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WSID in Baltimore ....
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Next up is a REAL soul stn, Memphis's finest R&B outlet ... WDIA ... a ground breaking stn started up in 1947. Played tunes aimed at a black audience from day one & even featured black present
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Can post up loads & loads more (old radio stn charts & related stuff) if there's much interest.
One of the reasons for the rise of soul music in the 60's was the effect of some US radio stns ...
Much like the DJ's on the NS scene, American radio jocks would make their names by picking obscure local label releases to push, making them sought after 45's and helping them gain national distribution deals THUS going on to become national chart hits. They'd also flip a 45 and plug the B side, again getting listeners attention and promoting an obscure cut into becoming a hit. They'd also reactivate non-hit tracks from months / a year or so earlier and again push the 45 back into the spotlight.
Most times, they'd be doing this to help progress their own careers, though some had a deep love of the music & just had to push neglected tracks they loved. If a radio jock picked winners on a regular basis, he'd build up a dedicated band of regular listeners & get offers of better posts on bigger stns. Some jocks on pop stns would pick many soul sides to spin (especially in the 1963 - 1968 period) when soul was becoming hot on the charts. They'd be playing soul sides that became popular and entered their stns charts, even when many of the other things given heavy airplay on their stn were by the likes of the Beach Boys, Beatles, Monkees, Bobby Vee, Lovin Spoonful, Frank Sinatra, etc.
So, by viewing old US radio stn chart run-downs you can get a feel for those time and the way in which soul music was surging in popularity ...
I'll start by posting bits from a pop stn down in Durham (Carolinas) ... WSSB ....
Edited by Roburt