Jumpin’ George Oxford

KSAN 1450 Radio, San Francisco

1955

Cruisin' 55 (George Oxford KSAN 1450) LP Cover

George Oxford (1966 Photo)
George Oxford
at KDIA, 1966

This recreated broadcast, recorded in 1970 for the series of “Cruisin’” LPs, features one of the Bay Area’s best-loved and longest-running radio favorites, “Old G.O.” — Jumpin’ George Oxford.

The recording heard here was actually made in a studio in Los Angeles, and was produced by Ron Jacobs, who was one of the masterminds of “Boss Radio” as the original program director at 93/KHJ in L.A. in 1965. Also in 1970, Jacobs – along with his business partner Tom Rounds, a former program director at San Francisco’s KFRC – would go on to launch the syndicated powerhouse “American Top 40” countdown show, hosted by Casey Kasem (formerly of Oakland’s KEWB).

Released as the “Cruisin’ 1955” LP entry from the series on Increase Records, the “aircheck” later appeared on cassette and CD in slightly edited form.

A true Son of the South, Jumpin’ spun rhythm and blues platters — what many called “race records” back in the day — and targeted the local black audience. With his smooth, deep Southern drawl and hip patter, many listeners automatically assumed that G.O. was black. Indeed, he wasn’t.

Jumpin’ George and KSAN were pioneers in broadcasting to the black audience in the Bay Area, along with Oakland’s KWBR, which later became KDIA. Until the mid-1950s, the relative handful of stations on the air locally devoted little time to “ethnic” programming of any kind, with the exception of KSAN and KWBR, which also broadcast programs intended for the Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, German and Japanese communities.

After working at both KWBR and KSAN in the 1950s, George Oxford moved to KDIA as its morning man. In the Summer of 1966, near the end of his career, he was moved to a part-time weekend position at the station. He was elected to the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of the first class to be inducted.

The original KSAN, not to be confused with the local FM stations that have used the same call letters more recently, was born in June 1925 as KGTT. In 1929, it became KGGC and, in 1938, it became the first local station to use the KSAN call letters — again, not to be confused with the local FM stations that have used the same call letters more recently.

In 1958, KSAN switched to a full-time rhythm and blues music format, targeting black listeners in the Bay Area, the first station on the local dial to broadcast R&B around the clock.

On July 3, 1964, KSAN was sold to John F. (Les) Malloy and Delmor A. (Del) Courtney, two well-known San Francisco radio and television personalities; Les Malloy was for many years a star on local radio and had hosted a popular TV talk show on KGO in the 1950s, while Del Courtney found fame as a bandleader and personality on KSFO.

With Malloy as president and general manager, KSAN became KSOL on its first day under new ownership, hoping to better emphasize its “Soul Radio” format, which it continued until September 1970. The station is currently known as KEST.

On The Air Sign (Image)

Jumpin’ George Oxford on KSAN/1450 (1955)

 

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11 December 2019 4:08 PM

[…] “Jumpin’” George Oxford, animo mite nato in una famiglia del Sud, nel 1955 era un DJ con 18 anni di esperienza che, davanti al microfono, si incendiava parlando il “JIVE” (lo slang degli afro-americani) e passando la musica dei “Neri”. Anche quei brani che, per via dei doppi sensi a sfondo sessuale, le altre radio non passavano. Alla KSAN di San Francisco non interessavano queste cose, se un brano era bello… era da trasmettere.Il 1955 fu l’anno in cui – negli Stati Uniti – la paranoia del Comunismo era al suo apice e, a causa del senatore Joe McCarthy, molti artisti che si pensava fossero legati agli ambienti comunisti furono letteralmente perseguitati. […]

Michael Zacher
Michael Zacher
12 July 2020 7:34 PM

I don’t know why, but i remember who sponsored a lot of these broadcasts. (Furniture Discount House. 30th and San Pabloooo.Oakland) I can still recall how Jumpin’ George said it!

Randy A Carlisle
15 June 2022 1:14 PM

I have the Cruisin’ 1955 album and CD.. CD has been re-edited due to some copyright issues so the album is the best one.. AND on the album, Jumping George ‘plays’ Johnny Ace’s “Pledging My Love”, BUT it is actually the 1958 recording with the back up singers that was added.. The original 1954 version (which is on the CD) does not have the back up singers….. Jumpin’ had such an awesome voice.. I always thought his voice and actor Frank Nelson Jr’ voices were so similar too!!

Jeff Honeycutt
Jeff Honeycutt
Reply to  Randy A Carlisle
11 August 2022 7:16 PM

I had all the “Cruisin'” albums in the seventies. This is a really fun beginning of the series. Jumpin’ George Oxford was the ultimate DJ.

Garrett Goulet
Garrett Goulet
17 October 2022 2:44 PM

Whatever happened to Jumpin’ George Oxford?

DAN CELLI
DAN CELLI
16 February 2023 8:33 AM

I first heard Ole’ Jumpin’ in 1955 on KSAN 1450 am. My first favorite DJ. I recorded him in 1958 on my disc recorder for about 7 minutes. I gave him a call in ’89, and we talked for over 30 minutes. We ended up trading cassettes, letters (He used to sign his name; THE JUMPIN OX, and his BUCKET BLUES record, I sent him Sinatra with Basie and excerpts of my little radio show; CELLI’S TAPES KPOO fm. One day I got a fancy looking letter from his address, it was from his Wife Marcia, telling me George had died. She said she most likely would move out and live some somewhere else, it would be too sad to stay. After I had gotten the letter, we briefly talked on the phone. George died at the age of 80.

Kerrigan
Kerrigan
Reply to  DAN CELLI
23 August 2023 11:04 AM

That’s fascinating. Mr. Celli, would you happen to have any of these articles or music that was exchanged still around? Some of us here in the Bay Area are just discovering these things, and it’s tough to find items relating to Ole Jumpin, especially on the internet.
I, for one, actually found my KSAN album in North Texas!!

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