Symphony Sid - Early Radio Career

Early Radio Career

The story of how he got the nickname "Symphony" Sid has been told in numerous ways. According to one source, it came from working at the Symphony record store where he introduced R&B records. The predominantly black customers told their friends that they bought the records from Symphony Sid. But another source says it came from a sponsor—a men's clothing store, and when announcer Walter Tolmes opened Sid's show, he rhymed "Here comes the kid with the fancy pants and the fancy lid... Symphony Sid." And yet another source says he got the name from playing "good music" (classical recordings) at his first radio job, before he became known for jazz. This source says the name came from his playing symphonic music every day. But however he got the nickname, he also did what was very common back then—he shortened his ethnic-sounding last name (Tarnopol) to one that was more generic—Torin. By 1941, Symphony Sid had left WBNX and was working at WHOM in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he became identified with doing the late night shift. His show was called the "After-Hours Swing Session". At WHOM, he began to give up-and-coming black performers exposure. He also began to co-produce and promote jazz concerts, in association with Monte Kay. One of their first collaborations was in 1945 (some sources say 1942) at New York's Town Hall; it featured two up-and-coming talents, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. After WHOM, his career took him briefly to WWRL in New York and then to WMCA. By 1947, he was one of the most well-known jazz disc jockeys, and airplay on his show could give a major boost to any musician. Some grateful performers even wrote songs that they dedicated to him: for example, in 1947, Arnett Cobb recorded "Walkin' With Sid" for the Apollo record label. And also in 1947, Sid began to use a song by Erskine Hawkins, "After Hours", as the theme of his nightly program.

Sid left WMCA in early June 1949, but he didn't have to wait long for his next job. On 20 June 1949, he received his biggest opportunity: a network program on what was then called WJZ—later known as WABC. Thanks to his work on the fledgling ABC Radio Network, he was heard in more than 30 states. (Barlow, 158) And as a result of his network show, jazz, especially the music of artists like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker, gained wider exposure with a national audience. Later, critics would refer to him as "the dean of jazz radio".