The week of February 26, 1966 is significant to me, because it is when I first noticed and got hooked on radio. I was a kid in Bellingham and in the mid-sixties our local station, KPUG, had jocks such as Kirk Wilde, Gary “Burleigh” Shannon, Steve West, Norm Gregory, and Harvey “Charlie” Brown. Meanwhile, under Pat O’Day’s tutelage, down in Seattle KJR was at its zenith in the station’s Golden Years. Over at KOL, jocks like Danny Holiday, Les Beigel and Buzz Barr, were competitive and giving KJR a run for its money. All of these guys, from Bellingham to Seattle, were “rockin” the Pacific Northwest in 1966.
Radio station music surveys from days gone by are popular at QZVX. This one is different — you actually hear the music and see the artists. This survey doesn’t represent any single station. It is a composite of the big chart hits in the Pacific Northwest (KJR, KOL, KPUG surveys) and nationally on February 26, 1966.
The music in ’66 was interesting. Top 40 stations played a diverse selection including pure pop, rock, jug band, soul, country, instrumentals and a patriotic ballad occupied the top spot. The legends were well represented — The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The DC5, The Supremes, The Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel and others. This video montage is edited so you’ll get all these hits in less than 6 minutes. Just push the play button and away you go.
Presently editor and historical writer with QZVX.COM in Seattle. Former radio broadcaster and radio station owner, 1970-1999. Journalism and speech communications degrees. I enjoy researching articles and online reporting that allows me to meld together words, audio and video. P.S. I appreciate and encourage reader comments and opinions. View other articles by Steven Smith
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