Nine months after I had flown to LA for my daughter Candis’ wedding (shown above) there I was winging my way back to LA again, but this time it was for the birth of my grandson.
Shortly after checking into my hotel, I got a surprise call from the expectant mother telling me that she would be joining me for dinner that night at my hotel.
After we finished dinner, she surprised me once again by asking if I could take her back to work because she had one more thing she had to do before she was ready to become a new mother.
However, as Candis has never heard any from me, I didn’t think this would be the best time to start, so off we went.
As I waited, it gave me a chance to wander around and check out all the gold records and posters hanging on the walls.
A few minutes later, When Candis came out of her office, she held a box set of CDs n her hands.
While handing them to me, she said with a tear in her eye, “Dad, your grandson is going to be so proud the day he discovers that his grandpa was a Rock Star.”
Now what was so neat about all this was that we’d recorded that tune shortly before Candis was born.
Early the next morning, I headed to the hospital for the big day but unfortunately, the induced labor thing wasn’t going very well so they went the cesarean route.As the Doctor said to me, “Mr. Johns, your daughter is much too tiny to be giving birth to a big guy like this.”
After picking her up at school the next day, and filling her in on all the details about her nephew’s birth, I also told her about the surprise gift her sister had given me.
When I asked if she would like to hear the tune, and she excitedly said yes, I slipped it into the player and cranked it up.
When I asked her what she wanted, she said, “Is it almost over?” Then when I asked why, she said, “Because it’s not very good, Daddy!”
(To hear what Cami heard that humbling day, click on the link near the bottom of the page.) 
I enjoy your words of wisdom.
Sincerely,
Walking in Memphis (The Genius)
Ron Hamilton: Tyler, At least have the cojones to write your last name, I totally disagree with you about George. My name is Ron Hamilton, and George knows what the hell he’s talking about! (The Genius)
Nick Alexander: You sure know when the New Yorkers are in town. Nothin’ but horns! Here in Texas, we have different horns: we bow to burnt orange and say “Hook ‘Em.” :o) (The Genius)
I have met them all but Harry. Man, what a voice. All these guys were terrific talents, and wow what a great radio station that was!
I would still be listening if they were still around! (WVBF Boston 1974)
Mike McVay: George: As someone who built a large radio consultancy myself and learned much from listening to your stations, you are undoubtedly the father of Adult Contemporary. You also taught us all how an AC could perform stronger than the then-dominant Top-40 stations of that era by building big entertaining morning shows. The model you created continues to be a huge part of the “Best Practices” of Radio today. You and I had some great battles that drove the overall shares of radio upward. We grew the audience by competing. In the words of Sun Tzu … “When the elephants fight, the ants take a beating.” (The Birth Of AC Radio)
Geo: Great hearing from you, Mike, and thanks for the read.
I’ll never forget while attending a George Burns conference with a beautiful companion, and when George spotted me, he pointed me out; I thought it was very kind of him.
However, when my companion leaned over and asked, “Did he just refer to you as the Grandfather of AC radio?” I had to respond with, “Nope, he said, Godfather ” 🙂We did have some great battles, Mike, and the radio industry was the better for it. You’re always at your best when you’re competing against the best.
Tim Moore: Well, as a 27-year-old VP at TM Productions, the career leap of a lifetime thanks to Jim Long, Tom Merriman, and Jerry Atchley, I arrived from Michigan, a “Northern radio Snob.” It’s not that I lacked respect for DFW radio; I simply hadn’t heard it. So shortly after occupying my office on Regal Row, I kept hearing staffers make references to “KVIL” and “Ron Chapman.” So I asked my top sales guy Mike Baer, “What is it about KVIL? I hear it mentioned all the time” He looked at me as if I was a Martian and asked. “Have you LISTENED to them?” I assured Mike I would, and for the first 2-3 days said to myself, “well, they’re really solid, and the morning show is very good, but…” Then, after two weeks, I said to myself, “This is the most incredible interpretation of AC on the face of the Earth. Chapman and his cast are incredible; everything the station does is relevant to the target and purposeful!” From there forward, I coached KVIL’s packaging and atmospherics. The trouble was (and still is), so few can “hear it,” much less execute it. (KVIL Jingles)
Geo: I love the word atmospherics, Tim. 🙂
Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to Geo’s Media Blog @ GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.