Chuck Shorter - Presenter
Charting In The USA
My mission statement is to entertain, inform, educate, and keep the music alive.
Charting In The USA with Soul is a Top 30 countdown show featuring the Top 30 R&B songs in the USA for that broadcast week in a particular year according to the Billboard charts.
This program is a spin-off of a show I developed while an on air DJ with Solid Gold Gem, based in the UK. The initial concept was a one-hour countdown show of pop songs that made it to the year-end charts for a particular week each year. I decided to expand the concept and developed a two-hour show to build the Charting In The USA brand. Over the weeks, we will cover the Top 30 R&B songs in the USA for the years 1960 through 1999.
About Chuck Shorter
The year was 1962. The scene was my parents’ kitchen in Philly. Suddenly, I heard something coming from the top of the refrigerator. Mom said it was a radio playing music. Right then and there, I was hooked! I asked my Dad to take me to the record store and bought my first 45’s, “Go Away Little Girl” by Steve Lawrence and “Ruby Baby” by Dion.
A little later, I discovered American Bandstand and it solidified my passion for music. Growing up in Philadelphia didn’t hurt. At the time, some of the best music was heard on the great WIBG and WFIL. I also had a love for R&B music and became a fan of Motown, Stax and the soul hits of Atlantic Records by listening to stations such as WDAS-FM and WHAT. I knew then that I wanted to be a DJ, entertainer, and musician!
In 1974, I attended broadcasting school and landed a job working in the mail room at WCAU-TV and radio where I continued to learn about broadcast media, with the hopes of catching a break in a major market in the USA. But fate had other plans.
In 1977, I was offered a position at CBS Records to work in the mail room and learn the music business. I progressed through the ranks…mail room to merchandiser to sales. In 1986, I was offered the opportunity to move to the Washington, DC region to manage a sales territory and I have been in Maryland ever since. This was by far the BEST job anyone could have!
In 1989, I realized my dream as I took over as an on air host for a local pro wrestling talk show on WMET. In 1993 when the show ended, another co-host and I developed the show for TV. We debuted on Public Access TV in Montgomery County, MD and Washington, DC in 1994. This show ran on air for 20 years before ending in 2014. In 2003, I went back to radio, hosting a show on WYRE playing the great music of the 40’s through today.
From 1975 through 2016, I was a mobile DJ working weddings, corporate events, family fun nights, and everything in between. I also managed to spend time in a wedding band from 1979 to 1984.
Entertainment and music are in my blood! I am now retired from radio sales and am extremely excited to currently work with the talented individuals at Hall Of Fame Music and Solid Gold Gem, to bring my enthusiasm for the music of my youth to the airwaves.
My passion has been entertaining people for over 40 years and keeping the music alive. I greatly look forward to doing the same for the Charting In The USA with Soul listeners!