Bob & The Iowa Blues Hall of Fame
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KUNI's Bob Dorr Elected to Iowa
Rock'n'Roll Music Association Hall of Fame
-Radio Category, Class of 2000
For Bob Dorr, it's always been about the music and the music makers. Be it as host of one of Iowa's first late night, "underground" FM radio shows Progression or exclusive radio interviews with Tom Waits, Ry Cooder, Muddy Waters, Luther Allison, Jean Luc Ponty, Sleepy LaBeef, Average White Band (or hundreds more) or his weekly spotlight of regional music on Down On The Corner, Dorr has been the night voice of public radio KUNI for 30+ years (except for an 18 month sabbatical in 1977-78 to play "the I-90 circuit" in his own band).
Dorr's first night for KUNI (then called KHKE) was the station's first night on the air-October 2, 1972. Unencumbered by commercial constraints, listeners were exposed to anything from Gregorian Chants to pre-success Bruce Springsteen; from The Child's Garden of Grass to entire album sides of Frank Zappa. In the late 70's/ early 80's Dorr first exposed Iowans to The Clash, Sex Pistols and The Damned. On December 8, 1980 KUNI listeners wept with Dorr on KUNI as he read minute by minute AP wire copy of John Lennon's assassination. His tribute program that night won critical acclaim across the state.
From 1974-1976 Dorr's show Record Rap was syndicated nationally through National Public Radio's arts and information package. Eighty-nine stations ran this weekly record review piece.
In depth interviews from his unique musician's perspective have allowed Iowans to meet blues legends (Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Albert Collins etc.); rock icons (Mason Profitt, Thin Lizzy, Sleepy LaBeef, etc.) and noted regional stars (Bo Ramsey, The Echos Five, House of Large Sizes, etc.)
Portions of some of those interviews are available here:
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From that first night, Dorr has seen KUNI grow from 5,000 watts to its current status of 100,000 watts plus translators in Des Moines, Quad Cities, Dubuque and Mason City. Now the audience is world wide at www.kuniradio.org
Currently known as "the weekend guy on KUNI",
Dorr starts his weekend with a Friday night (11 P.M.) spotlight of regional
music artists called Down On The Corner, giving airtime to artists that
regularly live and work in the KUNI broadcast region. Dorr's Saturday night
7-10 P.M. show Backtracks delves into obscure rock'n'roll history, truly
giving Iowans a weekly, in-depth, researched picture of rock'n'roll 1955-1975.
Dorr's Sunday night show surveys current releases in the KUNI library by noted
but not necessarily commercially successful singers/ songwriters, bluesmen (and
women) and world beat artists.
Bob Dorr-for over 30 years, the late night voice of KUNI-FM. It's all been about
the music.
For more info: www.iowarocknroll.com
www.kuniradio.org
hotfudge@cfu.net
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Bob at IPTV Festival 2005
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Bob lends a hand at Iowa Public TV Festival 2004.