Gene Shay - In Hospice - Covid-19 related

[felser]

Philadelphia broadcasting icon and Philadelphia Folk Festival co-foudner Gene Shay has passed due to Covid-19 complications.  He was 85,and on the scene in Philly since 1962.  He, Ed Sciaky, and especially Michael Tearson were the premier FM voices in Philly during the early-mid 70's WMMR/WIOQ heydey.  Shay, Tearson, David Dye, and Michael Cuscuna all had runs at WXPN, Penn's university station.

https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/gene-shay-dead-coronavirus-dj-philadlephia-folk-festival-20200415.html

Here are a few career highlights from the article:

In 1963, he and his wife Gloria brought Bob Dylan to town for the first time, for a sparsely attended gig at the Ethical Society on Rittenhouse Square. In 1967, Joni Mitchell, who he called “the most creative person I ever met,” played “Both Sides Now” for the first time on his show.

But it was as an informal — but seriously informed — presence on the radio through the decades where Shay had his most influence, particularly on the generation of rock deejays who came of age in the 1970s were shaped by his style.

Legendary Philly DJ Ed Sciaky, who was Shay’s assistant in the 1960s, called him “the father of FM rock radio in Philadelphia.”

“I always tell people he’s the reason I’m doing what I’m doing,” said David Dye, the former host of World Cafe. The nationally syndicated show on WXPN-FM (88.5) was named by Shay when it was founded in 1991 as part of his side gig as an advertising copy writer.

When Shay retired from the XPN iteration of his Folk Show in 2015 after hosting it for 20 years at the University of Pennsylvania station, Dye said “he had a great, non-announcer announcer’s voice. And he also had complete command of the subject matter. His interviews were always really casual, informed and interesting.”

"Without Gene Shay, I would never had had the career I did,” said Michael Tearson, who was at WMMR with Shay in the 1970s. “He was one of the most universally liked and loved people I have ever known.” At the Folk Festival, “his terrible jokes became an institution.”

Edited April 15, 2020 by felser

[felser]

This just showed up from the same source (Philadelphia Inquirer website):

CORRECTION: Gene Shay in hospice with coronavirus

by Dan DeLuca, Updated: 17 minutes ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editor’s Note

An earlier report indicated that Gene Shay had died of coronavirus. He remains hospitalized at Lankenau Medical Center, his daughter said.

 

The news of Shay’s death had been posted on the Philadelphia Folksong Society Facebook page on Wednesday morning and reported by WXPN-FM, the radio station where Shay hosted the Folk Show until 2015.

Edited April 15, 2020 by felser