John Gilliland | |
|---|---|
 "John Gilliland at KSFO,c. 1971" Courtesy ofThe John Gilliland Collection. | |
| Born | John Sanford Gilliland Jr. (1935-10-18)October 18, 1935 |
| Died | July 27, 1998(1998-07-27) (aged 62) |
| Career | |
| Show | The Pop Chronicles |
| Station | KRLA 1110 |
| Show | The Credibility Gap |
| Station | KSFO |
| Website | John Gilliland's Pop Chronicles |
John Sanford Gilliland Jr. (October 18, 1935 – July 27, 1998) was an American radio broadcaster anddocumentarian best known for thePop Chronicles music documentaries and as one of the original members ofThe Credibility Gap. He was born and died in his hometown ofQuanah, Texas. He worked for a number of radio stations in Texas and California includingKOGO inSan Diego (1961–1965),KRLA 1110 inLos Angeles (1965–1970), andKSFO inSan Francisco (1971–1978).
His radio career began in 1952 withKOLJ in his native Quanah, Texas.[1] While attendingTexas Christian University, he worked as a disc jockey at KCUL inFort Worth.[2][3] His shows wereThe House of Wax andThe Man on the Beat. From 1959-1961 he worked forKLIF inDallas.[4] He also worked atKILT inHouston.[5]
At the news department ofKOGO inSan Diego, Gilliland used thepseudonyms of John Land and Johnny Land.[4]
In 1965, Gilliland came to the news department ofKRLA radio inLos Angeles County,[6] where he became one of the original members ofThe Credibility Gap which mixedtopical humor along with their news broadcasts.[7] Fellow founding memberRichard Beebe said of him that
Even though John was an integral part of the "Gap," working on thePop Chronicles was always number one for him. It seemed like he was always working on it. John was a very talented guy and a lot of fun.[8]
Gilliland researched this radio documentary,The Pop Chronicles, for over two years prior to its broadcast.[6] He interviewed many famous musicians for this show.[9] It covered popular music of the 1950s and 1960s, was originally broadcast onKRLA 1110, later broadcast on many other stations,[10][11] and now can be heard online.[12]
Starting in 1971, atKSFO inSan Francisco, he hosted weeknights 7pm-midnight.[13] In response to market research showing that most of its daytime audience preferred watching television at night, KSFO hired Gilliland in 1971 to host a five-hour variety block of music and entertainment evenings from 7 p.m. to midnight; Gilliland would continue as host until 1978.[14][15] His shows included rebroadcasts of hisPop Chronicles, anold-time radio hour (called "The Golden Age of Radio" or "The Great American Broadcast"),Mystery Theater,The Comedy Hour,[16][15] andThe GreatLPs. While working there he also produced and broadcast, beginning in 1972,[10]The Pop Chronicles 40s, about the popular music of the 1940s.[17][14] He was succeeded in his on-air time slot at KSFO byJerry Gordon.[18]
Gilland left KSFO in 1978 and returned to his native Texas.[4] He edited and in 1994 publishedPop Chronicles: the 40s as a four-cassette audiobook,[19][20] which was rereleased later asThe Big Band Chronicles.[21][22] During his retirement he hosted a late night show onKREB in Houston[23] and did some work forKIXC in Quanah. He died in 1998. In 2003, Gilliland's sister donated thePop Chronicles tapes to theUniversity of North Texas Music Library where they formThe John Gilliland Collection. Later his 700 reel-to-reel tapes of various old radio shows was added.[5][24]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
