Rockin' Down the Dial: The Detroit Sound of Radio (From Jack the Bellboy to the Big 8) [Paperback]

David Carson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Carson, previously a radio disc jockey himself, provides a useful and entertaining historical account of the evolution of Detroit radio. He chronicles the styles and antics of the most popular local radio personalities from the 1940s through the 1970s-several of whom eventually took their places in radio's hall of fame; Casey Kasem, Dick Purtan, and Ed (Jack the Bellboy) McKenzie were all once active in Detroit radio. A handy list of Detroit radio alumni and their current exploits is presented at the end of this volume. Carson also furnishes us with an intriguing insider's view of the Detroit radio payola scandal of 1959, the local promotional efforts that launched "The Motown Sound," the arrival of the Beatles and the subsequent British Invasion, and the genesis of FM rock radio in the early 1970s. Recommended for academic libraries serving telecommunications departments and public libraries in the Detroit area.
David M. Lisa, Mercyhurst Coll. Lib., Erie, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Momentum Books LLC; First Edition edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879094622
• ISBN-13: 978-1879094628
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,731,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detroit radio for the connoisseur, May 15, 2002

By 

C. Morris (haslett, michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rockin' Down the Dial: The Detroit Sound of Radio (From Jack the Bellboy to the Big 8) (Paperback)

This book deserves the most enthusiastic of accolades. Hopefully, five stars says it all. And I'd like to add that this superb look at Detroit radio is not only for rock and rollers. Detroit's enormous rock-guys are all represented, of course, but so are the pre-rock guys. The book has tremendous appeal for anyone who grew up in the Detroit area during the period. And, it was a hell of a period. The radio of 1950 was WAY different from that of the mid-Sixties. I was there in '50, listening to Don McLeod and Paul Winter playing Frank Sinatra, and I was on the air in Detroit in the mid-Sixties--with Don McLeod and Paul Winter, I'm proud to say--playing the BeeGees. I was only an insignificant peon, but I was there, and I was paying attention. David has done a real good thing with this book: a first-class creative effort, historically accurate, and evocative of the feel of the times. Casey Casem says on the jacket, "I read it in one sitting." It's just that compelling. Detroit radio deserves a book like this, and David Carson has given it to us. Thanks, Dave.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book On This History of Detroit Radio, April 5, 2000

By 

Donald M. Schuster - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rockin' Down the Dial: The Detroit Sound of Radio (From Jack the Bellboy to the Big 8) (Paperback)

This is an amazing book. I loved it. I am a 35 year student of Detroit radio. I have been a radio station Program Director (WWWW) and Sales Manager (WWJ). I picked up all kinds of facts, context, connections, and progression of events I never knew. When it covered a subject matter I really know (the WKNR Keener 13 story, for example), I was amazed at how accurately David Carson nailed the story... not only the facts, but right down to the nuance of the story. Detroit Radio is honored by this book. If you are interested in the subject matter, I highly recommend the book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Detroit Music, May 20, 2007

By 

likz2so - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rockin' Down the Dial: The Detroit Sound of Radio (From Jack the Bellboy to the Big 8) (Paperback)

I love this - love all the old info - I lived in Detroit 1953 - 1964; nostalgic!