End of an Era: Porky Chedwick (1918-2014)

Legendary Pittsburgh disc jockey Porky Chedwick died of heart failure yesterday, March 2, at his home in the Brookline neighborhood. He had recently turned 96. Porky was a beloved figure among Pittsburgh baby boomers who grew up listening to his programs. He was the first white disc jockey in a Northeastern city to play “race records” to a primarily white audience. He went on the air in the summer of 1948, three years before Alan Freed started up a similar rhythm and blues program in Cleveland. Pittsburghers consider him a much-ignored pioneer of rock and roll.

© Darrell Sapp, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

George Jacob Chedwick was born the son of a steelworker in Homestead, PA, near Pittsburgh. He later changed his first name to Craig. His nickname came from his chubbiness as a child, but he was not overweight as an adult. A childhood slingshot accident left him with permanent double vision and he was unable to drive. He worked various jobs before joining the staff of WHOD in Homestead as a sports announcer. It was probably the fact that WHOD was so low in power (1000 watts) that gave him the freedom to play rhythm and blues. Later the station became WAMO and increased its power considerably. He remained with WAMO until 1984.

Porky began by playing old rhythm and blues records (“dusty discs”) donated by record stores because they were no longer selling. After he became successful, independent labels brought their records to him. He had a habit of turning them over and playing the B-sides. Although he liked all R&B, he had a particular fondness for vocal group records. He developed a rapid-fired on-air delivery filled with “Porkisms.” He was “Pork the Tork,” “the boss man,” a “platter-pushin' Papa,” who was “the Daddy-O of the raddio.”

Although I did not grow up around Pittsburgh, it's easy to understand people's attachment to Porky, since Alan Freed, who moved to New York in the fall of 1954, played a similar role in my life. Unlike Freed, Porky was always cheerful, not confrontational, and in his later years, enjoyed the affection even of Pittsburghers who had no interest in his music.

Porky was on and off the air with several Pittsburgh stations throughout the remainder of his life and hosted a program as recently as 2011. In 1996, he was one of a group of disc jockeys honored in an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1998, he celebrated his 50^th anniversary in music with “Porkstock,” an all-day concert at Three Rivers Stadium. He made regular appearances at Pittsburgh oldies shows, including Henry DeLuca's Roots of Rock and Roll concerts and T. J. Lubinsky's PBS specials, where he would typically entertain the audience with a few “Porkisms” to a standing ovation.

Porky's last appearance came just 8 days before he died, at Henry DeLuca's final Roots of Rock and Roll concert at the Benedum Center on February 22. DeLuca brought the series to a close after 40 concerts in 34 years. Like Porky' radio programs, his shows are a victim of demography. Very few '50s are artists are still alive and performing at a high level, and the audience was tiring of seeing the same few groups every year.

The close of this series and Porky's death mark the end of an era. Pittsburgh can no longer be called the oldies capital of the US.