BYRD ON THE DRIVE
W
DRV disc jockey Byrd is a rock
jock out of central casting. He
looks and sounds the part so
much that you get the feeling if there was
ever an injury to a band member of any
group he was introducing on stage any
given night, Byrd could fill in at the drop of
a hat. “Yeah, Joe Perry snapped a hammy
during ‘Sweet Emotion.’ Tell Byrd to grab a
guitar and follow the set list.”
“Well, what can I say?” Byrd responds
with a laugh. “It's authentic. I love rock &
roll! I usually wear my hair pulled back nice
and proper-like, but when I do wear it down
for rock shows and whatnot, moments like
that have indeed occurred over the years.
People will ask if I'm in a band, or some-
times assume (if they don't know who I am)
By Rick Kaempfer
Beatles fan, so virtually anything from them.
So much so that the organizers of the annual
"Beatlefest" convention have asked me to
guest host now every year. Pretty much any-
thing from Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Doors,
AC/DC, Queen, Who, Aerosmith, Pink
Floyd, Def Leppard, Rolling Stones and
loads more get an extra little nudge of the
volume knob from me as well. If it's got a
guitar in it, I generally like it. In other words,
everything The Drive plays [I like]. No won-
der I'm so happy here!”
And yet, despite his rock and roll per-
sona, Byrd hasn’t always been a rock jock.
Before arriving in Chicago, he hosted full-
blown personality shows in other markets.
“That’s true,” he says. “I did the morning
show at legendary rock stations like KSHE
Byrd
that I'm in the band playing that night. That
can lead to some highly amusing conversa-
tions! I do play guitar and get along quite
well with musicians (many of whom I've
become friends with over the years - they tell
me I ‘get it’), but I generally demur on taking
people up on the invitations to get up and
play. I have agreed to sing backup vocals on
stage and in the recording studio on numer-
ous occasions, though... baritone naturally. I
had the distinct honor of having super-pro-
ducer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper,
KISS, Peter Gabriel, Deep Purple,
Aerosmith, etc.) inform me I was singing
flat.”
For the first decade-plus of Byrd’s time in
Chicago, he was a mainstay at the Loop (97.9
FM), doing virtually every shift on the air
there. A few years ago he moved just slight-
ly down the dial to the Drive, and his
approach and on-air demeanor seem like
they were tailor-made for the classic rocker.
“I absolutely love it here!” Byrd admits. “In
addition to the fantastic culture and facilities
at Hubbard, many of the people I work with
at the Drive I've had the great pleasure of
working with previously, so it's like ‘old
home week’ - very familiar and comfortable.
My boss, Program Director Rob Cressman
and I joke about how often we seem to
‘mind-meld’ when it comes to creative ideas
and approaches. It's rather uncanny actual-
ly! Besides the terrific staff and management
team, the newly constructed Drive studios in
the Hubbard complex at Prudential Plaza
are simply astounding. It's akin to sliding
into a fighter jet cockpit. The very latest and
best of everything and very user-friendly
and intuitive. And then there's the music -
precisely [geared] to my personal tastes and
what I listen to when I'm not on the air
myself. A dream gig!”
Are there songs today that - after essen-
tially playing them over and over for so
many years - still make Byrd reach over and
crank the in-studio speakers? “I'm a big
16 illinoisentertainer.com august 2018
95 (KSHE-FM) St. Louis, 98 ROCK (WIYY-
FM) Baltimore/Washington DC, KOMP 92.3
(KOMP-FM) Las Vegas, nights at Q107
(CILQ-FM) Toronto among numerous oth-
ers. I even had my own TV show.”
Were there any memorable moments
from those days? “Tons of crazy, fun stuff,
like sitting in the President's car (and then
going to lunch with his Secret Service
guys!), partying with Van Halen and appear-
ing on MTV - enough to fill a book. Even
saved the iconic ‘Welcome To Fabulous Las
Vegas’ sign from being torn down.
Seriously.”
Despite his pedigree and trophy case
(including being named one of America’s
sexiest DJs by Playgirl Magazine, and his
many ‘Keys to the City’ from mayors around
the country), Byrd works at a radio station
loaded with talent. So much so that he is
doing mainly weekend shifts--although he
routinely fills in during the week when the
regulars go on vacation. He sees the upside
of his current situation. It allows him to pur-
sue other things as well.
“I can also be heard on rock stations
across the country via LRN (‘Local Radio
Networks’)
affiliates,
commercial
voiceovers, guesting on various other radio
and television shows, guest hosting at the
annual ‘Beatlefest’, appearing in some rock
videos... and a few other very exciting
things in the works that I can't talk about
quite yet. Stay tuned, as they say!”
For someone who has worked all over
the country, does he see himself ever leaving
Chicago to pursue other opportunities out-
side of Chicago? “I firmly believe Chicago is
the World's Greatest City,” he says. “The
music, culture, sports, food, beaches, etc.
here (and so much more) are all top-notch.
It's literally got everything! Best of all? The
people.”
Byrd can be heard on WDRV, 97.1FM
every weekend. You can also follow him on
Facebook and Twitter (Byrd@thebyrdrocks).