'Classic Rock' authors host new music program on Huntley Community Radio

From the early 1970s onward, veteran concert photographer Jim Summaria of Algonquin has captured classic rock era acts at music venues in and around Chicago. Along with friend and writer Mark Plotnick of Libertyville, the two co-wrote "Classic Rock - Photographs from Yesterday and Today" (Amherst Media, Buffalo N.Y.).

James Eggers, executive director at WHRU 101.5 FM, invited the authors to propose a weekly one-hour format and "have fun with it."

"That Classic Rock Show" will dissect the sounds and artists of the late 1950s through the early 1980s - an era the authors contend was the most diverse, groundbreaking and fertile in the history of modern popular music. Each week, Summaria and Plotnick will present a topic along with a playlist of songs, discussion and backstories all with the hosts' expertise, humor, and subjective biases! Interviews with music industry guests will be part of future shows.

Shows will initially be pre-recorded and broadcast over 101.5 FM on Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon. For those outside the station's range, shows can be heard 24-7 from anywhere in the world on the station's website www.HuntleyRadio.com.

Huntley's all-volunteer, professionally guided radio station broadcasts 24-7, 365 days a year with a variety of programs appealing to the diversity, needs, and interests of the community. Jim Eggers explains, "We want listeners to find (our) programs informative, enlightening, and entertaining enough to make the station a part of their day."

Since its publication in 2019, "Classic Rock - Photographs from Yesterday and Today" has received honors, testimonials and supporters within and outside the music industry. In 2019, the authors were VIP guests of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where their book became part of the museum's Library and Archives serving to educate and preserve rock and roll history.

In November of 2020, the new Illinois Rock and Roll Museum (www.roadtorock.org) chose two of Summaria's photographs for its large ground-floor window graphics.