Hi Ed,
I’m sorry to have to end the year on a very sad note, but I wanted to let you know that Bob Jones passed away yesterday.
He had been battling non-hodgkins lymphoma for awhile.
I thought you might want to put something up on the WNEW AM 1130 web site about Bob’s passing.
Hope all is well with you & best wishes for the new year.
Jeffrey Williams 12-30-12
Milkman’s Matinee Opening with Bob Jon es. Click on link below
I was only 13 years old in 1995, but was a loyal listener to WQEW (and, to a certain extent, WNEW prior). In fact, “The Morning Man” was my alarm clock to get me up and off to school. I was in the 7th grade when I happened to find out from one of my old teachers that Bob was a parent at my school! My teacher assured me she’d introduce us, but then went a step further. On the morning of May 10, Bob was about to spin the daily “Broadway Showstopper,” (“brought to you by Tourneau, New York’s watch store,” of course) which would acknowledge the nomination of Michel Bell as Joe in the revival of “Show Boat.” Bob paused and said “now I’ll just take a second here to dedicate this this morning to Marc Hermann who’s in the 7th grade…he listens for the Showstopper each day, I hear from his former kindergarten teacher…another charter listener to 1560 WQEW. Greetings. Here is the remarkable Michel Bell…” One of the great thrills of my young life! I finally did get to meet Bob briefly some time later. I still have the audio tape of that dedication, and will treasure it always. Very sad to hear of his passing. My very best to all who knew him.
-Marc A. Hermann
Brooklyn, NY
I can only imagine the thrill Marc, but like me, you obviously held those guys and the station in high esteem. Bob and so many there made impressions on us to last a lifetime, otherwise this message board would not be. Chuck McCann & Sandy Becker also were “heroes” of my youth. Great for you to share with us.
I left NYC before Bob came “on board” but I visited NYC a couple of times and picked up the “Ballroom” It was such a smooth transition from the “Ballrooms” I remembered I felt I had not left for more than a week.
Classic NY radio never left even after the shut down, but it is due to people like Bob we have the memories we do…until our time comes. Thank you Bob, be sure to check the levels!
I was saddened to hear of the passing of a good friend, Bob Jones. We hadn’t been in touch over the past couple of years, but we were great friends during my tenure at WNEW. In fact, he arrainged for my audition and was a big supporter of me.
We stayed friends and spent many days and nights together with our spouses and families at his house and mine until 3 years ago when I moved to Florida. The evenings were full of stories, music, and much merriment.
He was a great talent in the style of WBW and the other great personalities that made the station what it was and truly loved being a torch bearer for American Popular Music. For any Air Personalities still playing the music, I will pass on one thing he taught me…Don’t play “September In The Rain” in September. Play it in April. The lyric says, “Though Spring is here to me it’s still September, September in the rain.”
I’ll miss him.
from an e-mail sent by Edward Brown to Jeffrey Williams 12-31-12
Hello, Jeffrey —
Bob Jones has been on my mind with particular urgency in recent days. Several people had contacted the website hoping to get in touch him. That was my hope, too. I hadn’t seen or talked to Bob since the time about 25 years ago when we were recording your “Ballroom” shows (which Bob hosted) at the LaMarca studios. I hope I told him then how much I admired his work. He was, from his earliest years on the air, smooth and smart, a class act, a personification of the WNEW style. Not that he needed me to commend him for what was evident to all, but I hope I told him so. Ed
Bob was a terrific air talent and a deep lover of the music of WNEW. For me, he showed his best side when he quietly, modestly, deferentially, graciously co-hosted William B. Williams’s show during WBW’s last days on WNEW. Such was my impression as a listener, at least. Mr. Jeffrey B. Williams would obviously know the details, but that’s how Bob came across to me on the radio at that time. I couldn’t imagine anyone doing what he did more beautifully. I was very proud to work with Bob very briefly at WQEW. He came in one morning with a terrible cold, prepped his show, and as he left the newsroom and went into the studio, he popped some over-the-counter cold remedy into his mouth and said, “This is pretty strong medicine. I can’t wait to find out what I’m going to say!” On the air he was, for me, elegant but un-fussy; serious, but with a light touch; and he loved, loved, loved the music, and it came across in every moment on the air.
Bob was the host of “The Milkman’s Matinee” on WNEW-AM from 1975-1979 and again in the early 80’s. He also hosted an evening version of “The Make-Believe Ballroom”. Bob also worked at several other stations including WHN, WQXR and WQEW.
Bob was last in the tradition of all the great Milkmen, which it should also be noted was the first all night radio program ‘when the day begins, the music begins’, just like WNEW pioneered playing records (instead of live bands) as filler in between coverage of the Lindbergh kidnapping trial which morphed into the Ballroom when Martin Block moved it and himself from California to New York.
Bob was a good friend as well as a top-flight talent. Godspeed Bob, you will be missed.
RIP Milkman.