This Page is Dedicated to the Memory of Gus Gossert

"The Curly Headed Kid in the Second Row"

Robert Charles Gossert

Born: June 14, 1943  -  Died: August 10, 1976

("Photography by Wayne Stierle" copyright W. Stierle, 1972)

Gus Gossert returned the sound of the 50's to New York City with the most popular radio shows since the heydays of Alan Frederick's "Night Train".  Gus grew up in a small town in Pa. and went to the University of Tennessee law school.  After college he joined a R&B / Top 40 radio show in Hawaii and really learned to love the "old sound".

Gus moved on to KMPX-FM in San Francisco where he headed up a six hour Sunday night "Oldies" show.  In 1969, he was hired by WCBS-FM in New York City.  He turned his Sunday night "Oldies" show into the highest rated Sunday night show ever.

The rest, as they say, is history.  He had a great run on New York radio and was instrumental in reviving the sounds of the 50's.  

The Rock and Roll Revival

by Web Author

By 1969, there were only small pockets of  people listening to the music of the 1950's in the New York Metro area.  "Oldies" was coming in vogue as the term being used to refer to the R&B/R&R songs of  50's.   The Time Capsule Show at Fordham University was probably one of the first radio stations to play "Oldies" music music in 1963 (the show is still going strong today and is called the Group Harmony Rhythm and Blues Review).  

The Times Capsule Show tended to specialize in very early 50's R&B and attracted more of the eclectic "Record Collector's" who were rooting around for early record labels like Apollo, Grand, red Robin, etc.   These "Collector's" could spend hours extolling the virtues of  "Melba" by the Dreamers on Rollin records.  Unfortunately, there were probably only a few hundred other "Collectors" , at best, who ever heard of it.    This is not meant to be a disparaging remark because credit does go out to those "Collectors" who maintained some level of interest in this music that helped it survive.  

Alan Fredericks and Slim Rose were airing of lot of  the 1950's music on their radio shows in the 1960's but the main purpose and net result was once again to attract record collectors. To say the least, this music was not mainstream at that time.   The world was on the verge of Disco Fever and any performer singing "doo wop a doo" was not being booked onto any venue.  Any groups of the fifties that did survive were either hiding behind another name or wearing "English" clothes.  Most of the groups of the 50's and early 60's had long since disbanded and were pursuing "day" jobs.  I think it's safe to say that this was the case across the United States, as well as NYC.  The fact of the matter is that, if it isn't happening in NY, it isn't happening anywhere else.

This was about to change with the arrival of Gus Gossert at WCBS-FM radio in 1969.   The great "Rock and Roll Revival was about to happen because of the rise in popularity of Gus' radio show (He later moved to WPIX in 1971 and enjoyed continued popularity). More and more "Mainstream" people started listening to Gus as the weeks went by and a buzz started going around.  

Several of the before mentioned "Collector's" heard about Gus and tuned him in and were pleasantly surprised to hear him playing the Harptones, Dubs, Wrens, etc.  They did notice, however, that Gus was not very well versed in musical facts, labels, astists backgrounds and so on.   They believed that if they could help Gus do a better job in presenting the music it would help the show really take off.  There was no question that Gus had the gift of "charisma" or the gift of "gab", however you look at it.  He was simply magnetic.

They sold Gus on their idea and became his producers and worked behind the scenes to make the show successful and they did that beyond their wildest dreams.  Gus's show became the number one show in New York City and was instrumental in  kicking off the "Rock and Roll Revival.

However, the focal point of the Revival were the concerts produced by Rock magazine at The Academy of Music located in lower Manhattan.  Every show would showcase groups that were being reunited for the first time in many years.  The scenes of crowds winding around the block waiting to get in were reminescent of the Alan freed R&R shows of the 50's.   And at the center of all onstage was the coolest  MC that you would ever meet,  the Gossert.

There are quite a few acts from the 1950's still performing today that owe their renewed popularity to Gus and those fantastic shows at the Academy of Music (Ronnie I at UGHA has kept that torch alive).  Also instrumental in reviving ineterest  in these groups was the popularity of Gus Gossert's radio show which spawned other commercial "Oldies" radio shows around the country.  

Gus was also successful because he didn't put any of this music into a niche.  He didn't differentiate or care whether a song was from pre-1955 or post-1955.  If he liked the "sound" he played it.  Many records that were either marginal hits at best or virtual unknowns became "hits" because Gus played the heck out of them.  Songs like "Chapel Bells" and "I'm So Young" are more popular today because Gus introduced them to the mainstream public back in the early 1970's.    His impact was like the second coming of Alan Freed.  Gus was on WCBS-FM from 1969 to 1970 and then moved to WPIX from 1971 until 1972.

It should be noted that Richard Nader was also producing "Oldies" concerts at the larger venue of Madison Square Garden.  Nader's shows were a different breed altogether.  He concentrated on the larger R&R stars such as Little Richard, Ricky Nelson, Bill Haley, etc. wheras Gus's shows dug deeper into the roots of R&B and the real "street" groups.  Pioneer legends Sonny Til and the Orioles and Clyde McPhatter appeared at the Academy of Music shows but would not be invited to a Nader show.      

Gus Gossert launched the Rock and Roll Revival which is still going on today.  He also inspired many of his listeners to become more involved with this music and there are many people who point to Gus as the "man" who fueled their enthusiasm for the music.  

From all of us,  Thanks Gus !!!!!!!!!!!  

Gus Gossert - The Man

By Stan Krause

Time Barrier Express - Gus Gossert Memorial Issue 1976

This story was written by me, based only on my involvements in business, and as a friend of Gus' ' / have not collaborated with anyone. These facts are as I have seen them and found them to be.

It all started back in '69. I'm sitting in my shop listening to my demos of the Persuasions acappella sessions which I recently recorded, and shooting the shit with some friends, when the phone rings. On the other end is a friend of mine, Chris Markou, with whom I've spent many days collecting records and discussing the various groups that had incredible harmonies from the 1940's to the present.

Chris: "Have you been listening to this new jock on CBS with his couple of hours of oldies? He played some good shit. Paragons, Crests, even a Harptones side but God he sure don't know his years on the records he plays.

Me: "Yeah, I agree. He also don't know the names of the artists that recorded the tunes he's playing. He could at least look at the label. I counted twenty-six mistakes on the last show. Maybe I should call him. He's got a fantastic personality and an outstanding radio voice, We haven't had someone this fuckin' good in ages. All these New York jocks are either super hip AM with the be-bop touch or dried out Joe College FM liner-note readers from the midwest who couldn't become excited if you lit bombs under their asses. You know the type; I mean if he read an advertisement [a great oldies store for records, the people coming in would be asking for shit] for TWA airlines, those holding tickets would probably cancel and call another airline, and those thinking of taking a vacation would be discouraged and take a trip by car. "

Chris: "Yeah, you make a lot of sense explaining it that way, but I agree he's great and I think you should try and reach him and see if you can get an appointment. At least we'll get a chance to meet him and find out where he's from and why he's playing these oldies, and, in the meantime I start drafting a proposal so we can get our thoughts together and present them to him, or the station if we have to."

Me: "Fine, let you know what happens. So long." "CBS-FM, Gus Gossert please". "Ho/d on I'll try to reach him". "Tell him it's important please". "Hello! Hello Gus".

Gus: "Hey man, what's happening! "

Me: Wow, You're the greatest voice and personality I've heard since the late 50's! You could excite an audience without trying, only you don't have a large enough selection of New York records and, frankly, you make a million mistakes."

Gus: "Yeah, I know but I'm trying my best to get over. This is a tough city and everytime I make one, the fuckin 'phone rings. Are those people for real or they that crazy about this so-called New York sound? People are calling me requesting records I've never heard of before - Diablos, Five Discs, Vito & The Salutations and plenty more. And then when they call about an artist that I heard of like the Five Satins or Dion and the Belmonts, they want some damn song I never heard of. I even got a letter from some guy in Brooklyn requesting that I do part of my show playing bird groups, What the fuck is a bird group?"

Me: "Well, this is not the time to discuss something that may take days to explain. I can't afford it. But I would sure like to help you with your programming, and I'm not looking for a job! A friend of mine and myself would like to bring in a proposal on what could be done to really build your record supply and knowledge of the New York sound.

Gus: "I'd really like to meet you - you seem very frank and to the point- I like that - by the way. How many records do you have to choose from?"

Me: "Well, myself, I have around seven thousand but with my friends that would like to help, we could supply you,with an easy 25, 000 different city sounds. But you really won't need that much. " Gus: "Far out - /7/ call you back soon and give you an appoint-ment but keep in mind that I can't promise you anything".

Me: "Well, thanks for at least listening to my proposal."

Gus: "No man, I thank you for showing interest in me and what I'm trying to do. Take care".

Well, that was phase one. What a really down-to-earth guy - no stuffed shirt attitude. I can't believe someone of that calibre is employed as a jock there. Mean-ing at CBS-FM, an up and up station, very white collared.

I called a few people, let them in on the news, and proceeded to draft some ideas and pick a couple hundred records that the metropolitan people have been starving for, for at least ten years. Or at least since "I Am The Bruce", "Ramon", "Jocko", "Freed" and a few other person-ality jocks were on the airwaves. "Hi, Stan Krause and Chris Markou to see Gus Gossert". "Oh yes, he's expecting you. Down the hall, turn to the left".

Well, here we go, Chris with the attache and me with two -hundred records in two boxes, one under each arm. "Well, come on in, and pull up a chair and sit down. "

After explaining my back-ground in music, (Gus was from Pennsylvania, and had been on the west coast DJing- con-temporary music of the rock nature and a lot of old blues which he loved along with a lot of jazz) we

began to rap on the music of the N.Y. metropolitan area which is loved by the people and will always be imbedded in their culture; how this music to which we would like to introduce him was totally confined to this area and probably always will be. At that meeting we played "Play Those Oldies Mr. DJ" on Gus as a possible show beginning. I suggested he incorporate the word "Doo-Wopp" into his shows to allow a new breed of younger people to identify with him and the music we were going to start programming.

We went on and on for at least a couple of hours, reading the proposals and capturing some of Gus's ideas on how to reach audiences and how to read ads. I Interrupted with: do you realize how many advertisers you will have after only six or seven weeks of playing the type of music we have in these boxes?" He smiled and said it sounded a little far fetched that all this could happen so quickly. He also looked amazed but contented when he read the last line of the proposal which stated: "We believe you could be the next Alan Freed". He said: "You sure are putting a lot of faith in me. I hope I can deliver at least something. " I said: By saying you'll give it a shot, you've delivered plenty already. You don't realize how hard it is to get this music played in New York."

It seems that big business refuses to recognize the music that really was basic for all us teenagers ten to fifteen years ago. They, like a lot of program directors and persons in the music and radio business, show ignorance by putting an age on music or terming everything nostalgic. If it's good music, and to your liking, what the hell do you care whose era it came from, and then try to explain to the head person of all these stations what we're talking about now. Nobody left grew up here anyway, so they don't believe the city had a sound of it's own. All they remember is the Fabians, Frankie Avalons and Checker. They feel this is what the metropolitan or city sound was all about. Also, we'd like to have someone answer phones and write down requests and dedications during the time we were going on. Could you try and arrange that?

Gus: "Sure, you sure are fired UP.

Me: "I believe in what I'm doing and I love it. Thanks to you and Chris and a few other friends, maybe we can make it work".

Gus',- "See you next weekend, and don't be late."

Well, we went on. Boom! The phones were jumping, the mail was coming in and Gus starting to pick up on the sounds, starting to slowly pick his favorites. A while later, I realized how time consuming it was to put those shows together. I also wanted to include some of the music I personally did not own and Information about a lot of Rock'n' Roll and country Rock. I called a friend of mine, Wayne Stierle, whom, I knew I could rely on to help put together even a bigger and better show for the mass audience I wanted to reach. He was excited and agreed to give it a go.

So, that was the beginning. Me, Chris and Wayne "carting" records and ideas every weekend, along with the magic voice of Gus Gossert relaying them across the airwaves to a sold out time slot and increased hours on the air.

One of Gus' most memorable shows, and mine too, was the pre-1955 show which did. We used mostly 78's, scratchy as hell, and played rare collector's pieces that our friends let us borrow. We even broke a few. Chris stepped on the Muskateers on Swingtime, and a half hour later he sat on Angelo's copy of "Over The Rainbow" by George Castelle. We played some Dinah's and some blues, like Bullmoose Jackson and Little Wilie John, in between the groups.

That week, we received over 300 letters of congratulations and I can't estimate the amount of phone calls the night of the show. Gus was really impressed and the CBS personnel expressed disbelief. We all laughed and started to work on next week's program while Gus was eating this large order of sweet and sour pork and vegetables from the Chinese restaurant along with his Harvey's Bristol Cream. He really loved exotic dishes!

As time went on, it was becoming quite evident Gus was having a problem with management. I believe he wanted the P.D. job at the station but he was becoming too successful, too fast, as a jock. In fact, he was number one in his time slot with a backup of advertisers waiting to be able to buy time. The station grew and grew and Gus became unhappier. He would go to meetings dressed in shorts or jeans. This made the top brass angry, but Gus didn't understand. He felt they had no right in judging him by the way he dressed or looked while he worked as long as he was willing to put in the time and effort to listen to hundreds of albums and forty-fives each week to find the right songs for programming. This was the old method used by good deejays and PD's. Nowadays, most PD's are always out to lunch and can't find time to listen to new artists or records that are produced on small independent labels. This is one of the reasons why "New York sound " will always be struggling to get a foothold in todays market. That is why it was so important. He studied all kinds of music, not the label or the the producers, and tried to everyone an equal chance , if he felt the recording was good enough to make someone there happy. To put it in another perspective, he gave many performers a new lease on what they could do best - sing and perform to an audience, not only in person, but on wax.

Many groups Gus presented, his stage shows and interviewed over the radio were able to see another possible chance to put together a career that was assumed lost. Others were just happy knowing that they were not totally forgotten by an industry to which they gave everything they could in their early years. Many of our phone calls came from these artists (and their wives or children) when we played records they recorded. In a lot of cases, they hardly remembered some of these sides and they hadn't heard most of them in years. Their own copies were worn out or given to friends at the time they were recorded and they never could obtain another copy. Gus realized this and occasionally would give a rare record, that someone might have sent him or that we found, to the artist. Gus felt this was worth much more than us having a twenty or more dollar record hanging around the studio.

Well anyway, the bewitching weekend came. We marched into the studio, Wayne, Chris and and I believe Trina - my girl, and Gus and a funny feeling was in my body as was in the others' Gus was very calm and collected, and especially down as if someone close had passed away. We didn't know exactly what the problem was, but after the first hour, he started picking up a few of his favorite records and dropping little lines over the air that another uniting of the people and their music was once again about to be refused, and how he loved each and every one who has supported what he was trying to do. Then the room began to feel like a morgue, and phones began to ring and ring and you sensed as we did this was the last show. Gus tried to hold back his emotions but I could see the tears forming and starting to drop. Time was marching on and in a few minutes we were all in tears and embracing each other, but Gus fought it off and continued, knowing that he had only an hour left and that we should all go out raising hell. I pulled a special record which I felt reflected Gus - "A Stranger In The City" - by Bill Kenny. Gus listened carefully to every word. He knew what I meant and said thank you and then thanked all of us, not, just as producers but as friends, a bunch of people who were able to function as a family. I know this made him very happy, because he didn't have much of a family life.

This is also a good time to answer a lot of people who assumed that Wayne and I were taken over the hurdles and that we were spoon feeding this man. Yes, Wayne and I were probably the two biggest "feeders" of information but we never asked to be paid. We loved Gus as a brother and knew he had the magic, the voice, the personality and the determination needed to make hundreds of thousands of people happy by keeping alive the musical forms of harmony singing and real Rock n'Roll. Only his type of voice and knowledge, today, in the 70's, was able to capture the large following of young people who are now buyers of oldies music and magazines in  the metropolitan area. We were creating a new following, yes, younger people interested in Rock n'Roll: (a). Record companies were forced to reissue records they just realized they owned and young people were - given a chance to buy them for a dollar. (b) Advertisers booked older groups in their clubs and gave them a chance to make some bread. (c) Rock n' Roll audiences got another chance to see the groups and single artist they grew up with on stage. Also a chance for thousands of young people to discover them. (d) Magazines and articles on Rock n',Roll emerged. (e) New records by artists like the Five Satins, Channels, etc. were recorded.

One half hour to go, and Gus is now promising that he'll see you again soon. He never left anyone without hope even though he had nothing going. I pulled a bunch of records for the end of the show and gave them to the regular engineer to mix these in under Gus's voice during the last three minutes. Gus started his farewell speech and we were looking face to face through the glass, both of us in tears. The second the show ended, he jumped up and split down the hall in tears. I met him coming out of the engineer's booth and we embraced and he said - "Fuck it, we'll get it together soon again, I know we can." I went in to the air studio with the others where the handkerchiefs were waving and started answering the phones. People were crying on the other end. A lot of them were pledging money, hundreds of dollars each, because they thought he was going off the air due to lack of money.

Time elapsed, and out of the blue a phone call came from Gus: 'I think we've finally got another slot. I'm meeting with WPIX this week - keep your fingers crossed!" Again, he didn't forget. He could have done the show alone but he recognized the magic formula needed to become powerful again. He was aware that it might end the same way someday as it did on CBS, but this business, when it gets your blood, nothing else seems to matter. He told Wayne ~ myself: "this time we'll see ( they'll put you guys on payroll." We said: "Fine, but it really doesn't matter. We love what we're doing and and enjoy working with you". He even went so far as trying to pay us out of his salary. We smiled and said, Play those records Mr. DJ maybe someday, if your dream comes true, we can sit down and talk about it." Gus was hoping someday in the near future to buy a radio station somewhere in the N.Y. - N.J. region to beam to New York City. This was only way he knew he could put his ideas to work and not have to deal with those judging him on appearances, rather than his capabilities. He talked about bringing a lot of his close friends from other stations, and Wayne and I together helping to set up and run the station. In fact, at the time of his death, he was employed in Knoxville, Tenn. on radio doing a middle of the road format and running a.silent movie program on TV. This was enabling him to keep active and save some money and I know he was going to return to New York in '77 to start where we all left off.

"Hey everybody, welcome to that oldies but goodies show. " When those oldies play we listen - "Hi there, this is your curly headed kid in the third row and we're here with all your favorites on WPIX-FM New York. It-seems like a long time but it sure feels great to be back and on the air again in the New York area."

It was almost a miracle, the magic that touched the people, the quickness in which they remembered and responded. The phone rang all night - congratulations, good wishes and thousands of requests. Inside of two weekends, the show was a total success, the audience now greater and showing many more younger people joining the ranks and digging the Gossert and the Music he played. And, of course, that big box of homemade cookies from one of our favorite listeners, Jackie Chase! Many nights they kept us alive! Thanks again, Jackie, from all of us, and thanks to all the other real people who sent us tokens of appreciation on those long exhausting weekends.

Then came the Doo-Wopp boat cruise, a large success. Thunderstorms hit that afternoon and early evening and we wondered if a lot of people would stay home. A half hour before departure, people swarmed the boat with their jugs in the old brown bags and we knew there would be a good time tonight.

Gus was vibrant and partying with everyone. My friend Chinko poured a bottle of beer over him accidentally. We wrote notes in bottles and sent them out to sea like little kids on a raft. People were meeting new friends and renewing old ones. We paid the captain to stay out overtime, and everyone was bombed. Groups were harmonizing all over the boat. Wayne put together a tape of Doo-Wopps that played continuously throughout the evening and everyone aboard had a great time.

Rock Magazine shows sprung up and "the Gossert" naturally emceed. Hundreds of group members and single artists couldn't wait to perform and meet their old friends once again. Thousands of young people and many performers' children got their first chance to see what Rock n' Roll was really about. Sold out shows, one after another - but would it have been successful at all without Gus? Yes, the man who walked out on stage with a paper in his palm and read the next group and what songs they recorded. But think back. In all those shows, did this man ever claim to be an authority in music? I worked with him many years and never got that impression. He was only interested in the music that we were programming. Failing in love or breaking up or making it in the back seat of a car pertains to people of all ages and all eras, not only those who grew up in the f if ties.

Along with all this came a chance for some new talent to get some recognition and possibly launch a career. One of these groups which Gus promoted were my own recorded "Persuasions" from Brooklyn, who have since gone on to a successful career. Some of the veteran groups who got a second chance were the Five Satins, Flamingos, Vito and the Salutations, Earl and the Channels, Drifters, Dino and the Heartspinners and many many more too numerous to mention. Also, producers, retailers, disc jockeys and people working in the music industry, including myself, owe a lot to "the Gossert."

Well, as the audience response grew and advertisers waited in line to be on the Gossert show, all the ugliness that once existed was quickly being modernized; new desks, lights, fresh paint, and new studios. But no thanks were given to "the Gossert," and all the personnel were taking the credit as was the case at CBS. Of course, these were all their ideas, after we had to fight like hell to even get a chance to present this format to these people. One of these stations, currently top rated in New York shuddered at the return of Gus a year and a half ago. They went so far as to bar him from even entering the station while the phones were ringing like crazy with requests to put him on the air once again. But the station completely ignored their listeners. Whenever Gus was mentioned, they crawled under their desks with the attitude of "please don't start anything around here, I want to keep my job. " Many of the stations personnel, like the secretaries and inter-office messengers, were trying to use their influence to get Gus back but they were told bluntly to shut up or start looking for a new job. The same old thing occurred at PIX.

They were a new station and Gus was nothing but a gamble. Yes, the man who contributed his talent to both stations was now a jailbird, a bad influence, a risk. I never knew there was so much discrimination in the music business, but now, after living through these last seven years, can more easily understand the Alan Freed story and why he passed away shortly after returning to New York and trying to get a job on various stations. ( A thought at this time might be while you're on top, use every method possible to stay there, For when you begin to fall, those that made it because of you will be those that pick you apart like buzzards hovering over a dying body, waiting to use up what little you might be left to gain another step up the ladder, and then devour Amen.)

And then -another call: "Gus, the head of the Japanese Embassy is on the phone. He wants to congratulate you on the great music you are playing. He said the whole embassy listens every weekend and it's the only show in New York he can relate to - they love Elvis and the Platters, and are now hearing a lot more artists they were never aware of. " Gus got on and thanked him. he announced him over the air and played the next one for him and the embassy in the same way he would for you or me or Freddie's Pizza Parlor.

Then came his brainstorm: Christmas in July. Who else was capable of pulling 'Off this caper. It was successful - people sending in pictures of their lawns lit up with decorations, getting together with friends and exchanging gifts. Gus loved this and thought people should be in this frame of mind all year round, not only at Christmas.

In the fall of the year came Gus's Halloween party, held in Brooklyn. The joint was packed, everyone wore costumes, and it was a fantastic event. Acappella groups sang, so many that some never got a chance to perform.  Apple dunking, dance contests and a totally ossified time for all involved.

"A minute to six and no Gus, I said. Wayne remarked: "Yeah, I guess another start without him". Wayne reached in the rack and pulled out an album with mixed groups, laid it on the turntable. When the news finished we hit the controls and we were off and running without "the Gossert." We smiled at each other and awaited his arrival. "Hi guys, am I late?" "A little, Gus. You missed the Crests, Silhouettes and Nutmegs".

While lighting up a cigarette, and jumping in the chair as the Nutmegs ended, he would announce what was played and how he got tied up in Central Park and what a beautiful day it was and welcome everyone to the show al I in about one minute. The show was on it's way again -phones ringing, Trina and Patti, Wayne's wife answering and writing requests along with a few volunteers. We had at least six phones working all night but the telephone company broke through many times, Insisting that we tell people not to call in - all the circuits were totally jammed and they were having problems.. In one night alone, Trina and I answered 640 phone calls and wrote 480 requests and we didn't have a moment to breathe. Naturally, Gus followed by giving out the request line number again, with a big grin on his face!

With all these calls every week, a friend of mine, Angelo, suggested we put together a graph showing the age bracket of callers. We worked on the graph for an eight week period (sixteen shows) and were overwhelmed at the statistics. Forty percent of 300,000 listeners were 25 or under. ARB ratings had us highest in New York radio in our time slot.

Time passed, Wayne took over the show as I left to go on the road with the Persuasions, who were starting to make a lot of noise in Detroit and California.

I'm sure no one realizes how much time consuming work Wayne was left with. Creating jingles, mini-concerts, editing parts of records, choosing records, etc, is far from an easy job. I will never forget it as I'm sure Gus won't. Time marched on. Friends and I were sitting at one of the Academy shows when someone walked out and announced that, due to a flood upstate, Gus will be late tonight. The audience "awed" and I knew something was wrong. A few days later, I learned Gus was set up in his apartment and busted. The mystery still exists today, and we probably will never know what led to Gus' bust and why he was set up. All I can say on Gus's part is that he was never into any hard shit. He never forced any kind of shit on me or my wife or any of the people we were associated with. If you're into it today, you know how easily grass, smoke, weed (or whatever your term for marijuana may be) can be obtained. We certainly don't need people like Gus to find it for us. He who has spread rumors that Gus was a pusher, a drug addict and a phony, should have explained why he thought this way on his own oldies show while the man was still alive. he then should have stopped playing Frankie Lymon and a lot of other artists whom we all know passed away from drugs. But then again, it sometimes takes a death to bring out the jealousy and greed in a person that he has been holding back for many years. I'm glad to report that his listeners were not as little as he was. Their admiration for Gus is definitely shown in the letters and cards Ronnie 1. has received in the last five weeks.

Some years passed, and I received a phone call from Ralph Newman, who was interested in involving my services to produce an oldies show in the city. Ralph had been to the shows Bob Millacio and myself had put on in Passaic and he hoped we could acheive something in New York. He said he had some people interested in backing the shows when we had them put together. I answered "definitely", and suggested that I may be able to find Gus since he was supposed to have completed his two years and should be out. He agreed, along with his associate, Bob Galgano, that this could start everything again and said that it would be worth a try.

I made a couple of calls, one to Perry Steinberg, a great friend, who has helped me to stay abreast of a lot of things in radioland during the last five years. Perry called back with the lead on where Gus might be. Off Trina and I ran to a halfway house in the city. We sat in the lobby for about an hour looking for some sign of Gus. Then we walked upstairs to the rooms and looked up and down the hall. We turned around and started to walk back when, suddenly, there he was . We both ran towards him as he did towards us. A lot of tears fell that night as we went back down to the lobby to rap.

We talked about the years that had passed and what had occurred in radio and in music, and about our friends whom Gus knew. He was also talking about splitting to California and possibly settling down. I told him I thought the magic of his name was still in the New York air and if he was interested in giving it one last try I would be glad to start the project rolling once again. He smiled and said we'd talk soon, as he was already late, and there was a curfew he had to obey. Trina and I felt, as we rode home, that he was going to give it one more try. He was leary, however, about New York radio giving him another chance, now that they were doing fine and didn't need the help.

After chasing a hell of a lot of stations with nothing concrete to go on, and after Bob's backers decided against putting up money for a "welcome back" show, Gus, Ralph and myself were left with the chore of doing it ourselves.

Gus found some friends who became backers for the show. Day after day, and night after night, we worked feverishly to put all the promotion and production to work. We knew it had to be a great show and we needed all the publicity we could get. Management at CBS-FM was in an uproar over seeing Gus's face in the building. They were not going to go out of their way to support the person they once fired for reasons they have never disclosed. There was a lot of enthusiasm from the secretaries, receptionists, etc, And their phones rang constantly. Callers were congratulating them on Gus' return and asked when he was going back on the air.

Management didn't like the excitement and was seemingly afraid that someone coming up with the kind of personality that masses of people could relate to would eventually have a chance to sit in their seat and more than likely do a better job. So to make sure that the check was there at the end of the week, they tried to find a way to stop a curly headed kid with great ideas.

Show time came quickly and we were all presented with a fantastic program which took weeks of work by Suzanne, Ralph's wife. It really knocked us out as did the following program of the Fats Domino concert. Gus' friends along with Ralph's and Suzanne's friends and relatives, and my crew -. Trina, Chinko, Broadway, Scott, Skippy, George from the Bon-Aires, Ronnie I and Eddie G. all helped in every way possible to keep the loose ends together so we could concentrate on putting on a tight show. The same crew of friends and relatives helped on the following Fats Domino concert with everything from selling tickets and programs to ushering and helping people to have a good time. We ran spots on NBC radio and they helped us without taking a negative attitude towards Gus' past. With the help of Ronnie I., we had spots on WHBI.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, everyone helped and I'm sure a lot of other people we didn't know would have helped, but the stations that Gus helped to build, those two stations turned their backs on the man. They shut the door in his face and in doing so closed the door on the New York sound in the metropolitan area once again. As I'm writing this, I hear from Ronnie that the spots in memory of Gus that were previously accepted, by CBS, along with a check in full payment, were turned down by the station manager. His reason was that they were morbid; I ask you - how else can you say a man has passed away other than he has died or is now deceased? He later made the remark: "We will not support a drug addict, the spots will not go on." Unfuckin' real. Gus was not a drug addict, but if that is how they judge people by what they hear or assume, why do they play any records at all? We all know a lot of the vintage artists who were involved in drugs in the past and died from them. We know the same about the rock stars of today so why play their music, why not suppress all these records and artists also? At least this way, they're sticking to a policy.

The rest is history. The Fats Domino show ended and Classic Harmony, Productions, Inc, the name chosen by Ralph, Gus and I had just managed to pay it's performers. Weeks passed and we again tried all channels to get a radio gig for Gus. He was on the verge of being evicted from his apartment, yes, he didn't have a dime. At times we brought food to fill his box and so did a lot of his other friends. He was sleep-ing all over the city trying to hang in. His own saved money, that he was counting on to throw into another show, had been ripped off. He finally split, and, for the second time since I've known him, he was down and out.

The first time involved a cross-town cab ride he took when we had just started to put together the "Welcome Home" show. The cab driver was turning the radio dial furiously and saying, "There's no good New York music anymore. Every station plays the same shit and the disc jockeys have no expression or feeling.

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