Remembering the Good Old Days

I first met Bob Allen in February of 1966 at WQUA in Moline, Illinois. His real name was Gordon Van Waes. I was "Adam in the Evening" and he was the voice all the mothers loved to listen to, from 9 to noon. So, I didn't see him often. At the time, I owned a Mexican import shop nearby, so from time to time I would go in to the station to record a spot or two. When I cut spots with him, I always felt like I had left my lower register in the cash drawer - he had such great pipes that he made me sound like Edith Bunker.

Bob and I worked on different shifts for about nine years. In 1975 we teamed up for a two man show (very rare for medium markets in those days.) We left WQUA at the end of 1976 and went to WPTF in Raleigh, NC. But time travel to the mid-50's was not for us. So we came to WAKR in Akron in August of 1978. Adam and Bob had a great run until May of 1991 (we were rated one of the top 25 morning shows in the U.S. by Radio and Records in 1983, and inducted into the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998.) Many times we would get off the air and be exhausted from laughing so much. I remember saying, "You know, Bob, these are the good old days." And they were.

Bob died on April 2, 2017, and I miss him a lot. I was blessed to have had him for a friend. We promised that we would wear our "good pants" to the other's funeral. And I did (it took me a long time to find them.)

-Adam Jones
5-24-17