Parting thoughts: The Raja of records

There is a generation of Minnesotans who remember waking up on Saturdays and hearing Bill Diehl's live, personalized sales pitches on WCCO Radio.

But Diehl was more than just a pitch man. He was a Minnesota media legend. Diehl passed away last night at the age of 91 years old.

Diehl started his career as a newspaperman at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch shortly after graduating from St. Paul Central High School.

He made his radio debut in 1948 at WMIN, when he filled in for a vacationing DJ. That led to a stint at WDGY playing rock and roll records. Then he jumped to WCCO, where he spent 26 years on the air.

His radio fame in the '50s and '60s led him to be the emcee for some of the major acts of the day including Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, to name a few.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Diehl in 2009 about his first radio show at WDGY and what it was like starting out in the golden age of Rock-and-Roll.

Click the audio player to hear some of that interview and archival audio of Diehl courtesy of Radiotapes.com