Carl Helm, rhythm and blues singer and retired radio show host at WDAS, has died at 83
He cut his first record at 20 and sang backup vocals for years with some of the world’s best singers. He also spent three decades as an endearing overnight radio companion for countless listeners.
Carl Helm, 83, of Yeadon, longtime rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, retired disc jockey, operations manager, and assistant program director at WDAS radio, avid fisherman, and mentor, died Saturday, May 18, of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Vitas hospice in South Philadelphia.
Mr. Helm grew up singing in Ardmore and cut his first record, “Even Strangers Say Hello,” when he was 20 with President Records in 1961. His singing voice resembled Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole, and he signed with Canadian American Records in 1962, and recorded “Have You Ever Been Lonely,” ”Sweet Lovin,” “I’m Not That Way,” “Ring Around My Rosie,” and other songs.
He was invited to be part of the groundbreaking singing staff at Philadelphia International Records and helped create the famous Sound of Philadelphia in the 1970s. For years, he played gigs in the area and provided distinctive backup vocals for the Stylistics, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Grace Jones, and other artists.
He joined WDAS as assistant merchandizing director in 1963 and became a socially conscious DJ in 1965, operations manager in 1975, and assistant program director in 1978. He produced the Georgie Woods Dance Show on TV as well as his own radio show, and left WDAS in 1995 when it changed ownership and dropped all its DJs.
“The community I have broadcast to for the last 29 years have always been uppermost special in my mind,” he wrote on his resume. “We, as one, work very well together.”
Mr. Helm said in an online interview that fellow DJ Jocko Henderson showed him early how to interact and connect with listeners, and he enjoyed using his show to promote community projects and the best aspects of Black life in Philadelphia.
“You could play music that you wanted to play,” he told Mighty Radio in 2014. “There was no playlist. ...My choices were the messages in the music. I felt it necessary to send a message of peace, a message of love, a message of understanding, a message of God, a message of hope.”
He worked mostly overnight shifts at WDAS, hosted a popular New Year’s Eve show, and was known for singing along on air with his favorite songs. He often opened his show with the soft voice of a woman saying: “It’s midnight, and you’re listening to Carl Helm.”
“Carl Helm was and is a Philly staple in our musical history, and he will always have the coolest name on radio,” a longtime fan said in a tribute. Radio show host Patty Jackson called Mr. Helm a “unique radio personality with an amazing voice.”
He spun records at dances in Philadelphia and South Jersey, and served as master of ceremonies at music and social events. WDAS fashioned a blockbuster roster of popular DJs during his years there, and Mr. Helm lamented to The Inquirer in 1995 when the station moved away from personal connections with listeners. “There is more emphasis put on other areas,” he said. “I’ll miss WDAS.”
He did promotions for A & L Records from 1968 to ‘70 and was featured in Robert Woodard’s 1999 film Legends of the Airways about popular Philadelphia DJs. He visited high schools and gave studio tours, and his community outreach work with the State Police, crisis intervention network, House of Umoja, and WDAS charities was recognized by City Council, the state House of Representatives, and other organizations.
“He tried to help people in any way he could,” said his daughter Rochelle “Roxi” Helm, also a singer and radio personality. “He wanted to make his community better and safer.”
An avid fisherman who liked to cook and share his catch as well, Mr. Helm had favorite water spots in South Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina. His name appeared in fishing stories in the Daily News in the 1980s, and the words “low tide” were on the license plate of his car.
He would cast his line, his family said in a tribute, “anywhere where the tide was low and the fish seemed to be biting.”
Carlton Thomas Helm was born April 8, 1941, in Ardmore. He was a star broad jumper and baseball and football player at Lower Merion High School, and finished third in the broad jump at the 1960 Suburban League Class A track championships.
He attended Cheyney University for a time but wound up singing and learning, he said, about radio and life at WDAS. He married Dorothy Bell in 1967, and they had daughter Rochelle, and lived in Yeadon.
Mr. Helm worked in auto and newspaper advertising sales after he left WDAS. He was a longtime member of Bethel AME Church in Ardmore and liked to say: “Chicken is good. God is great.” One of his favorite songs was Lionel Richie’s “Jesus is Love.” He never really stopped singing.
“My whole life, I heard many stories about him,” said his grandson Anthony. “But seeing him do so many things to help others was way better.”
His daughter said: “He was warm and giving. He supported so many people. Many of my friends called him uncle or dad.”
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Helm is survived by three grandchildren, one great-grandson, a brother, a sister, and other relatives.
A celebration of his life was held on May 31.