At the time, all of Chuck's sessions for our stations were done out of the Power 106 studios in Los Angeles, with Eric Edwards, also a great voice talent, doing the engineering. Invariably, Eric never edited the "tape"… (Yes, it WAS still TAPE in those days!) That's because he never really had to edit. Chuck had an enviable way of nailing virtually every take…and even though each was different, he would always give you several takes to use. That was tough, because we would often get into heated discussions about which take to use-they were all THAT good!

We would often laugh because you could hear the 'tinkle' of the ice in Chuck's "beverage" in the background. One of the funniest memories I have is of Chuck going on and on between takes with phrases such as "Ooooh, this copy is SO dry…who could write such a thing?!" or "they don't REALLY want me to say it that way, do they?!?" We would all laugh because Chuck's comments-I'm sure he thought they would be edited--would sometimes make Steve Smith red in the face and raving mad! But the amazing thing was-and even Steve would admit this in the end-that Chuck would usually say "let me try it like this…" and whatever he would come up with would make the piece SO much better! Such was his talent.

Our news director at the time, Al Carson, was a huge fan of Chuck-almost obsessive! Over time I got pretty good at mimicking Chuck's delivery, in a parodied sort of way. After a while, a typical interaction between Al and I would go like this: Me: "How's it going Al?" Al: "Great…say, gimme some CHUCK!!" I would then, of course, be goaded into doing my best Chuck Riley imitation, performing as if a trained animal. And so, the words "Gimme some Chuck" soon became a legendary catch phrase around our station!
Jeff Scott - (Retired PD)/now NSM --Cox Radio San Antonio

I remember the first time I heard Chuck... I was the new GM at KEYN/KQAM-Wichita in the 80's, which were owned by the legendary Jim Long and Charley Pride. Long came to town and said there is a voice talent friend of his he wanted me to hear and use on KEYN. I said sure, then listened to the voice...WOW! Big, warm, compassionate, and kick ass, all in one! And a great sense of humor with the outtakes. His presence in our radio business will be missed.
Jerry King -Vice President/Operations --McVay Media

The VO community has lost a dear friend and wonderful talent.
I first met him over 20 years ago, in the lobby at SBV... He was one of the only guys in town that actually could talk over Ernie Anderson.
And when BOTH of them got going..?
Well, let's just say it's a good thing Don wasn't also with Rita, as the resulting subsonic rumble would have leveled Farmer's Market.
Oh, yes, Chuck had his rough edges, but to those who knew him, you could always see past the gruff-N-growl to the teddy bear beneath.
I am only 45, but I look on this picture as some of MY "good old days" as well.
Chuck was always armed... with a gripe, a grin, (and sometimes a Glock)...
Ernie referred to me as "the tall kid"...
Don invited me for a "ride-along" and said I had potential...
...and Bill Ratner's hair was a lustrous dark brown... Naturally.
To those of us who knew him, Chuck will be long remembered... and missed.
To those of you who didn't know him... Well, I wish you had.
You certainly knew his voice.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his brother Michael, and his family.
Thank you, Adam Goodman, for the picture, the attached .mp3, and the very moving tribute you posted on Voicehunter.com, and to Bill, for keeping us informed as to services.
See ya, Chuck.
- Tom Kane Voice actor.

I would like to thank all who have contacted me in the past few weeks. Your sympathy, stories and Chuck-isms brought shock and smiles as I heard most of them for the first time! Chuck was always the life of the party with the best punch line in the room. Love him or hate him but you never forgot him. But I knew him in a much different light...brother to brother, as a kind, honest and caring person who changed my diapers as a baby and later changed my life teaching me the radio and voiceover businesses. For the stories I relate now are not about his public persona, but about the man and who he really was. A father figure not only to his four children, but to me, a kid brother who idolized him. It may be corny to say, but they broke the mold when Chuck burst onto the scene in 1940 in Kaplan, Louisiana. The first child born to Charles and Irene Hanks was nicknamed Danny. As a baby, he survived a 107 degree fever thanks to a witch that my dad snatched out of the swamp (no lie)! He was also known for carrying on conversations with regular customers in my father's Hanks Bar at the tender age of only 18 months! 1952 brought a family move to Duncan, Oklahoma where he graduated from high school in 1958. As a child of the 50s and 60s, my memories of Chuck ranged from his vast tickling talents to his weekend jaunts home from an Oklahoma City radio station to which he'd bring boxes of 45 rpm records for me. By 1972, Chuck had settled down, gotten married, fathered a son and was the dominant afternoon drive jock in Indianapolis. When I told him I was leaving college and considering radio offers in 3 cities, he said: "Why don't you come work in Indianapolis?" For the next few years, I worked down the hallway on FM from my mentor brother on AM, a dream come true. For me, that was the best decade of my life. I got to know Chuck again, met my wife and had our daughter. Life was good. Then in 1979, Chuck decided to give the Hollywood voiceover game a shot so he moved his family to the San Fernando Valley in LA. Within a year, he was one of the dominant voices in the industry. God I was so proud of him. In 1982 our paths crossed again as my family moved to San Diego. Again Chuck offered up another question: "Why don't you give up that goddamn radio business and try doing freelance voiceover in Los Angeles!" He'd never been wrong so once again, I found myself working in the same city as my now famous brother. Chuck had the world by the balls and was having a blast. For my money, he was the most versatile announcer I have ever heard. From pure power to a tender soft read with multitudes of interpretation in-between. Chuck was once described as a big pussycat wearing a bearsuit.I knew him as a brother. And I loved him.
-Michael D. Hanks

Very Sorry to hear of the loss of Chuck Riley for Voicehunter and our community...I heard him many times while I was in radio...a great talent and example for all of us in thid great business....
Eric Chase - VoiceHunter.com Featured talent.

I am very sorry for your loss, the loss of your business partner and friend.
I've known "of" Chuck for the 25 years I've been in the VO business and he was a great talent. And what a great shot with him and my voice over idol Ernie Anderson.
I appreciate the demo link and I'll keep you and Chuck's family in my thoughts.
peter k. o'connell audio'connell voice over talent

I was working at KZLA as morning newsgoon and assistant ND, when Rollye James, our assistant PD (a truly terrific talent and great fun to work with) told me she was bringing in Chuck Riley from Indianapolis to do mornings. Chuck was doing afternoon drive at the time...make that owning afternoon drive at the time in Indianapolis. When Chuck arrived at KZLA we were still playing Rock and Roll and our ARB had jumped from 2.3 to 3.3 because KIIS-AM went God and we ran ads on KIIS telling folks to join us for the music they liked...and they did!
Two days after Rollye told me Chuck was coming...he arrived. He scared the crap out of a lot of folks at the station with his stylish swagger, but he was great to work with and got a wonderful audience response. He once said to me, "I don't care who gets the punch-line at 7:10 in the morning...just so long as there is a punch-line at 7:10 in the morning."
Chuck was anxious to work in a major market because he wanted to push his VO career. I was doing some VO at the time and since our vocal ranges were so different, and because I loved working with Rollye, I gave him a copy of my contact list along with a Thomas Brothers map that had green dots at the locations of casting and production places. Chuck was very honestly moved by my simple act of friendship and although we didn't really hang out that much, whenever we saw each other it was like family at Thanksgiving.

Three weeks before KZLA went Country, I gave my notice to move over to KNX-FM to be News Director. When I polled my personal market place of friends about the move, Chuck was the first to say, "Go babe...The way this joint is being managed, you'll be better off." Two weeks later I left and started at KNX-FM. One week later Norm Shrutt arrived from Cap Cities in New Jersey with his crew. KZLA made the announcement in the morning and went Country by close of business that day. I got a call from Chuck who told me he was leaving the station to put everything into his VO career.
At my farewell party at KZLA, Chuck gave me a 5 gallon bottle of Vodka with a card that said, "Call in two years when you either finish the bottle or sober up." 10 years later I ran into Chuck at LA Studios to do a session. He came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder and said, "So...you finished the bottle?"
There are certain people in our industry that I've worked with, Chuck Riley was one...Ron Jacobs was another, whose presence either moved people or totally offended them. However, every minute you were with those folks, you knew two things: you were alive and, more importantly, you knew you just might win. Chuck Riley will be missed because he won't be forgotten.
Brent Seltzer

Chuck was my roommate at WKYC in Cleveland in 1967. He was a funny, loving and caring person and I will miss him greatly. I helped him get started in the VO business in LA when he quit WIBC in Indianapolis and just came out to give it a try. We had a special bond and I am VERY sad to learn of his passing. There was NO ONE better than Chuck at his business…ABSOLUTELY NO ONE!! I guess that is all you can ask for out of life to be the VERY best at what you do and have people who love you….HE had both. I'm going to miss you Chuck…..God Bless and rest in the peace that comes from knowing you gave it all you had and it was the VERY BEST in the WORLD!
Jack Armstrong

I worked with Chuck at CKY in Winnipeg and WIBC in Indianapolis. I could write a book on Riley stories.
In Winnipeg he was on the air as Chuck Dann from 6-9.
Sometimes when the news man was on sick or on vacation Chuck would do news from 9-Midnight as Ray Carnay and no one knew it was the same person
At WIBC I did morning drive and Chuck afternoons. We raced each other around the world with THE GREAT RACE PROMOTION in 1970..after 9 days traveling by commercial air around the globe Chuck beat me back to Indy by a couple of hours.
The out takes from a session Chuck and I did for Wake Up Oil are still talked about in Indiana.
I think the top of hour news id Chuck cut in the 70's is still being used at WIBC today.
Chuck, Jim Hilliard and I shared a lot of good times and some not so good in growing CKY and WIBC into great radio stations. He will be missed.
Gary Todd

ODE TO CHUCK RILEY.
Sometimes, it was exasperating to work with Chuck Riley. Sometimes, he could be the biggest pain in the ass in the world.
Sometimes, he'd mis-pronounce words and swear that's how he'd always said it. Forever even.
Sometimes, he could be infuriating. But in the end, he always gave up the gold and his voice tracks were...magic.

But in the end, his voice talents were right up there with the best of them...Orson Welles, Ernie Anderson, Danny Dark, Don LaFontaine
He loved his lady, his kids, his guns and his America.
Everybody and everything else...stood at the back of the line. Way back.
Chuck, you were, are, and always will be...a true broadcasting legend. Son of a bitch, I'm really gonna miss you.
So long my friend.
I was fortunate enough to work with Chuck Riley for several years at CHUM Toronto on station promos and liners, as well as a couple of major documentaries.
Then, when I moved to LA in late 1988 to work on John Candy's radio programs, I hired Chuck to be the announcer for "Radio Kandy", Johnny C's weekly
2 hour radio show that aired on over 300 stations in the U.S. Every week for 2 full years, I worked with Chuck and spent many hours with him at lunch and dinner (he absolutely craved the hottest, spiciest
meals) and at his various homes in LA (at separate times, Chuck owned Groucho Marx's old house as well as Dean Martin's).
Doug Thompson in Aurora

GOODBYE CHUCK
I first heard him when he was Chuck Dann. It was CKY Winnipeg 1964. A fine radio station that bred some great talents….J. Robert Wood, Chuck McCoy, George Johns, Jim Hilliard, John Wells. "Cactus" Jack Wells and Lorne (Pa Cartright) Greene protégé Richard Scott had already been around for a while. Chuck was one of The Best.
I was working in radio part time while in high school at CJOB a station that had broken Rock and Roll records in pieces on the air. Yes, some stations did that back then.
CKY "owned" The British Invasion. Chuck sounded like The Gatekeeper.
I lost track of Chuck when I went to Regina to help launch a quirky little FM station in 1966. While I was away CKY's owner Lloyd Moffat died, new management "blew up" the format and Chuck disappeared.
I found out later he went with Hilliard to Indianapolis.
In 1970, J. Robert hired me at CHUM. I suddenly found myself in a studio recording Chuck Riley as we produced the first Beatles Documentary for Syndication. Wood knew what Riley could do and wanted The Best. So we flew him in from Indy. But I remembered Chuck Riley as Chuck Dann. It was more than a little intimidating.
As I look back on The Experience, Chuck was probably the biggest all around talent I ever worked with. But Chuck was also, on the surface, The Biggest Son of a Bitch. Eventually he'd be Great. But Eventually took a lot of work. It was a battle to get him to read The Script the way we knew he could read it.
A few years later JRW decided that Chuck was the guy we should use for The Evolution of Rock. All 64 hours of it. Guess who was chosen to "direct" him?

It was decided that I would record Chuck in Indianapolis every other weekend rather than flying him into Toronto. Not a good idea. On his "home turf" Chuck was an even Bigger Son of a Bitch.
Chuck Riley was afternoon drive at WIBC, the most successful station in town. He was King of The Hill. Nobody from Toronto was going to tell him how to read.
The Operator for most of our sessions was a kid named Howard Schrott….a bright guy who obviously worshiped at the Alter of Chuck.. (Howard would later become Emmis Broadcasting's Comptroller). It would be quite a contest. After getting mentally beaten up during the first session, I came back to Toronto, listened to the tracks and got back on the first airplane to Indy.
I was going to kill The Son of A Bitch if he didn't do them right.
By the mid-70's I knew that, in order to get "performance", I had to pat most announcers on the head. Occasionally I had to kick them in the ass. But Chuck would require nothing less than a kick in the balls. Fortunately, at the time, I had a green belt in Tae Kwon Do. Like most bullies, Chuck was a chicken shit.
No…that's being unfair. He was actually a Great Guy. It just took him a little while to let me know.
Chuck Dann/Riley (real name Hanks) eventually did a wonderful "read" on The Evolution of Rock. The Show was syndicated throughout The World by TM Syndications and won Billboard Magazine's "International Documentary of The Year". Chuck would never admit that he was proud of The Show until one day he called me at CHUM to say that he'd heard it on WLS Chicago. He asked if I knew the WLS PD John Gehran. I did. Chuck said…."well, they've got some guy doing the bumpers who is trying to sound like me but sounds like crap. Tell Gehran that for a bus ticket and a peanut butter sandwich I'll go to Chicago and give them the real thing".

One of the psychological ploys I used on Riley during the recording of the voicetracks was to tell him that I thought the Evolution of Rock could be his ticket to The Big Time. My friend Ron Morey had just struck it rich in New York as the Voice of General Motors. Ron had gotten his Big Break as The Voice of Don't Say Hello I Listen to CHUM. I told Chuck I thought he was better than Ron. He just needed an Attitude Transplant.
A few years later Chuck called me at CHUM. By then, the writer of The Evolution of Rock, Bill McDonald, was working for Chuck Blore in LA. Could I ask Bill to ask Blore to critique Chuck's demo tape?
Of course.
A few weeks later Bill McDonald called me. He was trying to find Riley. Chuck Blore had recommended him for the job as backup to Ernie Anderson at ABC-TV. The Network was auditioning over the next few days and if Chuck wanted a chance at The Job he would have to get a tape in soon.
I called Chuck's home. His wife Katey told me he was in Pittsburgh interviewing for a job on L.A. Radio. Really?
I called Pittsburgh and told the switchboard operator it was an emergency. When Chuck came on the line I told him he had to get a tape to ABC in L.A. before the end of the week and he should try to sound like Ernie Anderson. Ernie who? Turn on the TV Chuck.
At 3AM the next morning Chuck called me at home. He had been recording in the studios of WIBC for a few hours. It was not going well. Could I come to Indianapolis to help him sound like Ernie Anderson? Give me a break Chuck! So I directed the audition tape over the telephone. It was the easiest "direction job" I'd ever had with him.
Two days later Chuck called me back. He had couriered the tape to ABC, but they still hadn't received it. The courier company didn't know where it was. Chuck was panicked. What could he do?

I couldn't believe I was having this conversation with him.
"Chuck it's simple. Call up ABC and tell them you'll do the audition live tomorrow afternoon….and then get yourself an airline ticket". He did. And got The Job.
But it didn't last long. Chuck was a Big Talent. But he also had a Big Mouth. King of The Hill in Indianapolis didn't amount to a Hill of Beans in L.A.
The Good News though, was that the ABC job got him one of the best agents in L.A. She must have had a lot more patience than most because Chuck quickly landed as the promo voice of CBS-TV. Guess they wanted "their" Ernie Anderson.
Since then, you've probably heard Chuck Riley hundreds, maybe thousands of times, on TV, on radio, on movie Trailers. I know I have. But I didn't hear FROM him for about ten years.
He tracked me down in London Ontario of all places. By then, he was not only The Voice of CBS-TV, but also The Voice of Emmis Broadcasting on radio. Apparently a competing L.A. radio station, KODJ, were broadcasting The Evolution of Rock to debut their Oldies Format. It was a "conflict" in his agreement with Emmis. Could I stop them? Of course I couldn't. Well…what could he tell Emmis?
"Chuck…that's easy. If they ask, simply say that fifteen years ago before you became a famous fashion model in L.A., an old boyfriend took some black and while photos of you….in the nude.. And now they're in Playboy".
"Goodbye Chuck".
Warren Cosford

What a wonderful tribute to Chuck on your website. He was a giant of a man in both stature and talent. One of the first times I ever worked with him was around 1982 or so...I was hired to do a radio spot for a movie, in which he played the voice of God and I played the dweeb God decided to talk to. I'll never forget it because I had never had a "physical" reaction to a voice before. I don't think I have since. We were at Prism Recording in Hollywood. We were sitting at a table, he was directly across from me and I'm not sure what my line was, perhaps something like, "God what should I do about such and such..." He opened his mouth and did his God lines. But his voice hit me square in the chest. Whenever he read a line I could feel my chest reverberating. It was the weirdest thing.
That's how powerful his voice was. It could travel across the room and physically hit you and you would feel it.
Although I hadn't seen him in at least 8 or 9 years I remember just about each and every time we talked either at a session or on the phone. He had an opinion about everything. He was a encyclopedia of "the best of the best according to Chuck." The best car...it was a BMW for a long while...he spoke to me on the phone one day for an hour because he had heard I was thinking about buying a Satellite Dish...he had to call to tell me exactly which Satellite Dish I would be buying.
Adam, you are so generous in sharing all of the wonderful things he did for you in your own career and your business. Truth is it was a two way street. While he helped build your business, you helped continue his career. I know you had a great affection for him and I'm sure he for you. I hope your sadness is lightened by the words that are being written by so many people here. Cheers to Chuck.
Joe Cipriano Voice Actor

Chuck was a very large part of why I became involved in broadcasting!
He, Darryl B and Deno Corrie were the coolest guys and my heros.
I was 15 years old in 1964 and was a "Teenage Tipster" for CKY (I still have my Tipster ID card signed by Dave Lyman). I listened to WLS, KOMA and Little Rock Arkansas on my crystal radio under my blankets at night but I was glued to CKY from drive till midnight and all weekend when these guys were on the air.
I hung around the radio station any chance I could. I would stand in the CKY lobby with my nose pressed against the glass watching them cue records, etc. in the main AM control room (there were no operators).
Soon I was running errands for them, getting them cigarettes and snacks at the "Hub". I would hang out with them in the remote booth at Champs Chicken on Henderson Highway or the Red Top on St. Annes Road. I would ride around with Chuck in his convertible as he pulled up beside other cars to see what station they were listening to.
I was only in junior high school but was programming (pre-taping records at CKY on weekends) all the dances at the local high school. Chuck and Darryl would record inserts for me which I would splice into my tapes:
"Hey! This is Chuck Dann from CKY radio ... who's that cute girl in the corner with the knobby knees!?"
I had ridden with Darryl B from his shift at CKY up to the North-end Y where his best friend, Rick Honey's band called the Un-Named beat Burton Cummings and the Devrons at that "famous" Battle of the Bands!
Those guys spent a LOT of time with me. They never belittled my interest. They wrote me letters of introduction which I carried with me as I traveled across North America, visiting and touring every radio station I could find!! ;)
Five years later, I formally joined the staff of CKY, ending up as Chief Engineer!!
I then designed, built or renovated over thirty AM, FM, TV stations and recording studios across Western Canada. I later created and manufactured specialized broadcast audio signal processing equipment which was sold around the world and used by every major network. J.
Robert Wood said my gear was the single biggest technical improvement ever made at CHUM. Later I introduced the concept of personal multitracking when I launched Fostex in North America, products now sold in every music store and used in almost every audio facility on the continent.
But my entire career literally began with a couple of jocks who encouraged a kid that wasn't old enough to drive. Darryl B and Chuck Dann. Now both gone.
I will never, ever forget them.
Michael Gillespie.

Damn, he was GOOD.
God bless his soul...and his family and friends.
Hugh Christopher Henry

Two Chuck Riley stories...one as an air talent...one as a VO God.
Was in my early 20's...having grown up in Indiana...moved away..and coming back home to take a radio gig in Columbus. It was January 1978 and one of the worst blizzards ever was hitting the state. I was driving by myself on I-40...in the middle of nowhere between Memphis and Nashville...wondering if I could make it home..where I would stop.
Thought I would try to get WIBC in the middle of the night...hit the button...just in time to hear "Radio Indiana...WIBC Indianapolis" the news ID voiced by Chuck. Chills went down my spine...even though I had several hundred miles to go...his voice told me I was home
Second story. For years the March of Dimes held the Wheelhorse 2 1/2 a one lap race around IMS with media personalities to draw attention to their fundraising. I was a morning talent at WCSI Columbus at the time. Starting positions came by the amount of money raised by the stations. I was fortunate to start 4th...inside 2nd row. Chuck was outside row 1.
As the race started, Riley pulled his tractor high on the race track and stopped. A whole crew of guys came streaming to the tractor. Passing the site, I had no idea until later what had happened. Riley had planned to win the race by rebuilding the tractor on site. His mechanics replaced the rear wheels with huge oversized ones...elongated the front fork so the tractor stayed level,...and installed a tip bar so his bigness wouldn't go flying off the back. With the remodeled tractor, the rest of us were no match. As we rounded turn two into the back stretch...there came Riley...flying and hollering and waving.
Clearly, he won the race...and more of my respect as a guy who always found a solution where everyone else saw a problem.
The "Life of Riley" afternoons on 1070 WIBC was a show I almost never missed. His voice and his talent will be.
Ray Massie, Program Director KNIX Phoenix.

I remember heading for Chinese food with Chuck and him explaining with fervour how "the worst sound he ever heard" was NOt of him running his Caddy into the back of a Winnipeg Transit bus, but backing up and "hearing the tinkle of all the shit falling off the front of the newly demolished front end".A fabulous, incredibly great voice. And not a bad guy, really.
Jake Marks, Winnipeg

I just wanted to let you know how deeply saddened I was to hear about Chuck's passing. He was an extraordinary voice actor and our industry has suffered a tragic loss of talent.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you....
Melanie Harrison VoiceHunter talent

With heavy hearts we received the news of Chuck Riley's passing today.
We know that he was a close friend to Adam and everyone at Voicehunter.com, and we are sorry and deeply saddened for your loss. Please send our condolences to his family and other friends. We hope you find solace and comfort in the memories he leaves behind and trust that in time your healing will begin.
John "Hoss" Hossenlopp -- Atlas Talent Agency

My name is Ron Overmyer and I am proud to say Chuck and I were friends for about 20 years.
When Cher told me about his passing I was very sad.
I met Chuck when he decided to redesign his voice over demo tapes packaging and stationary.
I am an artist.
He came to my studio booming his way in smoking and in general anouncing his arrival with all the bluster of a nor-easter blowing into town.
As a side effort I also painted canvas'.
As soon as he walked in my studio he stopped and looked around his eyes got big and he smiled saying " This is going to be fun."
It wasn't long before he had chosen a cover for his tapes and commanded that we negociate the price over drinks.
A bottle of tequilla and a bottle of Jack Daniels later we had a deal and the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
For the next 20 or so years he would purchase many of my paintings.
Those of you who have seen his house have probably seen my artwork on his walls.
Chuck , I will miss you and your generosity , buddy.
I will think of you whenever the thunder BOOMS and the heavenly wind blusters through the darkened sky.
Ron

You are so right...he will be missed...
Chuck was one of those voices that you knew was him in the first syllable of
whatever he was doing.
And you're also spot on when saying he was an inspiration... not only to those you
know, but to countless others like me that you don't know.... who had that wonderful
example of Chuck's work to shoot for.
Please know that God's grace is sufficient for all things... and He will get you thru this...
Bobby Bell - President -- Bobby Bell Productions

So sorry to read about Chuck's passing. If you recall he was the VO for WTRG/Raleigh-Durham 2000 thru early 03. Great guy to deal with. Never crotchety like some VO's. Always willing to do another read. In fact, I believe stuff I produced as used as Chuck's oldies demo, which resulted in his signing WOGL/Philly.
He also was known as "Chuck Dann", on air in Cleveland at WKYC. I remember Chuck talking about his friend Ernie Anderson quite a bit. Since I'm a big Ernie fan, it was great to listen. I believe Chuck at one time worked at WIBC/Indy. Cut the legal ID in the early 80s that still runs to this day.
A great talent Chuck Riley (Dann). He will be missed.
Chuck Mathews Voiceovers
(Audio from Chuck Mathews)

My condolences on the death of your friend.
Years ago, I discovered an old tape-reel in the basement of WZYQ-Frederick, Maryland...unedited 1974 voicework from Chuck Riley, complete with some of the funniest off-the-cuff remarks I've ever heard...most of them directed to WZYQ's General Manager, Howard Johnson. Also featured on the reel was Howard Schrott, who went on to a hugely successful career in his own right.
It SHOULD be required listening for every new broadcaster; THIS is how you communicate!
Sensitive ears, be warned: some of Mr. Riley's humor may be considered "politically incorrect" by today's vanilla standards.
To this day, I derive great pleasure and inspiration from this material. In fact, I was playing it for someone at work, earlier this week.
The minute I first heard this audio, Chuck Riley became one of my professional icons.
I'm sorry to have never met him, and know that our industry is the poorer for his demise.
Michael L. Luce --Creative Services Director -- WINC-FM
(Audio from Michael L. Luce)

Thanks so much for your tribute to Chuck Riley.
I met Chuck in '84 at Sutton, Barth & Vennari Agency. He was holding court in the lobby one day, talking about how his throat doctor had stuck a fiber-optic camera down his throat and that he'd seen his voice-box on a monitor. I asked, "What'd it look like?"
Chuck said, "I've drank enough booze to float a battle ship and smoked enough to kill the French Foreign Legion, but I gotta tell ya, my voice-box looks damned great!"
The photo on your site was taken in January '92 in New York City when New York and Los Angeles promo announcers were asked by AFTRA to attend the diffficult Network Code negotiations at CBS/Black Rock in NYC. Thirty-five of us filled the chairs in the conference room. We stood and introduced ourselves one-by-one to the network negotiators & attorneys. When they heard those deep, throaty intros: "I'm Ernie Anderson...I'm Don LaFontaine...I'm Mark Elliott...and finally, I'm Chuck Riley," management negotiators rightly gasped, ooohed, and aaahed, and signed the AFTRA contract for another three years. Thanks to Chuck's smarts & sharing his time and experience with his union, we're earning fair wages today. He was such a great character, a born story-teller, a profoundly powerful voice, and an inspiration to me and so many other voice-over folks. Along with so many others, I miss him.
Bill Ratner

I'm very sad to hear the news about Chuck Riley. I think everyone in the industry got goose bumps the first time they heard him do the infamous "from the Top Top Top Of The Empire State Building" WQHT Legal ID. That one piece of production probably inspired dozens to do what we do!
Kelly Michaels --Imaging Director -- KIMN Denver

I just wanted to pass along my condolences for Chuck. I know he was your inspiration for Voicehunter.com. and truly one of THE best voices ever. He was an inspiration to us all, and will be very missed.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Riley's family and friends.
Lisa Manning

I'm so very sad to hear of Chuck's passing. The world has lost an amazing talent. I will miss his voice.
Amy Snively

I'm shocked. He was truly a talent. What a great set of pipes. His voice will truly be missed. Being in broadcasting for almost 40 years I heard Chuck's voice everywhere. (WOGL Philly/WCBS) He'll truly be in my thoughts & prayers.
Tom Murphy VO Talent

Chuck Riley was the consummate pro. His reads were right on, each and every time. He may have gotten a little critical of how the script was written and even thrown a couple of good natured insults toward its writer. But he would always read it as written after reading it with his own edification. The best part of a session with Chuck would be his endless stories, theories and commentaries in between the lines of the script. I do not know of anyone who led a more complete and interesting life. No matter how outrageous he would be, he could immediately get back to character and deliver a more than expert read. He has been the voice of our radio station for the past five years, as he was at a station of ours prior to this one. In fact, he was the ID voice at WVBF in Boston back in the early 70's where I was a young jock. He was on the air at our sister station, WIBC Indianapolis and did imaging voice work for us. I was in awe of his delivery then and remain in awe today. In a day when image is everything, his voice makes us the best on the dial. We will miss Chuck Riley. May he rest in Peace.
Pete Falconi -Program Director
WODS - Oldies 103.3/CBS Radio - Boston

One of the great guys in the business. I worked with Chuck at KOMA in Oklahoma City and never wanted to follow him because he made me sound like a choir boy. I have some great memories. I asked him stuff like "how much did you pay for that convertible?" and he said, "I don't know. I just asked them how much the monthly payments were."
He was a News Director in Oklahoma City for a while. Never did much to prepare for a newscast. He would run to the teletype about 4 minutes before the cast and race back to the studio with teletype paper all over him---he hadn't even ripped it at the printer. Every cast would be flawless and he sounded like the most informed newscaster ever!!! More talent in his little finger than most air personalities that I had the chance to be associated with over the years.
My deepest sympathies to all his family. He was a great asset to Radio and to all of his clients.
John David
Executive Vice President/Radio
National Association of Broadcasters

Thanks for doing the tribute site. Chuck Riley was a giant in his field and one of the people I credit with getting me hooked on radio.
One of my most cherished albums (as in vinyl) is a copy of Roberta Flack's "First Take" that I won at some WIBC/Indianapolis remote in the 70's. Chuck was doing afternoons at WIBC at the time and was the talent at the remote. As a very green junior high school kid, I asked him for his autograph. He signed it, added a very kind personal message, and it remains as a reminder of the days when there were still radio stars.
I spent years trying to get hired at WBC, and finally did get to work overnight weekend shifts at the Two Story Brick On Beautiful North Illinois in about 1980. Chuck had moved on to LA by that time, but it was never lost on me that I was using the same mic that Chuck had used, and sitting in the same chair. As a Baby DJ, I learned from the people in the building like Orly Knutsson, Gary Todd, and Chuck's brother who was known as Buster Bodine at the time. But the things I heard Chuck (and his newsman Lou Palmer) do when he did afternoons at WIBC were in my head as the kind of things I wanted to do on the radio. Chuck's presence came through the radio in a way that today's listeners can't experience.
Needless to say, I never became a good enough jock to even hold Chuck Riley's empty beer glass at the Pawn Shop, one of his Indianapolis haunts. But I still remember the magic of "The Life Of Riley", Chuck's afternoon show on WIBC, and being taken back to those days every time I heard the unmistakable sound of his voice. Chuck was one of a kind and will be truly missed.
Mark Edwards, Director Of Programming --CBS Radio St. Louis

A story that always made the rounds in Indy when I worked with Chuck's brother Mike, is that the station ID for WIBC that Chuck cut in the 70s was still in use 10 years later and it drove Chuck crazy. That same ID, with Chuck's booming, unmistakable voice - "Radio Indiana...WIBC, Indianapolis" is still in use today.
My heartfelt condolences and prayers to the Hanks family for their terrible and untimely loss.
Dennis Jon Bailey

The link below shows a photo of a young 20-something Chuck and an audio example of his early "bigger than life" VO production sound in the early 60s in Oklahoma City, which he was later invited to duplicate on other Storz top 40 stations of that era in St Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, New Orleans and Miami. As a child in awe, I used to listen to my big bro's evening radio show every night on KOMA, a 50k flamethrower that covered 33 states and two foreign countries on night pattern blasting an ERP of 180,000 watts out of the center tower! (I too worked there 7 years later while attending the Univ of Oklahoma and refused to take the tower meter readings) He later became the news director and enjoyed flying the station's traffic chopper every morning until one day after landing, the pilot jumped up on top of the rotor blade with a huge wrench. Chuck asked what he was doing to which he replied "Oh, I'm just tightening the old Jesus nut." "The old what nut?" Chuck yelled back. "It's called the Jesus nut, son, because if this damn thing comes off...well, you see Jesus!" At that moment, the nut snapped and cracked into two huge metal chunks hitting the ground with a thud. From that day forward, Chuck assigned someone else to report from the KOMA traffic chopper...
Michael D. Hanks (Chuck's brother)
Link: http://deanejohnson.net/audio/KOMA_News_with_Deane_Johnson_2-8-64.shtml

Sorry to hear the news about Chuck Riley.

I was a radio major at Butler University from 1972-76, so he was an early inspiration.

Paul Bernard


I was saddened to hear of Chuck's passing. I'm so happy that I had the chance during out association with Chuck and KSCF to tell him how important, he and the WIBC Indianapolis air crew were to me growing up as a child in Indy. His brother entertained me years later as a teenager at WNAP Indianapolis.

Please give his family my very best.

Charlie Quinn - CBS Radio/San Diego

My fondest memory of my beloved brother in law occurred in January of 1998. We were on our way to Century City Hospital and Chuck was scheduled for surgery that morning. On the way he smoked one cigarette after another. Since I am an R.N., I was horrified and told him he wasn't allowed to smoke before an operation. He said, "Well, these are just to hold me over until they are finished fixing my foot." After 6 hours of surgery, and still groggy from the anesthesia, he was told he was being taken to a private suite. They wheeled the gurney in and the room was the size of a closet. Noticing this Chuck looked at my sister and said, " Honey, look, they gave me the Billy Barty suite." The orderlies started laughing and then all of us just cracked up. He continued to make fun of all the staff and doctors, he would yell out, "Did some of you go to the Marquis De Sade School of Medicine or what." An unexpected visitor arrived and he seriously said to everyone in the room, "Did I die?"
Chuck, thanks for the laughs, I'll miss you. And by the way, the chinese restaurant that delivered in fifteen minutes or less, does not have a wok in the back of their car. I checked.
Linda Baldassare -- Sister in Law

I am a freelance recording engineer in Los Angeles, and I have had the privilege of recording Chuck every Wednesday since 1999. At that time, I was working for Prism Recording, and I was just a 22 year old "kid" trying to break into the business. My boss at the time, Pat, says to me, "We have a new client for you." I thought, "Wow, I have my own client!" Pat then says, "You gotta have thick skin though, he's gonna give you a hard time. But once you prove yourself, he'll love you." I shrugged and said, "Sure", not knowing what to expect. Well, let's just say those first few sessions were scary. I remember being scared to tell him that he had popped a "P", and that I would need another take. He used to make me play the audio back to him to prove that he had indeed popped a "P". Then he would grunt and mutter something under his breath, and do another take. However, I realized that after a short while, he stopped giving me a hard time, and he began to trust me. Of course, I had no idea at the time that I was working with such a legend.

As time went on, Chuck and I developed a great friendship. Most Wednesdays, we spent 10% of our time recording and 90% of the time just shooting the breeze. He was an encyclopedia in so many areas. He used to give me long lectures about the military, politics, nature, and animals. Most people don't know that Chuck wanted to be a veterinarian when he was young, and he really loved animals. He would tell me about his dogs, or watching the birds when he lived in the Hollywood Hills, or even dealing with the water moccasins in Louisiana. He truly loved his Cajun roots, and he loved to tell me stories of his youth. Despite our age difference, we realized that we actually had a good time together. In fact, we eventually realized that we shared the same birthday!

Chuck and I did so many sessions over the years, and, during that time, I learned a great deal from him about the art of voice over. I also learned a great deal about writing copy because we all know that Chuck would re-write every piece of copy put in front of him. He would always say, "I can't write, but I can edit like a mofo." After a few years, I could tell him what changes he was going to make to the copy before he said a word, and he would always get a kick out of that.

Like many before me have said, if you could get past the gruff exterior, you would find a very gentle man with a huge heart. He was also one of the funniest men I have ever met. His humor was definitely not for the faint of heart, but it sure was funny. I have so many "Chuck" stories that I could go on forever. But most importantly, despite being difficult sometimes, he was very appreciative to those around him. After every session, he would shake my hand, look me in the eye, and say "Thank you… I mean it." And he did mean it.

We did our last session on March 21st. Obviously, I didn't know it was going to be our last session, but I remember that he didn't quite have the same zest that he usually did (I don't think that he was feeling well at all). But, like a true pro, he came in and did his job. I put the copy in front of him, he told me what he didn't like about the copy, and then he proceeded to re-write most of it. Just like every other session we had done together. Except this time, I wish I had taken the time to thank HIM, instead of him thanking me.
Well, I guess now is my chance… Thank you, Chuck, I'm gonna miss you.
Dan Montes (Engineer/Los Angeles)
(VoiceHunter.com editor's note (from Adam Goodman) -- Dan has handled the business we did with Chuck Riley in a manner a person 30 years his senior could not do. He is someone I will always work with for ANY Los Angeles based recording. VoiceHunter.com will always consider Dan part of its family. I hope over the years we can send a ton of business to Dan and in some way thank him on behalf of ALL of Chuck's clients over the past decade for making every session sound as a person of Chuck's caliber and quality would demand.)

Ever since I started listening to Hot 103 many years ago, I've had great respect for Chuck Riley. He had the kind of commanding voice that made you listen. I used to record Hot 103 and Hot 97 to audio cassette tapes all the time. I'd always leave his voice-overs in. They were just part of the aura of what 'made' what you were listening to. Over the years, I've had many plans of one day contacting him to do some of my own voice overs. When the OriginalHot97.com website went up, I finally found out who "the voice" was. I contacted VoiceHunter to get information but ran out of time and did not follow through. I figured I'd have more time to pursue him in the future and left it for later. Boy am I sorry now. Just a couple of weeks later, he's gone... And that's it... I hope somebody, someday compiles a good list of all the voice-overs he's done over the years. I think it would be a pretty cool collection to have...
R.I.P Chuck...
Sal Colascione

I will be devoting the bulk of my weekly column next week to Chuck. Having grown up listening to The Wrath of the Buzzard in Central Indiana, he certainly made an impression on me.
Kevin L. Robinson -- Audience Development Group

Memories of Chuck
I started working at WIBC in Indianapolis in 1976. It was all I ever wanted to do at the time - work at this legendary station full of personalities that were larger than life. I was originally hired as a summer relief engineer and on my first day Chuck came rolling into the engineering shop barking about something in the studio that wasn't working. All the other engineers hid under the table but I was so in awe of being in the presence of Chuck Riley I went right to work on the problem. I think Chuck was so impressed that someone - ANYONE - in the engineering group actually went to work solving his problem. It was from this point forward I, indeed, (to borrow Warren Cosford's line about me from another post on this page) prayed at the "alter of Chuck".

From there he saw to it that I got a job in production and producing his afternoon show. I was 21 years old with only meager production skills, but with Chuck's voice - everything sounded like a "million bucks". Working with Chuck was incredible. As my first "big time" radio job, he showed me how things really worked. But beyond this, he was so generous with his personal time. I can't remember how many times I was at his house for dinner…or how many times he bought dinner after a late night recording session.

Chuck always lived life to the fullest. On one of my first days at WIBC, Chuck offered to take me out for a drink after work. As it was in those days, one drink turned into more - and after more rounds than I remember 30+ years later and too many smokes, Chuck turned to me and said, "The way I see it, anything after 50 is a bonus year".

That was how Chuck lived. I am so sorry that Chuck couldn't have more than 16 bonus years. What he has taught me and the memories of our time together has given me a lot of bonus years.

PS - Thanks to Michael Luce for posting the audio of a recording session I did with Chuck - it brought back a lot of memories.
Howard Schrott

I started my radio career at CKY in Winnipeg as a board op, I worked with Chuck for 2 hours everyday. My job was to be his gopher, in production.
Chuck taught me every trick he ever knew, which was a great education for a kid like me, who was in love with radio.
Later on I realized that the reason Chuck taught me so much, was because he wanted to sneak down the fire escape to go drinking with his buddies at The Criterean Athletic Club ( on air name for what really was a beer joint )
So I ended up doing all the work and jump starting my career.
I at the time also had a rock and roll band called The Jury and forever will remember this on air comment as the band was driving to a gig.
Chuck used to do a dedication show, and people would send in requests to Chuck on the weirdest things like toilet paper, tree limbs, match book covers etc, Anyway we were all listening to Chuck, hoping he was going to play our record. When he says, Ok we've got a dedication here from a cunt.....long pause, as we were driving off the road in shock....Then Chuck continues with, in a very warm and smiley voice.......Oh I see, a country chick, some of these things are really hard to read, and hits a jingle.
I've known Chuck since 1963 and the world is a less interesting place with out him! God speed Chuck, I love you.
George Johns

"You're living the life of Riley ... on WIBC." I first met Chuck Riley in Indianapolis in the early 70's. I was a young man, perhaps 21 or 22, working full-time while attending school full time. I worked in the office of an Indy tire store, Jake Feld Tire Company. Chuck was good friends with the store owner, John Tatum. Chuck often would bring his Datsun 240Z to the store for our latest imported tires, usually Pirelli or Dunlop. And I would get to drive him to the radio station, a two-story brick building on North Illinois Street, for his afternoon "drive home" show. The store advertised on his show. And when it was time for our 60-second spot, Chuck would ad-lib the whole thing. Needless to say, each commercial was top-notch, totally unique and straight from the heart ( read: very effective advertising). Many times Chuck invited me in, right into the room where he sat, while he was on the air. How lucky I was to get to see him "show his stuff." I was completely in awe of what he could do while on the air. Do this, see that! Think this, say that! He was amazing to watch! But more than this, I was in awe of his zest for life. As many of you have already written, Chuck devoured life! Of Chuck Riley, John Tatum used to tell me, "Some people rust out; others burn out. Chuck is one who will burn out." John meant this as a high compliment to Chuck's love of life.
I'm writing this from mainland China. I'm now 55 years old and an English teacher. Chuck never knew me. He also never knew the positive impression he made on me. You see, Chuck was one of my great teachers. He taught me an important life lesson: "Live life to the fullest! Live each day as if it is your last!" Thank you, Chuck. God bless.
Will Kaiser

I'm a voiceover artist and have been a producer for a very long time.. so I've worked with everyone.. and I worked with Chuck a lot... and it was always an experience. Chuck
was quite simply a madman, and I mean that in the best possible way.
I'm proud of the work we did together, glad i had the chance to know him, and I'm sorry to see him pass... Like the true greats, he was an original, and we shall not see his like again. and my deepest condolences to Cher and all his loved ones.
Mark Klastorin

I met Chuck when I went to work at WIBC as the all night guy…Chuck was the champion and defender of all the "little people" and I was the "little-ist of the little" that summer. Chuck was supportive, gave me his time and guidance and I quickly moved to 7-12 and then on to mornings at WNAP. Chuck is the Godfather of my daughter Stephanie and he and Katy were great and warm friends…

I think that all of us that labored at the "Two Story Brick" on North Illinois have Chuck to thank for the professionalism that flourished in that legendary building. His creativity and professionalism were a huge part of the foundation that built Fairbanks into a great company and contributes to this day to the success of some of the best radio stations and broadcast groups in the country.

One quick story; when I was doing all nights at WIBC. News Director Fred Heckman taught me to write news as he and Gary Todd did all talk from 5-6am. (the show was a forerunner of the 5am start most morning shows do now) I wrote the 5:30 and the 10 minute 6am casts. No rip and read at WIBC! Chuck was filling in for Gary and he and Fred were really rolling. Harry Andrews, the long time WIBC Farm Director, did two farm reports during the hour. After the 2nd report, Chuck began questioning Harry; "Harry, maybe you can help me out…..what exactly is a canner?"…."a cutter"?…"a slote"?…and what exactly are "scours and why do calves have to take medicine for them?"….he pushed old Harry into the details like, "how do you know if a heifer is a virgin"? Chuck tied Harry into knots and Fred was laughing so hard I thought he was going to have a heart attack…absolutely great radio.

Many of you only know Chuck from the voice-over world and he was a force! However, those of us who worked with Chuck in radio know that he was one of the finest jocks to ever grace the air waves. Maybe the very best!

I know Chuck is having a rather heated discussion right now with St Peter on how disappointed he is with the Pearly Gates and his reception there…and no, he won't do any fill in for God because the copy sucks!
Bob Christy/General Manager -- Amaturo Group of LA

Chuck was one of my dearest friends for over 25 years. I was lucky enough to be one of the first, if not the first in Los Angeles to work with Chuck. I was working with Harry Marks at ABC, who said to me, "I found the next Ernie Anderson." And everyone knows how much Ernie had changed the world of voice over announcers. Harry had heard of Chuck when he was working in Indiana I believe. He brought Chuck in to read some ABC O&O spots for Family Feud. When I met Chuck he was shy if you can believe it. Once he opened up his mouth, it was pure gold. I knew he was nervous as he sat down next to the
mike, so I patted his leg and told him it was going to be all right.

Years later, we laughed as Chuck thought it was his first gay proposition in Los Angeles! From that start, I always used Chuck at ABC, NBC, and wherever else I could. I thought he was one of the best voices I had ever heard, with a range from extremely dramatic to extremely caring and comforting. It lead to a great friendship... many dinners and good times. He was very close to my parents and friends, as he was one of my family. One of the most generous men I have ever met. He had incredible knowledge, with a thirst for more.

And Chuck used to love to tell a story. And did he tell stories!
But as my friend Margaret Garb used to say to Chuck, "Oh Chuckie, I love you...you never let the truth get in the way of a good story."

The last time Chuck and I worked together was several months ago. He got to the session and he was very "un-Chuck." He didn't have that glow. He was very serious. But once he sat in that chair, and for the very first time in all of our sessions, Chuck read a two minute presentation in one take. One. For anyone who knows Chuck, that was unheard of, as he would always see how he could improve his read. But this one he nailed. It was perfect. We walked outside and talked for about twenty minutes, recalling all the times we had, which I found a bit strange. But I knew that he was holding something back. Chuck never complained about how he felt. But he looked up at me, and said, "Bobby, I started with you, and I'm going to end with you. This is the last TV gig I'll do I think. I'm tired." And we hugged, and promised each other we would get together and see my folks. We never did. But then it hit me. We never hugged in the past. We were both too macho to do that. But on that day we did. And it was one memory that I will treasure from a man who had so much fun in him, so much to give... and he lived life to the fullest. Maybe even too much. But that was Chuck's style. He never did things 100%....always 150%.

People might not realize the kind of talent we have lost. We have lost many great ones of that "gang" in just the last few years...Ernie, Chuck, Bob Ridgely...the real talents of our business. Voices you would pay attention to, voices of respect. The richness of a voice like Chuck's will never be replaced. I'm just happy that not only did I get to work with one of the true great voices in the business, but I got to share such great times with a
wonderful and dear friend. I will miss him forever.
Bob Gautieri -- Design On The Fly

Everyone knows what an incredible talent Chuck was, but I'm proud to say I truly got to know what a sweet, generous, tender man he was. I worked with Chuck for years at CBS. I had the "very easy" task of directing his reads for various promos, which usually meant sweet-talking him into reading copy that "didn't make any damn sense"...or coaxing him into say the word "GEM" instead of "JIM"...or begging him to save all stories until we were able to satellite the spot we were waiting to announce so it could air in the east coast in time.

Finding only one story to tell about Chuck is as difficult as keeping Chuck to telling only one story, but I think I'd have to say that one of my fondest memories was a Saturday that Tina, Scott ,and I spent with Chuck. We started off with a visit to his shooting range. He was so proud to watch us keep our hands steady and hit the same mark over and over again. We then went to his house for a huge BBQ with Cher. Instead of allowing us to help with the preparation and grilling, he told us to go swimming and let him take care of everything.

As we swam, Chuck came out of the house wearing an apron (I swear), and carrying a tray with glasses and a jug of Cherry Kool-Aid. I hadn't had Kool-Aid in years (by choice), but Chuck was so proud that he made it himself, that we all drank it...and actually, it was the BEST Kool-Aid I had ever had. Chuck went on to tell us that the secret was "doubling up on the Kool-Aid packets". When Chuck noticed that some crows in a tree near the pool were pooping and cawing uncontrollably, he went inside, then returned with a loud BB gun. He started shooting at them, and shouting for them to "get the hell off his property". We laughed as we dodged wayward BB's.

The BBQ was delicious, the stories were riveting, everyone had a great time...until the police showed up after responding to a complaint about "shots fired"...it was adventure for us, but just an average Saturday for Chuck.

Chuck, your knowledge and lust for life is incomparable. We love you and the world is a duller place without you in it.
Eileen Pistone Bergman

What sad news....Chuck was an incredible talent & a truly decent man. My first encounter with Chuck was producing radio & tv spots for a Van Halen album & Chuck had the "Voice Of God" read. I was an independent producer/engineer and talked Chuck into doing some additional VO's for me and put together a reel that I pitched to Warner Brothers Records. From that demo I had Warner Records as a client for over 15 years and used Chuck on a number of spots!!! My thoughts & prayers go out to Michael D. & the rest of Chuck's family
He was the essence of the VO business and I'll miss him!
Marc Graue -- Marc Graue Voice Over Studios, Burbank

I remember Chuck with great fondness and respect. When we were putting a new coat of paint on WCBS-FM, we wanted a fresh voice to image the station. Ziggy Pelzer was our in-house guy and he was great but we felt we needed another set of pipes to put sparkle in the sound of the station. I listened to dozens of auditions and many were great but when Steve Rivers and I sat down and went through all the demos, we both knew we'd found the right guy after hearing Chuck deliver the goods. It was a pretty simple decision, sort of like having the first pick in the draft and seeing Michael Jordan standing there on the sidelines smiling at you. Signing Chuck in New York was a great coup for us.
Our recording sessions were memorable to say the least. No matter how many times you asked Chuck to try it, he always found a way to make it sound fresh. Some of the best takes came when Chuck would say, "Let me try something for you." What followed was always special. He had a pro's instinct for making your script sound great. Plus Chuck loved reading great copy and would always mention that when he came across something different or unique. That kind of compliment made you feel ten feet tall when he offered up. But the best part of any session with Chuck was his "observations of the biz" between takes. He'd get rolling and the next thing you know, we'd be rolling on the floor. Chuck had seen and heard it all and wasn't afraid to call bullshit for what it was. I wish we could have used some of that stuff!
Chuck's talent cut a wide swath through the industry. He will be missed but he won't be forgotten. Thanks for hooking us up.
Dave Logan

I am so deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chuck Riley.

I worked with Chuck for many years back in the "crazy eighties." As president of my Los Angeles-based production company, L.A. Trax, Inc., I produced nearly thousand radio and television commercials for major label record albums. My clients included Capitol Records, EMI-America, Warner Brothers, Motown, Ariola and Chrysalis as well as dozens of smaller labels. I also produced hundreds of other spots, infomercials and cutting-edge media marketing tools for dozens of other companies in a pretty cool run that lasted for nearly fifteen years (from 1977 to 1992).

Chuck was amongst a stable of some pretty hot V/O talent who voiced the spots I wrote and produced. Don LaFontaine several the ads, as did so many other V/O "greats." At times, "guest stars" were called upon to voice certain projects. William Shatner, Martin Sheen and the (recently departed) Roscoe Lee Browne are just a few of the celebs I had the pleasure of working with over the years. In the late seventies, I produced all of the commercials for Casablanca Record and Filmworks, which were voiced by another legendary voice, sadly, no longer with us, Ernie Anderson.

Chuck voiced dozens of record album ads and major label video presentations for me. But probably the most notable productions I recorded with Chuck at the time were the hundred (or more) television commercials for a fledgling over-the-air subscription television service called "ON-TV" which offered their paid programming in Los Angeles and Chicago. The ads for ON-TV were great, and very distinctive. Almost all of them ended with the phrase "Call ON-TV now!" which of course was delivered in the "classic" Chuck Riley style!

I even worked with Chuck's brother, Michael Hanks, on a few commercials during that same period.

Chuck and I became good friends while working together back then. He also became a good friend, and mentor of sorts, to my assistant engineer, a young man named Rennie Young. Chuck and Rennie would often hang out after recording sessions or meet at the Hollywood restaurant that I was a founding partner of, Genghis Cohen. It was very heartwarming to me that Chuck chose to befriend Rennie, who also sadly passed away a few years ago.

One day after a recording session on a Friday afternoon in January of 1984, I was walking with Chuck to one of the cars he owned at the time, a dark blue 1982 Porsche 928 coupe. I already owned a couple cars at the time and wanted to buy a sports car. Chuck said he was thinking of selling the Porsche. I expressed interest, so Chuck said, "Hell, why don't you just take the car for the weekend. Drive it up to Santa Barbara and see if you like it. Just give me a ride home first!"

Saturday morning I drove the car up Pacific Coast Highway from my Hollywood home/studio. On the way I passed through Malibu and saw signs and flags advertising an apartment complex on the beach that was "now renting." My parents had an apartment there back in the seventies, but the complex was sold to Pepperdine University to be used to house upscale students and faculty. In late 1983, Pepperdine sold the complex to a developer who planned a condo conversion within a year or two, but had renovated the complex to rent out as apartments in the meantime.

I pulled the Porsche into the complex and, as it turned out, it was the first day the apartments were offered so I could pick any unit I wanted. I chose the very coolest apartment down on the level closest to the water, paid for a year in advance, and then continued on to Santa Barbara. I bought some new furniture and moved in to the apartment the next weekend! The new owners went belly up before they had a chance to convert the units to condos, and it would be another five years until the complex was sold again and finally converted. I had a blast at this incredible beach-front getaway pad until 1989. Had it not been for Chuck loaning me his car, I might have never even known the apartments were available to rent once again. I never did buy Chuck's Porsche, but opted instead to buy a new Corvette the following fall, of 1984.

Chuck and I remained friends for several more years, chatting from time to time, until I quit producing spots around the end of 1992. During that same year, shortly before I closed down my company, I was asked by AFTRA to take part in negotiations for a new television network promo contract. The negotiations took place in New York City. I suggested that the union fly in the top network promo voice over talents, to have their voices heard (by management rather than TV viewers). The union agreed, and flew us all in to Manhattan for the talks. One evening, after a pretty intense day of contract negotiations, I attended a little impromptu cocktail party at Don LaFontaine's suite at the Parker Meridian Hotel. Also there was Ernie Anderson, Chuck, Mark Elliot and a few others. That same day, I had just met a young Steve Kamer at a negotiating session at "Black Rock" (the New York headquarters of CBS). We became instant friends. I told Steve about the cocktail party and invited him tag along with me.

After a couple of hours of drinking at the suite, all were getting hungry, so we hit the streets of midtown Manhattan. A block or two from the hotel, we happened upon the hot, hip new Manhattan eatery, Planet Hollywood. The eight of us walked in and asked for a table. We were told that we'd have to wait at least an hour, so I took the hostess aside and told her that I was with the hottest network television announcers that most likely had heard every time she turned on her TV. I asked Ernie to say "THE LOOOOOOVE BOAT" the way he read it on ABC promos, and that did the trick. Within minutes we were seated at the best table in the house, next to a large window overooking the street.

I happened to have my camera with me and shot the (now legendary) picture of the "voice over greats" that's on your web page with the story of Chuck's passing. (Sadly, it just didn't occur to me to have Steve Kamer or a waiter shoot another shot with me included.)

With the passing of time, there are just so many memories, and so many gifted folks already gone.

What a long strange trip it was! Sadly, I had not spoken with our dear departed colleague, Chuck Riley, in over ten years.

How I would have loved to have spoken with Chuck again.

Rest in peace, my talented and deep friend with the great pipes.

Joe Klein

So much has been written about the unique personality and on-air persona that was Chuck Riley. Chuck had an intense spirit of competition, even with other announcers at the station where he was working. As a young morning talent on WNAP Indianapolis, I would occasionally get a phone call from Chuck regarding some celebrity that was due to visit the city. If Chuck couldn't work the guest into his ultra-busy afternoon show, he would call me at home and gruffly tell me about the potential guest "because I don't want that other SOB to get him." Of course, the guest would arrive, do the appearance on my show and then be ushered by a producer to Gary Todd's show on WIBC. For whatever reason, Chuck just wanted to help this brash young kid not miss an opportunity.

Little did Chuck or I know that, several years later, I would face the challenge of stepping into the huge chasm Chuck left at WIBC when he moved to LA. I was one of many that tried, but couldn't quite live up to that amazing PM Drive legend that was Chuck Riley. In retrospect, to have lasted two years and pulled at least one comparable rating book was some kind of a miracle.

Chuck also couldn't pass up a good line. In 1978, I was about to begin a 20-year run anchoring radio broadcasts of unlimited hydroplane racing. Chuck's newsman and Indy Speedway radio network icon Lou Palmer later became part of the broadcast team. It seemed only natural to call Riley about cutting some of the intros and bumpers for the broadcast. When I asked him how things were at WIBC he said, "Richards, if murder were legal, I'd hide out behind the coffee machine with a grease gun and take out every one of those self effacing sons-of-bitches." Well! Apparently, somebody had just done something. Chuck could say things just because it was a damned good line and he didn't want to waste it. I can't imagine a hateful cell in his body.

If Chuck's passing does nothing more, it has brought back memories of the most exciting times some of us had in radio. It has reminded us of why we got into the business in the first place. It has allowed us to reflect on the times when radio featured personalities that, as George Johns would say, "walked up to the hot stove, but never touch it." It was a time of true personality radio. Chuck Riley was, indisputably, one of the best. Ever.

Bob "Richards" Foster, Consultant / ME&V Advertising + Consulting

It's been over a week since Chuck got booked on the big session in the sky, Orson, Ernie, Brad, Michael and Danny are finally getting some relief...Chuck died at 66, that would be 132 years in anybody else's life, but I still find it hard to believe that he's gone. My friend lived every square inch of his life and set an example for others to explore theirs, whether they liked it or not. A guy who could find more meat on a chicken bone, savour the last drop of wine like it was a full glass, shed a tear at the beauty of a well designed machine, and laugh like thunder. This was the Chuck Riley I knew and loved. I first met Chuck in the early 80's when I was a sound engineer at Prism Recording in Hollywood. There were only a handful of Voiceover artists back then, and you had to be a God to be in game. Chuck was busy counting the words in his script, hoping to get someone to trim it from a "90" to a 60. Chuck was plagued with the conscience of a professional. If he saw a way to make a script better, flow better, or be grammatically correct, you heard about it, but back then, I swear more people came to Chuck to polish and iron out the bumps. Chuck was glad to do it, hey, his name was on it." I love it when I win one of these little battles", he used to say. The more daily battles Chuck won the better he slept, and you wouldn't want a guy like Chuck roaming around your town at 3 or 4 in the morning suffering from lack of sleep. Chuck could use all the hours in a day, and then some. 2 am was usually about all I could take. Back when drinking and driving was legal in this town, did I know 2 am. For me, work rarely ended before 10, about the time Chuck would voice his last promo. One night Chuck and I went out to dinner, it lasted for about 10 years, till I got married, and he re-married. We ate most of the city, from the chili at Barney's Beanery, to 6 pound lobsters at the Palm's. The steaks and pasta from Gino's in Woodland Hills to the blazing 10 Star curries of Canard de Bombay. We chugged tequila with my first chipotle peppers and twice re-fried beans behind the counter with the owner, Joseph at the original Seranada de Garabaldi in Boyle Heights and we survived literally hundred's of nights with Pat Prendergast and Joe Stewert eating the magnifcent spicy frogs legs with stir fried chilies at Chao Praya, they called him "Big Guy"... not to mention all the watering holes along the way, we closed them all. Chuck would tell stories of his childhood in Louisiana, like chasing his Grandmother's favorite sow down by the river, trying to pull off all the water moccasins clamped to it's belly. His father burying one arm bandit slot machines in the local swamps, and of a mysterious map of where to find them. Of his early radio days when he accidentally sat on a centerpiece giant jello map of Canada in Winnipeg, at a Christmas party. When he flew around the world, in a radio promotion, without sleep, stopping at hundred's of airport's. I seem to remember he did one of those 2 week stints on a roller coaster. Whatever I had done in my life, Chuck had done hundred's of times bigger, with more powerful headlights and sirens blaring. He was not boastful, just wouldn't settle for a mediocre time. If Chuck did something, operators were standing by.
We fired his prized pistols at a gun range in Van Nuys and test drove his new cars to Ensenada, "there are no speed limits in Mexico", he laughed at 135 MPH , Chuck lived without limits, he brought so much to the table. I am a more colorful, stronger and better person for having met Chuck. He even made me pack a pistol during the fire riots to drive into Hollywood. He was the type of guy who would toss you the keys to his truck to drive 6000 miles roundtrip to Canada to pick up your stuff.. and offer to pay for the gas.. When I dropped a heavy car jack on my toe, he was the one to show up with a bottle of bourbon for the pain. I met my wife-to-be because of him, at a Private Christmas party he gave for CBS, he called me last minute in a panic, arugala was scarce and I had a garden full of it... He bought the champagne for the wedding, and in typical Chuck style, it was the good stuff. He flew in 500 pounds of fresh live crawdads for an Entertainment Tonight party. I cooked the corn, and at 3 am found myself driving around Hollywood, looking for freezer space to store the leftovers. I would ask myself how did I get into this? ... Chuck... Whenever you were involved with Chuck on something, it just made your life more interesting, and your laugh louder. From a couple of his Hollywood homes, the cigarette burns in Dean Martin's old bedroom nightstands, to the discovery of a floor hockey game under the linoleum at Groucho Marx's house, to his famous fart trapping Prince in a studio bathroom, Chuck had stories to tell. He raised the bar in an ever changing industry and earned the respect of his fellow VO artists. I ran into Ernie with my wife in Maui a few years back, and Debbie, after hearing him speak, said, you have a beautiful voice, it reminds me of our good friend, Chuck Riley's voice. Ernie dropped to one knee, like a stone had been cast. "I taught that kid how to wipe his ass", he said..... And that may just explain a lot. He called me Bill-Boy. He gave me a gold watch one year for Christmas, the one I still wear. And so as I reminisce about Chuck, I don't want to end this, I'm laughing and I'm shedding a tear, but they're real tears, and a stronger laugh, for having known Chuck . He was the real deal...we had some great times. Maybe end this, with one of Chuck's favorite jokes just to hear his laugh one more time.
A woman calls Chuck at 2 in the morning, apologizing for the call and the hour, but says she had no choice, it took all day to get his number from his agent. She had heard a coffee spot on the radio, with Chuck's voice on it, and hearing his deep dulcet tones, it made her weak with lust. She told Chuck all the things she would do to him, if she could just come over. After a pause, and much thought, Chuck asked her, This coffee spot you heard on the radio....was it the 60 or the 30?"

Bill Sussex-Friend

I could fill pages of Chuck Riley stories, but so could anyone who knew him. He could light up a room with the twinkle in his eye. Always the life of the party, and forever capable of putting a smile on anyone's face, the sad truth is Chuck was rarely smiling inside. I've lost far too many good friends in the past from murders to suicides [both plural] and all manners of illness in between, but losing Chuck has rendered me inconsolable. It's the hardest I've ever been hit by anyone's passing. I'm finding some comfort in knowing he's in a place that's finally bringing him the happiness that he brought to everyone but himself while he was here. For some time now, I had 'Call Chuck' on my to-do list. Now it will be a really long distance call. I meant to do it, but life got in the way. Don't let that happen to you. Call someone you love right now."
Adam Goodman, agent/founder of VoiceHunter.com said: "For many years the line I would use to promote Chuck was 'The VO guy the other VO guys looked up to.' He was, to many, one of the best that ever lived."

Memories of Chuck Riley from Brent Seltzer (r) I was working at KZLA as morning newsgoon and assistant news director, when Rollye James, our assistant pd [a truly terrific talent and great fun to work with] told me she was bringing in Chuck Riley from Indianapolis to do mornings. "Chuck was doing afternoon drive at the time, make that owning afternoon drive at WIBC-Indianapolis. When Chuck arrived at KZLA we were still playing rock and roll and our ARB had jumped from 2.3 to 3.3 because KIIS-AM went God and we ran ads on KIIS telling folks to join us for the music they liked...and they did!
Chuck scared the crap out of a lot of folks at the station with his stylish swagger, but he was great to work with and got a wonderful audience response. He once said to me, 'I don't care who gets the punch-line at 7:10 in the morning, just so long as there is a punch-line at 7:10 in the morning.' Chuck was anxious to work in a major market because he wanted to push his VO career. I was doing some VO at the time and since our vocal ranges were so different, and because I loved working with Rollye, I gave him a copy of my contact list along with a Thomas Brothers map that had green dots at the locations of casting and production places. Chuck was very honestly moved by my simple act of friendship and although we didn't really hang out that much, whenever we saw each other it was like family at Thanksgiving.
At my farewell party at KZLA, Chuck gave me a 5 gallon bottle of Vodka with a card that said, 'Call in two years when you either finish the bottle or sober up. Ten years later I ran into Chuck at LA Studios to do a session. He came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'So...you finished the bottle?'
There are certain people in our industry that I've worked with, Chuck Riley was one, Ron Jacobs was another, whose presence either moved people or totally offended them. However, every minute you were with those folks, you knew two things: you were alive and, more importantly, you knew you just might win. Chuck Riley will be missed because he won't be forgotten.

At VoiceHunter.com, Adam Goodman provided the best demo of Chuck he could offer: http://www.voicehunter.com/Riley,Chuck.mp3. "I can't describe how sad I am to listen to it but even more so-proud," said Adam.

Don Elliot knew Chuck Riley back in the days of KOMA in Oklahoma City when he went there as 'Chuck Dan.' "They changed his name to Charlie Tuna," remembered Elliot. "He was the first Charlie Tuna BEFORE the KBIG Charlie Tuna followed him at KOMA and they made him keep the 'station name.'"
Neil Ross remembered 'Chuck Dann' working nights and the station's nighttime signal in those days covered a vast area. "I can recall hearing him on many nights when I was in Salt Lake City and marveling at his pipes and his talent. I told him so when we met and he regaled me with tales of the days at KOMA. One of his stories involved giving Charlie Tuna his name.
"Perhaps because of the radio connection, whenever we met he was always unfailingly polite, friendly and helpful to me despite the fact that at the time he was one of the kings of the industry and I was still basically a schlepper. While his time in L.A. radio was brief, his impact in voiceovers was huge. He deserves to be respected and remembered for that," wrote Neil Ross.

Chuck Riley's brother is planning a memorial event for later this month. Riley requested that he be cremated.