Bill Pearce 1946 - 2023
Music Producer and HostWe have sad news to share with you about a long-time music host at KMUW. Bill Pearce passed away. He hosted the jazz program Straight No Chaser for more than 10 years. Bill was always a wealth of knowledge when it came to the jazz world. He thought everyone on a CD cover deserved credit and was known to list the names from artists and musicians to engineers and producers. He was an avid listener to KMUW and was especially proud of the local news reporting and holding anyone in power accountable. We’ll miss Bill, and his Sunday night show Straight No Chaser.
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A Kansas native, Bill graduated with a degree in clarinet performance from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. While in Iowa, he worked at a commercial radio station playing pop-like music records and reading news.
After college, Bill returned to Wichita and began a career in photography. He worked for KTVH, commercial photo studios and Cessna. Bill got back into radio when he found a job at the now-defunct Friends University station. He played classical music during the week and hosted his own jazz show on Saturdays. He was the last person on air at the time of the station’s unfortunate demise. Prior to getting his own show, Bill read magazines like Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly and National Enquirer for eight years for KMUW’s Wichita Radio Reading Service.
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Music hosts JeddBeaudoin, Carla Eckels, Chris Heim, and Bill Pearce run down the best in music for 2018 - including selections for world, rock, local…
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May 14, 2017In hour one we'll hear Bill Evans on piano and Clifford Brown on trumpet.Hour two features Red Garland on piano and Jimmy Smith on the B3…
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Sunday, December 18Have you had your fill of Mel Torme and Bob Well’s “The Christmas Song?” Sorry, there is more: 1. Jimmy Smith and Don Patterson on the…
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Sunday, April 10Tonight we'll hear a variety of pianos and trumpets with the talented Norman Simmons, Woody Shaw and Bobby Shew.
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Sunday, April 3Tonight we hear from musicians with big names and some less well known. We'll hear the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, pianist Stefan Scaggiari,…
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Sunday, March 27Tonight on Straight No Chaser we'll hear more recent recordings from clarinetist and tenor saxophonist KenPeplowski, guitarist Russell…
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Sunday, March 20Tonight we hear recent CD's by a variety of artists: pianist Kenny Barron, vocalist Denise Donatelli, saxophonist Adison Evans and…
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Sunday, March 13Tonight we feature many keyboard players including Kenny Barron and Charles Earland, plus Ross Tompkins' earliest recording. After that…
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Sunday, March 6On this weeks Straight No Chaser, we hear new recordings from Dr. Lonnie Smith and Ken Peplowski. Then, we'll jump into the way-back…
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Sunday, February 28Tonight we'll hear many things from jazz's storied past. We start the show with two tribute groups taking on Lee Morgan. Later we hear…