Friday, November 9, 2012

Burbank heads into Radio Hall of Fame

Museum in Chicago honors former WLW-AM humorist

Michael E. Keating photo
Is there room in the National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum for Gary Burbank and his alter-egos Earl Pitts, Gilbert Gnarley, the Rev. Deuteronomy Skaggs and Synonymous Bengal? 
Gary should have his own wing, just so there’s room enough for his incredible cast of characters,” said Roger Naylor, one of his writers in the 1990s. 
Burbank, who retired from WLW-AM in 2007, will be honored by the Chicago museum Saturday with Howard Stern, “Fresh Air with Terry Gross,” and personalities Jack Cooper (Chicago), Ron Chapman (Dallas), Art Laboe (Los Angeles) and Luther Massingill (Chattanooga). 
“I never really expected much. I had so many people tell me to find something else to do because I wasn’t very good (at first). I insisted on doing characters,” said Burbank, 71, who splits his time between homes in Alexandria and Florida. “I appreciate it enormously. I don’t even have a high school education. I went into the Army when I was 17.” 
Born William Purser in Memphis, he was a drummer for the Mar-Keys soul band before debuting as DJ Johnny Apollo in 1964 in Lake Providence, La. 
After stints at Louisville’s WAKY-AM and WHAS-AM, and Detroit/Windsor’s powerful CKLW-AM, Burbank came to WLW-AM in 1981 planning to work for a year and return to Louisville so his wife, Carol, could be near family. 
He never left, in part because WLW-AM hired a producer to help him crank out up to 10 new comedy bits a day. His sidekicks say they knewthey were working with a Hall of Famer years ago.

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