37-Year Radio Host Michael Bourne Dead at 75

By Allison Schonter

Michael Bourne, the legendary radio DJ who spent 37 years hosting Singers Unlimited at Newark's WGBO, has died. Bourne passed away on Sunday, Aug. 21 after having retired earlier this year as a full-time host, his daughter told WGBO. Bourne's cause of death was not provided. He was 75.

A presence on the air at WBGO since the mid-'80s, Bourne's passion for music began early in his hometown of St. Louis and he "became a jazz jock by chance." While working on his doctorate in Bloomington, he made guest appearances on the jazz show of IU's NPR station WFIU. After getting a Ph.D. in theatre, Bourne decided to stay on the radio rather than become a professor somewhere. He remained at WFIU until 1984 when he was offered work at WGBO. Later recalling that moment, Bourne wrote, "I couldn't resist what seemed a sign that New York was meant to be. My first shift was filling for Rhonda Hamilton on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, 1984."

Along with reviewing theatre throughout his time at WGBO, Bourne also wrote about movies, art museums, baseball, beer, and his travels, and also hosted WBGO's syndicated show the American Jazz Radio Festival for five years and hosted or anchored 22 of WBGO's New Year's Eve broadcasts. After initially filling in shifts at all hours of the day, Bourne eventually into the Afternoon Jazz shift. He worked six shifts each week on Jazz 88 from 2001 to 2006 while he also jocked on the "Broadway's Best" channel of Sirius Satellite Radio. He also hosted the equally as popular Blues Break for several years and was a senior contributor to DownBeat. He was best known, however, for hosting the Singers Unlimited show on WBGO from 1985 until 2022.

Following a 37-year radio presence, Bourne retired in January. Upon his retirement, Bourne penned an essay reflecting on his nearly four decades at WGBO, Bourne wrote, "I'm looking back and I'm amazed how lucky I've been and how grateful I am to have known extraordinary people, to have traveled to extraordinary places, to have happened into extraordinary events... Someone said that now that I'm retired I can do the things I've always wanted to do. I answered that I've been doing all the things I've wanted to do for 50 years. And I thank everyone who's inspired and enabled me to enjoy the world. And all that jazz."

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