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Sid McCoy

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This actor appeared in the following radio shows



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Midnight on WCFL with Sid was one of the most profoundly exquisite jazz radio shows ever!

William Schroeder

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Listened to The Real McCoy prior to the sixties,eventually met him and his wife when I worked at the Hyde Park Co-op 0n 55th & Lake Park,you couldn't miss that famous voice.

Jim clark

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I was a teenager in Columbus Ohio in the sixties and I was able to tune in Sid's late night show on my transistor radio. I can still remember the static as I tried to position my radio just right in my bedroom window to tune in the station. There was no jazz station then in Columbus and Sid introduced me to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Barry Harris, etc. He had a classic voice and I can remember his show intro as if it was yesterday. He would open the show with Frank Sinatra singing "At Long Last Love" ... "Is it an earthquake or simply a shock, is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock, is it a cocktail this feeling of joy, or is what I feel the real McCoy ... and Sid would come in with something like "Hey, hey old bean and you too baby ... it's the Real McCoy! What I'd give to hear one of those broadcasts again!

Paul McElroy

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This site has brought back some very fond memories back in the early 60's when I would listen to Sid McCoy in Chicago on WGES, 1390 KHZ. He introduced me to Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly (pardon my spelling), The 3 Sounds, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Henderson, and many others. I do remember the "hey hey old bean....". I seem to remember he would use a background music by of all people: Jackie Gleason with the works by the chorus being "OOH".

Larry S.

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And he signed off his nightly program with Frank Sinatra singing In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning!

Norman Johnson

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“Brought to you by that which is good and golden, Budweiser, the king of beers. “

Frank zumMallen

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Jim and Carolyn, I, too share those memories of the late great Syd McCoy. I can recall listening to his show on WGES (1390) on my clock radio on my nightstand. I was eight or nine years old. This was my introduction to jazz and the beginning of my life-long passion. I, of course, followed his show to WCFL. I have fond memories of his co-hosting duties with the great, Yvonne Daniels. They made radio magic together.

Andrea McNeely

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Born in Chicago, Illinois. African-American that was known as, "the coolest disk jockey in the Windy City" on Chicago radio. Mr. Langford on The Bill Cosby Show for NBC-TV (1969-1971). Announcer for the syndicated television series os Soul Train, that originated from Chicago (1971-?).

Linda

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Linda Ellerbee? If so, I remember you from radio in Chicago, WSDM(smack dab in the middle) 98FM, the station with the girls, and all that jazz.

Patrick

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Used to listen around midnight in 1963-4 to WCFL Chicago radio 1000...The Real Mccoy with Sid Mccoy. Wonderful late night jazz show from Chicago that was clearly received in Munnsville, NY. Sid inspired me to DJ a similar jazz show on WITR Rochester, NY called "Point of Departure". Sid was The Best interviewer and interpreter for jazz. Would love to hear a tape of one of Sid's shows. Sadly missed...never forgotten.

James B.

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Totally agree. I was quite homesick when I went away to college in Ohio, and it helped me to listen to SM late at night. What shift it was. Went to see Adderly and Nancy Wilson at McCormick Place Theater and SM introduced them. What a voice!

george karnezis

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Listened to Sid -- "The Real McCoy" and later when he teamed with Yvonne Daniels. Also, WTTR came through loud and clear in Chicago, Champaign and Indianapolis. A million years ago, sent James B. a letter saying how much I loved the show.

john grady

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Like you, I listened to Sid on WCFL at night. The signal in State College PA was strong and clear from 1961 to 1964. He had a thing for Nancy Wilson. I was lucky, because I listened to Chuck Niles in LA from 1972 to 2004; does not get better than that

Dick

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Hey Hey old bean and you to baby, roses on your pillow. If I remember right, what a smooth voice when we were younger staying up all night listening to him playing some good jazz, I will never forget this great radio personality.

Ray Martin

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Have seen no mention of the many radio interview shows Sid did and produced for Pet Milk. The show was called "Pet Milk Showcase" and I was his engineer. We did location recordings in Chicago's South Side entertainment venues. Sid interviewed many of the then current musical stars. Back at Universal Recording we edited the location tapes and completed the fifteen minute shows, sponsored by Pet Milk.

Jerry DeClercq

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Good to see from you Jerry. I remember Sid's rolling deep voice and fun sense of humor and how he'd laugh at himself when he'd try and get too serious and get tongue twisted. Always seemed to be a delightful human being.

Brad Swanson

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The McCoys lived three doors down from us in the 60s. When I was 11 I found the LP of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on the sidewalk in front of their house. It had the "DJ Promo Copy" stamp on the cover, so I knew it had to be Sid's. I knocked and Mrs. McCoy opened the door. She always looked like a more elegant Diana Ross to me. She it might be his record, invited me to go down to the basement rec room where he had a SOA pro audio system and turntable. Sid came down and thanked me for bringing it in, then asked if I wanted to listen to some of the Vince Guaraldi pieces on it. We did and he shared some jazz knowledge about it, then said I could keep the record. Some of the neighborhood pals and I wore out "Linus and Lucy" - some more than others - trying to perfect it.

Patrick

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I used to listen to him before he was on WCFL but when he moved I kept up with him. In the summer of 65' I went into the Army and did basic at Ft. Knox. I used to stay up late because it was difficult to sleep in that heat before air conditioned barracks. A friend lent me a radio and I was playing around with the dial and up popped Sid McCoy and WCFL, faint but audible. It made my basic better to know that I could still catch Jazz from Chicago down in the boonies.

Andrew F Foertsch

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Funny! I did Basic exactly a year later in Ft. Polk Lousiana and my bunkmate was a 19 year old drummer who eventually went and lived in Las Vegas, for decades, had a great career as a drummer, and worked several times with NANCY WILSON! He sent me pix of him and her after we reconnected about ten , twelve years ago.

bill cervetti

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High school was not the best years of my life. But listening to 'the real mccoy' at midnight on wcfl relaxed me enough to eventually fall asleep. I'll never forget his deep soothing voice, "Hello Old Bean, and you too, Baby" and I can still sing his opening, song, 'Is it a cocktail, this feeling of joy, or is what I feel the real McCoy'. I never knew who sang it, but I can't forget it to this day, 55 years later. Wasn't there another Chicago personality, Mary Reed, associated with the show somehow?

Mark

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Hello Mark: I was 17 years old in 1956 when I moved to Chicago and soon after found Sid McCoy on my radio at midnight. When he came on and said "Hello, Old Bean and you too, Baby" I fell in love. The voice was the most beautiful and sexiest that I had ever heard T. I could not sleep until I listened to the real McCoy and the cool music he played. What times those were!!!

Carolyn

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Dear Carolyn, So well said! I had same experience. Many thanks for posting.I am a Native Chicagoan, South Side. Now living in Portland OR where there’s a good jazz station KMHD FM. Still, I so miss SM and would relish hearing him again. He was, indeed, the real McCoy. In gratitude, George

George T. Karnezis

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Hi, Mark. I too was a big Sid fan, so much so that in my years of doing jazz radio in Chicago and other places in the 70's-90's when I played something that I first heard him play, I always said "to Sid McCoy, wherever you are." And his opening was "Hey, hey, old bean..." and the song was by Sinatra...or as Sid called him - "the master storyteller."

Bob Foskett

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I think you mean Merri Dee she did radio with Marty Faye. Sid McCoy however did radio with Yvonne Daniels and maybe Daddy-O-Daley.

Michele

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More than an earthquake, better than a shock. Sid McCoy gave me my college and grad school in jazz, every night from midnight to two. He produced many truly worthy musicians' records, guys like Billy Wallace who probably never would have been heard of except for Sid, and guys like the members of the MJT+3 who were launched into long, rewarding careers by Sid's early promotion. Sid was indeed the Real McCoy.

Malcolm McCollum

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Listened every night he was on with my transistor radio under my pillow. Fond memories.

Don Tufano

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Remember Sid's theme song: The Love Theme from Spartacus by the John Young Trio

Larry

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I too was a late night listener to the cool, the urbane, the mellow tones of Sid McCoy on WCFL late at night as I was trying to go to sleep because I had to get up for work at 6.30 am. In Cleveland, OH after midnight was after 1am. But the music was so great and his commentary so soothing I went the staying awake route rather than the sleep route too often. Those years, the 1960s, coming off a golden decade of music and entering another one produced some great music until R&R edged it out and college students and graduates took up Bob Dylan and left Miles and the others behind. Miles tried to catch up some years later but it was too late for acoustic music perhaps until now. Sid McCoy like Ed Beach and others are too much forgotten in their contributions to the spread of great jazz and its impact. I also wonder if any Sid McCoy tapes exist. Also what about the Pet interviews?

Jon Goldman

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"Is it an earthquake, or merely a shock" . . . what a great memory!

Bil

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I was actually bold enough one night to drive over to the radio studio with a 6 pack of beer. An old Polish classical musician,( the strong musicians union required a musician to be at all studios that played music over the air), actually let me in, and I got to meet Sid. He politely refused a beer, but allowed me to stay awhile and talk Jazz. What a gracious man. And what a voice. I’m pretty sure he moved to California, and appeared in at least one Hollywood movie, playing the Vice President of the U.S.

Tom Sweda

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I listened to Sid McCoy back in the mid-60s while at Northwestern. Almost everything in my LP Jazz collection is a result of his influence. Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, Jimmy Smith, Mel Torme, and so many others. I still find myself singing his theme song in my head. What a great show that was. Thanks, Syd, wherever you are!

Barbara J Osborne

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Ditto everyone's memories of Sid McCoy, especially the best-ever jazz show--his seminal WCFL late night programming. I have a memory not shared: his commercials for Budweiser. I swear they went on for several minutes, riffed from basic copy the agency provided him. "Budweiser, the King of Beers. Bud... that's beeeeer." I'd give anything to hear an air check of that!

Ken Ball

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Met Sid after his show at the "Little Corporal" restaurant where he went for breakfast after his show on Sunday morning.

david l fishman

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Listening to Sid late nights on WCFL was total magic. He made jazz a religious experience for me. I will always be indebted to him for that gift.

William Schroeder

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I’m trying to remember his sign-off. Wasn’t it something like, “Hey, Hey old bean and you too baby sweets. Roses on your pillow and ah mah see you later. And then followed by another jazz disc jockey who spoke like he had a mouthful of marbles. What was his name?

Chuck Clifton

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Reading all of these comments was really great. Like all of the above, I listened to Midnight with McCoy on my radio in St Louis broadcasted from Chicago on “Clear Channel Radio in the late fifties. And when in Chicago listened to Sid in my car with the love of my life on the shores of Lake Michigan. Thanks for the Memories.

michael weinrobe

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As a young Irish kid just arrived in Chicago in the early 60s I was lucky enough to stumble across Sid Mc Coys radio show. He played Jack Mc Duffs Rock Candy which just blew my mind consequently I heard Mc Duff play in a bar in Old Town Chicago. Mc Coy also introduced me to Barbra Streisand and I got to hear her in Mc Cormick Place. Great memories and comments. I'm now been ensconced back in Ireland for the past 60 years but The Real Mc Coys voice still resounds in my ears.

Maurice O'Connor

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I listened to Sid every night in the mid fifties. WCFL, 1000 on the AM dial. His music was wonderful and I always enjoyed the end when he would sign off with "Roses on your Pillow." and Frank would sing, "In The Wee Small Hours." I love Sid's background music which was always, "Moomlight In Vermont" by Johnny Smith and Stan Getz, Sid introduced me to so many great jazz artists. I fell in love with June Christy from show. Fond memories.

Bob Skaleski

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I found Sid on a low wattage station WGES back in the late 50s , I think it was 1390 khz am . Thats where I first heard Ahmad Jamal and many other Jazz Greats ,Sids Background music was by the Jacky Gleason Voices from an album entitled OOHH .The voices did just that to standard tunes just humming the songs with ooooh ! He moved on to WCFL and achieved a large national audience !

jim klein

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I can still hear his voice 70 years later. Back then, I would set my alarm to wake me up, just in case I fell asleep before his show came on. Today, without realizing I am going to do it, I find myself humming "In the wee small hours of the morning" and thinking, not of Frankie, but of Sid McCoy. Those of us who heard that mellow voice and all he had to say were so lucky! He's very much associated with my fortunate stumbling across the joy of jozz!

Carolyn Davis

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Loved Sid Mcoy's show "The Real Mccoy". Started at Midnight and ran all night. Introduced me to so much great jazz. Saw Nancy Wilson at The Birdcage on Rush Street downtown when she was just twenty two. Beautiful woman. Loved her album with Cannonball Adderly. Sid had a theme song of Count Basie called Cloud Blue or something. I really loved but I Never have been able to locate it. Saw the great Miles Davis at the Sutherland Hotel's Lounge on Chicago's South Side in 1958. I was 16 and there was a two drink minimum so me and my friends sipped Cokes all night. I am 82 and this is one of my favorite memories.

Michael Gorman

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