Remembering Tim and Bob

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Tim Nolan and Bob Byron hosted KPRC radio's morning drive time slot for at least a decade, or more. They interspersed their own local talent with recorded pieces from Radio Ranch, like "Chicken Man", and the tracks from other morning duos throughout the nation as well as top 40 music from the likes of Barbra Streisand, whom they liked to introduce as "the singing Aardvark". Tim tried to come off as the responsible one and Bob was the one who would take cheap shots at local politicians and anyone else whose name came up in the news, Bob also took shots at himself with lines like "the cork just fell out of my lunch", and so on. They were great to listen to as I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for another day at the grind, they just don't make them like that anymore. Fox and Friends just doesn't quite get me there like Tim and Bob did.

[Heights2Bastrop]

Chicken Man - "He's everywhere! He's everywhere!"

[Croberts]

Tim Nolan and Bob Byron hosted KPRC radio's morning drive time slot for at least a decade, or more. They interspersed their own local talent with recorded pieces from Radio Ranch, like "Chicken Man", and the tracks from other morning duos throughout the nation as well as top 40 music from the likes of Barbra Streisand, whom they liked to introduce as "the singing Aardvark". Tim tried to come off as the responsible one and Bob was the one who would take cheap shots at local politicians and anyone else whose name came up in the news, Bob also took shots at himself with lines like "the cork just fell out of my lunch", and so on. They were great to listen to as I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for another day at the grind, they just don't make them like that anymore. Fox and Friends just doesn't quite get me there like Tim and Bob did.

I vaguely remember the day that John Glenn orbited the earth, they announced they were sending a texas cows into space and it would be the first "herd shot round the world". I also remember their theme song being slightly celtic, and their placing some emphasis on both Scot and Irish culture.

[Heights2Bastrop]

I was out in the garage listening to their program one day, and they did a critique of a then popular rock and roll song. They were discussing and wondering just what a

[FilioScotia]

I vaguely remember the day that John Glenn orbited the earth, they announced they were sending a texas cows into space and it would be the first "herd shot round the world". I also remember their theme song being slightly celtic, and their placing some emphasis on both Scot and Irish culture.

I think their theme was "Pony Boy".

[FilioScotia]

I vaguely remember the day that John Glenn orbited the earth, they announced they were sending a texas cows into space and it would be the first "herd shot round the world". I also remember their theme song being slightly celtic, and their placing some emphasis on both Scot and Irish culture.

I think their theme was "Pony Boy".

[Croberts]

I think their theme was "Pony Boy".

I may be thinking of the KPRC theme they played.

[brucesw]

Somewhere around here I have a clipping from ca. 1967 on their tenth anniversary but I haven't been able to find it. Bob Byron had been on Houston radio since the 30s on KTRH and had been a top forty jock on KLBS, the predecessor of KILT, in the mid-50s and hosted a KPRC-TV dance show on Saturday afternoons. Tim Nolan came over to KPRC from KXYZ the same week that KLBS flipped to KILT in May, 1957, but I don't know if Byron was already there or when they were first teamed up.

I was away from Houston most of the 60s and heard them only occasionally but I always thought of them as Houston's own Bob and Ray team. I never met either of them but I've been told they were both very fond of the bottle.

KPRC was a very classy station in the early 60s, playing jazzy stuff like Kenton, Brubeck, Hirt, Fountain, Zentner, Winding and the like. Actually, I guess the jocks still had a lot of freedom in their music choices because some of the jocks tended more toward crooners like Goulet, Jones, Steve Lawrence, etc.

I think they started and I know they sponsored for a long time a St. Patrick's Day parade.

I don't recall if Tim and Bob were still on the air when I got to Houston in 1970 but I never would have listened to them at that time as I worked nights and slept late.

[FilioScotia]

deleted by poster

[FilioScotia]

Somewhere around here I have a clipping from ca. 1967 on their tenth anniversary but I haven't been able to find it. Bob Byron had been on Houston radio since the 30s on KTRH and had been a top forty jock on KLBS, the predecessor of KILT, in the mid-50s and hosted a KPRC-TV dance show on Saturday afternoons. Tim Nolan came over to KPRC from KXYZ the same week that KLBS flipped to KILT in May, 1957, but I don't know if Byron was already there or when they were first teamed up. I was away from Houston most of the 60s and heard them only occasionally but I always thought of them as Houston's own Bob and Ray team. I never met either of them but I've been told they were both very fond of the bottle. KPRC was a very classy station in the early 60s, playing jazzy stuff like Kenton, Brubeck, Hirt, Fountain, Zentner, Winding and the like. Actually, I guess the jocks still had a lot of freedom in their music choices because some of the jocks tended more toward crooners like Goulet, Jones, Steve Lawrence, etc. I think they started and I know they sponsored for a long time a St. Patrick's Day parade. I don't recall if Tim and Bob were still on the air when I got to Houston in 1970 but I never would have listened to them at that time as I worked nights and slept late.

I went to work at KPRC radio in late 1969 and T&B were still going, more or less strong, mostly less. Their humor was getting pretty stale by then. I honestly can't say if they were "fond of the bottle", but I do know there were days when they looked and sounded hung over. Bob Byron was always coughing up horrible sounding loogies, and he kept rolls of toilet paper in the control room to cough them into. By the end of their shift his gross looking TP wads were all over the control room. Just thought I'd share that with everyone. l always gave thanks to God that the newscasts were done from a small soundproof booth built in the corner of the control room.

Buddy Holliday was the Program Director and midday DJ at that time, and the station was still playing that standard MOR pop stuff, which I thought made the station sound like a big city station should sound. Holliday was a really nice guy, and I hated to see him leave. He came to the Houston radio reunion last year, and it broke my heart when his wife told me he has Alzheimer's.

Sometime in 1970, Buddy was replaced by Buzz Lawrence, who came down from Denver. T&B stayed on mornings for a time, but Lawrence brought in Mark Boone and some other new jocks to do the other shifts and make the station sound more "contemporary".

Back to T&B. Personally, I never thought they were all that funny. Most of their "jokes" and bits just fell flat. With me anyway. I guess I was too young to "appreciate" them. They were playing to an older demographic that had been listening to them for years and thought they were the greatest thing since canned beer. They finally retired in 72. Buzz Lawrence thought they had gone out of style and it was time to have a livelier and younger morning sound.

I don't know if they actually "started" the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, but they did work with the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians to promote it and ride in it every year.

[JBon583]

I'm Bob Byron's oldest daughter. He passed away in 1997 (as did Tim about 10 years earlier), but I believe they would both be thrilled that their program is fondly remembered. My dad was a troubled soul, but I always felt he was happiest making people laugh on the radio. I've enjoyed reading the posts from you nice people, and I thought I could fill in a few blanks with what I remember.

• My dad made his debut on Houston radio about 1953. He hadn't been on the air since the 30's, since he was only born in 1926.
  
• Whoever said that he was "fond of the bottle" was being kind. He was a serious alcoholic, and the problem escalated the last few years Tim and Bob were on the air. He had some lengthy absences trying to dry out in whatever passed for rehab in the early 70's. He spent some time at the program at St. Joseph's hospital, and afterwards gave frequent radio hellos to his favorite nun, Sister Amelia.
  
• On the other hand, I never knew Tim to have any drinking issues. He was a solid church-going family man. And a saint for sticking by my father.
  
• I remember when Buddy Holliday was program director. He had very conservative tastes, and my dad called him Buddy Holy-day. He tried to have Johnny Cash's "Boy named Sue" banned from play because he thought it in bad taste.
  
• I don't doubt he left the control room messy. He blamed his chronic cough on allergies, but I feel the drinking and the 2 to 3 pack a day smoking habit didn't help either.
  

Thanks for the memories!

[tommyn]

Wow, I was a little choked up after reading Bob's oldest daughters post. I think I met her. I remember staying at their house during Hurricane Carla. I was three. I am Tim's youngest son. Thank you for your comments about him. He was the greatest man I have ever known. Growing up it was always told that they started the Saint Patrics Day Parade. I have always believed they did. He did drink, rarely in excess that I remember,and did care dearly for Bob. As a child I remember him spending many times at St. Joes with Bob and over hearing him discibe to my mother the horrible times Bob would have "Drying out". Those memeories are still the first thing that comes to my mind even today if I catch myself drinking a tad bit beyond moderation. I remerber the stories would scare me and I was just Bob's partners son.

I do not have statistics and have been curious as to where their show ranked in Houston's radio history as longest number one, longest runs of morning shows, (with same players), and so on. What I do know is he had many offers from another station. I can remember my mother saying "Tim, it is not about the money, Mrs. Hobby has been too good to you to leave KPRC." The other station got tired of trying and thus Hudson and Harrigan began. I wished he would have jumped at the opportunity. They were funnier than KPRC would allow them to be. They did get in trouble. All in all I was really young and it was not very fun being the son of someone that was very famous. MY DAD would do Slender Bolic commercials on TV. His pants would fall down and his white boxers with hearts on them were seen by the whole world. The Comps were great though. I WISH I COULD STILL GET TICKETS to all the sporting events like he had.

[adcessories]

I'm Bob Byron's oldest daughter. He passed away in 1997 (as did Tim about 10 years earlier), but I believe they would both be thrilled that their program is fondly remembered. My dad was a troubled soul, but I always felt he was happiest making people laugh on the radio. I've enjoyed reading the posts from you nice people, and I thought I could fill in a few blanks with what I remember.

• My dad made his debut on Houston radio about 1953. He hadn't been on the air since the 30's, since he was only born in 1926.
• Whoever said that he was "fond of the bottle" was being kind. He was a serious alcoholic, and the problem escalated the last few years Tim and Bob were on the air. He had some lengthy absences trying to dry out in whatever passed for rehab in the early 70's. He spent some time at the program at St. Joseph's hospital, and afterwards gave frequent radio hellos to his favorite nun, Sister Amelia.
• On the other hand, I never knew Tim to have any drinking issues. He was a solid church-going family man. And a saint for sticking by my father.
• I remember when Buddy Holliday was program director. He had very conservative tastes, and my dad called him Buddy Holy-day. He tried to have Johnny Cash's "Boy named Sue" banned from play because he thought it in bad taste.
• I don't doubt he left the control room messy. He blamed his chronic cough on allergies, but I feel the drinking and the 2 to 3 pack a day smoking habit didn't help either.

Thanks for the memories!

Hi,

Thanks for the info about your dad and Tim. I spent many mornings enjoying their show, they were great together and I always wondered why they did not get picked up nationally like Bob and Ray, or, Hudson and Harrigan, too bad. Best wishes. I am glad to see that Tim's son has also chimed in with his comments. I wish both of you the best.

AdCessories

[adcessories]

Wow, I was a little choked up after reading Bob's oldest daughters post. I think I met her. I remember staying at their house during Hurricane Carla. I was three. I am Tim's youngest son. Thank you for your comments about him. He was the greatest man I have ever known. Growing up it was always told that they started the Saint Patrics Day Parade. I have always believed they did. He did drink, rarely in excess that I remember,and did care dearly for Bob. As a child I remember him spending many times at St. Joes with Bob and over hearing him discibe to my mother the horrible times Bob would have "Drying out". Those memeories are still the first thing that comes to my mind even today if I catch myself drinking a tad bit beyond moderation. I remerber the stories would scare me and I was just Bob's partners son.

I do not have statistics and have been curious as to where their show ranked in Houston's radio history as longest number one, longest runs of morning shows, (with same players), and so on. What I do know is he had many offers from another station. I can remember my mother saying "Tim, it is not about the money, Mrs. Hobby has been too good to you to leave KPRC." The other station got tired of trying and thus Hudson and Harrigan began. I wished he would have jumped at the opportunity. They were funnier than KPRC would allow them to be. They did get in trouble. All in all I was really young and it was not very fun being the son of someone that was very famous. MY DAD would do Slender Bolic commercials on TV. His pants would fall down and his white boxers with hearts on them were seen by the whole world. The Comps were great though. I WISH I COULD STILL GET TICKETS to all the sporting events like he had.

I just found out that you have commented on this site, thank you. I have also responded to Bob's daughter for her comments. In a way, Tim and Bob may have had some influence on the fact that I wound up working the Hobby's at The Houston Post from 1967 until it closed in 1995 for somewhat the same reasons that you expressed, that Mrs. Hobby was a great lady and, even though she had sold the paper, I wanted to continue working for The Post as long as I could. I wish that the St. Patrick's Day Parade was still a big event, they do have a parade on FM 1960 for St. Patrick's Day now, the Ancient Order of Hibernians has been replaced by the Irish Society and they are headquartered at the University of St. Thomas in the Irish Studies building. Best wishes to all!

"May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

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[brucesw]

I have just posted a gallery of photos, courtesy of jbon583 above, of the Tim and Bob show on my blog, including numerous shots of downtown Houston, street level, during their St. Patrick's Day Parades in the 60s.