Growing up, I loved the way they kept me entertained. Those voices down the road, close by and in places far away. First as a child, and even as a teenager, I couldn't wait to go to bed at night because my trusty transistor radio was always there to keep me company and keep me entertained until I drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Guys like Tony Perry, Mike Beverly, Lynn Wright, Coyote McCloud, Carl Mayfield, and Phil Williams close to home to the big names in even bigger cities far away like Coyote Calhoun, John "Records" Landecker, and Larry Lujack were some of my best early childhood friends. As I got older.....I wanted to be like them.
Eventually, I became one of them. 1982 was the year I joined the radio fraternity. After a few years doing the "radio thing" in too many places to list here, I ended up in California. That's where I discovered a whole new treasure trove of talented men and women who reinvigorated my love for the crazy business I has chosen as a career years earlier. People like Dr. Don Rose, Bobby Ocean, Sylvia Chacon, Charlie Van Dyke, Robert W. Morgan, The Real Don Steele, Shotgun Tom Kelly, Jeff and Jer, Rich Brother Robbin, Dave Rickards, Shelly Dunn, and Charlie Tuna.
As a child and as an adult in the radio biz, these men and women were some of the truest entertainers, motivators, and professional role models one could hope for. Today some of these folks are still practicing the craft they love.....entertaining. Some are enjoying the "retired life," and sadly some have passed on. Today, we lost another one of the "Great Ones" in Charlie Tuna as he passes on at the age of 71.
Charlie was the consummate professional on the air and off. Entertaining us during the day and at night and on the weekends using his time, talent, and energy to help raise awareness and funds for causes that were important to him on both the local and national level. He touched many lives over the course of his career. He truly was one of the "Great Ones" and will be dearly missed by all who knew him and fans who didn't.
Thanks for the memories Charlie! You've had a great life and career, now it's times to take a break for a bit.
