Local jazz icon passes at 72
By Bernie Hayes
For the St. Louis American
Veteran broadcaster and jazz elder Leo Chears, known to his fans and audiences as The Man in the Red Vest, a protégé of the legendary Jessie “Spider” Burks, passed away Monday, January 2, 2006, in Barnes-Jewish Hospital of congestive heart failure. Chears had suffered for years with a debilitating case of arthritis and gout. He was 72.
The number and diversity of those who mourn Chears is overwhelming, as is their recounting of their relationships with their departed friend.
“When I entered Lincoln High School in 1953, Leo Chears was a seasoned senior who worked on the Lincoln Mirror, wore double-breasted, belt-in-back Bennies, inhaled and exhaled jazz, and engaged in civil rights activism,” said the poet Eugene B. Redmond.
“As far his jazz broadcasting, Leo accepted the baton from the great Spider Burks. His elocution was reminiscent of the baritone sax, whereas that of his mentor was similar to the tenor.”
Frank Absher, radio historian and friend, said, “No one on the radio today even comes close to the quality of Leo Chears’ work. His name was synonymous with jazz in St. Louis. He didn’t have to try to sound cool or hip. You just knew he knew what he was talking about and loved what he did.”
Richard Henderson, president of Crusaders for Jazz, said, “He kept me up for hours, sometimes from my own job. He always so vigorously expressed the enthusiasm for jazz music and people. He had a gift for quietly making whomever he was with feel successful, confident, peaceful or hopeful.”
The jazz critic Rosco Crenshaw, who will serve as pallbearer at Sunday’s funeral, said, “In the middle nineties, I had a jazz radio show at Webster University. Leo was always extremely supportive, with indirect and direct advice. He was that positive force.”
Crenshaw added, “He knew the history. He had a passion for the music. He did some priceless interviews, people like Billie Eckstein, Johnny Hartmann, the list is almost endless.”
“Leo is the last of the old-school deejays. He was a giant in the industry,” said Ross Gentile, host of Standard in Jazz and longtime friend and co-worker of Chears at WSIE.
“Everyone learned something from Leo, and his co-workers and students at SIUE will miss him. He meant everything to me.”
‘Race man’ and DJ
Chears was born on August 27, 1933 in Lamar, Mississippi. In 1940 his family moved to Brooklyn, Illinois and then in 1943 to East St. Louis, where he attended school. In 1955, he married the former Betty Stewart of East St. Louis.
As a young man, Chears wrote for the East St. Louis Monitor. In his column Station Break, he kept readers informed about happenings in the East St. Louis metropolitan area. His column ran for 42 years.
“Early on, the column was as much social commentary as about jazz,” said Redmond. “He picked up the mantle of ‘race man,’ much like Carter G. Woodson, James Weldon Johnson and Langston Hughes.”
Chears began his broadcasting career in 1962 at WBBR in East St. Louis, working with E. Rodney Jones and Yvonne Daniels. Before his full-time on-air position, he played gospel music on WTMV, the predecessor to WBBR. His program was sponsored by Roland Austin’s Radio and TV Repair.
In the mid-sixties, Chears worked at KADI-FM, owned by Richard R. Miller. Miller said, “I don’t think anyone will ever be able to fully realize the impact that Leo has made on the people around him. We will miss him.”
Chears made local radio history in 1968 when he became the first full-time black disc jockey hired on Pulitzer’s KSD Radio.
“The red vest came into play when I was at KSD in the early 70s,” Chears told the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville campus newspaper.
“Anheueser-Busch wanted to buy my show, and they said they knew that they were buying Leo Chears, but they wanted to call the show something else. So, when I was meeting with them at the agency, I had a red vest on. I said, ‘Listen, how about calling me The Man in the Red Vest, because when you go into a nice lounge the bartender usually has a red vest on and a red vest is in your colors.’”
Chears continued, “And so, they bought it. And they’ve bought me a ton of red vests over the years.”
Later, Chears worked at WRTH. For the past 16 years, he was the overnight voice of WSIE-FM. Chronic arthritis plagued him, and he eventually did his nightly radio program on WSIE-FM from his home.
Chears’ distinguished career won him many honors, and his wide range of interests garnered him many friends and admirers. From October 19-22, 2005, Jazz at the Bistro presented “A Tribute to Leo Chears” with Joey DeFrancesco, Houston Person and Marlena Shaw.
Chears’ daughter Terri Chears-Long of Belleville said, “Even though we all knew this day was going to happen, we’re never prepared. My mother is doing fine, because she has so many family members around her. I know she will miss my father and her best friend. We children will always remember a father that was a very hard worker, dedicated husband and father.”
In addition to his wife and daughter, Chears is survived by his son, Kelvin Chears of Florissant; another daughter, Florence Chears-Lawrence of Belleville; four sisters, Margaret White of Chicago, Juanita Chears of East St. Louis, and Iris Hampton and Annie Mitchell, both of Florissant; two brothers, Bernard Chears and Eddie Chears, both of Chicago; and five grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, January 7 at Nash Funeral Home, 144 North 16th St. in East St. Louis. The funeral service will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church, 3424 LaSalle Street in St. Louis. Burial will be in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
