In full ‘swing’

ST. CHARLES – It’s not everyone that gets a personal phone call from Tony Bennett whenever he came to “Chicago,” to not only rub elbows with but personally know Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis. And it’s especially not everyone that’s one of only three radio announcers inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame. But such is the life and career of Chicagoland radio announcer Denny Farrell.

Currently, Farrell’s show The Original Big Band Showcase airs on radio stations all over the world and is heard locally noon to 2 p.m. Tuesdays on WRLR 98.3 FM. The show features big band and jazz music from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and all the big band and jazz groups working today, which Farrell said are many. Farrell both talks about the songs and bands between sets and also accompanies these entertaining and informative breaks with interviews he’s conducted with big band and jazz musicians.

“That brings people a little bit closer to the program,” said Farrell. “[And] the music is not dead. It’s there.”

Farrell started The Original Big Band Showcase in the late 60s and early 70s.

“It was kind of a novelty because nobody else was doing it,” Farrell said. “And I’ve stuck with it ever since.”

For several years, Arbitron Ratings in Chicago ranked The Big Band Showcase in the top five radio programs, attracting a range of listeners of all ages.

“We’ve got callers and listeners in their twenties, thirties. I’ve even got a couple of teenagers calling from time to time,” said Farrell. “I had one young lady ask me if there was ever a singer by the name of Peggy Lee. So you can tell the age. There are a lot of young people just finding out about this music.”

A real consummate broadcaster, Farrell has his opinions on the quality of today’s radio programming and the songs they play.

“Rap is about as rhythmic as a jackhammer,” Farrell joked. “One thing our program provides is good, listenable music where your intelligence is not going to be insulted.”

During his career, Farrell has worked for numerous broadcasting companies but today is on his own, producing his program from his professional studio in his St. Charles home and syndicating it to various companies internationally. Each program is two hours and takes about six hours to produce and record.

“What Denny Farrell brings to his [program] … is the knowledge of the music, the tidbits. He fills in the little gaps that make it [the program] interesting,” said WRLR president Bish Krywko. “…as we are creatures of liking to listen across the fence … to know something about the songs, that’s what makes these local programming different than what you’d here on big commercial radio.”

Krywko and WRLR Radio received Farrell’s demo about a year ago. Upon listening, Krywko said, “Denny Farrell’s work is excellent. It’s one of the reasons we listened to the demo he sent. We said, ‘Wow. This really puts our station up a notch or two.’ You can tell he has the experience … the whole package. Denny Farrell is a true professional.”

Farrell has also enjoyed a long career in professional voiceover work, including audiobook narration, instructional tapes, and television commercials (many will recognize his voice from older Dominick’s and Jewel commercials).

Farrell said that from a young age he thought listening to “announcers from far-off places, doing broadcast” intrigued him.

“It was always very magical to hear them in their areas and where they were coming from,” Farrell said. “I was into the announcers and the music.”

Farrell entered into professional broadcasting shortly after returning from Vietnam and hasn’t stopped since. And he doesn’t intend to anytime soon.

Important note: WRLR’s frequency doesn’t reach Sun City, Huntley. However, residents may listen to the full streamed version of The Original Big Band Showcase at www.wrlr.fm or at www.justin.tv/wrlr. For more information on WRLR programming, please call 847-546-9757.

---

---