Saturday Soul with JB and the Soul Gang
[By “JB”, aka James E. Butler, Esq. ’74]
My experience at Princeton was defined by my participation at WPRB-FM. Quite simply, my radio show meant everything to me. My social life and “spare” time revolved around my show. It was an exciting experience to be part of the growing movement offering “soul” music on FM radio during the early seventies. I remember being one of the very first to prominently play soul albums by persons and groups who would become major acts in the 70’s, such as Roberta Flack, Valerie Simpson, Ashford and Simpson, Barry White, and Earth Wind and Fire. My three year show at WPRB kept growing until it occupied the air waves from 1:00 – 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays. I believe it was the longest show at that time. I would have gladly hosted a show every day of the week if allowed.
Immediate thoughts about the show are the following:
The Soul Gang, consisting of my poet/philosopher in residence, Tony Sloan, Cheryl Daniels and Vickie Bray. There were a lot of jokes, laughs and good times had by all. For Tony and me, it was the start of a friendship that has continued for decades.
The Music. I love popular music of all types. Still do, although I now have quite a collection of new age music. However, in the early seventies, soul music was missing from the FM waves. It gave me great pleasure to be part of the small but growing number of disc jockeys trying to fill the void. I loved previewing albums and 45s trying to decide what new songs, sounds and artists to bring to my audience. Nothing gave me greater joy than following the charts of Billboard Magazine and the knowledge that I had identified a major hit before the experts.
Engineering. I loved being the announcer and the engineer. It gave me a feeling of “oneness” with the music. How songs segued into each other became very important to me. So did the voice-overs. All week long I would rehearse in my mind different combinations of “intros”, “extros”, and “fades” and couldn’t wait to try them out on the weekend.
The Audience. I loved my audience. As I grew up in Trenton, I felt much kinship with the audience. Many of them were not only my classmates at Princeton, but my friends, acquaintances, siblings, cousins, neighbors and high school classmates. To walk into a grocery store or shoe store and have someone say “I recognize your voice. Aren’t you…?” would immediately put me on top of the world. I also enjoyed responding to the myriad requests of my audience. I still miss them.
The Power of the Media. One thing I learned very quickly in 1971 was the power of a media personality. Simply because I was an announcer, people respected me. Especially young people. It made me very aware that I had a responsible position and that I could be influential. I always remembered this and used my opportunity on the air to speak about peace and understanding. I always tried to stress the importance of an education and spoke out against drugs. Of course, I did all of this in the context of the music I played and my intros and extros.
WPRB, I miss you. Even years later, I still occasionally dream that I am on the radio. WPRB will always mean Princeton and my youth to me. My experience with WPRB was a major highlight of my life.