I was talking to some friends the other night about KAAY Radio in Little Rock, Arkansas. My friend asked if I remembered "Beaker Street", the nighttime show on KAAY in the 70's. Remember it? I lived it every night. I loved the host, Clyde Clifford.

 

"Beaker Street" aired on KAAY-AM 1090 from 1966 through 1972 and was the first       so-called "underground" music program broadcast regularly on a commercial AM radio station. The format, which featured long album cuts from artists who otherwise would not get airplay, attracted listeners from all over the country because of its clear channel signal.

Clifford had a laid back deep voice with space sounding background music playing as he spoke. It was eerie, but enticing to listen to.

KAAY's signal traveled all over the mid-west and beyond.  "Beaker Theatre" would come on at 2 a.m. those days and it was interesting as well.  It was a radio "theatre of the mind" program. Do you remember listening to it late at night? Here is a sample of KAAY's Beaker Street.

Clifford, whose real name is Dale Seidenschwarz, was inducted into the Missouri Music Hall of Fame in 2014.

 

More From 100.9 The Eagle, The Tri-States' Classic Rock Station