Jess Daniel Dennis Cain II (June 17, 1926 – February 14, 2008) was an American

radio personality A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a rad ...

Career

For 34 years, from 1957 to 1991, Cain was the morning drivetime personality on WHDH/850 in Boston. Cain also was a professional actor and appeared in theater and musical theater productions, and appeared in early television on the Sergeant Bilko - a.k.a. '' The Phil Silvers Show''. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was a graduate of Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia and the University of Notre Dame. Cain's song about

Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...

— which he adapted from an old ragtime tune called "Shoutin' Liza Trombone" — appeared on "The Impossible Dream," a WHDH-produced album commemorating the

1967 Boston Red Sox season The 1967 Boston Red Sox season was the 67th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished first in the American League (AL) with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses. The team then faced the National League champion St ...

and later as part of the soundtrack of the 2005 movie '' Fever Pitch''. He was a World War II veteran, serving under Audie Murphy at the Battle of the Bulge and earning the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. In 1970, Cain criticized

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

's anti-war song "What is Truth?". He called the song "junk" and "Trash". Cain died from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

in his

Beacon Hill Beacon Hill may refer to: Places Canada * Beacon Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, a neighbourhood * Beacon Hill Park, a park in Victoria, British Columbia * Beacon Hill, Saskatchewan * Beacon Hill, Montreal, a neighbourhood in Beaconsfield, Quebec United ...

home at the age of 81. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November 2008.

References

External links

* 1926 births 2008 deaths American radio DJs United States Army personnel of World War II Culture of Boston Radio personalities from Philadelphia Radio personalities from Boston Recipients of the Silver Star University of Notre Dame alumni 20th-century American musicians People from Beacon Hill, Boston United States Army soldiers {{US-radio-bio-stub