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Submitted By Bill Lloyd, aka Bill Mason (Nov 10, 2004) I met Bob Bassett in the summer of 1946 when we both played baseball for Needham Post 14's Jr American Legion Baseball team. Later that summer, Bob started a dance band, and though he wasn't a musician, he loved to sing. Unfortunately for our audiences, he liked to sing "Minnie the Moocher" and other songs by Cab Calloway, which our audiences didn't care to hear. This was the first band I ever played in. It was made up of kids from Needham, Wellesley and myself, from Dover MA. Bob always had the gift of gab and was never frightened by a microphone. He loved to ham it up and when audiences requested a number he didn't like he would say we didn't have it and play something he wanted to play. Bob also liked to have the band play and he would sing jump tunes and we had many requests to play something slower. Bob almost got us in trouble many times with his comments to strangers, especially if he had a beer or two. I was afraid of my life and health many times. On July 9, 1948, Bob and I enlisted in the army for two years, unassigned, and took our chances with whatever venues we would be posted to. After basic training, he became a regimental clerk and I became a musician with the 9th ID Band. He also started his broadcasting carreer at Fort Dix. In April 1949, I was sent to Fort Bliss TX with the 62nd Army Band and Bob stayed at Dix where he had been since basic. Bob's ACE was not discipline so he got into some scrapes in basic and other times, later, so his disharge was delayed a few days to make up some time. In the meantime, I did my two years, exactly, being discharged on 7/8/50 and reigistered for the Boston U College of Music, and Bob was recalled, I think in August, given a rifle and sent to Korea. In the meantime, I finished my bachelor of music degree, minored in radio broadcasting and went off to teach in Waterville ME for two years, planning to return to the army in 1955. However, that fell through and I worked in Boston night clubs for a year before returning to teaching music in Gardner MA, where I stayed for ten years. In the meantinme, Bob was out of the army and went into broadcasting, as his bio shows on your website. When Bob was in Taunton, he used to do big band remotes from Roseland Ballroom and I was priviledged to sit in on a few band leader interviews that he conducted. He was a mster interviewer. I've never heard anyone as good. Very knowledgeable and he gained great rapport with the men and women whom he interviewed. Bob and I were not in touch too much from 1956 since I was so involved with my jobs and he was moving from station to station. However, I moved to MD in 1966 and one day in 1981, I was searching the radio dial and there was Bob's voice. I didcovered that he had moved to MD and was working at a local radio station in Northern Virginia. WEEM. I visited him a few times at the station and at his home in Columbia MD, which is about 45 miles from where I live. Bob had never had security in a job because stations like WEEM kept changing management and therefore format and personnel. So when WEEM 'went country', Bob was released and he found himself working for ASCAP and convinced me to work there as well, which I did, but I quit after a month or so. I didn't like their management style, nor did Bob and he quit shortly thereafter. (Bob had been working full-time and I was working part-time as I had quit education in 1980 and was now working for USPS.) I convinced Bob to get a job with USPS, too, and he did. This was the first time that he had ever had health insurance and he was soon to need it. He was with USPS for about 6 months when he started developing muscle problems with his speech and tactile efforts. He called me in Jan 1989, I think, to tell me that he had been dignosed with ALS and I had just been dignosed with rheumatoid arthritis, but as I told him, I'll take my disease over his. Even though he was "given" 1-5 years to live, he survived 12, dying on July 6, 2000. All through his ordeal, he never lost his sense of humor, nor have I lost mine. He still told a lot of jokes and funny stories, even later when he had to use a computer to speak for himself. And of course, I told him my jokes and stories, as well. I'm still struggling with RA, but with some new medications, I am surviving, and actually have played a lot of golf since a newer medication was started with me in Jan 1998. I even have set some new course records in golf the past few years. Well, this is about Bob, not me, but we both were good buddies and had much in common. All too sadly, he is gone, but the memories linger on. (Sounds like a song.) Next to my dad, who died in 1982, Bob has been my closest friend and we were in tune with each other more than not. God Bless and Rest his soul! There are hundreds of tunes that he and I shared a liking for and although his memory is always in my mind, when I play them, Bob comes to mind even more. I did part-time radio and TV for 12 years and I always closed my radio shows with "Thanks for putting me on!" I always wanted to say, "turning me on", but management preferred the other close and I say to you, all who knew Bob, and even those who didn't, we all will miss him forever. Thanks for putting me on! Bill Lloyd, aka Bill Mason 11734 Guildhall Court Waldorf MD 20602. 301-627-6166 |
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