Pat St. John
Pat St. John (born February 12, 1951) is an American radio personality and voice-over artist. He began his radio career on Windsor, Ontario's
St. John is known for his conversational on-air style interspersed with bits of music trivia, along with "Collectible Cuts" from his extensive record library. He has been called a "walking encyclopedia" when it comes to his knowledge of music.[citation needed] St. John has interviewed many musicians. In 2023, St. John was inducted into the national Radio Hall of Fame.[2]
Early years in Detroit
St. John was born in Detroit and was raised on the music of Motown. In early 1969, at the age of 18, he landed his first gig as a radio personality on Windsor's CKLW, where he also worked for CKLW's 20/20 news doing newscasts one day a week, and part-time booth announcing on CKLW-TV Channel 9. In late 1970 he moved across the border to WKNR and was then hired in early 1972 at the ABC-owned album-oriented rock (AOR) station WRIF until 1973.
WPLJ and WNEW years
In April 1973, St. John began an almost 15-year stint at New York's WPLJ. For most of his years at WPLJ he was rated by
He left WPLJ in 1987, and returned to his rock roots on WNEW-FM, which had been WPLJ's rival during its AOR years. He became the station's program director in the early 1990s while continuing his mid-day show until being asked to do morning-drive (which he did from 1994 through 1996) and then moved to afternoons where then followed
Recent career
After the demise of WNEW's rock format, St. John was one of the first programmers hired by
April 9, 2013 marked St. John's 40th anniversary on New York radio, making him New York's longest-running air personality.
In March 2015, St. John announced that he was leaving WCBS-FM and that he and his wife were moving to California to be closer to their grandson. He aired his final show on April 12, 2015.[3]
As of October 2023, he had already spent 25+ years working in satellite radio, starting with the CD Radio network in October 1998; that company later evolved into
He has also been the voice of Metropolitan Opera Radio on the service, further showing his versatility. St. John was also chosen to announce system-wide that Howard Stern would be joining Sirius.
St. John's association with classic rock has continued throughout the years as he has been asked for his input on several classic rock projects. He was thanked in the liner notes of albums by Marvin Gaye and Jr. Walker and The All-Stars, as well as the box-sets of Stevie Wonder and The Temptations. St. John is the narrator (along with Smokey Robinson and Lionel Richie) of the two-CD set "The classic rock Story Volume 1: The 1960s". He can also be heard on classic rock's web site narrating several classic rock stories.
St. John was recognized by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland by being added to their permanent display of America's Greatest Classic Rock Air Personalities.[5]
Personal life
St. John and his wife live in San Diego where he broadcasts his '60s Gold and rock'n roll shows from a customized studio in a barn on their property.[6]
References
- ^ "Classic Rewind".
- ^ a b "Inductees, Pat St. John". Radio Hall of Fame. October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ "Pat St. John of WCBS-FM to do final NYC radio show on Sunday". Daily News. April 11, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ "60s Gold". SiriusXM. June 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ "Pat St. John Collection". Hall of Fame. March 26, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
The Pat St. John Collection is dated 1967 to 1971 and contains undated materials. The collection consists of a WNEW Christmas card, Pat St. John postcard, a CD Radio brochure, and radio play lists from 1967 to 1971.
- ^ "Pat St. John Studio Tour 2021". YouTube. May 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2023.