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WFVA radio veteran John Parker, his wife, Patty Freshwaters (center), and on-air personality Heather Harwood (right) look over photos from Parker's career during his retirement party Sunday at the Fredericksburg Country Club. |
TALK TO John Parker about his 56-year career in radio and TV and it's hard to keep track of all the stars he rubbed shoulders with through the years.
Parker, who did the final broadcast of his popular Big Band-themed morning show on Fredericksburg's WFVA on Dec. 31, said he got to know many of those folks simply by being in the right place at the right time.
But spend just a little time with Parker, as a loyal audience of Fredericksburg listeners have done since he came to WFVA in April 1981, and it's easy to see why big names like Frank Sinatra, Harry James, Bobby Lane, Sonny Liston, Lou Rawls, Betty Grable and Robert Goulet felt comfortable with this affable host.
Perhaps that's partly because Parker, who lives in Spotsylvania, realized early on that being yourself is the key to success in his business.
That's the approach he used hosting a radio show in Fredericksburg, doing live TV in Bakersfield, Calif., or cutting a commercial with Sammy Davis Jr. for a casino opening in Las Vegas.
"After a while, you learn to forget that you're on the radio or on television," said Parker, who'll turn 77 this month. "You just end up being you."
Learning to laugh at yourself, especially when the mistakes come--"and they will, especially in live television"--is also a key.
"I did a live kids' show in Bakersfield," said Parker, grinning at the memory. "One of our sponsors was Dr Pepper, so we'd give them all a Dr Pepper. My own daughter was on one day when she was 4."
Halfway through the show, he felt her tugging his shirt from behind, and turned around to hear her say, into the microphone, "Daddy, I spilled my Coke!"
Without a second's hesitation, he interjected, "No, honey, you spilled your Dr Pepper!"
Like many in the broadcast business, Parker worked at a succession of stations, from Iowa to Michigan to Missouri to California and Nevada.
"The early days of television were really a lot of fun, because it was all live," he said.
Sometimes, he said, that meant lights popping and sets going dark, hosts cracking up, performers forgetting their cues or ad-libbed lines creating unintended laughter.
You could put most of Parker's career in two different slots: radio/entertainment and sports.
On TV and radio, he either covered or did play-by-play for the Detroit Lions and Tigers, San Diego Padres and Chargers and a host of college and local teams.
"I also did UNLV Rebels basketball," said Parker. "In one particular game, things were so fast-paced that I said on that night they were Running Rebels. They liked it so much, it eventually became their new name."
The entertainment component took off when he worked in Las Vegas, often making commercials with folks like Sinatra and Davis to tout appearances at the casinos that were making them stars.
"I was on radio and television in Las Vegas," said Parker. "Betty Grable lived there, and would call in the morning to ask to hear a new song. And so many of the entertainers were just waking up in the afternoon, and they'd flip on the TV and see the kids show I did on TV. Robert Goulet used to tease and ask how he could get on the show."
After hours, Parker said it was natural for radio and TV folks to join entertainers at spots in the casinos that few knew about.
"I took my mother in to introduce her to Sinatra one time, and he was really nice to her, teasing about how he wanted to go to Iowa sometime to see it all," said Parker. "On the way out, my wife didn't take long mentioning that I hadn't introduced her, then or ever before. Oh, boy."
Parker hasn't made a big deal about the end of his 23 years in Fredericksburg radio. His last show was a typical mix of Big Band classics and singers ranging from Peggy Lee to Willie Nelson, with a simple, "Thanks for a great 23 years. Goodbye" at the show's close.
The station, however, did offer up a week of morning segments looking back at Parker's career, and also gave him a roast and thank-you dinner Sunday evening at the Fredericksburg Country Club, complete with a combo playing tunes Parker could have told stories about for hours.
"These last years, playing the kind of music I love and grew up with, really have been the best time of my life," he said.
The retiring radio host, who grew up working in his father's feed and grain business in Iowa, said he's led a charmed life.
"I feel like I haven't worked a day in my life," he said. "because I've loved every minute of it. When you grow up milking cows at 4 a.m. or lifting 100-pound bags of grain, talking for a living is a pretty good way to go."
To reach ROB HEDELT: 540/374-5415 rhedelt@freelancestar.com
