🎧 Porky Chedwick: The Platter Pushin' Papa
Subscriber Exclusive: Porky Chedwick recordings!
The Daddy-O of the Radio
Before there was rock and roll as we know it, before oldies stations existed, there was Porky Chedwick - a white DJ in 1940s Pittsburgh who dared to play "race music" to mixed audiences of black and white teenagers. His career spanned an incredible 66 years, from 1948 until his death in 2014 at age 96.
📻 Porky's Many Names
- The Daddio of the Raddio
- The Platter Pushin' Papa
- The Bossman
- Pork the Tork
- The Boss Hoss with the Hot Sauce
⭐ Career Highlights
- 1948: Started at WHOD (later WAMO)
- 1996: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 1998: "Porkstock" 50th anniversary concert
- 2014: Final broadcast at age 96
🎧 Listen Now: WAMO Porky Chedwick Show
Experience the magic of Porky's signature style - his rapid-fire patter, invented "Porkology" vocabulary, and infectious enthusiasm for the music he loved.
Features Porky's trademark phrases: "Platter pushin' papa," "Get porcified," and "Movers and groovers"
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A Radio Pioneer
Porky essentially invented the concept of oldies, blowing dust off forgotten 78s by black artists and giving them new life. He refused to play white covers of black songs - when Elvis recorded "Hound Dog," Porky kept playing Big Mama Thornton's original version.
📊 By the Numbers
What People are Saying
"Porky Chadwick was playing rock and roll before it was called rock and roll! He broke barriers and brought people together through music when few others would."
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"I blew the dust off them. I was giving kids the music. One day they would know I was speaking the truth."
- Porky Chedwick
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SteelCityListener
The sound of my childhood! 🎶
Growing up in Pittsburgh in the 50s, we had no idea Porky was white. His voice, his music, his energy - it all felt like it came straight from the heart of the black community.
When parents found out, some were furious, but we kids knew he was giving us something special. He never took payola, never compromised on playing the original artists, and never lost that infectious love for the music.
The Platter Pushin' Papa may be gone, but the Porky Sound lives on!