Theodore Stewart "Skip" Weshner (August 8, 1927 – December 22, 1996) was an American radio

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

on stations in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

from the mid-1950s until the mid-1980s. In particular, he hosted a popular show on KRHM-FM in Los Angeles. He was born in New York City. He hosted "Accent On Sound" on WBAI (FM) and later WNCN (FM) in New York City from about 1959 through about 1964. There was also about a year during which he broadcast on WRFM (105.1). The biographical info mentions WBFM, but the correct call was WRFM; the program was sponsored by the Electronic Workshop on 8th Street. This was the first "

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

" show heard in New York City. Weshner lived at 18 Jones Street in Greenwich Village. His show was often broadcast from his home studio, built by WNCN Chief Engineer, Martin Gersten.

The Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

and

Hoyt Axton Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...

were frequent guests. The show was sponsored regularly by Rudy Bozak and Joe Grado. Blind musician

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " F ...

was probably first heard on New York FM radio on Weshner's show. During the first session, Feliciano accidentally fell down the stairs of Weshner's duplex apartment."Where Are They Now?: Skip Weshner", ''LA Radio''
Retrieved April 24, 2022 Weshner often broadcast from

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

, including

The Bitter End The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The O ...

Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which ...

and the

Cafe Feenjon Cafe Wha? is a music club at the corner of MacDougal Street and Minetta Lane in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The club is important in the history of rock and folk music, having presented numerous musicians and ...

MacDougal Street MacDougal Street is a one-way street in the Greenwich Village and SoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. The street is bounded on the south by Prince Street and on the north by 8th Street (Manhattan), West 8th Street; its numbering be ...

. At the New York Hi-Fi Show at the New Yorker Hotel, c. 1963, Weshner's live broadcast included the then relatively unknown

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. Weshner is also remembered for inviting artists such as

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 19 ...

and

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

to his show. He also contributed sleeve notes to Fred Neil's 1965 Elekra folk-rock album, ''

Bleecker & MacDougal ''Bleecker & MacDougal'' is the debut solo studio album by the American folk musician Fred Neil. It was released in May1965 by Elektra Records. The recording, which unlike many folk albums at the time featured electric guitar backing, had an in ...

''. Weshner was married to Lynne Taylor (1936–1979) of

The Rooftop Singers The Rooftop Singers were an American country folk-singing trio in the early 1960s, best known for the hit "Walk Right In". The group was composed of Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe (vocals, guitar) with former jazz singer Lynne Taylor (vocals). ...

. After the group's hit single "

Walk Right In "Walk Right In" is a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929. Victor Records released on a 78 rpm record and in 1959, it was included on the influential compilation album '' The ...

" in early 1963, they moved to California. In Los Angeles in the early 1970s, he had a weekend late-night program on classical station KFAC, and was possibly most famous for his frequent programming of Paraguayan harp music and Caribbean steel drum music. He was also one of the first major station announcers to play what became a standard, bagpipe versions of "Amazing Grace."

References

External links

Biographical Data

1927 births 1996 deaths {{DJ-stub