BRETT: A lot of us listen to music in the car — that is, when we’re not listening to the EIB. Rush absolutely loved music. He was a deejay at his heart. He was a deejay before he was a talk show host. Longtime listeners got to know his bumper music and the precise commentary that went with it, which is why we’re doing something called Road Trip With Rush.
Every Friday, we’ll add a new song to a playlist of Rush’s favorites, and we’ll create them together. Think of it as a Maha Mix tape. We kicked this off last week with Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra. This week, we bring you back to Rush’s childhood and to the song that sparked his passion.
(playing The Happy Organ)
RUSH: The Happy Organ, Dave “Baby” Cortez. (song continues) 1958, I believe. It might have been 1960, whatever. I am 7, 8, 9 years old (singing) and I am listening to KXOK St. Louis — the “Radio Park” in St. Louis, 630 on the dial — wanting to be on the radio playing the song (song playing) when I was 7 years old, 8, 9 years old. (song continues) That is why this song is in the bumper rotation.
(interruption) Did I ever do deejay music at parties? No. I never did that, never wanted to do that. I wanted to be a deejay on the radio, not at the parties. No, no, no, no, no. That wasn’t even invented yet anyway. I mean, deejaying at parties? Who wanted to work at parties? (song continues) (sigh) I did do the announcements at school once.
Yeah, I did the homeroom announcements. I did. Once. (laughing) I did. (interruption) No, I didn’t do skater rinks. But I remember that song. I wanted to be on the radio playing that song. Seven years old, folks. I was 7 or 8, 9, whatever it was, whatever year that song was. I knew then that’s what I wanted to do.
BRETT: The Happy Organ. Dave “Baby” Cortez. One of Rush’s all-time favorites.