Harley Brinsfield

Harley Brinsfield hosted “The Harley Show, Music out of Baltimore” on WBAL and later on WFBR from about 1952 to sometime in the 1970s. Harley, was beloved by his listeners and friends, and probably introduced more people to the magic of Jazz than any other person. He was the owner of the Harley Sandwich Shop, which, largely due to the publicity generated by his show, became one of the first and largest local “fast food” franchises – pre-dating both McDonald’s and Subway by many years. He also made one hell of a sandwich.

Harley purchased two hours in a block and had complete charge of the show. The show lead in with the theme “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be” and closed with “Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay” (Played by Bob Scobey's Frisco Band.) Harley started the show stone cold sober and almost always ended it drunk. He would showcase a particular performer and trace that performer’s development throughout his show.

Harley didn't just play music - he lived the music. He left you with a feeling of who the musician was. One immediately recognized that, although his job was making sandwiches, his life was jazz, and he didn't really care if you bought a sandwich from him or not, as long as you loved music as he did. Virtually every top jazz musician when they played around Washington D.C. or Baltimore would show up on his show and the performer and Harley would reminisce about old times – Harley seemed to have “Been there, done that” with every jazz musician in the world. I give an example of the fascinating stories related on Harley’s show, this one by Count Basie, from my memory, from early in the 1950s

“We were broadcasting live from the Reno Club in Kansas City at the time; we used this 12 bar riff as our theme, but it didn’t have a name, we just played. We started our broadcasts at Midnight and went on till 2:00 A.M. At 12:45 A.M. there was a 15 minute break for the news. We would all smoke cigarettes and drink coffee until the announcer would cue us a couple of minutes before we started playing again at 1:00 A.M. This one night the announcer forgot to give us our cue. So, at the end of the news, the announcer said, ‘And now back to Count Basie.’ Then dead air. The announcer finally realized what was happening and shouted, ‘It’s One O’clock! Jump!’ We grabbed our instruments and started playing the theme. From then on our theme had a name – ‘One O’clock Jump!’ “

Harley was absolutely beloved for his kindness and generosity, once, for instance, putting in months of effort assisting a friend in starting a competing sandwich shop.

Harley has the strange legacy of being perhaps the most obscure person in the history of jazz, while at the same time remembered and missed by more people than any other. --krdu

I started listening to the Harley show in the mid '60's when I was still a youngster out on Cape Cod where WBAL came in loud and clear. I discovered this radio treasure following a broadcast of an Orioles game. "Parents, it's 12 midnight. Do you know where YOUR children are?" Followed by (as I recall it) "Sailing Down the Chesapeake" as the opening theme. I've lived in California since the mid '70's but still fondly remember this great introduction to classic jazz --- "Radio like radio used to sound." --- Jonathan "Mako" Sharkey

Harley was a great teacher. I was 18 in 1972, when I discovered "The Greatest Jazz Show in the USA"; to me it was THE Jazz show of ALL TIME! I learned about the Charleston, Dixieland, the big band sound, and much more. And it was coming via medium-wave DX over 500 miles to Canada, into my 250 foot long end-fed wire antenna. I enjoyed Harley so immensely, I could put up with a bit of static noise. I lost a great pal, when he left WBAL. --- John Howieson

Harley is one of my fondest childhood memories. I used to fall asleep to the sounds of his program. When I was 12 I wrote Harley a letter asking him to play one of my favorites, Duke Ellington, on a Friday night when I could stay up late and listen to the whole show. He read my letter on the air and dedicated the whole show to Duke. What a wonderful man. --- Tim Chinaris

References

Michael Olesker's Baltimore; Michael Olesker; The Johns Hopkins University Press

External links

* [http://www.dcnyradio.8m.net/ DCNYRadio (and TV) MEMORY BANK]