the surreal makes for some of the most interesting television of its kind.” Needless to say, this traverse into television launched Riddle, Steele and Morgan toward gaining a larger prominence beyond radio.
The Doors perform on 'Boss City' on KHJ-TV, May 1967 by Jasper Dailey
In more recent times, the golden days of KHJ were brought back to life on the silver screen when it was revivified on Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. Played by Brad Pitt, Cliff Booth is seen cruising down the winding streets of Los Angeles as the familiar sounds of Boss Radio jingles and The Real Don Steele’s voice permeates the air. In the context of the movie, Steele’s voice affirming “the beat goes on” leading into Los Bravos’ “Bring a Little Lovin’” provides the perfect ambiance to Booth’s highway escapades. The inclusion of upbeat radio snippets are also heard in scenes with other characters alike. For a brief moment, you can even catch a glimpse of a bench advertising for the local KHJ-TV. Coincidentally, the bench is outside of the infamous Pandora’s Box nightclub – a central Sunset Strip locale that became emblematic of outspoken youth culture. Although the club was demolished in August of 1967 and Once Upon a Time is set in 1969, the film reimagines a world where Pandora’s Box still lives on. Tarantino and music supervisor Mary Ramos’s decision of including KHJ clips, and the soundtrack as a whole, truly bring to life the tenor of the swinging sixties.
The Much More Music Station’s peak lasted throughout the sixties and early seventies, serving as the soundtrack to any young person’s life in the Los Angeles area. The Boss Radio format folded in the seventies due to dwindling popularity in spite of multiple attempts to revamp its format. Though the KHJ we know and love no longer exists, its memory and the voices of Boss Jocks most definitely survive within time capsule-reminiscent recordings. At the 1990 reunion of Boss Radio, Robert W. Morgan looked back on his days at the station and recalled one experience he vividly remembered when he and Mama Cass were en route to deliver puppies to contest winners in San Fernando Valley. “It was 110 degrees, we were in this limo and all these puppies were in the car while Mama Cass ate cheeseburgers.” Kindness, happiness, and joy were truly at the heart of KHJ.