To my 1957 HS Class: We all grew up in the 40s and 50s, and were exposed to the music of that era, namely big band music and other "easy listening stuff by Mantovani, Doris Day, Nelson Riddle, Roger Williams, Henry Mancini, Ferrante and Teicher, and others of the same genre. FM radio had classic and semi-classic music constantly, and you had to listen to AM to hear the contemporary music, such as the Ink Spots, Mills Brothers, Elvis, and The Crew Cuts. Back in the 50s Jay Andres had a show on WBBM, Music 'Til Dawn, sponsored by American Airlines. It came on the air at 11:00 PM and went till 5:00 AM. (Google Jay Andres, and read the hundreds of blogs about that guy.) Franklin McCormick had his "Torch Hour" show on WGN at night (sponsored by Peter Hands Brewery making Meister Brau). Both of those guys played great music all night. Today, one can hardly find "easy listening" anywhere on either FM or AM dials. I must be an "old fogie,"because I consider most of the contemporary music as "RACKET," not music! I drive from Illinois up to northern Minnesota to my summer cabin, several times during spring through fall. It is a nine hour hike, but I have gotten used to the long haul, departing Illinois around 7:00 AM, and arriving at my cabin late afternoon. It is almost impossible to find anything on the radio that I enjoy listening to. This last spring, while I was passing through Eau Claire, Wisconsin just about 12:15 PM, I stumbled across some fine.... no, great music, like I mentioned above. The announcer/DJ hosting the show was just like Franklin McCormick and Jay Andres, smooth, low voice, and full of interesting stories and the like. I was thrilled to find this station, so I listened for a station break where they would give the call letters, etc. It was WCFW, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, 105.7 FM. (Get it: WCFW?) I was so impressed, that I whipped out my cell phone (using my hands free devise, of course) and called Information for WCFW in Chippewa Falls, WI. The operator connected me, as well as sent me a text with the number. The Station Manager must have answered, and I began to tell him of my enthusiasm on finding his station. He was very flattered, and we chatted a bit, and I asked him who the host was introducing all the songs and telling all the little vignettes. He told me that it was a Mr. Jack Raymond who used to work out of Milwaukee. I asked him how far north I could expect to hear his station, Spooner maybe. He said "Oh no, there is another station on 105.7 in Siren, WI." Well, I said, I'll just have to listen to you on the Internet then. No, he said, we do not stream our station. (I guess one has to have big sponsors to afford to pay the fees for Internet streaming.) "Nuts!" Anyway, I repeated my appreciation for his programming, and we said farewell. Jack Raymond's show was on from 12:00 noon until 1:00 PM. There was also good music on the show that followed at 1:00, so I assumed that I had finally found at least one great station to listen to as I passed through the Eau Claire area. I listened to WCFW many times after that, as I drove through on my way up to Minnesota, or back to Illinois. In September of 2014, I was north-bound to my cabin, and I started to pick up the Jack Raymond show about thirty miles southeast of Eau Claire, and was set for the next hour or so to hear "my kind of music." Jack had just finished playing "Fascination," and he commented on the 1957 movie "Love in the Afternoon" starring Gary Cooper, but could not remember the girl starring opposite to him. I knew the name of that actress, Audrey Hepburn, and was motivated to call the station and tell him. I still had the station's phone number on my cell phone, so I dialed it and got the station manager again. He did remember me, and I complemented him again on his programming. I told him that I was listening to Jack Raymond, and that Jack could not remember the name of the actress that acted in the movie with Gary Cooper. I asked the station manager if Jack Raymond was on live, or was it a pre-recorded show. He responded that Jack Raymond has been dead for a long time, perhaps thirty years, and he would now be over one hundred years old if he were still alive. I was absolutely crushed, almost as if I had lost an old friend. I told him so, and he sympathized with me, and we discussed Jack's long and successful career in Milwaukee. It proves that good music is timeless. read more