Posted by chicagomedia.org on February 04, 2009 at 09:32:53:
Herb Kent, radio's 'Cool Gent,' still tops at 80
By Julie Johnsson | Tribune reporter
February 4, 2009
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He's known as Cool Gent, Mayor of Bronzeville and King of the Dusties, nicknames picked up during a remarkable 60-year radio career in Chicago.
And at age 80, Herb Kent holds another title: ratings king, as host of the top-rated radio broadcast every Sunday afternoon on WVAZ-FM 102.7.
Known for his love of Cadillacs and cowboy hats, Kent exudes a youthful charm as he shares stories of the artists he features on the urban adult station. In many cases they are friends.
Since his first radio job in 1949, Kent has shared the airwaves with luminaries ranging from the Supremes to a then-obscure state Sen. Barack Obama.
Kent twice squared off against Obama on the "Battle of the Best," a staple of Kent's seven-hour Sunday broadcasts. Obama both times charmed his way to landslide wins as the two lobbied for votes for dueling R&B artists.
"He beat the pants off of me," Kent recalled.
Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995, Kent made his name during the 1960s as one of the disc jockey "Good Guys" on tiny WVON-AM, introducing Chicago to both civil rights issues and Motown music.
Kent and his peers, whose playlists were copied by other stations, helped artists like Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and The Four Tops build a national audience.
"Chicago is the city that made Motown, as far as I'm concerned," Kent said. "We were the most powerful black station in the country. All we had to do was play a record and folks would just flock to it."
Kent was on the air as the the city's West Side erupted in flames following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. He fielded calls from distraught listeners and begged his audience to remain calm—another career highlight.
But he also suffered calamities, like losing his job as WVON's appeal waned in the 1970s.
Kent, who has thrived for the past two decades at WVAZ, has no interest in retiring, he said.
After all, Obama has agreed to another showdown after he leaves the White House.