41 & Done: Takin’ It To the Streets And Robin Williams
(Photos by Jason Kempin/Getty Images, Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
For this edition of 41 & Done, John recalls “Takin’ it to the streets” with Robin Williams and The Doobie Brothers.
From the mid-70s to the mid-80s, the record business was absolutely exploding. The albums were bigger than they had ever been before. Record companies were just trying to top other record companies with the type of parties they could throw to debut a new album. Even though he was a baby disc jockey, John got to go.
In 1978, Warner Brothers decided to throw a debut party for the new Doobie Brothers album, Minute by Minute. The Doobie Brothers had been on A roll for the past couple of albums. A couple of years earlier, they had the single “Takin’ It To The Streets” out and Warner Brothers decided to have a “takin’ it to the streets” party. They closed off the intersection of Mulberry and Mott streets in the middle of Little Italy in Manhattan. These parties were always special, but DeBella was used to going to them. John assumed that this would be like any other party, but for some reason, this one became a huge Hollywood event. There were more actors at this party than there were radio and record people.
All of a sudden this couple walks over to DeBella, and the guy looks at him and says, “Hey, are these two seats taken?” John paused for a moment when he realized it was Robin Williams. John was in shock. But there he was, sitting there enjoying himself, drinking cappuccinos with Robin Williams and his wife. All while The Doobie Brothers were “takin’ it to the streets.”
John DeBella 41 & Done
As part of his 41 & Done daily segments, John DeBella takes us through some of his most memorable radio moments.
This series comes on the heels of John DeBella’s retirement announcement. After 41 long years in radio, John has decided to retire at the end of his contract on June 30th. His career has been legendary. So legendary, in fact, it’s hard to cram it all into one short summary. So, to honor and look back on 4 decades of stellar radio, 41 & Done was born.
Before he hangs up his headphones and calls it a career on June 30th, he’s going to take a look at some of his best radio moments every morning during the John DeBella Show. From the traditions of days past to the epic rock stars he’s interviewed, you’re gonna hear some interesting stuff. You’ll be surprised at just how much he’s crammed into his time in the radio business.
It’s an ode to his hard work and a fun way to send John off to his retirement (that isn’t TOO sad). After all, a career this significant deserves all of the recognition it can get. Hear John’s memories live each morning, or keep an eye on the WMGK website for daily 41 & Done recaps.
Steve Vassalotti is co-host of “The Matt Cord Show with Steve Vassalotti” weekday mornings 6a-10a on 102.9 WMGK. He has been with the station since 2015. For WMGK he writes about inane nonsense that surrounds our daily lives, sports, food and other various topics. Steve writes about Philadelphia lifestyle content, the Philadelphia Eagles culture and trending topics.