On Brian Crabbe’s program There Goes That Song Again on 2RRR 88.5FM featuring popular music of the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Brian this week talks to talks to American veteran radio presenter, Johnny Knox.

Johnny’s career spanning 50 years in radio as a presenter and in management, much of it in New York City with major stations including WNBC and WNEW. Later, he became good friends with Perry Como and had weekly syndicated program featuring Perry and his music. In more recent years, he owned commercial station WFLN in Arcadia Florida and then community station WJUP in Jupiter, Florida.

Johnny talks with Brian about his long career in American radio and about many of the artists he met along the way. Just two were Tony Bennett, who appeared unannounced one day at Johnny’s door at WNSW, keen to promote his Carnegie Hall concert, and Barry Manilow whose mother urged WNEW to play Barry’s new record, greatly helping to launch his career.

Johnny also speaks about the changes in radio in America, and more specifically in New York City, up to the present day, a small portion of which you can hear below.

The There Goes That Song Again special with Johnny Knox will air on Sydney community station 2RRR 88.5FM and streamed on 2rrr.org.au over the next two weeks at 11am on Wednesday the 11th and 18th of March and repeated at 3pm on the Friday 13th and 20th March.

Image: Johnny Knox at WFLN 2009 – supplied.