Thanks to Peter Skiera for recommending Boss Radio 66 as the #1 station for August in his Recommended Stations newsletter! Here's an excerpt from our interview.
Two and a half years ago I recommended a fantastic oldies Internet station called Rock ‘n’ Soul Ichiban by New Jersey station WFMU. That stream was expertly programmed by Debbie Daughtry. After 18 years at WFMU she was let go by the station manager during the summer of 2020, so she took all her records and went home. She then did what any music and radio geek would have done- she started her own station! Boss Radio 66 is a new and improved version of Rock ‘n’ Soul Ichiban with a minty fresh taste. She also forced WFMU to drop the “Ichiban” name. You go girl.
Songs I’ve Never Heard
As with Daughtry’s previous station, most of the artists on Boss Radio 66 I’ve never heard of before. Examples? The Monks, The Vibrations, The Rhythm Rockers, The Exciters, Wanda Jackson, The Iguanas, and The Apostles. Even the names I was familiar with like Chuck Berry, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Zombies, The Ronettes, The Kinks, and The Guess Who, featured songs that weren’t monster hits but were nonetheless most enjoyable to listen to. There’s nothing particularly special about your average oldies station, but my Recommended Stations are never average. In the case of Boss Radio 66, it gives life to forgotten rock and soul gems from the 50’s and 60’s. If you think that drastically limits BR66’s playlist, your ears will be pleasantly surprised. Boss Radio 66’s music library exceeds 8,800 songs. The music libraries of most of my Recommended Stations don’t even come close to that figure. Of course, quality is more important than quantity, but I have no complaints in that department either.
Vintage Fluff
In between song sets, the retro vibe is further reinforced with nifty vintage sound bites and radio adverts like the “Pepsi generation” and “Diet Rite” spots, an extended segment from the US Army’s In Sound radio program, B movie trailers, a Dragnet-inspired public service announcement, and old radio station jingles performed by The Johnny Mann Singers. Some stations go overboard with this kind of fluff and it can border on annoying, but Boss Radio 66 strikes just the right balance between music and nostalgic clips.
Unlike most of the people I’ve interviewed for my Recommended Stations, Daughtry, like myself, actually has professional radio experience, having worked for NPR, WQXR, WNYC, Air America Radio, and her time with WFMU. That experience lends Boss Radio 66 a consistent, professional sound. It also has a clean sound since it streams in the AAC audio codec. I re-established contact with Daughtry to get the story behind her new station.
Peter: Why the name Boss Radio 66?
Debbie: It could mean 66 on the AM Dial or the year 1966, when so much great music was being released.
Peter: Assuming most of your listeners are from the US, what are the other leading countries?
Debbie: UK and France.
Peter: Tom Hanks created an hour-long Rockabilly/Surf/Hot Rod radio show exclusively for Boss Radio 66?
Debbie: Tom Hanks has been a DJ for the past year, with 9 shows to date. The name of his show is Songs From The Back Of The Station Wagon. All of our archived shows are uploaded to Mixcloud.
Peter: How did the Hanks show come about?
Debbie: Tom was a big fan of the Ichiban stream and he sent me a type-written letter @ 10 years ago. We became pen pals and when I told him I'd been fired from WFMU, he offered to do a guest DJ set for me. That was last July and he's done 8 more shows since then! He's a great DJ.
Peter: Do you have a favorite strange album or song?
Debbie: So many! I especially love weird advertising records.
Peter: How does Boss Radio 66 stay on the air?
Debbie: We are listener supported. Fans can donate via Ko-Fi or Patreon
Peter: Anything else to add, Debbie?
Debbie: We are always looking for new DJ's who spin obscure 60's music! Get in touch bossradio66@gmail.com
Boss Radio 66 is a fun, upbeat Internet station you won’t soon grow weary of listening to. It sounds so sweet you could practically spread it on a biscuit. It’s a great summer station, too, though I started tuning in long before the summer rolled around. Even though it’s technically an oldies station it maintains a fresh sound since every song isn’t burned into your cerebral cortex. It also helps that it’s programmed by someone who knows exactly what she’s doing and has major respect for the music. Hey- If it’s good enough for Tom Hanks…
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