Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Arch McKirdy
Arch McKirdy (17 March 1924 – 26 August 2013) was an Australian radio broadcaster, voice trainer, mentor and executive, who was best known for his evening jazz program Relax with Me, "Australia's most popular radio program" in the 1960s and early 1970s.
McKirdy was born Archibald William McKirdy in Swan Hill, Victoria in 1924. His parents were Archibald William McKirdy, Senior and Jessie Isabel Chadwick. His father ran country dances and encouraged his son to play the drums and guitar.
In 1941, at the age of 17, he auditioned for the position of cadet announcer at radio station 3TR in Sale, Victoria.
With the coming of World War II he moved briefly to radio station 3SH in Swan Hill for several months and then joined the army. He would later move to the army's entertainment unit and toured the South Pacific entertaining the Australian troops at the war front. While in the army he would meet some of Australia's top jazz musicians of the period.
After the war McKirdy completed a music appreciation course and then, after another period at 3TR in Sale, moved to Sydney where he was employed by radio station 2UW in the late 1950s (at least from 1956 until 1960). In June 1963 he was hosting the evening show Starlight with Arch McKirdy on radio station 2GB and in December of that year he was compering Relax with Arch McKirdy jazz music program on the same station . Relax with Me was being broadcast on 2SM in July 1963.
In 1964 McKirdy was persuaded by the broadcasting executive Clement Semmler to bring his jazz program from the commercial station over to the ABC. For many years McKirdy would present his smooth, mellow and low key blend of jazz standards and guide listeners through such greats as "Benny Golson or Oscar Peterson or Charlie Parker". At the beginning of each program he would invite his audience to "relax with me".
From 1962 McKirdy also concurrently worked as the lead compere, under the name of "Uncle Mac", of ATN-7's children's television program, the Captain Fortune Show and in a similar role on the successor program, The Land of Make Believe.
In the same period he was a promoter of jazz concerts featuring Australian musicians such as Don Burrows and Judy Bailey.
Hub AI
Arch McKirdy AI simulator
(@Arch McKirdy_simulator)
Arch McKirdy
Arch McKirdy (17 March 1924 – 26 August 2013) was an Australian radio broadcaster, voice trainer, mentor and executive, who was best known for his evening jazz program Relax with Me, "Australia's most popular radio program" in the 1960s and early 1970s.
McKirdy was born Archibald William McKirdy in Swan Hill, Victoria in 1924. His parents were Archibald William McKirdy, Senior and Jessie Isabel Chadwick. His father ran country dances and encouraged his son to play the drums and guitar.
In 1941, at the age of 17, he auditioned for the position of cadet announcer at radio station 3TR in Sale, Victoria.
With the coming of World War II he moved briefly to radio station 3SH in Swan Hill for several months and then joined the army. He would later move to the army's entertainment unit and toured the South Pacific entertaining the Australian troops at the war front. While in the army he would meet some of Australia's top jazz musicians of the period.
After the war McKirdy completed a music appreciation course and then, after another period at 3TR in Sale, moved to Sydney where he was employed by radio station 2UW in the late 1950s (at least from 1956 until 1960). In June 1963 he was hosting the evening show Starlight with Arch McKirdy on radio station 2GB and in December of that year he was compering Relax with Arch McKirdy jazz music program on the same station . Relax with Me was being broadcast on 2SM in July 1963.
In 1964 McKirdy was persuaded by the broadcasting executive Clement Semmler to bring his jazz program from the commercial station over to the ABC. For many years McKirdy would present his smooth, mellow and low key blend of jazz standards and guide listeners through such greats as "Benny Golson or Oscar Peterson or Charlie Parker". At the beginning of each program he would invite his audience to "relax with me".
From 1962 McKirdy also concurrently worked as the lead compere, under the name of "Uncle Mac", of ATN-7's children's television program, the Captain Fortune Show and in a similar role on the successor program, The Land of Make Believe.
In the same period he was a promoter of jazz concerts featuring Australian musicians such as Don Burrows and Judy Bailey.