1937
Born in Buffalo
Born December 18, 1937 in Buffalo, New York, Frankie starts out at WUFO, the soul powerhouse serving Buffalo's Black community.
Sources:Library of Congress ↗Wikipedia ↗
On Air107.5 FM · New York's Best SourceCrocker
Tall, tan, young and fly. The voice that turned New York's radios on — press play and hear him.
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WBLS 107.5 FM · New York's Best Source · Tall, tan, young & fly · The Frankie Crocker Story · WBLS 107.5 FM · New York's Best Source · Tall, tan, young & fly · The Frankie Crocker Story ·
The Story
1969
Arriving in New York
He moves to New York, working soul station WWRL and then Top 40 WMCA — bringing a swagger radio had never heard.
Sources:Radio Hall of Fame ↗WBLS ↗
Early '70s
The WBLS Era
As program director and afternoon host at 107.5 WBLS, he takes the station to #1 and pioneers the 'urban contemporary' format.
Sources:Radio Hall of Fame ↗New York Times, 2000 ↗Wikipedia ↗
1982
The Chief Rocker on Air
Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker at the height of his WBLS reign — hear the Chief Rocker in an archival 1982 broadcast.
Sources:YouTube archive, 1982 ↗
Studio 54
The White Horse
At the height of Studio 54's fame, he rode through the front entrance on a white stallion. Nobody did an entrance like Frankie.
Sources:Wikipedia ↗
Every night
The Candle
He lit a candle on air, invited listeners to a candlelight bath, and signed off to “Moody's Mood for Love.”
2000
Forever Number One
Frankie passed on October 21, 2000 — but his rhymes, his ratings and his rhythm still set the standard for radio.
“More dips in your hips, more cut in your strut, more glide in your stride.”
— Frankie Crocker
The Gallery
Frankie, in frame.
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