From David Jackson's
Bay Area Radio Digest: RIP: Del Courtney (1910-2006)
One of the monumental entertainment figures in Bay Area history, Del Courtney, died last Saturday (Feb. 11) in Honolulu. He was 95 years old.
Del Courtney was born in Oakland in 1910 and was a popular bandleader locally beginning in the 1930s. He had his own show on KWBR in Oakland (the forerunner of today's KMKY/1310) and was later a disc jockey on KSFO in San Francisco during its golden age as 'The World's Greatest Radio Station,' alongside Don Sherwood, Al 'Jazzbeaux' Collins and Jim Lange in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
He also hosted a regular variety show on KPIX (Channel 5) in the 1950s, and was the producer and co-host of ABC-TV's 'The King Family' variety series in the 1960s; Del's wife, Yvonne, was a King sister. He also co-owned radio station KSAN (1450 AM, now known as KEST) from 1964 to 1975 with Les Malloy, another Bay Area entertainment legend.
In addition, he was the leader of the Oakland Raiders band, which entertained during the team's home games during the 1960s and 1970s, and was the Raiders' director of administration for many years. He was also instrumental in the formation of the team's signature Raiderettes cheerleading squad.
Del Courtney's autobiography, 'Hey! The Band's Too Loud,' was published by AuthorHouse in January 2005.
from the webpage for the book check out this letter from jazz great Dave Brubeck
One of the most important encounters of my life occured the day Del Courtney came to our family home in Concord, California. My eldest brother, Henry, persuaded my mother to allow Del and other members of their jazz band to rehearse in her piano studio. They came very Thursday night to rehearse and prepare for their weekend engagements for local dances. This was the first live jazz band I had ever heard, and I was thrilled with the sound. It was a minor miracle that my mother allowed such a rehearsal under her roof, because as a strict classical pianist, she did not approve of jazz. However, these were all local boys whom she knew, most of them just out of high school and perhaps some of them had been her students. My brother played drums in the band, and of course, Del was the pianist.
To become better known, the group needed a leader known in the Oakland and San Francisco Bay area. Del’s innate leadership and personality, his boundless energy and ambition, made it only natural that the band should soon become known as the Del Courtney Orchestra. Del took over and important engagements gradually developed along with a loyal following.
Del and my brother enrolled as music majors at the College of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Henry and Del were roommates on campus. The incredible energy that Del has always had was evident from the start. They would work in dance halls in Oakland and then drive back to Stockton just in time to attend classes in the morning. The Great Depression gripped the country and most families were struggling to just exist, let alone educate their children. Against terrible odds Del Courtney continued in college and pursued his dream of becoming a big-time bandleader. He worked hard and never gave up, when all odds were against him. He persisted, survived, and surpassed his youthful goals. His story is an inspiration to young people with similar dreams. It is a walk down memory lane for those of us who came up in the music business after Del had already made his mark. At one time or another he has hosted on his various shows on radio, television, and stage, the top names of show business and in the jazz world. There is a photo that I treasure from one of Del’s San Francisco television shows that pictures Del and me with Ella Fitzgerald, Lou Levy, Woody Herman and Johnny Mathis, all on one terrific Courtney program on KPIX.
Long after other would have retired, Del continued commuting from Honolulu to San Francisco, taking it in stride as he had done so many years before driving through the tule fog from San Francisco to Stockton. He is still hanging in there. I recently received from Hawaii a notice in the mail: “Del Courtney Swings!” and an invitation to “Dance to Del’s 14 piece band.”
God bless him!
Dave Brubeck
Wilton, Connecticut
May 2001
Here is a GREAT read by the uncredited (but he says that's ok) co author of the book. What a story. I ordered the book.
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