Click on the images below to read more.
The Station:
The Studio:
Hunting and Gathering:
Vinyl Transfer:
Another 45 Is Prepared For Broadcast:
Yes, We Have A Few Records!
Singles Power!
CDs At The Other End Of The Studio:
How High Did That Record Chart?
One-Of-A-Kind B.B. King:
Lovely Ladies Hang Around Here, Too!
Saluting Some Classic Soul Radio Stations and Their Music:
KYOK (Houston, TX):
WEHW (WINDSOR, CT):
WDAS (Philadelphia, PA) (Part 1):
WDAS (Part 2):
WHAT (Philadelphia, PA):
WYLD (New Orleans, LA):
WVON (Chicago, IL):
WDAO (Dayton, OH):
KJAY (Sacramento, CA) (Part 1):
KJAY (Part 2):
KDIA (Oakland, CA) (Part 1):
KDIA (Part 2):
KDIA (Part 3):
KSAN (San Francisco, CA):
KSOL (San Francisco, CA):
KGFJ (Los Angeles, CA):
XERB (Los Angeles, CA / Playas de Rosarito, Mexico):
WWRL (New York, NY):
WLIB (New York, NY):
WWIN (Baltimore, MD):
WCHB (Detroit, MI):
WJLB (Detroit, MI):
KATZ (St. Louis, MO):
KDKO (Denver, CO):
WLLE (Raleigh, NC):
WOIC (Columbia, SC):
Here Is Where to Listen:
The Station:
Super Soul Gold Radio plays a blend of soul, R&B, blues and funk hits and rarities primarily from the 60s and 70s. That’s two decades of soul-satisfying music around the clock! We’re talkin’...The Temptations, James Brown, Booker T. & The MGs, Aretha, Jerry Butler, The Detroit Emeralds, Sly & The Family Stone, The Marvelettes, The Manhattans, Mary Wells…and countless other talents who make Super Soul Gold Radio so special. So, what exactly is "Super Soul?" Jack Walker, Program Director of WLIB Radio, New York, in the 1960s put it this way: "In the age of Soul, it has to be Super to groove. And the only feasible way to produce Super Soul, is to collect the Super exponents of Soul under one roof and let them turn on their sounds." And that's what's happening here, on Super Soul Gold Radio, where the way it was, is the way it is!The Studio:
Someone's always at work here adding more soul sounds for listeners throughout the world to enjoy!Hunting and Gathering:
Selecting the music to add to the Super Soul Gold Radio playlist.Vinyl Transfer:
Walter Jackson gets the digital transfer treatment at SSGR. We are partial to 45 RPM transfers since you can’t get any closer to the way the music sounded back in the day!Another 45 Is Prepared For Broadcast:
Here's one of the Wicked Pickett's 45s that was in actual use on a 60s-era soul radio station and is now in use at Super Soul Gold Radio! This record peaked at #4 in Billboard in Nov. of '65. Looks like it was #28, locally, the week someone scratched its chart position on the label.Yes, We Have A Few Records!
These are some of the LPs and 45s which surround us in the studio. We couldn’t ask for nicer “walls." We source a lot of our music from the original LPs and 45s.Singles Power!
There are even more 45s in back of the ones that are visible up front. They number in the thousands and are fully organized for easy programming on Super Soul Gold Radio.CDs At The Other End Of The Studio:
In additional to our library of vinyl...single CDs and CD box sets are carefully chosen so that we present only the original versions of the songs that you love to hear.How High Did That Record Chart?
These books have the answer to that and other questions, along with additional helpful information that we use to vet everything we present.One-Of-A-Kind B.B. King:
This charcoal and water color portrait of B.B. King in action by artist Anthony Montanino hangs in the Super Soul Gold Radio studio. Presented by the artist to Mr. King in the 90s, he liked it so much that he signed it. It says, “Best Wishes, B.B. King” in red pen (hard to read here). The signature is under the neck of Lucille, to the right of his hand.Lovely Ladies Hang Around Here, Too!
This excellent sketch of Motown’s Diana Ross & The Supremes was included in the deluxe double LP package of “Diana Ross & The Supremes Greatest Hits.” Issued in the summer of 1967, the double set LP charted at the #1 position for 5 weeks in Billboard, with a total chart life of 89 weeks. Truly Super Soul Gold!Saluting Some Classic Soul Radio Stations and Their Music:
Super Soul Gold Radio features a compilation of music that various soul stations featured across the U.S.A in the 60s and 70s. The titles and artists you will see listed in the following music surveys, which were issued weekly by radio stations, are featured right now on Super Soul Gold Radio. Let’s take a look… (all stations are AM unless otherwise noted) KNOK (DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX): This is an early-70s weekly record survey published by the long-time soul station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area..KYOK (Houston, TX):
This soul station was very much involved in its community, sponsoring beauty pageants, concerts and on-site broadcasts throughout Houston. No wonder it attracted not only Black listeners but also Whites and Latinos, making it the third or fourth most listened to station in the Houston radio market throughout the 60s and early-70s.WEHW (WINDSOR, CT):
This mid- to late-60s soul station’s survey featured some dynamite sides in ’68.WDAS (Philadelphia, PA) (Part 1):
Besides programming soul music, this full-service station was heavily involved in community affairs throughout its reign as one of the city’s most popular stations.WDAS (Part 2):
Some stations, like this one, featured their on-air personalities on the other side of their weekly surveys. This one includes many brand-name jocks of the era and even one man, Jimmy Bishop, who started Arctic Records in Philly. The label issued the first Barbara Mason records and the Northern Soul favorite, "Love Addict" by Honey & The Bees!WHAT (Philadelphia, PA):
Remembered for its cool jingles as well as its hot music survey, this station cooked in the 60s and 70s. And, dig the blurb at the top right of the page — a take off on Maxwell Smart’s gag line from the hit TV show of the time, GET SMART!WYLD (New Orleans, LA):
A powerhouse soul station in the 60s and 70s with some really unique sides on its survey. Here at SSGR, these are the kinds of rarities (or, “forgotten hits”) that we occasionally spike our format with.WVON (Chicago, IL):
Owned by Leonard and Phil Chess of Chess Records from 1963-1969, this station, like many others of the era, sometimes issued record albums of then-current hits.WDAO (Dayton, OH):
A real rarity: An FM station broadcasting soul in the 60s, while just about everywhere else, you had to get your soul sounds on the AM band.KJAY (Sacramento, CA) (Part 1):
Another hot chart-full of 45 RPM singles that even has an album title in rotation (from the Righteous Bros, #41). This was a daytime-only 500 watt station which competed successfully for a number of years in the 60s with its more powerful competition which broadcast around the clock.KJAY (Part 2):
Here's DJ Peter B. at the KJAY controls, circa 1966. Peter is now a voice actor and a Super Soul Gold Radio listener!KDIA (Oakland, CA) (Part 1):
This very successful soul station, in addition to its weekly music surveys (one of which you will see next), also attached its name to a syndicated magazine for a number of years.KDIA (Part 2):
KDIA called its weekly record survey the “Lucky 13” survey because of its frequency on the AM radio dial, 1310.KDIA (Part 3):
Finally, a look at a rare KDIA record survey from 1960, before the dominance of Motown and Stax Records on the soul charts. There is one record listed, at #21, that is considered to be a Motown record today. The original short-lived Anna label was eventually absorbed by Motown.KSAN (San Francisco, CA):
Because of an ownership change in 1964, KSAN became KSOL (see our next page), and KSAN’s soul format, on the air since 1958, remained intact on KSOL throughout the 1960s.KSOL (San Francisco, CA):
KSOL (previously called KSAN) lost the soul audience to KDIA by 1970 and changed its format…but will be eternally famous for employing DJ Sylvester Stewart, later the creator of the hit-making ensemble, Sly & The Family Stone.KGFJ (Los Angeles, CA):
Beginning as early as 1939 with a black music program called “The Golden Hour,” this station eventually established its very successful soul format full-time in 1959, hiring several brand-name DJs through the years, such as the Magnificent Montague and Rosko (William Mercer). In the 60s, KGFJ, despite its weak signal, was always among the Top 5-rated stations in Los Angeles.XERB (Los Angeles, CA / Playas de Rosarito, Mexico):
This station, with its transmitter located in Mexico and classified as a “border blaster” because of its high power, broadcast soul music, programmed from Southern California, to virtually the entire West Coast at night. In the mid- to late-1960s, the station’s main on-air attraction was Wolfman Jack who later went on to achieve worldwide fame. XERB at the time was variously called The Big X and The Mighty 10-90.WWRL (New York, NY):
“The Big RL” was a New York City soul station with an impact. Songs appearing on its “Soul 16” hits list would often appear on the record surveys of the City’s two major rock and roll outlets (WABC and WMCA) the following week!WLIB (New York, NY):
This AM station was once known as “The Voice of Harlem,” and was one of New York’s biggest stations in the 60s. Its FM was a top-rated jazz outlet.WWIN (Baltimore, MD):
This station, with a number of high-profile DJs, switch to a soul format around 1963. The surprise #1 song listed here was a hit virtually no place else!WCHB (Detroit, MI):
A full-service station, WCHB broadcast not only the top soul hits of the day but was heavy on news and community events. Everything the station offered is billboarded on this great looking survey, including a nice splash for the #1 hit of the week!WJLB (Detroit, MI):
Positioned as “Tigeradio 1400” and later as “Superadio 1400” in the 1960s, WJLB programmed religion and soul music with news on the hour The station also boasted jingles produced by Quincy Jones! By 1969, this thousand watt AM station programmed soul music full-time.KATZ (St. Louis, MO):
One of St. Louis’ two leading soul stations, KATZ began broadcasting an R&B format in 1955 and stayed the course as soul music made the scene in the ‘60s. And, hey, how about those station antenna balls -- doesn’t get any more radio than that!KDKO (Denver, CO):
This station made its debut as “Soul Power” KDKO in 1967. It programmed country music before it made the switch to its new, highly-rated, soul format. When disco became the rage in the mid-70s, its slogan changed to “KDisKO!”WLLE (Raleigh, NC):
Iconic WiLLiE was the place to be on the Raleigh radio dial to satisfy your soul in the 60s and 70s. Popular DJs and community involvement were hallmarks of this station. And, of course, the music!WOIC (Columbia, SC):
This station started broadcasting at 1470 on the AM band, then switched to 1320 AM for the duration of its “Soul Brother Radio” format. Its weekly record survey featured the cleverly-titled “Hot Soul” and “Warm Soul” columns of now-classic 45s.Here Is Where to Listen:
The SSGR player is located on the Home page. Just click and listen to some of the most dynamic music ever made. And, we'd appreciate it if you would spread the word about Super Soul Gold Radio!