Harrison Ridley Jr., 70, Philadelphia's sagacious jazz musicologist and radio host who expressed approval for a song with his on-air trademark “Yes, indeedy," died Thursday of complications of a stroke.
Mr. Ridley, who was born and raised in West Philadelphia, educated and entertained jazz devotees listening to Temple University radio on Sunday nights. A proud and discriminating collector of jazz, Mr. Ridley often played songs from his personal collection of more than 8,000 recordings (most of them vinyl) and books, and shared his vast knowledge of the history of jazz.
Mr. Ridley's radio program, The Historical Approach to the Positive Music, won many awards and was a mainstay of WRTI-FM (90.1) programming. His soft, gentle baritone - with never a hint of intellectual arrogance - was on every Sunday from 8 p.m. to midnight. He was proud that he never missed a program until he slipped and fell during the blizzard of 1996.
The humble keeper of jazz history worked as a custodian for the Philadelphia school district for 39 years, and was a DJ at WRTI for 32. His was the longest-running program in the history of the station.
Mr. Ridley taught jazz courses at Temple and at Villanova University, was a consultant to the Library of Congress, and used his personal collection to clear up historical misconceptions on the air and in the classroom.
He documented the majesty of jazz, which he considered America's classical music. At the time of his death, he was writing two books on jazz - one on Duke Ellington and one on the history of jazz in Philadelphia.
Mr. Ridley, who was born and raised in West Philadelphia, educated and entertained jazz devotees listening to Temple University radio on Sunday nights. A proud and discriminating collector of jazz, Mr. Ridley often played songs from his personal collection of more than 8,000 recordings (most of them vinyl) and books, and shared his vast knowledge of the history of jazz.
Mr. Ridley's radio program, The Historical Approach to the Positive Music, won many awards and was a mainstay of WRTI-FM (90.1) programming. His soft, gentle baritone - with never a hint of intellectual arrogance - was on every Sunday from 8 p.m. to midnight. He was proud that he never missed a program until he slipped and fell during the blizzard of 1996.
The humble keeper of jazz history worked as a custodian for the Philadelphia school district for 39 years, and was a DJ at WRTI for 32. His was the longest-running program in the history of the station.
Mr. Ridley taught jazz courses at Temple and at Villanova University, was a consultant to the Library of Congress, and used his personal collection to clear up historical misconceptions on the air and in the classroom.
He documented the majesty of jazz, which he considered America's classical music. At the time of his death, he was writing two books on jazz - one on Duke Ellington and one on the history of jazz in Philadelphia.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
