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ky Daniels was one of the biggest stars at the Loop [ FM98 ] in their first heyday ( 1979- 1981 ), and although he has gone on to an incredibly successful career in the record and radio business and is now retired and living in California , he still has very fond memories of his time in Chicago .

But to say it started out a little bumpy might be an understatement . “ The very first night I was on the air in Chicago , I was so nervous . Mitch Michaels had done the afternoon show , and he had left , and I was just starting to get grooving . It was around 6:30 or seven at night . And suddenly , a guy walks in and goes , ‘ I ’ m Charlie Berry . You ’ re the reason my girlfriend left me .’ And he brings out a revolver . I saw his Travis Bickel eyes . I went into survival mode , looking into the barrel of that revolver . I said , ‘ Wait a minute , you ’ re the guy that Mitch was talking about ! He shouldn ’ t have made fun of you , Charlie . You gotta do me a favor . Watch my record . I ’ m going to call the boss right now and get Mitch fired . Watch this record .’ I remember it was Robin Trower ’ s Bridge of Sighs , and I walked down that hallway thinking if I heard another sound , I was dead . I turned the corner and then ran down two or three flights of stairs because I didn ’ t want to be waiting out in front of the elevator . I went flying down to the lobby , and remember , I had hair down to my waist , and I was screaming , ‘ there ’ s a guy with a gun ,’ and the security guy pulls his gun out and aims it at me . I thought , ‘ What the fuck is going on in this city !’ Eventually , I convinced the cops , and they nearly had a shootout with the guy up there , but they did eventually bring him out in cuffs . I said , ‘ Can I go back to the studio now ?’ It had been like a half hour . The record was over , and the phone lines were ringing off the hook , wondering what was going on . I called ( General manager ) Les ( Elias ) and said , ‘ Get me the fuck out of here . I ’ m going back to Detroit .’ But he calmed me down eventually . Did I mention this was my first fucking night on the air here ? It was a sign , man . You are going to go on a ride like you ain ’ t never gone on before . And guess what ? I did .” There were too many great stories to include in this column , from his take on Disco Demolition to the mayhem that was ChicagoFest - but remember , to Sky , it was all about the music . And that ’ s where his fondest memories lie .

“ We had big ideas . We bought every ticket for a Tom Petty concert and gave it away for free . And we played a ton of great local bands that were getting signed nationally . We decided to do a two-day festival of just local bands . I was talking to Cheap Trick ’ s and Off Broadway ’ s manager , and I told him my plan and said we were going to have it at the International Amphitheater . My buddy told me that after I left , the manager told him I was losing it . Well , guess

By Rick Kaempfer

REMEMBERING THE LOOP FM98

what ? Those two shows were total sellouts . We sold 27,000 tickets the first night and 30,000 nights the second night – not all at once , it was festival , people came and went – but it was a huge success . One of the biggest concerts ever in Chicago at that time . And all local bands . We were becoming part of the fabric of the rock and roll community here .”

Did he remember why it went away ? “ Oh yeah ,” he said . “ I was in a meeting , and the owner was telling us that they had just fired Steve and Garry ( in 1981 ). Nobody was saying a word in response . It was unfathomable . How could they get rid of these guys who had become

Sky Daniels

a lightning rod of attention on a national basis ? In my typical brazen style , I said , ‘ I can ’ t believe what I ’ m hearing here . You think this is a good idea ?’ And this guy was from Texas , and he said in his Texas drawl , ‘ You know what ? This wolf has got a taste of sheep ’ s blood , and those two guys might not be the only victims I find today . Just keep it up .’” With that move , everything started to splinter . They brought in a guy who decided to take this radio station with huge personalities and give them liner cards that said , ‘ Less talk , more rock .’ On an intellectual level , I couldn ’ t believe what I was hearing . This was contrary to everything we were . I cared deeply about what he had built . We had credibility with the audience , and they were just throwing it away .”

Sky left Chicago in 1985 . In some ways , he has changed tremendously since then ( no longer getting jaked and blowing lunch ), but in other ways , he ’ s still the guy who connected deeply with a generation of Chicago rockers . “ I always thought of myself as someone who wasn ’ t sure where he fit in , and that ’ s who I was talking to when I was on the air , directly to that kid . That kid was not alone . He was part of something bigger . Together , we trusted rock and roll to show us the way . That ’ s how I approached it , with an almost religious fervor . I really believed what I was saying . I meant it . And I never lost that , despite getting my ass kicked several times along the way in the record and radio business . I was fortunate enough to make some good dough and have some big jobs , but they never beat it out of me . I still retain that passion .”

We could use a little bit of that around here now , couldn ’ t we ?

Illinois Entertainer March 2023 | Page 14

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