Don Sherwood (disc jockey)
Encyclopedia
Don Sherwood was an American
radio personality. He was a San Francisco, California disc jockey
during the 1950s and 1960s. Billed as "The World's Greatest Disc Jockey," Sherwood spent most of his career hosting a 6 to 9 a.m. weekday program on KSFO in San Francisco (560 kHz, 5000 watts), which was then owned by the singing cowboy actor Gene Autry
.
(lying about his real age — 16), then enrolled in a radio class at Samuel Gompers School. He then joined the Merchant Marine. When he returned to San Francisco in 1944, his deep, resonant voice led to a job as announcer at KFRC
, when Sherwood was only 19 years old. The job ended and Sherwood was unemployed until he was hired by KQW, which was renamed KCBS
in 1949, serving as an announcer and playing recordings. After being fired by KCBS on May 29, 1949, Sherwood worked at KROW in Oakland, California
. Then, in 1953, he was hired by KSFO and remained there for three years. In 1956, he worked at KYA, then returned to KSFO the following year. He remained primarily at KSFO until 1969.
At KSFO, Sherwood did more than play recordings on his broadcasts; he made fun of the commercials, used sound effects (with the help of a talented engineer named Charlie Smith), occasionally imitated popular singers, and presented a number of regular comic features including "Just Plain Rosita," in which he pretended to translate the story of a Spanish language radio soap opera (actually dialog from a Spanish-language instructional record). He also was the star of a long-running spoof on super heroes called "Super Frog," which relied on music and sound effects. He had a number of sidekicks over the years, including newsman Aaron Edwards (who later was a television news reporter) and fellow disc jockey Carter B. Smith (later heard on KNBR
).
During Sherwood's KSFO programs, Hap Harper provided some of the Bay Area's first traffic reports (from a fixed wing airplane). On one memorable 1960 broadcast (preserved on tape by http://bayarearadio.org), comedian Bill Dana surprised Sherwood by trying to do the reports from Harper's plane. Whenever Sherwood did play recordings, he deliberately avoided rock music, which he detested; instead, he played his favorite "easy listening" singers such as Wayne Newton
, Johnny Mathis
, Vic Damone
, and Carmen McRae
. Sherwood would sign off with, "Out of the mud grows the lotus."
For some reason, Sherwood often tampered with the Berkeley Farms dairy products commercials. The prerecorded announcement included a final line "Farms in Berkeley?" followed by the mooing of a cow. Berkeley Farms had hired cartoon voice expert Mel Blanc
to do the cow voice. However, Sherwood would insert a pause after the question, then add something else (often totally unrelated to the commercial), before playing the cow sound effect, which was often distorted. He also would tamper with a familiar cigarette commercial, known for the line "outstanding...and they are mild," by interrupting the words with his own comments or a recording that had nothing to do with the product. Reportedly, advertisers didn't mind Sherwood's actions because it actually called greater attention to their products.
Beginning January 15, 1955, Sherwood also hosted a late night local show, titled "San Francisco Tonight," on KGO-TV
(Channel 7) in San Francisco. He even had his own orchestra. The station, owned and operated by ABC
(since its debut in May 1949), wanted Sherwood simply to interview visiting entertainers and other celebrities and to avoid politics or other controversial subjects. However, Sherwood became concerned about the federal government's treatment of the Navajo
tribe. Also beginning on January 15, 1955, Don hosted a one half hour television show called "The Belfast Pop Club" with Bill Anderson until June 13, 1955.
In 1957, management warned Sherwood not to discuss his concerns on the program and, when he went ahead anyway, they cut off his program and promptly fired him.
Later, when KTVU
(Channel 2) in Oakland, California
began broadcasting from studios in Jack London Square
(in 1958), they invited Sherwood to host a similar program on their station. Although Sherwood was given considerably more freedom, he soon grew tired of the demands of hosting a late night telecast and still getting up early the next morning to do his morning broadcast on KSFO. Sherwood was often late for his KSFO broadcasts or did not show up at all, forcing KSFO to use Aaron Edwards, Carter Smith, or whoever else was available on short notice.
Sherwood had left the San Francisco Bay Area in 1957 to be considered as a possible NBC
television host in Chicago, only to become homesick and return to San Francisco. He also moved to Honolulu and worked as an announcer there, before again deciding to return to the Bay Area. His final stint at KSFO was in 1975. Listeners generally thought he had lost much of his humor and creative imagination in his later broadcasts.
Worsening health led him to spend much of his later years traveling or on a house boat in Sausalito, California
. He did appear on KGO Radio with talk show host Owen Spann late in his life and, despite poor health, still displayed considerable wit and wisdom.
Emphysema, probably caused by his chain smoking, shortened his career and life.
His life has been chronicled in The Life and Times of the World's Greatest Disc Jockey by Laurie Harper, the wife of former Sherwood colleague Hap Harper (who did KSFO's traffic reports), published in 1989 by Prima Publishing & Communications, Rocklin, California.
in 1959, who changed it to an "easy listening" station known as KABL; in 2004 it became a rock station known as KQKE
. KSFO, where Sherwood spent much of his career, is now an all-talk station with a primarily conservative agenda. KYA, where he broadcast for a year, was renamed KOIT. KGO-TV is still owned by ABC
, a Disney subsidiary, while KTVU is now a Fox affiliate.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio personality. He was a San Francisco, California disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
during the 1950s and 1960s. Billed as "The World's Greatest Disc Jockey," Sherwood spent most of his career hosting a 6 to 9 a.m. weekday program on KSFO in San Francisco (560 kHz, 5000 watts), which was then owned by the singing cowboy actor Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
.
Biography
Born Daniel Sherwood Cohelan in San Francisco, Sherwood served briefly in the Canadian Armoured CorpsRoyal Canadian Armoured Corps
The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps is the armoured branch of service of the Canadian Army, including regular force and reserve regiments.-History:...
(lying about his real age — 16), then enrolled in a radio class at Samuel Gompers School. He then joined the Merchant Marine. When he returned to San Francisco in 1944, his deep, resonant voice led to a job as announcer at KFRC
KFRC (defunct)
KFRC was a radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States, which made its first broadcast on Wednesday, September 24, 1924, from studios in the Hotel Whitcomb 1231 Market Street. KFRC originally broadcast with 50 watts on the 270 meter wavelength , then moved to 660 kHz. in...
, when Sherwood was only 19 years old. The job ended and Sherwood was unemployed until he was hired by KQW, which was renamed KCBS
KCBS (AM)
KCBS is an all-news radio station in San Francisco, California, that is a key West Coast flagship radio station of the CBS Radio Network and Westwood One. Its transmitter is located in Novato, California. KCBS currently has studios on Battery Street, where it shares the location with co-owned KPIX...
in 1949, serving as an announcer and playing recordings. After being fired by KCBS on May 29, 1949, Sherwood worked at KROW in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. Then, in 1953, he was hired by KSFO and remained there for three years. In 1956, he worked at KYA, then returned to KSFO the following year. He remained primarily at KSFO until 1969.
At KSFO, Sherwood did more than play recordings on his broadcasts; he made fun of the commercials, used sound effects (with the help of a talented engineer named Charlie Smith), occasionally imitated popular singers, and presented a number of regular comic features including "Just Plain Rosita," in which he pretended to translate the story of a Spanish language radio soap opera (actually dialog from a Spanish-language instructional record). He also was the star of a long-running spoof on super heroes called "Super Frog," which relied on music and sound effects. He had a number of sidekicks over the years, including newsman Aaron Edwards (who later was a television news reporter) and fellow disc jockey Carter B. Smith (later heard on KNBR
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
).
During Sherwood's KSFO programs, Hap Harper provided some of the Bay Area's first traffic reports (from a fixed wing airplane). On one memorable 1960 broadcast (preserved on tape by http://bayarearadio.org), comedian Bill Dana surprised Sherwood by trying to do the reports from Harper's plane. Whenever Sherwood did play recordings, he deliberately avoided rock music, which he detested; instead, he played his favorite "easy listening" singers such as Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
, Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, Vic Damone
Vic Damone
Vic Damone is an American singer and entertainer.- Early life :Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Bari, Italy—Rocco and Mamie Farinola. His father was an electrician; and his mother taught piano. His cousin was the actress and singer...
, and Carmen McRae
Carmen McRae
Carmen Mercedes McRae was an American jazz singer, composer, pianist, and actress. Considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century, it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and her ironic interpretations of song lyrics that made her memorable...
. Sherwood would sign off with, "Out of the mud grows the lotus."
For some reason, Sherwood often tampered with the Berkeley Farms dairy products commercials. The prerecorded announcement included a final line "Farms in Berkeley?" followed by the mooing of a cow. Berkeley Farms had hired cartoon voice expert Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
to do the cow voice. However, Sherwood would insert a pause after the question, then add something else (often totally unrelated to the commercial), before playing the cow sound effect, which was often distorted. He also would tamper with a familiar cigarette commercial, known for the line "outstanding...and they are mild," by interrupting the words with his own comments or a recording that had nothing to do with the product. Reportedly, advertisers didn't mind Sherwood's actions because it actually called greater attention to their products.
Beginning January 15, 1955, Sherwood also hosted a late night local show, titled "San Francisco Tonight," on KGO-TV
KGO-TV
KGO-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, based in San Francisco, California...
(Channel 7) in San Francisco. He even had his own orchestra. The station, owned and operated by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(since its debut in May 1949), wanted Sherwood simply to interview visiting entertainers and other celebrities and to avoid politics or other controversial subjects. However, Sherwood became concerned about the federal government's treatment of the Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
tribe. Also beginning on January 15, 1955, Don hosted a one half hour television show called "The Belfast Pop Club" with Bill Anderson until June 13, 1955.
In 1957, management warned Sherwood not to discuss his concerns on the program and, when he went ahead anyway, they cut off his program and promptly fired him.
Later, when KTVU
KTVU
KTVU, virtual channel 2 , is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Licensed to Oakland, California, the station has been owned by Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises since 1964, making it the largest Fox affiliate by market size that is not owned and operated by the...
(Channel 2) in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
began broadcasting from studios in Jack London Square
Jack London Square
Jack London Square is a popular tourist attraction on the waterfront of Oakland, California. Named after the author Jack London and owned by the Port of Oakland, it is the home of stores, restaurants, hotels, an Amtrak station, a ferry dock, the historic Saloon, the cabin Jack London lived in the...
(in 1958), they invited Sherwood to host a similar program on their station. Although Sherwood was given considerably more freedom, he soon grew tired of the demands of hosting a late night telecast and still getting up early the next morning to do his morning broadcast on KSFO. Sherwood was often late for his KSFO broadcasts or did not show up at all, forcing KSFO to use Aaron Edwards, Carter Smith, or whoever else was available on short notice.
Sherwood had left the San Francisco Bay Area in 1957 to be considered as a possible NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television host in Chicago, only to become homesick and return to San Francisco. He also moved to Honolulu and worked as an announcer there, before again deciding to return to the Bay Area. His final stint at KSFO was in 1975. Listeners generally thought he had lost much of his humor and creative imagination in his later broadcasts.
Worsening health led him to spend much of his later years traveling or on a house boat in Sausalito, California
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
. He did appear on KGO Radio with talk show host Owen Spann late in his life and, despite poor health, still displayed considerable wit and wisdom.
Emphysema, probably caused by his chain smoking, shortened his career and life.
His life has been chronicled in The Life and Times of the World's Greatest Disc Jockey by Laurie Harper, the wife of former Sherwood colleague Hap Harper (who did KSFO's traffic reports), published in 1989 by Prima Publishing & Communications, Rocklin, California.
Sherwood's Stations
KFRC, where Sherwood began his broadcasting career (as an announcer), later became a rock music FM outlet. It was discontinued in 2008 and its last location on the dial, 106.9, began broadcasting KCBS's programming. KCBS, where Sherwood continued his career, is a news and information station, still owned by CBS. KROW in Oakland was purchased by Gordon McLendonGordon McLendon
Gordon Barton McLendon was a radio pioneer and pirate radio broadcaster. He has been coined the Maverick of Radio. McLendon is widely credited for perfecting, with great commercial success, the Top 40 radio format during the 1950s and 1960s which was first invented by Todd Storz and for developing...
in 1959, who changed it to an "easy listening" station known as KABL; in 2004 it became a rock station known as KQKE
KQKE
KKGN is a progressive talk radio station licensed to Oakland, California which serves the San Francisco Bay Area. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications....
. KSFO, where Sherwood spent much of his career, is now an all-talk station with a primarily conservative agenda. KYA, where he broadcast for a year, was renamed KOIT. KGO-TV is still owned by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, a Disney subsidiary, while KTVU is now a Fox affiliate.