I’m really going to miss seeing Arnie Ginsburg around Ogunquit.
The legendary Boston-area disc jockey (of the “Night Train” radio show on WMEX – 1510 AM) who was also inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, has passed away.
(Featured photo above: Charlene M. Taubert greeting her neighbor Arnie Ginsburg at a Barn Gallery | Ogunquit Art Association exhibition opening)
More About Arnie “Woo-Woo” Ginsburg
Our prayers are with Arnie Ginsburg’s family and loved ones during these challenging times.
Over the years, I’ve seen Arnie Ginsburg walk his dog from his home in Perkins Cove, up Shore Road and past the Historic Thompson Farmhouse (1750) many times, and I oftened stopped him to say “Hello!”
Arnie Ginsburg was a HUGE supporter of the Ogunquit Art Association! He was always in attendance at every Ogunquit Art Association / Barn Gallery exhibition opening for as long as I’ve been in town – and many, many years before. The walls of his Perkins Cove home were adorned with work by multiple Ogunquit Art Association artists, including pieces by Norman West.
My wife, Charlene, and I ran into him at Hannaford’s in York, Maine every so often and exchange quick pleasantries.
Press Play to Hear What Arnie Ginsburg Sounds Like on the Radio:
Arnie Ginsberg According To Wikipedia
While he developed a following during his time with WBOS, it was at WMEX that Ginsburg’s popularity as a disc jockey expanded. He was unusual, and not just because of his high-pitched voice; he jokingly referred to himself as “Old Leather Lungs” or “Old Aching Adenoids”, but he was best known as “Woo Woo” Ginsburg, for his use of sound effects: his show was called the Night Train, and he used a train horn.
In an era where top-40 DJs were given non-descript and non-ethnic radio names, Ginsburg kept his birth name and did not change it. He also refused a salary from station owner Max Richmond, instead making a deal for a 25% cut of all the commercial revenue Ginsburg would generate for his show. This, he claimed, made him “the highest-paid jock on the station.” According to Billboard magazine, by 1959, he was making an annual salary of $10,000, an amount higher than the median American income at that time.
Ginsburg frequently did on-air testimonials for his advertisers, and perhaps the best-known was his work for Adventure Car Hop, a drive-in fast-food restaurant on Route 1 in Saugus, which promoted the “Ginsburger”. According to the car-hop’s owners, Ginsburg’s radio commercials brought as many as two thousand teenagers to his restaurant on a typical summer night.
Ginsburg was also known for his ability to create hits by giving them radio exposure on his show. One good example was a novelty song sung by British vocalist Lonnie Donegan, “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?).” It had been a hit in England, but when released in the United States for the first time in 1959, it was not successful. Then, in 1961, Ginsburg received a copy from a listener and began to play it, and after several days of heavy airplay, the song took off and became a hit in America.
Throughout his top-40 career, Ginsburg was regarded as a credible voice for reaching the teen audience. It was said of him that airplay on his show could make a record a hit. Record companies which asked him to do commercials often saw increased sales. This was the case for such records as “Roses are Red” by Bobby Vinton and “The Monster Mash” by Bobby (Boris) Pickett. Ginsburg also reported his weekly “picks” (songs he believed would become hits) to trade publications such as Billboard magazine.
As was the custom in top-40 radio, record companies would bring up-and-coming singers to do guest appearances, which further helped sales. Among the local stars Ginsburg promoted were The Rockin’ Ramrods and Freddie Cannon. Cannon subsequently recorded a promotional song for Ginsburg, “Arnie Ginsburg, the guy with the swinging show.” Ginsburg was also known for his record hops, dances that were held at local venues; he often hosted them at the Surf Ballroom in Nantasket Beach.
It was common practice in the top-40 era for disc jockeys to do their show six days (or nights) a week. Ginsburg, however, was heard all seven nights. This was accomplished through audiotape: He recorded one of his weekly night shows for playback on Saturday night, and also recorded a new show for Sunday playback during the week. This practice was highly unusual at the time and only became more prevalent in the radio business in the 1980s, when radio networks began to do the same.
As Ginsburg reached retirement age, he migrated north to Ogunquit, Maine (about 75 miles north of Boston). He had spent summers there in his younger years, and had developed a hometown affinity for this artists’ colony and resort on the coast of southern Maine. Ogunquit residents came to recognize Ginsburg when he rode his moped into town during the warmer months, and in time he became a fixture in the community. He lived in a small house near Perkins Cove, a picturesque area visited by many tourists throughout the year.
READ MORE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnie_Ginsburg
A few photos I’ve taken of Arnie “Woo-Woo” Ginsburg (with other friends) over the past few years…
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