DJ’s Jim Santella and John Rivers!
This weekend we’re paying tribute to Jim Santella, the Father of Progressive Rock in Buffalo by going back to our Q-FM days with music from the early days of album rock radio. It’s a Q-FM-97 Weekend… turn a friend on!
From Santella in the Morning to Santella Claus our listeners and staff both past and present have been sharing heart-felt stories about Jim Santella and the influence he had on listeners and what is now 97 Rock introducing Buffalo to bands like Genesis, Yes, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd and so many more.
One 97 Rocker who reached out to us shared some of her memories of Jim Santella
“I am a long time fan of 97 Rock. I am also a very lucky recipient of winning a grand prize when I was spotted by our beloved Jim Santella at the Old Seneca Mall proudly wearing my QFM97 Rock sticker on my back “rear end” I was called to say I was spotted at the Seneca Mall and was the grand prize winner of Front Row Cheap Trick tickets. But not only did I win tickets, I was invited down to the station to meet Rick Nielson in person. I won all the albums (what’s that now?) limo ride and kimono’s along with backstage passes to meet them ALL after the concert. To be a Freshmen at Orchard Park High School this was the time of my life!!! It was a memory that I will cherish ALWAYS but most importantly Jim. Jim was so kind, so friendly and even made it a point during the intermission of the concert between Sammy Haggar and Cheap Trick to climb literally all the way to the front row to see me and my friend. It was an extra special feeling to be the winner and then the DJ to make his way to us! I was on Cloud 9. And to this day, I still have all the albums, the kimono and the Gold Album on my wall with my name engraved on it!!. Thank you, 97 Rock, and Thank you Jim! You will always hold a special place in my heart and the memories live on FOREVER!!!”
Oh yes, the concerts that came to Buffalo in the late 70’s… The Rolling Stones epic 4th of July show at Rich Stadium, “Summerfest” and “Rock World” were some of the many Q-FM concert events that had artists like Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and a new band called Foreigner (featuring a young singer from Rochester, New York), performing in front of young eager Q-FM fans wanting to see their new rock heroes who rose to prominence in the late 70’s Q-FM helped to shape rock radio for the next several generations and built the foundation for what is now 97 Rock
It’s hard to put into words what Jim Santella means to us and our listeners. The one thing we knew we could do to honor his memory was relive the music. So enjoy the Q-FM 97 Weekend and the music. Rest in Peace, Jim.
Autographed Rolling Stones Q-FM Tuxedo.
A Q-FM-97 Classic TV Commercial
