His voice and name are legendary among the annals of Top 40 Radio History.

 Ron Lundy was a legend. His meteoric rise began in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. He was scouted out by another Top 40 radio legend, Dan Ingram, to work at a station in St. Louis before getting the big call in the mid 1960's to work at Top 40 powerhouse WABC in New York.

 His voice wasn't deep and at times he didn't seem real smooth. But the reason people loved Ron Lundy was because of his good naturedness. They knew when they turned on the radio and heard him holler his trademark "Hello Luv!" that they would be spending time with good music and a good friend.

 Lundy had an amazing nearly 20 year on WABC. But in 1982 the reign came to an end. For many who study Top 40 radio as a hobby, May 10th, 1982 was known as "The Day The Music Died". It's the date when WABC scrapped it's legendary music format and opted for a new plan based on news and talk shows. Ron Lundy had hit the end of the road. Or so it seemed.

 In 1984, Lundy was picked up by a rival New York station, WCBS-FM. It's format: oldies. The type of music Lundy had been playing for years. He again ruled New York radio. This time for another 13 years. In September of 1997, Lundy signed off for the final time at WCBS-FM. Then, he virtually disappeared.

 Fast forward ahead 10 years. I am in the midst of researching Top 40 radio history and I come across the story of Ron Lundy and his amazing success and then his virtual disappearance. Was he dead? Was he hiding? What was the story? Being the journalist that I am, I started to dig. Turns out, it wasn't as tough as I thought it was going to be.

 I stuided airchecks of Lundy's last show on WCBS-FM. I heard him mention, albeit briefly, that he was planning on retiring to a farm in Mississippi. This smacked me as odd.  A media legend who helped shape the art form of Top 40 radio was going to be living on a farm? In Mississippi?

 This kernel of knowledge was my first, best and...honestly...only piece of information to go on. So I started digging and searching for residential property records in Mississippi. And in a small town in central Mississippi, I got a hit. Ron Lundy. A phone number but no address. I paused for a moment. What should I do here? I don't want to call this guy out of the blue and potentially shock him with admiration. So I wrote a letter. The front of it was simply addressed to Ron Lundy and the town's name in Mississippi. I popped it in the mail hoping for a response but not sure what I would receive back, if anything.

 Two weeks later a small, yellow envelope appeared in my mailbox. The return address label said: Ron Lundy. I couldn't believe it. I was like a kid in a candy store. The kid on Christmas morning who was hoping for presents and then didn't know what to do when the presents appeared.

 I carefully tore open the envelope, like it was made of tissue paper, and carefully opened the note inside. The stationary boldy declared "Ron Lundy". Hand-written in blue ink was the following;

 "Hello Brian,
       You found me! I'm glad you did. To receive a letter like yours was such a pleasure, especially from one of my fellow broadcasters.
       New York City was truly the greatest city in the world to me. After 32 years I didn't want to wear out my welcome so I retired.
       Brian, I hope you find whatever you are looking for, and it will be as good for you as it was for me.
       Thanks for the letter. It meant a lot to me.
                                   Ron Lundy"

 I sat there and re-read it a couple of times. So simple and yet so polished. He had answered a letter from left field in the nicest way possible. It re-affirmed my belief about Ron Lundy. That his on-air "act" wasn't an act, it was genuine because he was being himself.

 I keep this letter securely tucked away in a drawer. Away from the harm that a 3-year-old and a 7-month-old can accidentally inflict.

 I've got it on my desk right now as I'm typing this blog.

 I never wrote back to Ron Lundy. I didn't know if I should. I didn't know if he would want me to. Maybe I will at some point, to see how he is doing. To ask him how he has been able to stay away from daily broadcasting for over a decade now. It's tough to fathom because he was, and I imagine still is, so good at it.

 I want to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. The following links will allow you to listen to several Ron Lundy airchecks. They are courtesy the folks at Musicradio77.com .

 Ron Lundy's first air shift on WABC; September 1, 1965
 Ron Lundy on WABC; June 27, 1970
 Ron Lundy on WABC; December 25, 1975
 Ron Lundy on WABC: September 1980
 Ron Lundy on WABC: The Day The Music Died; May 10, 1982

 Quote Of The Day: "Hello luv this is Ron Lundy from the greatest city in the world!" The phrase Ron Lundy used to begin his program on WABC Radio in New York.

 This Day In History: James Madison Randolph, the grandson of Thomas Jefferson, becomes the first child to ever be born in the White House on January 17, 1806.

 That's it for now. As always thanks for stopping by. Feel free to e-mail if you wish!