Collins began his professional career as a disc jockey at a bluegrass music station in Logan, West Virginia. By 1943, he was at WKPA in Pittsburgh, moving in 1945 to WIND in Chicago, and in 1946 to KNAK in Salt Lake City. Collins moved to New York City, and landed the overnight shift at independent powerhouse WNEW in 1950, where he invented the imaginary subterranean studio, when he looked around at the violet paint job in the announcers' booth and began telling his listeners about a glowing grotto with stalactites and mushrooms.
Mad Magazine c.1964
The Purple Grotto
In New York, he did dog food ads by speaking directly to the dogs. Collins was such a character that Mad Magazine once did a cartoon spread on him and his imaginary characters in the 1960s.
He loved purple, once had a Porsche covered with purple velveteen and topped with a faucet, and he wore jumpsuits made by his wife, Patti, along with little hats.
He was also on the air in Utah, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. After 10 years of making his WNEW Purple Grotto a hipster's haven in New York, he came to San Francisco in 1960 and became part of the fabled air staff of KSFO. Collins was also one of the first disc jockeys to use an informal, conversational tone on the air. He would improvise, much like a jazz musician, often over background music.
Jazzbo made up "Grimm's Fairy Tales for Hip Kids" and jazzy, beatnik nursery rhymes such as “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk”. [ LISTEN ] (3:18), and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”. The kids really dug these 78s.
In 1957, NBC-TV hired him for five weeks as the host of the Tonight show when it was known as Tonight! America After Dark in the period between hosts Steve Allen and Jack Paar. In 1957 Collins starred in an episode of NBC radio's science fiction radio series X Minus One. By 1959, he was with KSFO in San Francisco.
On television he hosted The Al Collins Show, which aired on KGO-TV. The format included appearances by celebrities such as Moe Howard of the Three Stooges. A popular segment on his show was the "no stinkin' badges" routine.
Contained on one of Jazzbo's record albums, (where you can also send in for an official Bandido sticker), is Jazzbo issuing the Bandido Oath. [ LISTEN ] (2:02)
Later in the 1960s, he was the host of Jazz for the Asking, and he worked with several Los Angeles stations late in the decade including KMET, KFI, and KGBS.
In 1976 he returned to San Francisco, at KMPX, followed by an all-night program at KGO. He began the program with "Blues in Hoss Flat" by Count Basie. He also worked a late shift at KKIS in Pittsburg, California, in 1980.
After a stint in New York and WNEW in 1981, he was back in San Francisco at KSFO in 1983, and KFRC in 1986. Then he returned ato WNEW from 1986–90, KAPX in 1990, and hosted a weekly jazz show at KCSM - College of San Mateo, California - beginning in 1993.
Al "Jazzbo" Collins died on September 30, 1997 from cancer. He was 78. He was survived by his wife of 31 years, singer Patti Collins, and seven children from three marriages.
WHERE DID JAZZBO WORK? Here is the list: WKPA, WIND, KNAK, WNEW, KSFO, VOA, KMET, KFI, KGBS, WTAE, WIXZ, KMPX, KGO, KFRC, KAPX, KCSM.
Some materials found on this page were originally published by the following: Cosmic Aeroplane, Hammondcast’s Weblog.
