When DJs Were DJs- The Last of a Dying Breed
By Cory Franklin
July 30th 2026
Chicago is arguably the city with a history of more great radio disc jockeys than anywhere else. And when Bob Stroud retired recently after 45 years as a Chicago rock-jock, it meant possibly the last great distinct radio personality hanging up his headphones. Stroud belongs to a pantheon that includes among others, Dick Biondi, Larry Lujack, Steve Dahl, Tom Joyner and Herb Kent (you probably have your favorite.) Names meaningless to many today, but they were once the fount of indelible memories for millions.
Stroud did it differently than most of them. The other radio jocks drew listeners with their style – whether soothing, sarcastic, anarchic or soulful. Some didn’t even play music and Larry Lujack hated most of the music he played. Stroud let his métier, the music, speak. With an encyclopedic knowledge of rock since its birth, he attracted the listener (his closest match may have been Dick Buckley who did the same with his jazz program.)
Forty-five years are by no means a record for a disc-jockey career – Biondi and others lasted longer – but with today’s ever-changing music platforms, fragmented markets and radio in decline, any disc jockey entering the medium today is unlikely to match Stroud’s longevity. His best-known show was called “Rock and Roll Roots” and he was the nonpareil expert. He would play the first rock record Rocket 88 (Jackie Brenston with Ike Turner’s band) and Elvis records when Presley was still known as the “Hillbilly Cat” in the mid-1950s. He had a special affection for the early work of Chuck Berry, who he called “The Grandfather of Rock and Roll.”
Stroud told the story of being an impressionable listener as a boy to the Everly Brothers’ historic 1960 recording, Cathy’s Clown, – it was the record that saved Warner Brothers record division, which was on the brink of folding. And of course, he was drawn to being a disc jockey by listening to Biondi at night in Southwestern Michigan in the early 1960s on clear channel WLS transmitting across Lake Michigan.
Just one of thousands influenced by the rock jocks at the “Big 89” and later Super CFL back in the day, but he turned it into his life’s work.
Stroud did things on radio you just didn’t hear elsewhere. He highlighted those who deserved, but may have been denied, the spotlight. Example: when the tragic musical prodigy Laura Nyro died relatively young, Stroud put together a three-hour show chronicling the songs she wrote including “Blowing Away“, “Wedding Bell Blues“, “Stoned Soul Picnic“, “” “Eli’s Comin’ ” “Stoney End” and “Time and Love.” It was a particularly poignant and heartfelt tribute to the songstress, a legend in the musical community but a relative unknown outside it.
At his end of year tribute to those musicians who died and were important to rock music, Stroud once featured Joe Osborn. Never heard of him? He was the nonpareil bass player for the legendary Wrecking Crew, the Los Angeles based studio cats who played on countless records in the 1960s and 1970s. Not as famous as his female counterpart Carol Kaye, Osborn nevertheless played on more #1 records than any other bass player in history with the possible exception of James Jamerson of Motown and R/B fame. Yes, that includes Paul McCartney.
Stroud demonstrated how powerful local radio can be. Author Michael Chabon expressed the emotion in his essay, Radio Silence, “(The song)’Runaround Sue’ by Dion &the Belmonts (1961) was my mother’s all-time favorite. We used to hear it sometime on WMOD (“Washington DC’s Goldmine”), and she always got a certain look when it came on, something between surprise and reverie.
All those songs, and even more, their familiarity and evident importance to my mother- the associations and memories they stirred, the good feelings they engendered – came to mean something to me. Their lyrics, their instrumentation, the outmoded crooning or falsettos of their vocalists, their monaural shimmer, became part of my understanding of the era that had produced them, and my understanding of my mother, and of the way she saw and talked about her life.”
Full disclosure: I listened avidly to Stroud for years, but I rarely tuned in the last decade. It had nothing to do with him. Understandably, radio advertisers continually seek a younger demographic, so the music and the listeners change. To his credit, he adapted to the changes seamlessly. While I may not have listened recently, my adult children did.
My daughter told me that he closed out his last program of “Ten at 10” and played “Sugar and Spice”, a great 1966 track by a Hinsdale group, The Cryan’ Shames. To her, it kindled memories of hearing the song for the first time on Stroud’s program in 1990, listening on the car radio with me when she was a little girl.
To me, it recalled 1966 when I heard that intoxicating sound as I entered high school and everyone was talking about the best new local rock groups. That was Stroud’s genius – the ability to bridge generations through the radio: the Stroud Crowd . Very few DJs possessed that skill and no AI will ever be able to duplicate the enjoyment of that personal, even intimate, relationship with the listener. “Gone but not forgotten” is how Bob Stroud might characterize that pleasure.
Enjoy your retirement, Bob. You earned it.
-30-
Dr. Cory Franklin
Cory Franklin, physician and writer, is a frequent contributor to johnkassnews.com. Director of Medical Intensive Care at Cook County (Illinois) Hospital for 25 years, before retiring he wrote over 80 medical articles, chapters, abstracts, and correspondences in books and professional journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. In 1999, he was awarded the Shubin-Weil Award, one of only fifty people ever honored as a national role model for the practice and teaching of intensive care medicine.
Since retirement, Dr. Franklin has been a contributor to the Chicago Tribune op-ed page. His work has been published in the New York Times, New York Post, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times and excerpted in the New York Review of Books. Internationally, his work has appeared internationally in Spiked, The Guardian and The Jerusalem Post. For nine years he hosted a weekly audio podcast, Rememberingthepassed, which discusses the obituaries of notable people who have died recently. His 2015 book “Cook County ICU: 30 Years Of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases” was a medical history best-seller. In 2024, he co-authored The COVID Diaries: Anatomy of a Contagion As it Happened.
In 1993, he worked as a technical advisor to Harrison Ford and was a role model for the physician character Ford played in the film, The Fugitive.
Comments 16
Great article. Thanks for the memories.
Dr. Cory Franklin wrote a great article about Bob Stroud! Unfortunately, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame failed to admit Bob Stroud as a member! A gross and unforgivable oversight by the Cleveland museum!
Can WDRV appeal to the Hall of Fame to admit Bob Stroud after-the-fact as a 2026 Honorary Inductee?!
A true radio legend!
Sir:
I knew you would be the writer of this article when I saw the title. This story is a breath of fresh air. A great change of pace.
Thank you,
I agree with Raymond, thank you sir.
Dr Cory,
Thanks for touching on the relationship between DJ’s and their audiences. Those voices from the beyond become our close friends that the majority of the time that we never met in person. Lin Brehmer (XRT DJ like Bob Stroud who also there in the early years) said it best. “I’m Lin Brehmer, your best friend in whole world.” The fragmentation of music avenues of listening and corporation sterilization of radio has resulted in the elimination of true radio personalities. One of few remaining DJ’s is Steve Dahl who continues his trademark approach of discussing his personal daily life on the non-radio venue, “The Steve Dahl Podcast.”
I think it safe to say that Stroud exemplified what FM radio was at one time.
There is an axiom which says “The one thing that can be counted on to remain the same is there will be change.” That is certainly true with radio and how it has changed since I started listening to programs besides Wally Phillips on WGN. No offense to Wally.
The variety is still out there although not being pumped out by the 50,000-watt stations. I found it on Sirius. Tons of variety for a nominal fee. It is largely commercial free although I did hear some advertising on the Conan O’Brien station. Don’t want to sound like a Sirius shill but this is how it has evolved. Grateful Dead channel is fantastic although that may generate some derisive sneers on this page.
There is an axiom which says “The one thing that can be counted on to remain the same is there will be change.” That is certainly true with radio and how it has changed since I started listening to programs besides Wally Phillips on WGN. No offense to Wally.
The variety is still out there although not being pumped out by the 50,000-watt stations. I found it on Sirius. Tons of variety for a nominal fee. It is largely commercial free although I did hear some advertising on the Conan O’Brien station. Don’t want to sound like a Sirius shill but this is how it has evolved. Grateful Dead channel is fantastic although that may generate some derisive sneers on this page.
There used to be at least five rock music stations in Chicago when I was a teenager. Now reduced to one ” classic rock” station meaning they play the same five songs by The Beatles ad nauseum. When ‘XRT went on air in the mid 70’s they gave their DJ’s the autonomy to play whatever they wanted. Frank Zappa, Pat Metheny. Punk Rock. Blues. Classical. Jazz Transfusion. The last time I listened WXRT played the same horrible crap as any commercial station. Streaming was supposed to be a return but its the same five songs by the same bands, over and over again. Moral of the story? BUY YOUR OWN MUSIC. OWN YOUR OWN MUSIC. DON’T PAY FOREVER FEES TO RENT YOUR MUSIC.
Sadly never heard of Stroud. AM band was home. FM (where he apparently resided) was for classical. My loss on two counts. I do have some great stories with both Biondi and Herb Kent “The Cool Gent” who was on WVON (“Voice of the Negro”) and another broadcaster of note Paul Harvey. I was interested in radio broadcasting in college and was able to spend time with eace one in their studio. Great memories. Thanks Doc.
Great article. Music is a good way to define each generation. “The Greatest Generation” had some very good music, although it took me a while to learn to appreciate it. The “Baby Boom” generation clearly is defined by their music which is some of the best, in my biased opinion. I’m not sure future generation’s music will be rated as highly but I guess that’s normal as my parents weren’t too enthusiastic about Rock N Roll. The “Baby Boom” generation is beginning to fade away now but I think our DJ’s and the music they played will hold up well. Thanks for documenting some of it in your article.
Great article. Brings back a lot of memories. For me, growing up in the NYC metro area, in the 60s, no one was bigger than Cousin Brucie (Bruce Morrow) on WABC whose radio signal at night reached the Rockies. And as near as I can tell Cousin is still going strong, now in his 65th year in the business. Of course every “rockin’ ” DJ owes their good fortune to the (much maligned) Godfather of Rock n Roll DJing: the late great Allan Freed.
Does anyone remember Dan Sorkin? Can’t remember what station that he was on. He was scheduled to start at 6 a.m, but was almost always late. Had the best excuses: rode from his home in Hyde Park to the downtown studio and fell asleep at a stop light; was up well after midnight watching a WW II movie (remember the movies that came on late at night?) and didn’t hear the alarm. He left Chicago for the West Coast, and I recall hearing that he was in a motorcycle accident that brought his career to an end.
Can’t forget “Charming and Delightful”; Ole Uncle Lar’ and Little Snot Nosed Tommy.
Still listen to my Animal Stories LP now and then.
Ah, the good old days… Met Dick Biondi, the Wild Eyeralian, at Lake County Fairgrounds swap meet. Good ol’ Uncle Lar wasn’t really charming and delightful, but I enjoyed his show. Fred Winston, too. Steve Dahl and Gary Meier? Meh. Too adolescent.
But Stroud…. Bob Stroud is in a league of his own. He is the historian’s DJ, an encyclopedia of Rock, the intellectual’s music man. He knows his music, he knows his music makers, and I hope he continues to share that knowledge.
First saw his band, Rockestra, at the Loop Family Album performance at the Park West, way back in the last century. Met Stroud when the band played at Vernon Hills Days a couple of years later. Good guy. Really pleasant.
I wish him all the best in retirement.
EyeTralian.
I should start using autocorrect…