“I immediately got this sense that anything was possible in Phoenix, anything was game and I really felt like I had something to give this town.”
It was there that Corritore would hook up with famed Phoenix radio personality Johnny Dixon and a career in broadcasting began.
Lowdown Blues
Initially on his own, it didn’t take long for Corritore to plant roots in his adoptive home town. Corritore was friends with legendary bluesman Louisiana Red whom he’d met during the summer of 1980 at the Delta Fish Market in Chicago. Red decided to join Corritore in Phoenix and the two gigged throughout the area, establishing Corritore as a strong player in his new hometown. During that period, Corritore produced Louisiana Red’s Sitting Here Wondering now considered one of Red’s definitive releases.
Corritore also struck up a friendship with John “Johnny D.” Dixon, who hosted a late night, free-form radio program, “After Hours with Johnny D.” on the rock station KSTM. Dixon invited Corritore onto the show to shift gears during the program for a two hour blues segment giving Corritore the bug for radio.
Dixon and Corritore were drawn together through their mutual love of music. Besides being a DJ, Dixon is a huge collector and fan of records, specifically material from the Phoenix area, recorded during the 1950’s and 60’s.
Around the same time, Corritore struck up a friendship with Ted Singer, the DJ of Phoenix Public Radio’s, then KMCR, roots music program. Singer put in a word with Doug Merlin, program director of the station who later brought Corritore in for an interview.
“They gave me an hour on Sunday mornings for my show,” said Corritore. “That was in February of 1984.”
“Those Lowdown Blues” was born. For the first year, the show was prerecorded, Corritore used that year to develop a delivery style he was comfortable with.
"I am glad the listeners could look past my untrained radio voice to center on the worthy music being played," said Corritore.
But something in Corritore’s program resonated not only with Phoenix residents but with the station’s program managers and the show caught on.
About a year after the show launched, Corritore was asked to expand the broadcast to its current Sunday night, five hour from 6 to 11 pm time slot and make it live, Corritore of course agreed. Since it’s humble beginning, the show has now been on the air and going strong for more than 20 years.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Good article Ben. Long, but good.
-Glen
2 - dave riley
ha bob is a very true bluesman and avery good person all around god bless you man friend always dave riley