10 Questions with ... Kirkland Burke

1) Would you share with us your teaching, assistant coaching days and music promotion career in Chicago?

Upon leaving the Navy in 1968, I went back to college. A week before classes started, a friend told me about a program that President Johnson had instituted called, "Veterans In Public Service" (VIPS). LBJ thought schools needed more male teachers as a remedy to the chaos and violence that was occurring on an almost daily basis at schools throughout the nation. We were the pilot program for this program. It was implemented through the Chicago Public Schools system. I was interviewed for one of the openings and two days later, I received a phone call to report to James N. Thorp Educational, Vocational Guidance Center located in the South Chicago neighborhood in the shadow of what was then US Steel South Works. During that time, I attended Chicago State University in the evening. My day started at 7:30a and my last class often ended at 9p.

Thorp school was selective enrollment for 7th and 8th grade students who needed a concentration on reading and math. I left Thorp in 1972 for Holy Angels Roman Catholic School where I taught 6th grade. I left teaching for the record business, first as an independent record promoter and later as local and regional promotion manager for a major record company.

I was hired in 1975 as the Warner/Elecktra/Atlantic Corp. local promotion manager for all three labels. In 1978, I became the Midwest Regional Promotion Manager for Warner Bros. Records. until 1995 when almost the entire staff was terminated when a new regime came in. I was rehired later the same year and remained in that position until 2000.

In 1985, a friend who was coaching at a high school across from the Cabrini-Green housing projects asked if I could help whenever I could at basketball practice. I originally planned to help a couple of days each week, however I soon realized the players needed someone who was fully committed, so I accepted the coaches request for me to be an assistant coach. That led to me coaching a team in a spring league and a summer league team for Whitney Young Magnet High School where I remained until 2001. As record promotion was not a 9-to-5 workday, I was able to set my schedule that permitted me to work records and coach.

In 2002, I was offered a teaching position with the City Colleges of Chicago Harold Washington College campus. I taught various subjects including Urban Geography, Professional Development and a class on the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). I also am a certified instructor with the National Safety Council.

2) You were born and raised in Chicago, how has music and radio changed?

Growing up my early years were spent listening to the radio more than watching television which had little to offer at the time. There were programs like Arthur Godfrey's Breakfast Club and the National Barn Dance on WLS-A that featured live music drama like San Francisco Beat, The Lone Ranger and The Shadow.

By the mid-'50s, TV had taken hold and music on the radio was played through brokered-time programs. There was Jack L. Cooper, Al Benson, Jam with Sam, Dave Garroway did 1160 Club a jazz program on WMAQ-A, Howard Miller, Wally Phillips and Jim Lounsburry who later hosted his own TV show called "Record Hop" on WGN-TV, just to name a few.

In the early '60s, WLS-A switched to Top 40 and Black music was played on WJOB, WOPA, WAAF and WGES. The stations playing music by Black American artists did so through brokered time. Gordon McClendon bought WGES and changed the call letters to WYNR ("winner radio"). The station was heavy into promotions and played a real Top 40 format. By that I mean they played Black and white recording artists. The problem with that is Chicago was such a segregated city, attempting to integrate music in the early '60's wasn't well received. That opened the door for Leonard and Phil Chess who owned Chess Records to form L & P Broadcasting Company, in 1964 purchased WHFC-A 1450 which was licensed to Cicero, IL. and owned by the Hotel Flanders Company. They changed the call letters to WVON (The Voice of the Negro) and overnight Chicago had its first 24-hour R&B station.

Chess hired the best DJs at that time and they were called "The WVON Good Guys." The station was personality plus. Young and old listened to the station. Every Black person in Chicago knew the lineup at WVON. The station was very active in the Black community throughout the city. WVON's reign came to an end around 1976 or 1977 as FM radio became the dominant factor. WBMX eventually dethroned WVON and the end of the decade of the '70's saw the end of the era of AM radio dominance for stations playing music.

The biggest change in radio from the 20th Century until now is the lack of professional sounding on-air personalities. Many say today the music is better; however, that's because popular music is generational. Every generation thinks the music of their youth is better than the music of today. On the subject of on-air personalities, there is no doubt the on-air talent today would never have been allowed anywhere near a mic in the '60s.

3) Would you explain how you approached your job when you were a promotional rep?

Each PD/MD was different. I had to know the things that would influence each one's decision on adding a record to the playlist. Some were partial to a particular artist or group, some to a certain sound while others were influenced by what a particular programmer in another market was doing[PW1], although most would never admit it. I had to spend time building relationships with each one and time in the market listening to the station. Before there was live streaming, you had to go into a market and spend time listening to the station. It was important to know everything about each station, what they did in each daypart, what promotions were running, what events in the community they were involved, the retail structure in the market, and the club scene.

The first MD I called on was Dr. Bop (Hoyt Locke) at WAWA-A/F in Milwaukee. The year was 1973, Dr. Bop was in the studio dressed in an all-white medical doctors' outfit, with a stethoscope around his neck and a head mirror. My first thought was to ask him if he realized he was on the radio; however I resisted that urge. Bop gave me some great advice that day, he told me to, "Be who you are, not somebody you want to be."

4) How about sharing one of your funnier moments in the industry?

Around 1978, Prince was performing at Bogart's in Cincinnati. I had recently become the regional promotion manager upon Ron Ellison's departure from Warner Bros. Records, so I thought it would be a good time to visit the market and meet several radio programmers. Willie Smith, the local promotion manager in that area, invited radio programmers to the concert. Some of them brought their wives/lady-friends and were anticipating a good show following the hype given the first album Prince had released.

I met Willie and we met some radio people for an early dinner then it was off to Bogart's for the performance. We seated the radio people, their wives and guests right up front. Willie and I were at the stage entrance waiting on Prince to go on. We were standing at the bottom of the steps leading to the stage when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and a voice said, "Excuse me." I turned around and there was a guy with his hair permed wearing what looked like satin running shorts, no shirt, opaque stockings, and high heeled boots. He had a guitar, so we thought he was with the warm-up group and I said, "You can't go on the stage now" and turned back around. He tapped me on the shoulder again and repeated "Excuse me." His tone was a little aggravated so I in turn responded again in a stern tone, "You can't go on stage now." Just then the road manager comes over and says, "What's the hold up?" Willie then said something like "This a-hole is trying to go on stage." We were then informed the a-hole in the shorts was Prince. The only other time I had seen him was in Minneapolis. At that time, he had a huge Fro and was wearing regular clothes. In the dimly lit area to the side of the stage in the club I didn't recognize the kid in that get-up.

5) Would you share the WBR workshop story that gave you a glimpse in the future of the music industry?

I can't recall the exact year, I think it was in the early 1990s during WEA Distribution meetings held in Chicago. During the second day of the meetings, there was a speaker from some company who gave a presentation talking about technological advances that would revolutionize the record industry.

All the attendees from the distributor and the labels were used to this. Every year at the national meetings there was always someone touting the latest thing that would change the business. He was the last speaker before we broke to go change for dinner, so most were paying more attention to the clock than to what was being said.

At the time, I wasn't much into all the new technological advances that seem to come every other month. Although I was listening to the speaker, I wasn't that interested in what he was saying. Near the end of his presentation, he said something almost as though it was an afterthought that made me sit up straight in my seat with what had to be a look of wonderment on my face. As he concluded, and everybody started leaving the room I turned to the person next to me and asked him did he understand what had just been said. "Not really," was his reply. I told him this guy is saying that in a few years maybe sooner, people will be able to order their music from their computers. He asked, "So what." I said, "That means there's no need for a distribution company and its sales team, that's what." My co-worker then looked at me and said, "Get real, that'll never happen." The rest, as they say is history.

6) Before becoming a music promotions rep, had you ever done anything in the music industry?

Prior to entering the Navy, I worked security on some of the Beatles shows in 1964 and 1965. When they played Chicago's International Amphitheater, some of us went to a music instrument store and bought a drum sticks and guitar strings. Later, at the venue, we sold them to fans of the group, telling them they had been used during a previous performance. To this day I think my hearing was negatively affected by all those screaming girls. As for the Beatles, I think they were in awe of the way they were received in 1964 and were having a great time. By 1965 the bloom was off the rose. They didn't seem to enjoy the concerts because nobody could hear them over the screaming. They would play the first three or four notes of a song and there would be endless screaming.

7) How do you stay up on the history of people in this business?

I rely on what I remember along with information gleaned from old articles found on the Internet. I always attempt to get confirm information from someone with firsthand knowledge of an event, subject or group whenever possible. My brother, Reginald "Sonny" Burke, who's been in the music and recording business since the early 1960s, is a constant source of information for me. He was Smokey Robinson's conductor and arranger for 33 years. He's now retired.

8) What were your years in the Navy like?

I enlisted in the Navy after graduating high school and served onboard a Destroyer during the Vietnam War era. The best thing about that time was seeing the world. One of the most memorable things was how people in European countries would often come and start thanking me. At first, I didn't know what they were thanking me for. One of the older members of the crew explained that they were thanking us for being one of the allied countries that liberated their country during WWII. Keep in mind, this was only 20 years since the end of the war. Because I served during war years, much of what we did is still classified, as far as I know, and I'm not permitted to mention it.

9) How about telling us about your mentors and influencers over the years?

Mentors for me were Eddie Thomas, Granville "Granny White," Ron Ellison and Eddie Holland. I met Eddie Thomas in the early 1970s. He had his own independent promotion company at the time and I used to go by his office and talk with him about the record business. At the time, I was managing a local singing group.

Granville "Granny" White was at Columbia Records and by the time I met him in the early '70s, was already a living legend in the business. He offered me my first position with a major label. However, it would have necessitated a move to Detroit, so I declined the offer. Granny remained a source of inspiration and wise counsel for many years.

Ron Ellison changed my life. Acting on the recommendation of Herb Kent, he offered me the position of local promotion manager for the Chicago WEA Branch. Ron at the time was the Midwest Regional Promotion Manager for Warner Bros. Records. Ron had observed me doing indie promotion and felt confident I could do the job. Warner Bros. at that time didn't have a lot of R&B artists, but they were on the verge of expanding their artist roster and establishing a jazz department as well. Ron was always passing knowledge of the business on to me.

Eddie Holland was the Midwest Regional Promotion Manager for Atlantic Records. As local promotion manager for Warner/Atlantic/Elecktra Distribution Co. I represented all three labels. That meant Eddie would have to sign off on my being hired for the position. Atlantic at the time had an extensive artist roster in both R&B and jazz. Eddie remained a mentor and friend for many years thereafter. I sat with him when during his hospice care and we watched the NBA championship playoff game the night before he transitioned. I was honored when asked by his wife to speak at Eddie's homegoing service.

10) If you had the chance to do something over again, what would it be and what would you do differently?

I would have sold my Time-Warner stock before the AOL merger and I would not have invested so heavily in Enron.

How did you get into the music promotions business?

During the summer break from teaching, Herb Kent called me and asked if I was interested in helping a local record promoter, whose son had been severely injured in an accident. It was a local promoter named Bill Lasley and he needed someone to work radio in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Gary, IN. I took the job, which I originally intended to do only for the summer. However, the money was far more than I could have ever made teaching, so I left the field of education for the music business. Later Bill introduced me to Dick Shory who had been a recording artist on RCA and now owned Ovation Records. Shory had helped create the Dynagroove process used by RCA. Bill recommended me to Shory and I started doing promotion for Ovation Records. Ovation the time had Country music and folk music artists as well as the Disney Records, but they had started to sign R&B and jazz artists.

In August of 1975, Bill Lasley called me and asked if I would like to work for a major label. Of course, I answered yes, and he set up a breakfast meeting with Ron Ellison and Eddie Holland. And for the next 25 years after that Sunday morning meeting, I was in the Warner Communications, later Time-Warner family.

Is there anything that you do or have done that would surprise people?

• I started piano lessons at the age of three, my brother at the time was five years old. By the time I was five, my brother and I were concertizing doing two-piano duets throughout Illinois and Indiana. Both my brother and I have perfect pitch.
• From 1986-2000 I was the assistant coach of the women's varsity basketball team at Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago consistently one of the top 20 programs in the nation.
• In 2007, I was inducted into the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame
• I was a member of the Chicago Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps 1969 Illinois state American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars Champions and 1969 American Legion National Champions Drum & Bugle Corps.
• I currently serve on the National Advisory Board of the Archives of African-American Music and Culture at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
• I was the victim of a kidnapping and attempted murder in the 1970s.