So waddya think of this…I make a website that has audio files of Florida racing announcers in action. Sure, there are good ones today, I’d love to include then and to emphasize the great ones from the past.
Racing was the music of my youth. I grew up on Chip Green in south Florida. That guy was fast, loud, yet oh so clear. I can still hear him going through line-ups and results. Chip was also the source of some of this state’s greatest nick-names; he handed them out like candy. Whatever Chip Green said on Saturday night resonated through my head all week, much to the dismay of my school teachers.
Hialeah had a great assortment of announcers after Chip, including Lee Gregory, Bill Chesser and Marty Little. I recall Bill Chesser as being especially warm and friendly to the fans. He connected with an audience like a good politician tries to. There were lots of other great ones in the past too: Gordon Solie at Golden Gate, the guy at St. Pete in the 1970’s, whoever did the swamp buggy races in Naples has a really cool style too.
I’ve always like listening to my buddy announcer Dave. He is smooth, and has that dry yet silly sense of humor. Joe Linebarrier is cool because he gets so wound up sometimes. The list goes on and on.
Here is the problem with a site like this: source material! I have thousands of pictures, but almost no audio of announcers. Hialeah put out a video of racing in the early '70’s, so I have some Chip Green. Otherwise I am starting from scratch.
Does anyone have any audio (like on a video tape) or a old movie with sound? Does anyone else think this is a good idea?
Hey boneman, I’ve probably got a raft of them. I have 25 years of video masters from tracks all over Florida. Do you want favorites or all? It will take me some time to get them together. I am busier than a one arm paper hanger right now. I have another show to edit, that has be done before Friday. I lost a wheel off my trailer Sat before last. I have a buddys spare on it right now. Come to find out I’ve got a wierd lug pattern. I gotta find one before Friday, gotta pull to Ocala. Last Sat I left my camera mount in a Late model so I gotta go to Arcadia tommorow and meet the owner to get it. I am my own worst enemy. My favorite anouncer was at Saramana Speedway which is now a trailer park. I can’t remember his name but he was good. When me and my buddys played we mocked his anouncing. Sounds like a good Idea to me. Another rememable anouncer was Roby Helm. He was at Desoto in the 1980’s. He is still going, he is with that dirt series that was at East bay this year, storm something.
He is smooth and knowelegeable. When a visiting series came he made it a point to know all the drivers, their accomplishments and their car owners. He was good. let me know what you need. I need to get you over here to build me a web site some time. I am always having people asking where to find my web site and I don’t have one. Thanks Bob…
I’ve been trying to remember the name of the guy who was the announcer for several years at New Smyrna until just before I started there in 1987… he was a funny guy… we’ll see if any of the Karnacians remember… My favorites of all time were Bob Keith at the old Orlando Raceway and Gordon Solie at Golden Gate… I always liked Bob Schmidt (Golden Gate/Sunshine) and Dick Edwards who did a lot of the Sprint Car shows at both Tampa Fairgrounds tracks…
I’m guessing Bob Edwards. He was there pretty much the whole time I ran there, from 77 to 85. He wasn’t too bad. To me, the best of all time was Warren Ruffner at the Reading Fairgrounds, where I grew up. Would you believe he’s still around! He shows up at the Reading reunions every year. Now THERE was a pro!
Thanks Ted for remembering Bob… His T-shirt contests were a hoot back when they were much more exciting than the racing was…
Also Jack Miller… he was a good one and I got to work side by side with him a couple of times… Worked with Mike Joy at Volusia one Speedweeks too…
One of my neatest memories was having Brooks Robinson as my color commentator at a UCF baseball game back in 1982…
Scott Hawkins (McCallister) of SARA Series is who was my mentor. Dude can get a crowd screaming! Jack Miller was one of my favorites along with Hank (can’t remember his name from fascar) Gordon Solie was a god on the mic and who can forget Al Erb.
I agree, Scott McAllister is great, he knows how to get the crowd screaming and he has alot of knowledge with the drivers and there accomplishments!
Scott puts everything into his announcing…
Chip Green - “We’rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre RACING!” Palm Beach and Hialeah
Jack Miller and Dickie Edwards, I remember from when Golden Gate reopened in '81.
Bob Schmidt and Larry MacMillan from st. Pete and Inverness when we ran there in the mid-80s.
Those are about the only announcers I remember…LOLOL…to me, Gordon Solie was “Florida Championship Wrestling” and “Georgia Championship Wrestling” on the local TV44 in Tampa on Saturday mornings…
Gordon Solie was a very good racing announcer and promoter… I learned a lot from him as a kid… The main reason I got into the radio/announcing business was because of Gordon, Bob Keith at Orlando and my old friend Bill Vermillion at WLOF, Channel 95 in Orlando… They let a dumb kid follow them around and ask stupid questions etc… I learned more from those guys than I ever did from any book…
Google Gordon Solie and check out the website devoted to him… it’s pretty cool… There’s also a great website dedicated to Championship Wrestling from Florida which has tons of old pictures, programs, newspaper ads and articles… Brings back alot of memories…
My all-time favorite was…Bill Singer! He was the vioce of Flemington Speedway in N.J. " Modified Country USA" I saw Bill at Eastbay about eight years ago. He was wearing a Flemington Jacket.
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