Five Bands the Electrifying Mojo Promoted to His Audience

This influential Detroit deejay helped put these musicians on the map, developed techno music, and expanded the tastes of his listeners.

by Rich Watson 

He was born Charles Johnson from Arkansas, but on the radio he was “The Electrifying Mojo,” a deejay who frustrated program directors but inspired his Detroit listeners. 

During his heyday in the eighties, he dabbled in a wide variety of styles, from electronic dance to funk to new wave to rock and hip hop and beyond. In a region known for Motown, Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, Ted Nugent, and other rock legends, he cultivated a new genre: techno music.

The musicians he promoted have acknowledged the debt they owe him in spreading the word about their music.

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Tom Donahue’s Sideline As a Record Producer

The pioneer of progressive rock on the radio was also a producer in sixties San Francisco, during his Top 40 days.

by Rich Watson 

Tom Donahue, the San Francisco deejay who created a revolution in rock and roll radio through the progressive, or freeform, format, also helped develop the local music scene during the sixties as a record producer.

The bands he signed paved the way for the musical explosion in the Bay Area during the Summer of Love and beyond.

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Scott Muni, Hostage Negotiator

In 1975, a gunman holding hostages called veteran FM disc jockey Scott Muni on the air. How did he handle the situation?

by Rich Watson 

Scott Muni was an institution in rock and roll radio. He was there when the Beatles arrived in America. He was one of the first “progressive rock” New York deejays, favoring long-form album tracks over singles. And he was the heart of one of the best-known “classic rock” radio stations in history.

One thing he isn’t as remembered for, though, is the time in 1975 when he was forced to negotiate on the air for the lives of hostages, held by a fan.

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