A rollicking rockin n’ rolling time

Mark tomorrow, Oct. 25, Saturday, 8 p.m. in your calendar because you’ll be in for a shindig that comes only once in 40 years. Dubbed DZRJ at 40: The Grand Reunion, the concert promises to thrill you with the great sounds that have earned for radio station DZRJ a special niche in local music history.

Just for starters – the concert will be an interesting mix of long- beloved and newer faces or, to use DZRJ’s mantra these days, only the best of "the latest and the greatest." Hence, such names as Jose Mari Chan, Pilita Corrales, Elizabeth Ramsey, Sampaguita, the Hotdog and of course, the moving force behind DZRJ, Ramon "RJ" Jacinto, will be performing alongside Jaya, Barbie’s Cradle, Andrew E., the Rage, Father & Sons and many more. Bands will jam non-stop on two specially-built stages and a dance party will follow the concert. With such great sounds to be interpreted by equally great Filipino performers of yesteryears and today, expect a rollicking rocking n’ rollin’ time.

The concert will be directed by George Sales. Production design will be by Joe Tecson while musical direction will be by Gerry Matias.

Shares an enthusiastic RJ Jacinto, "We will feature a mix of young and older artists who will do duets or production numbers together. As Globe – which is presenting the show – puts it, we aim to ‘connect generations’. The children of Pepe Smith, Sampaguita and Lolita Carbon of Asin will also perform. And you’ll even see Pepe Smith wearing a tuxedo singing Smile Though Your Heart is Breaking!"

What he expects, RJ says, is for "all of the Araneta Coliseum to shake!"

RJ has good reason to be excited – the concert promises to be not just a concert but a big bang of a celebration for DZRJ which has endured in the fickle music industry.

"Imagine, I’m still around!" RJ says, looking genuinely surprised. Who would have thought it, indeed, considering that DZRJ was borne simply from a teen-ager’s love of music?

"When I was a fourth year high school student in Ateneo," recalls RJ, "our band, RJ and The Riots performed in the Christmas program. Then in college we would do gigs upon request.

"When I was in third year AB Economics, most radio stations were playing the same songs – those released here by local radio companies – depriving music buffs of a variety of choices. I wanted to have an alternative radio station that would play the latest songs from the US, and at the same time give a chance to local artists whose songs were not released by record companies. (In that sense) we did go against the tide."

RJ’s father, business tycoon Fernando Jacinto, told his son to do a project study on putting up a radio station, endorsed RJ’s proposal to a bank, then obtained a loan to put up the station right in the Jacintos’ backyard.

"My classmates helped me organize the radio station," RJ recalls, "working as deejays and staff for free. They’d do it during our free time. Others would just drop by or hang around and join in the fun, playing billiards or basketball. Among those who came were Bonggoy Manahan, Greggy Araneta, Johnny Manahan, Raffy Prieto and (now First Gentleman) Mike Arroyo."

When DZRJ aired over the 780 AM band, it only had, RJ says, "A sprinkling of ads from my family’s company or my friends’ companies. But it was fun and unique because we were the ones who introduced the Beatles, The Ventures and the Beach Boys here."

The radio station moved to Escolta in 1965, becoming "a real business," as RJ puts it, earning fame through the years as much for its sounds as for its unforgettable deejays like Jimmy Labrador, Ricky Gonzalez, Jay Martin Bennett, Bob Magoo, Howlin’ Dave and many more.

"It was Allan Austria who made DZRJ the top radio station of the ’70’s," says RJ gratefully. "Then when martial law was declared and my family and I went into exile from 1972 to l986, Allan continued (to steer) DZRJ. He continued our tradition of featuring new Pinoy artists, featuring Pinoy Rock & Rhythm artists like Sampaguita, Florante, the APO Hiking Society. He should be credited for what he did.

"DZRJ developed a cult following for (music magazine) Jingle which it helped popularize in a big way. Our radio station was really about fun. Then in l974, DZRJ aired on FM as RJFM Boss Radio."

When RJ returned from exile in l986, he deejayed for DZRJ, introducing himself to a new generation of listeners. He held a "marathon for a month," eliciting views from listeners, receiving innumerable phone calls to determine what people preferred to listen to. The consensus – people never really stopped loving the oldies and retro. RJ realized that the baby boomers made a strong market.

But more than just being a radio station airing great music, DZRJ literally helped make history when, airing as Radyo Bandido, it played a pivotal role in toppling the dictatorship by airing Cardinal Sin’s call for people to amass in EDSA. History would repeat itself 15 years later when DZRJ aired the Chavit Singson tapes every hour, helping pave the way for EDSA 2.

"Our radio station has twice played a role in the restoration of democracy," says RJ with visible pride. In a way, this nationalistic fervor has always characterized the radio station, which has always been committed to helping promote Filipino musical talents.

Even legends do not rest on their laurels, and now, DZRJ has again proven to be attuned to the times and listeners’ musical preferences with its newest approach in airing "the latest and the greatest."

"I realized two years ago that the cycle of pop music was almost complete," explains RJ. "Rock n’ roll was a revolutionary force and you could say that folk rock, Latin rock, and all the other variants of pop have their roots in rock n’ roll.

"What I did was to literally lock myself up in my RJ ‘cave’, listened to over 20,000 songs then chose about 5,000 with recall value. These songs were chosen based on what I felt would appeal to both the young and the old alike. Then we air them in a way that listeners feel that time is not sweeping them by, that music is basically just updated through the years.

"For example, following the format of ‘the latest and the greatest’, we will air the Mamas & The Papas’ California Dreaming followed by Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams, Wilson-Philips’ Flesh and Blood, then the Corrs’ Breathless. This songs are acceptable to the whole family; so you see, music is really, as we say in DZRJ, ‘not in the years but in the sounds’."

Looking back at DZRJ’s 40 years (DZRJ has to date eight FM and two AM stations) RJ muses that listeners will most likely remember the radio station for "the fun they had listening. Rock n’ roll is not just music – it’s an attitude!"

As if to prove just how much of an attitude rock n’ roll really is, RJ excitedly invites all and sundry to come watch DZRJ at 40. It’s one concert, he assures, you’ll remember for a long, long time. Just like radio station DZRJ.

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(Tickets to DZRJ at 40: The Grand Reunion are available at all Ticketnet outlets (tel. no. 911-5555). Ticket prices are Patron, P1,200; Lower Box, P850; Upper Box A, 500; Upper Box B, P250 and General Admission, P100.)