Vintage Philadelphia Radio Aircheck - Lloyd Fatman WHAT 1970

Being a top wedding DJ in one of the most desirable wedding destinations in the country comes with it a lot of perks. I would have to say the biggest perk is meeting all different types of couples coming to the Holy City from areas like Philadelphia.  While the inquiries are down as it pertains to Northeast brides and grooms desiring a destination wedding, I've been truly moved over the years how modern brides and grooms have been able to create some of the most epic celebrations I've seen in my career as a wedding DJ.  With all of the musical artists who have originated from Philadelphia, it should be of no surprise to me that brides and grooms from that area are going to bring with them some of the most eclectic mixes of music you could imagine at any wedding.  So many musicians and bands have had the pleasure of calling Philadelphia over the years. My dear friend Mitch Zatto grew up in the Philadelphia area and it was radio clips like you'll hear on this post that formed his musical tastes, as well as inspired him to become a radio broadcaster. I truly believe that modern brides and grooms who grew up around the Philadelphia area may have formed their diverse musical tastes from the tremendous amount of musical talent originating from the city of Brotherly Love.  1340 WHAT-AM played a pivotal role in Philadelphia radio back in the late 60s and early 70s playing some of the best R&B and soul music on the radio. Enjoy this trip back time over 50 years to some of the best classic and vintage radio of Philadelphia

As I may have mentioned in some of my previous blogs, I hired my web developer in recent months to do some tweaks to my wedding DJ website so that I could share of my favorite classic and vintage radio airchecks.  You cannot think of Philadelphia without thinking about some of the most talented R&B musicians and singers. From Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes to the Temptations to the Three Degrees, Philadelphia always was a source of some of the best R&B and soul. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, Philadelphia had some amazing radio stations with great soul DJs who were introducing the greater Philadelphia area to some of the best R&B and soul.  Before Mitch ever sent me this aircheck, we would speak on the phone and he would share it through the phone. Unfortunately, I could not get a good idea of how awesome this aircheck was by listening through the phone. Thankfully Mitch is a master in the studio and does an amazing job at taking old airchecks and making them available on CD / DVD.  I knew that once I received a copy of this audio that I needed to share. From 1957 until the mid 1960s, Lloyd Fatman Smith was one of the great radio talents at 1340-WHAT AM. What made Lloyd a top DJ in Philadelphia at the time wasn't just his unique delivery on the air, but he was a musician before he got onto the radio.  Before Lloyd Fatman got behind the microphone on 1340-WHAT, you could find him playing the trumpet and singing with the Caledonia Boys. For 8 years, LLoyd Fatman hosted the "Snap Club" in the afternoons from 3-6pm. In 1965, he'd be replaced by a new program director, George Wilson, who had moved up to Philadelphia from Baltimore. When George Wilson took over as program director at 1340-WHAT, his goal was to give the radio station a hotter sound so it could compete with WDAS.

Fast forward to March 1969 - a new program director (Rocky G) and the radio station owner - Dolly Banks remembered the old days of Lloyd Fatman in the afternoons and wanted to get him back on the air.  Lloyd Fatman was hired to replace their current overnight DJ, Bogary Robinson who had been called to serve in the military.  At the time, Lloyd Fatman had been working for the Philadelphia county sheriff, so get him back on the air overnight was perfect, because the station needed a security guard. Lloyd Fatman was hired to do the 2:00am - 6:00am and would remain in that time slot for many years. Through the transition of my program directors, Lloyd remained in the 2:00am - 6:00am timeslot and occasionally would fill in for some dayshifts on 1340 WHAT.

This vintage piece of Philadelphia radio was recorded in August of 1970. At the time of this recording, Lloyd Fatman is filling in for Mary Mason, who was on vacation at the time. Prior to the arrival of new program director Gus (GG) Lewis friom New Orleans, Mary shortened her midday show from 10:00am - 12:00 noon.  Sadly, Lloyd Fatman passed away on March 10, 1988.

 Philadelphia radio legend - Lloyd Fatman

Based on how gutted the radio industry has become in 2025, you'd never see any promotional materials created like this today. But back in the late 1950s, it's this type of promotional material that was used to sell and market radio stations. 

The Music From Philadelphia Still Sounds So Good On Wedding Playlists

Back in the spring of 2017, we were coming down off the surge of weddings that Charleston had been seeing since the Great Recession. I had been researching all of the leads that had been generated over the years from my website and decided at a unique approach to draw more destination wedding couples to my website. In the short term, I managed to get amazing results from this idea. I put together some eclectic playlists of artists from some of the biggest metro areas where modern brides and grooms were traveling from to get married in the greater Charleston area. I think when you check this link <---CLICK HERE, you'll begin to realize why when modern brides and grooms visit one of the top wedding destinations in the Southeast, they come equipped with a very eclectic playlist. These eclectic playlists transform wedding parties and crowd into some of the best weddings I've ever been hired to perform at. If you are interested in getting in my mind as a professional wedding DJ, I invite you to click over to my Spotify -- DJ Mike Bills On Spotify

Care To Speak To DJ Mike Bills About Your Wedding?

I truly hope you enjoyed this post which featured a bit of a history lesson about Philadelphia radio, as well as the music of Philadelphia. I've been getting a lot of excellent feedback on the addition of this type of content over on my blog. I believe you should be blogging about things that you are truly passionate about. Without my radio career, I would never delved into the wedding DJ industry and begun to make a mark as a top owner-operated wedding DJ service.  If you are a modern bride or groom and are seeking to hire a wedding DJ who is truly passionate about ONE thing, we seriously need to talk. I am totally YOUR guy. Let us set up a time to speak about your big day. Your next step would be to click the link up above so you can fill out a contact form. I look forward to hearing you soon. Thank you for visiting my website and blog.