Jim Lounsbury (February 24 1923 at Colo, Iowa – January 8 2008 located in Tucson, Arizona) was the first pioneer of rock and roll and a news anchor on radio.
Lounsbury was host of many of the early music and rock radio stations (WIND as well as WJJD, Chicago; WOR, New York City) and later , many rock and roll TV programs, including Jim Lounsbury’s”Sock Hop”, “Bandstand Matinee” and “The Record Hop (WGN-TV and WBKB, Chicago), in addition to hosting many local record shows in the Chicago region during the 1950s and 1960s and sometimes guest hosting with Dick Clark on American Bandstand. He was also host of one of the final shows featuring Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper as well as Ritchie Valens, in Kenosha, Wisconsin on January 24 in 1959, as part of his Winter Dance Party tour.
In the later years of his career, he gained a reputation as a journalist on radio and ended his career as the anchor of national news of UPI Radio News.
We lived In Skokie, IL in the 1960’s. Daughter: Debbie.
Lounsbury retired in Tucson, Arizona in the early 1980s. He as well as Helen Mason, whom he called the “biggest fan”, traveled throughout in the Southwest with Jim’s Cessna 182 airplane which he piloted. Jim often wrote articles for the Southwest Aviator publication about his flight experiences. He also did voice-overs from his home. Jim passed away on January 8 on the 8th of January, the 8th of January, 2006 at Tucson, Arizona.
Book
Lounsbury is the writer of a book on the birth of rock ‘n’ roll: Hey, Look I’m on the TV!.
