Bob Eubanks - Early Life

Early Life

Eubanks was born in Flint, Michigan, but was raised primarily in Pasadena, California, where he grew up listening to music, most notably favorites like Frank Sinatra and Doc Watson. His parents, John and Gertrude (née McClure), were originally from Missouri. They moved to Flint during the Great Depression, where their only child was born, before moving on to California. The young boy became a child model, doing photo shoots for ads and meeting his idol, Gene Autry, when he was scheduled to do an ad photo shoot with him.

He watched popular classic television and quiz game shows. Also growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, he was influenced by Cary Grant, Howard Hughes, Buddy Hackett and Bill Cullen. He attended Pasadena High School, where he graduated in 1955. After graduation from high school, he would become one of California's most popular disc jockeys. In 1956, his first radio exposure was at KACY Radio in Oxnard, California. For most of the 1960s, while working the midday shift at KRLA in Pasadena, he was also a producer of concerts, such as The Beatles 1964 and 1965 Hollywood Bowl performances, The Rolling Stones, during the first two years of the American tour. While still in Los Angeles, he also produced such artists as Barry Manilow, The Supremes, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Merle Haggard, among others.