I'm still hurting over losing one of my all-time favorite DJ's,
Richard Pegue (WVON and WGCI).
Next to Herb Kent, he 'was' radio for me in the 60's and 70's
...and he was a straight Dusties King, like Kent.
In fact, he is the originator
along with "Herbie Baby" of the term "Dusties".






The "Dubber Ruckie" as he called himself
could not be beat when it came
to playing what we Chicago
youngins wanted to hear and dance to,
and his signature tune was
"Stay Awhile With Me" by Sharon Ridley.

Richard had a laid back style and his voice was unique.
He was a thinker too...
always coming up with questions
that made you go.."Hmmm"
I will miss him very much.
I brought over some of the features
from his website, not only to remember him by,
but to feel like I have
a little piece of him
here at OOTP."Do You Remember?" at Richard's Website

Jason Stone graciously gave me
one of The Dubber Ruckie's airchecks from 1975,
which I appreciate with all of my heart.
*Thanks Jason* and Thank you Richard Pegue, for the Dusties.
You were our
treasure.--~edie2k2

Here's a wonderful interview with Bob Abrahamian’s
“Sitting In The Park” radio show on WHPK-FM;
You can hear him tell his story here.
If only for the TV jingles he created
for the Moo & Oink meat shop,
you know Pegue’s going to a good place.
I didn't know he produced
Little Ben & The Cheers,
who did 'I'm Not Ready To Settle Down"!! Whoa!!!
This interview is outstanding.

Chicago has been a hotbed of vintage soul lately. In addition to the Numero Group’s upcoming Eccentric Soul Revue at the Park West, the Ambassador East hotel currently is showcasing a week-long soul festival presented by a U.K. promoter. In the midst of all this activity, a giant of the Chicago scene has passed away. Richard Pegue—noted DJ, producer, songwriter and musician—died of a heart attack Monday.

Richard Pegue was born on July 29, 1944 in Chicago to a beautician and a policeman. More than any other local disc jockey (save for Herb Kent), Pegue did a lot to spread the concept of “dusties,” basically another way of saying “African-American oldies.” His Saturday dusties show jumped from station to station for the last 28 years, from high-wattage frequencies like WGCI-FM to college stations like Kennedy-King’s WKKC (which is where he could be heard in recent years), but still managed a deep following. At one point in the ‘80s, his show was so popular that a competing black station (the long-gone WBMX) slotted a similar show on Sunday afternoons.

As an old drop-in on Pegue’s show used to say, “when you hear the same songs on Sunday afternoons that you hear on Saturday nights, you know everybody’s listening to Richard Pegue and the Best Music Of Your Life!” The competing show on WBMX tanked. The DJs had little connection to the songs played, and often sounded like they didn’t want one, wisecracking, “This is my older brother’s record, I’m way too young to remember this!”

Pegue, as he pointed out, was there when it happened. He spun stories about the time he stole some guitar sheet music from a ’60s Gene Chandler session, or the time his old singing group were recording at Chess Records while “these ugly white guys” (better known as the Rolling Stones) waited their turn.

More importantly, he was proud of the local music scene. A typical Pegue show featured a heavy dose of the Chicago sound, usually from local acts who never broke nationally. Every now and then he’d play something he produced himself, like Renaldo Domino’s “Not Too Cool To Cry” (1969) or Little Ben & the Cheers’ “I’m Not Ready To Settle Down” (1965). In a city that boasted several producers with individualistic sounds, Pegue was not afraid to leave his touches all over a record—the Domino song is the only sweet soul song I can think of offhand with a fiddle solo. And true to his altar-boy roots, several of Pegue’s productions had eerie choral backgrounds.

Richard Steele and Richard Pegue.
Longtime Chicago DJ Richard Pegue Dies

A music legend on Chicago's South Side has died. Richard Pegue sang in doo-wop groups, wrote commercial jingles and spun soul and R&B tracks as a radio DJ. In recent years, Pegue co-hosted a Friday night dance party alongside WBEZ's Richard Steele.

STEELE: His knowledge of old records was better than just about anybody I know. I mean, you name the artist, he knew that person, when they recorded, who they recorded with, who played drums on that recording, that kind of stuff. He was very, very intense about oldies—dusties—and knew the ins-and-outs, A-to-Z.

Steele and Pegue were friends for more than 50 years, starting in high school. Pegue died Tuesday in Jackson Park Hospital after a heart attack. He was 64.


Here are some "Way Back" memories - how many do you remember
and how many can you add to them?

DANCES WE USE TO DO IN CHICAGO

Twist
Twine
Watusi
Bump
Bop
Jitterbug
Lindy Hop
Walk
Monkey
Gorilla
Madison
Roach
Charge
Football
Afro Twist
Bird
Bossa Nova Bird
Pony
Horse
Duck
Worm
Swim
Jerk
Rock
Tighten Up
Funky 4 Corners
Spank
Yo-Yo
The HandJive
The Breakdown
Harlem Shuffle
Hitch Hike
The Cold Duck
Karate Boogaloo
The Feel It

 

Boogaloo
Macarena
Slop
Shotgun
Hustle
Stroll
Continental
Charleston
Jed Clampett
G.Q.
Tap
Fly
Spank
Skate
Shimmy
Butterfly
Steppin’
Box Step
Bus Stop
Perculator
Salsa
Robot
Limbo
Foot Stompin’
Bank Head Bounce
Two Step
Grind
Cha-Cha
The Fly
Birdland
The Hustle
The Junkernoo
Loose Booty
The Stump

 

Shingaling
Da Butt
Fox Trot
White Boy
Dog
Atomic Dog
Philly Freeze
Hokie Pokie
Uncle Willie
Hitch Hike
Sissy Strut
Hully Gully
Bunny Hop
Chicken
Funky Chicken
Funky Penguin
Funky Broadway
Cabbage Patch
Mashed Potatoes
Electric Slide
Errol Flynn
Roger Rabbit
Running Man
Tom & Jerry
Push & Pull
Mambo
Popcorn
Boston Monkey
The Tighten Up
The Pearl
The Flea
Gouster Bop
The Snake
The Barracuda









Richard Pegue, 1944-2009: Disc jockey who spun
Dusties on Chicago radio.

By Trevor Jensen | Tribune reporter
March 5, 2009

Richard Pegue, best known as an on-air spinner of "dusties" on Chicago radio, was also a savvy promoter and station manager who contributed to WGCI's rise to a ratings power.

Mr. Pegue (pronounced like McGee), 64, died of heart failure Tuesday, March 3, according to WVON, one of his former stations. He was a resident of South Holland.

Mr. Pegue most recently worked the midnight-to-6-a.m. Sunday shift at WKKC-FM 89.3, playing his familiar mix of rhythm-and-blues hits from the 1950s through the 1970s, backed by knowledgeable patter about the artists and arrangements, program director Al Greer said.

He called his show "The Best Music of Your Life," as he had since his days as one of the disc jockeys known as the "Good Guys" at WVON, where he became music director in 1968.

Over the years, he worked at a number of stations. But most notably, he had a lengthy stretch at WGCI, where he worked as program director and operations manager in addition to filling in on-air through the 1980s and 1990s.

"He's the guy I really credit with the success of WGCI today," said former WGCI president and general manager Marv Dyson, now director of operations at WKKC. "He's the guy who created the magic."

Mr. Pegue helped organize citywide treasure hunts for miniature WGCI buses, which when found through on-air clues led to cash rewards. The promotion was so popular, people were digging up yards and turning over cars, Dyson said.

"We had to start hiding them in plain sight," he said.

Another promotion offered gas at 50 cents a gallon, now a common stunt but not so at the time, Dyson said.

Mr. Pegue also helped assemble a roster of on-air talent that included Tom Joyner and Doug Banks and brought back radio legend Herb Kent during a lull in Kent's career, Dyson said.

Somewhat cantankerous, Mr. Pegue was never afraid to tell people what was on his mind, colleagues said.

"We called him a crotchety old man," Dyson said. "He was 64 years old. Richard acted like he was 90."

But at the annual Dusty Record Convention he organized each year, Mr. Pegue was the life of the party, spinning old favorites at a sellout BYOB buffet and dance.

Growing up on the South Side, Mr. Pegue started playing music at high school dances after getting a reel-to-reel player from his grandmother. His father, also named Richard, was a Chicago Park District police officer who was shot to death in 1946 by a suspected rapist.

At Hirsch High School, Mr. Hegue started a doo-wop group and wrote music. He later wrote "I'm Not Ready to Settle Down," which was recorded by the Cheers.

His best-known composition is likely the long-running jingle for Moo & Oink markets: "Wave for catfish—Moo & Oink! Scream for ribs—Moo & Oink!"

The jingle was replaced in 2006 by a rap number to appeal to younger people.

"They talk a different language," Mr. Pegue said philosophically in a Tribune story. "I'm more into the classics."

Mr. Pegue is survived by his wife, Sevina; four children; 14 grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.
The Brother & Sisters Don't Let'Em Tell You Pt 1

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Comment by Edie Antoinette on December 31, 2010 at 6:01pm
Comment by Edie Antoinette on October 22, 2010 at 12:49am
Sole, wait until you hear that interview. Just wait! I have several of the cuts played therein already and all this time had no idea Richard Pegue not only wrote them but also produced them..like "I'm Not Ready To Settle Down" ...!!!! My mouth is STILL hangin open on that one!!!! He was very very special!!!Pleeeeeease let me know how you feel about the interview and aircheck. I want to hear your thoughts.
Comment by Edie Antoinette on March 24, 2009 at 9:30pm
Thanks TM. I loved my Dubber Ruckie..I didn't know he was a taskmaster though! LOL When I listened to the tribute they were talking about how he would give you a look over his glasses if you messed up...LOL!!!

They called it the 'Wrath of Richard'....lol
Comment by Edie Antoinette on March 19, 2009 at 12:56am
I will be there Gary. Thanks for letting me know about it. I'm sure I'll be crying again. Do you know Martha from Out Of The Past Records on Madison St.??? I bought alot of CD's from there and now realize who Renaldo Domino is and alot of the others that Mr. Pegue produced and worked with. Fascinating.
Comment by Gary on March 18, 2009 at 8:40pm
Thanks edie2k2,
I was friends with Richard and had the pleasure of knowing him,from the days working at WHPK FM,in the early 80s. (before he joined WGCI AM/FM)

I would like to inform the people on the forum that tomorrow night on "The Dusties Party", DJ King George will do a 3 hour tribute on his show. King George was a mentor and a good friend of Richard.

You don't want to miss this tribute. Thursday March 19th, 9pm -midnight on WHPK 88.5 FM and streaming online at www.whpk.org.

Thank you
Comment by Edie Antoinette on March 18, 2009 at 2:07pm
We now have DJ Gary from WHPK in our midst. He plays DUSTIES!!!!! Please WELCOME him to the site!!!
Comment by Edie Antoinette on March 18, 2009 at 8:54am
Yes I remember Big Papa..thank you. Thanks to you as well Gene. He was one of a kind.
Comment by KnightD12 on March 18, 2009 at 3:42am
Sounds like he was my kind of DJ. Great voice too.
Comment by Edie Antoinette on March 18, 2009 at 2:28am
What you doin up Miss Bert?? But then again, what am I doing up?? LOL I truly appreciate your kind words this early A.M. I miss Richard very much. He felt like a family member in my heart. He was a beautiful and humble man..and kept me laughing. I'm grateful for the legacy that he left us.

May I take this time to thank you for your contributions here at OOTP. We love you.

~edie
Comment by Boo on March 18, 2009 at 1:49am
Richard Pegue sounds like a wonderful man, I am so sorry for your lost.I know he will be missed.But thank God you have so many memories of him and I am sure there's a place for him right there in your heart.I haven't read all about him yet, but I plan to.So all I can say is hang in there and take care.

Introspection

Entr'acte

  1. play Norman Brown — Night Drive
  2. play Norman Brown — Feeling
  3. play Norman Brown — Still
  4. play Miles Davis — miles 1
  5. play miles 2
  6. play miles 3
  7. play miles 4
  8. play miles 5
  9. play Marvin Gaye — I Met A Little Girl
  10. play Santana — 01 Singing Winds, Crying Beasts
  11. play Santana — 02 Black Magic Woman-Gypsy Queen
  12. play Mongo — 02. Afro Blue



The history of the Butlers/Raw Soul is dense, but for all of us music nerds, that's normal. It is not totally clear what year the Butlers actually formed but they released their first single in 1963 on Liberty Records. That single was "She Tried To Kiss Me" and another single followed on Guyden entitled "Lovable Girl." After the Guyden single the Butlers took a break not recording another record until the single "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" was released on the Phila label in 1966. The group also backed Charles Earland and Jean Wells on one Phila single ("I Know She Loves Me"). 


As you might be noticing, the Butlers were doing a fair amount of recording but not achieving much success. The group's recordings sold regionally but never had the promotion to make an impact on the national scene. After the single with Phila, the Butlers moved to the Fairmount label (part of the Cameo-Parkway family) and released a handful of singles, some being reissued singles of the past. The Butlers were with Fairmount for 1966-67 and then moved to Sassy Records. Sassy released the group's greatest single (in my opinion) "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" b/w "If That's What You Wanted." A copy of that 45 sold for just under $500 last summer on eBay. Even though that isn't that much in the world of record collecting--it's still a hefty sum. The Butlers released another single on Sassy ("She's Gone" b/w "Love Is Good") that appears to be even 
harder to come by then the "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" single.

 

The true history become a bit blurred here as the AMG biography states that the Butlers last record was released on C.R.S. in 1974 (". However, between 1971 and that single, Frankie Beverly formed a group called Raw Soul and released a number of singles. Some of the songs recorded by Beverly during this period are "While I'm Alone," "Open Up Your Heart," (both on the Gregor label) and "Color Blind." "Color Blind" was released by the Eldorado label and rerecorded by Maze. Beverly's big break came when Marvin Gaye asked Raw Soul to back him on a tour. Gaye helped Beverly/Raw Soul get a contract at Capitol. Beverly decided to take the group in a different direction, a name change occurred, and Maze was created. 

The above isn't the most complete history of Beverly but hopefully someone will know a way to get in touch with the man or his management because a comprehensive pre-Maze history needs to be done on Frankie Beverly (his real name is Howard, by the way). Below you'll find every Frankie Beverly (pre-Maze) song available to me right now ("Color Blind" will be up soon). 

If you have a song that is not included below, shoot it over to funkinsoulman (at) yahoo.com and it will go up in the next Frankie Beverly post (later this week--highlighting Maze). Also, if you have any more information please share your knowledge. The Butlers material has been comp-ed sporadically (usually imports) but the entire Maze catalog has been reissued and is available. 

Enjoy.  "She Kissed Me" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967) 
 
 "I Want To Feel I'm Wanted" (not sure which label or year) "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" (Phila, 1966) "Because Of My Heart" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967)
   
 "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" (Sassy, 1967)
   
 "If That's What You Wanted" (Sassy, 1967)
 



Frankie Beverly is one of those cats that has lasting power. He started in the music business doing a tour with doo wop group the Silhouettes and then formed his own group called the Blenders. The Blenders never recorded a single, Beverly wouldn't appear on wax until forming the Butlers a few years later. Along with Beverly, the Butlers included Jack "Sonny" Nicholson, Joe Collins, John Fitch, and Talmadge Conway.

Beverly would later enjoy great success fronting Maze and Conway would become a
well-known penning Double Exposure's
"Ten Percent" and the Intruders' "Memories Are Here To Stay." 
 While Maze is a phenomenal group, Beverly's work before that group will always stand out as his best (imo).

The Butlers produced tunes that most Northern Soul fans would kill for and Raw Soul gave the funksters something to pursue. If, by chance, you know of a way to get in touch with Frankie Beverly or his management, please drop me an e-mail. It would be absolutely great to do an interview with him about his pre-Maze work. He's still playing out, most recently doing a New Year's Eve show in Atlanta.
:: Funkinsoulman ::

Power...Through Simplicity ♪♫♪

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