This is actually old news, but I just found out that Bob Summerrise has passed away in 2010.
Bob Summerrise was the highly influential disc jockey and record store owner in Seattle during the 1950’s that exposed a lot of kids to rhythm & blues music, including Richard Berry‘s LOUIE LOUIE.
I’m very fortunate I was able to meet and interview him for the documentary.
Light in the Attic Records shared the news:
Sadly, on November 12th Bob Summerrise Jr. passed away. He was a giant part of the Seattle music scene back in the day, owning an influential record store called Summerrise Records (stocking many of those 45s now heard on LITA’s Wheedle’s Groove Seattle’s Finest in Funk & Soul 1965-75 comp and a big supporter of the local soul scene). He was also a disc jockey on Seattle soul station KYAC. Our thoughts are go out to his family.
From the Summerrise Family:
On Friday November 12th we lost the patriarch of our family and an icon in the Seattle radio & music scene. Bob Summerrise, affectionately known as “Brother Bob” passed away peacefully at Valley General hospital in Renton. He was born in Chicago on January 26, 1925 of the union of Robert Summerrise Sr. and Gertrude Shields. Brother Bob moved to the Seattle area in the early 40’s where he began a successful career as a broadcaster on numerous radio stations including, but not limited to; KTAC, KQDE, KAYO, KZAM & KYAC. Truly a Northwest pioneer in the field, he was one of the first African-American on-air personalities and the first with an engineering license.
The family requested that in lieu of gifts and flowers, memorials in his name be sent to:
The I Can Dream Foundation
22611 163rd Ave E
Graham, WA 98338
If you’d like to read a great book that featured a great chapter on Bob Summerrise, be sure to check out the book “Jimi Hendrix, Voices From Home,” written by my friend Mary Willix, who introduced me to Bob. It’s an exceptional book about Jimi Hendrix‘s Seattle roots.
A great DJ of the late 40s and 50s. His theme song was Jivin Around during the the 50s when he spun those great R&B tunes from Seattle. RIP dear friend. You are truly missed.
I was a kid in Shoreline in the mid-1950s when I happened to tune in 2 radio programs (forget the station) hosted by Bob Summerise. First was the Cool Breeze Show that featured jazz, followed by his R&B show (I forget the name). I sneaked a little radio into bed and listened to these 2 shows with excitement and Joy until if fell asleep. (My Dad loved jazz from his own youth and he never hassled me about my radio music tastes.) I only vaguely remember some locations he mentioned in the Central District (there was the Black and Tan Club and – maybe the Mardi Gras,another one around 23rd and Jackson.) His shows featured R&B artists like Little Richard and I just loved the music. I still do. I will never forget Bob Summerise and the wonderful music he gave me which still has me jumping up to dance whenever I hear it.
I rented a room to Bob Summerise, in the home that I designed and built at age 33 in 1988 for my wife and daughter and I. Lounging in the local coffee house one day there was a jazz song on the radio, that I commented on, and I got the information wrong, as Bob was in the background in a wheelchair, and he rolled up to correct me about Charlie Christian’s guitar style. Bob explained to me that he knew Jimmy Hendrix’s parents in his Seattle neighborhood, and he knew Jimmy when he was a kid.
It was further amazing, that I’m not sure when I rented him a room for free, and that it was later, the first day I spoke on National Public Radio live on their Talk of the Nation discussion program on March 14th 2005.
They were having a discussion about the Andy Warhol line, everybody will have 15 minutes of fame. They actually title of this discussion was The 16th Minute of Short-lived Fame. I called in on this day and someone finally answered for the first time… “NPR’s Talk of the Nation, what’s your question or comment?”… as I tried to call into those discussions for years but the lines were always busy.
I was so shocked that someone answered for the first time. So I asked, is this a real person? she says yes it is Sir, do you have a question or comment? I told the story about the sidewalk astronomy I performed across the Nation for a 10,000 mile solar road trip over 6 weeks, with a large solar hydrogen-alpha filtered research grade telescope.
I asked Bob how he thought I did as telling my story. He said I was great, that I sounded like a radio announcer speaking. He was betting on the horse races here in Portland and and I drove him to the race track at Portland Meadows, and ran to the ticket booth to get him his tickets back and forth, he couldn’t walk any longer, as he was confined to a wheelchair.
I was saddened to hear, from another local radio station worker, at KINK FM 102, in Portland, that Bob passed away in 2010.