A MCRFB news brief: 1964
WXYZ Debuts ‘Lovable’ Radio
DETROIT — WXYZ Radio, the ABC-owned station in Detroit, has introduced “Lovable Radio” to the Motor City. Promulgating the “love affair” are WXYZ deejays Fred Wolf, Dave Prince, Joel Sebastian, Russ “The Weird Beard” Knight (formerly of KLIF; Dallas) Bob Day and “Big Daddy” Don Zee, who hear themselves as romantics romeos over the Detroit airwaves, anyway. END
Addendum: Anyone still recall hearing those radio spot promos, “The Weird Beard’s Coming!” The Weird Beard’s Coming!” heard over on WXYZ-AM 1270 in 1964?
Amid much radio fanfare, publicity and advertisement dollars invested prior his arrival here from (Gordon McLendon’s) KLIF 1190 in Dallas, WXYZ went on to retain the celebrated arrival of the legendary Russ Knight to Detroit in June 1964.
But what had been great for KLIF in Dallas, Texas, wasn’t all necessarily that good for WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan. In passing, the Weird Beard’s tenure on 1270 would become a short blip in Detroit radio history — was there 5 months — that was it.
By the second week in November 1964 Russ Knight found his way back on the radio in Texas once again. This time, on another Gordon McLendon radio station, KILT 610 AM in Houston.
A side note: Incidentally, Russ Knight held the distinction of having had contact with Jack Ruby, first at Dallas police headquarters, and again at KLIF during that stunning, tragic November weekend in Dallas 1963.
On July 23, 1964, while employed at WXYZ in Detroit, Russ Knight was deposed for information regarding his brushes with Jack Ruby on Saturday, in the early-hours of November 23, by Warren Commission Counsel Burt Griffin at the U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, Illinois.
Knight, during his deposition (see: Testimony of Russell Lee Moore; Knight), stated he first met Ruby at the Cotton Bowling Palace in Dallas, the year prior, sometime during 1962. He went on the official record in having said he met with Ruby about a dozen times since. During further questioning Knight also testified he, accompanied along with his wife, had been at Ruby’s Carousel Club sometime earlier in 1963.
Russ Knight was immortalized in the “Cruisin'” LP series by Ron Jacobs (‘Cruisin ’62’ KLIF) in 1970.
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*** UPDATE ON RUSS KNIGHT: Russ Knight passed away Oct. 12, 2012 ***
R.I.P. Russ ‘The Weird Beard’ Knight, former DFW disc jockey dies at 80
By Robert Philpot
DFW.com | Posted 3:08 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012
Russell Lee Moore, better known to radio listeners as Russ “The Weird Beard” Knight, died Friday at age 80.
Knight, a 2003 Texas Radio Hall of Fame inductee, worked at several stations nationwide, including in the early ’60s at then-Top 40 powerhouse KLIF/1190, where, according to his obituary, he proclaimed himself “the savior of Dallas radio.”
The KLIF-era Knight was the featured DJ on Cruisin’ 1962, one of a series of albums that consisted of hits from a particular year interspersed with DJ patter. (There’s much more on Knight and the Cruisin’ series here.)
After Knight left KLIF, he worked at KILT in Houston, where he introduced the Beatles when they came to town. For a lot more about that era, go here. There is also information on some of the later parts of his career here.
Services are Tuesday in Trumbull, Conn. Information is in the obituary link above. Updates are possible here and on the Texas Radio Hall of Fame Facebook page.
(Source: Dallas Ft. Worth.com; October 15, 2012)
(Information and news source: Billboard; October 24, 1964)
Yeah, my dad doesn’t recall Detroit very fondly! He was always much happier in Texas, and after leaving KILT he made the tragic misstep of going into management. He made it all the way to WNEW in New York, but he never had the same success over the remainder of his career as he had while working for Gordon in the 1960s.
Stephen:
Your dad did a great job at WNEW and was a great guy as well. Please send my best to Rose. George
Russ Knight replaced Lee Alan in June of 1964 at WXYZ. When he joined the station his time slot held a 38 share of audience. By October the ratings were substantially diminished and Mr. Knight left the station. WXYZ hired John Benson, an English DJ on a temporary basis. In early November Lee Alan, who had been was announcing on WXYZ-TV Channel 7 in the same building as WXYZ radio, returned to doing his show on radio and the ratings resumed. Alan said that although h never met Mr. Knight he respected his talent and understood he was placed in a difficult position at WXYZ.