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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Dusty Rhodes still rockin' on the radio

Longtime DJ Dusty Rhodes adds a fifth weekly show on Cincinnati radio this weekend.
John Kiesewetter
Longtime DJ Dusty Rhodes adds a fifth weekly show on Cincinnati radio this weekend.

More than 60 years after bringing The Beatles to Cincinnati, former WSAI-AM disc jockey Dusty Rhodes is busier than ever on Queen City airwaves.

Rhodes, who continued working in radio through most of his 32-year tenure as Hamilton County auditor, premieres his version of Milkman’s Matinee at midnight Saturday on WMKV-FM (89.3) and WLHS-FM (89.9). Milkman’s Matinee was an iconic show on New York’s WNEW-AM that aired from 1935 to the early 1990s.

Promotional photo for Dusty Rhodes' early 1960's WSAI-AM show.
John Kiesewetter archives
Promotional photo for Dusty Rhodes' early 1960's WSAI-AM show.

“WNEW was one of the first stations to feature recorded music and the first in New York to realize there was an all-night audience,” says Rhodes, who came to Cincinnati’s powerhouse rock station WSAI-AM in 1961 from Syracuse, N.Y.

“The name of the program came from the fact that milkmen began home deliveries in the early morning hours. Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven did the theme song,” he says. “WNEW-AM featured standards from the ‘Great American Songbook’ and artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole.”

After his salute to the WNEW-AM show this weekend, the midnight-6 a.m. slot will transition into Rhodes’ All-Night House Party, he says. He’ll play “standards, instrumentals, golden oldies and more — all designed for late night listening and inspired by the overnight programs on the big AM stations in the mid-20th century,” Rhodes says.

 It’s his fifth weekly show on Greater Cincinnati radio, and fourth show on WMKV-FM and WLHS-FM. He also does a six-hour Sunday night oldies show on “The Oasis,” the 1980s rock format simulcast on Mason’s WOXY-FM (97.7) and Dry Ridge’s WNKR-FM (106.7).

That’s a total of 17 hours on the air each week — nearly as much as he did in 1961 when he came to WSAI-AM from New York.

Young Dusty Rhodes playing the rock 'n' roll hits.
Provided
Young Dusty Rhodes playing the rock 'n' roll hits.

“Dusty’s a good fit for us,” says George Zahn, WMKV-FM operations manager. Although Rhodes is known for 1950s and ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll, he’s also knowledgeable about the American songbook and “easy listening” music, such as Annuzio Mantovani’s recordings with a large string section.

He’s part of WMKV-FM’s subtle shift from big band and swing music to early rock hits and The Beatles, as the station “recalibrates and experiments” with one-hour shows devoted to 1970s music, Ticket To Ride: An Hour with The Beatles and periodic Fabiano Specials featuring Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., and the Rat Pack.

“He’s a kindred spirit, as our demographics have changed,” Zahn says.

Dusty Rhodes' Beatles Boosters card from 1964.
Courtesy Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes' Beatles Boosters card from 1964.

In the early ‘60s, Rhodes’ popularity grew exponentially as the 9 p.m.-midnight host when he helped bring The Beatles to Cincinnati.

After seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, Rhodes and four fellow WSAI-AM DJs — Steve Kirk, Paul Purtan, Mark Edwards and “Skinny” Bobby Harper — sent a telegram to England inviting them to play Cincinnati. The Fab Four accepted, and The Beatles performed at Cincinnati Gardens on Aug. 27, 1964, on their first North American tour.

For $25,000!

WSAI-AM started playing “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in January 1964, which inspired Rhodes to start the "Dusty Rhodes' Beatles Boosters, North America's First Beatles Fan Club." He mailed more than 1,000 membership cards by the time The Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan Feb. 9.

After entering politics — first as a Delhi Township trustee (for 21 years) and then county auditor (for 32 years) — Rhodes kept rockin' and rolling weekends on a variety of stations.

“I've been doing Sunday oldies shows since the 1970s on WKRC-AM, the 1980s on WLW-AM, and the 1990s on WGRR-FM,” says Rhodes, who was dubbed “The King” of local rock ‘n’ roll when he broadcast Sunday nights on WLW-AM to 38 states.

His shows on The Oasis are “exclusively ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s oldies usually based on a special theme. This Sunday night, Feb. 2, is devoted to "The Day the Music Died," the music of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper who were killed in the plane crash Feb.3, 1959, he says.

Here’s how to find Dusty Rhodes on the radio dial:

Courtesy WMKV-FM

ON WMKV-FM (89.3) and WLHS-FM (89.9):

  • 2-3 p.m. Sunday.
  • 9 p.m.-midnight Sunday.
  • 10-11 a.m. Thursdays.
  • Midnight-6 a.m. Sunday.

ON “THE OASIS” WOXY-FM (97.7) WNKR-FM (106.7):

  • 6p .m.-midnight Sunday (.) AND -- WMKV

ON DELHI TOWNSHIP’S LOW-POWER WDTZ-FM (98.1):

  • Midnight-6 a.m. Sunday (same show on WMKV-FM and WLHS-FM).
John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.