Al Collins was born in Rochester, NY. A talented swimmer, he was attending Miami University on an athletic scholarship when he stumbled into his calling, doing a fill-in shift on the campus radio station
Collins’ radio career wound through stops in West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Salt Lake City before he landed at New York City’s WNEW. That’s where Collins cooked up his imaginary broadcast location: The Purple Grotto. It existed only in his mind, and was home to creatures like Harrison, the purple Tasmanian owl, and Jukes, a purple chameleon.
By 1960, he was following Don Sherwood on KSFO. He also had an early 60’s TV show on KGO (Channel 7). But “Jazzbeaux” (he originally spelled his self-chosen nickname “Jazzbo” but switched to the fancier spelling later) didn’t stay by the Bay. He bounced to Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and back to New York before returning to San Francisco in 1976.
There would be a job at KMPX, an overnight show at KGO, a stay at KKIS, an eventual return to KSFO and a stop at KFRC. Collins’ last Bay Area posting was a weekly jazz show on KCSM.
Al Collins died in 1997 at age 78.
ADDITIONAL EXHIBITS: