Larry Larkin Column

While digging around in the closet this past week, I dumped over a stack of 45 rpm records. While picking up Elvis, Little Richard, The Big Bopper, and all the rest, memories turned back to a man who enjoyed calling himself "Tulsa's Oldest Teenager."

Rockin' John Henry died at the age of 60 in the summer of 2004, but not before becoming the most popular and the longest-lasting radio disc jockey in Tulsa history. No one knew more about rock 'n' roll than John David Henry.

His "Saturday Bandstand" program was legendary as he continued to spin the "oldies" from the earliest days. As impressive as his record collection, which numbered in the thousands, might have been, his encyclopedic knowledge of the music matched it.

Former Tulsa World entertainment writer John Wooley once wrote that John Henry's gravely authoritative voice defined classic rock 'n' roll in Tulsa for more than a quarter-century.

While his radio show moved around to different Tulsa stations, his devoted fans always made the moves with him. Two of the stops were at KAKC and KELi, city pioneers for the rock 'n' roll format.

Like most teenagers of the 1950s, John Henry would drive his car up and down the streets to the music of Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Lloyd Price, The Coasters. When a commercial interrupted the music on one station, the kids switched to the other.

I first met John Henry before he became Rockin' John. It was early in 1970. He was working at radio station KWPR here in Claremore and was a few years older than me. The station and a weekly newspaper, The Rogers County Observer, were owned and operated by the same people. My first job following military service was with the newspaper.

Broadcasting from a small office on Second Street, now Patti Page Boulevard, KWPR was on the air only during the daylight hours. It offered local and state news events (including the popular Swap Shop) while playing mostly country music. Even then, John would slip in a Bill Haley and the Comets recording of "Rock Around the Clock" or Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues."

Born and reared in Sapulpa, he moved to Claremore in 1965 and stayed seven years. Also hanging out at the station and doing some on-air work during John's stay was a high-school student by the name of Wayne McCombs.

It was during his stay in Claremore that John met a local young lady named Barbara Deanne Koger. They were married in 1967.

In the following years, John Henry would mention his stay in Claremore numerous times. He always claimed that winter is never over until March 17, the date of the big 1968 snow storm that buried Claremore and the surrounding area.

Bandstand Starts

Although his Bandstand idea was formulated back in 1961 while working at Sapulpa radio station KREK, it didn't really take off until 1979. That was the year he started his Saturday show on KELi. The station had gone back to the sound it originally played when new.