Big Jack Armstrong
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Big Jack Armstrong | |
---|---|
Born | John Charles Larsh December 4, 1945 Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Died | March 21, 2008[1] High Point, North Carolina | (aged 62)
Career | |
Show | Jack Armstrong Show, Jack Armstrong Go-round,The Jack Armstrong Experience |
Big Jack Armstrong (born John Charles Larsh on December 4, 1945, in Durham County, North Carolina; died March 23, 2008, in High Point, North Carolina),[2] also known as Jack Armstrong, Jackson W. Armstrong, and Big Jack Your Leader, was a top-40 disc jockey of the 1960s through the 1980s, and an oldies DJ until 2006.[3]
His parents were John Edgar Larsh, Jr., who was a professor in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, and Ruth Ella Neal.[4] His father once served as the acting dean of UNC's School of Pharmacy.[5]
He held a Guinness World Record for "fastest talking human alive" at one point in his career.[6] He developed two imaginary sidekicks - the Gorilla, who speaks in a raspy bass, and likes women, banana juice, and whiskey, in that order - and the Old Timer, who wheezes, tells lame jokes, and was always getting shot after one of them.
Larsh was known for his distinctive signoff. At WKYC, it was a few catchphrases, spoken over the instrumental version of The Beatles' "And I Love Her". On WKBW, he used "Shimmy Shimmy Walk II" by the Megatons. On most stations, he used no background music. Eventually, it became a Motormouth extravaganza, spoken so fast it was hard to understand.
Career
Larsh began his radio career at
Upon graduating from high school in 1964, Larsh moved to Atlanta, where he got an FCC First Class engineer's license, while working on the radio at WDJK. His parents enrolled him in Guilford College in Greensboro in the pre-med course. Larsh dropped out almost immediately, having gotten a radio job at WCOG.
In early 1966, WAYS in Charlotte had begun 24-hour operations. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations at the time required that any station must have an engineer on duty at all times the station was on the air. When Larsh applied for a job there, the station quickly saw an opportunity to fill two sets of shoes with one person, since Larsh already had a First Class license. He was hired to fill the overnight shift.
At WAYS, Larsh met Jack Gale, a seasoned veteran of both the radio and music business who would become his
Larsh's first big break came later in 1966, when he landed a job at
'Jack Armstrong' was a copyrighted
With WKYC heard all over the eastern half of the US, Larsh went national. He attracted fans all over the region, and became a huge hit. WKYC was listed as the number three record-buying influence in Miami in that era, no doubt due to 'Big Jack' and the 50,000-watt night signal that was so strong over the East Coast of the US.
Larsh moved on, working at other 50,000-watt stations such as WMEX/1510 in
Larsh also worked at
Larsh was working at WWKB/1520 in Buffalo, New York, when the sudden format change in 2006 to
On March 22, 2008, Larsh died at his home in High Point, North Carolina as a result of a stroke or heart attack. (An autopsy was not performed.)[1]
References
- ^ a b "Obituary". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Obituary". Cumby Family Funeral Home. Archived from the original on 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ^ Stasio, Frank. "The Journey of Big Jack Armstrong". North Carolina Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2008-06-19. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "jordangenealogy". Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Inventory of the Office of the Vice Provost for Health Affairs of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1932-1997". Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Fast-talking, rock 'n' rolling DJ silent at 62". Greensboro News and Record. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "WWKB-AM Adds JRN'S Schultz, Miler and Press". Press Release. Jones Radio Networks. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Take it Easy". Buffalo Pundit. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
External links
Audio
Screaming Jack Armstrong Air Checks at WKYC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfrbP-8av1A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG8NKJPVSB4