RADIO ARTIFACT #86

I bought an LP. It was a savoy 10-inch with the above sticker on the sleeve. This was no ordinary collector tag. I typed his name into Google and it all came together.
He was a DJ in Troy New York, and met his wife there while she attended attended Russell Sage College and at 800 WKDN-AM in Camden, NJ. One article called Harvey Husten "the single most responsible person for keeping jazz alive in Philadelphia..." He taught night-school jazz courses. He wrote reviews for Down Beat Magazine. He wrote liner notes to jazz LPs and hosted a series of jazz concerts at the Red Hill Inn, in Pennsauken, NJ.

The book The Musical World of J.J. Johnson by Joshua Berrettrefers to Husten as a "New Jersey disk jockey and night club owner." It seems likely then that he was at least part owner of the Red Hill Inn. A 1956 issue of broadcasting listed him attached to WKDN with the title PD.

Harvey donated a library of jazz records the the Free Library of Philadelphia. He was a big deal jazz promoter in his day. My LP seems to be a discard from that collection. Harvey passed away when he was only 31 years old, probably in 1957 by my math.

History tells me that WKDN-AM went on air in 1948, so Harvey must have been an early staffer at the MOR powerhouse. The station became WTMR-AM in the early 60s and in 1975 became a religious talker.

I know there's a lot more to this story... maybe someone will fill me in.