Bernie Quayle is a well-known radio presenter (announcer) from the Isle of Man, recognized for his long-standing association with MANX Radio. Over the years, he became a familiar voice to listeners on the island, hosting a variety of shows and contributing significantly to the station’s popularity.
Quayle’s engaging style, deep knowledge of local affairs, and warm personality made him a beloved figure in Manx broadcasting. In addition to his radio career, Bernie was involved in community events and has played an active role in promoting Manx culture and heritage through his work and public appearances.
Born on January 28, 1941, at the beginning of WWII, he was undoubtedly much too young to remember any of the fighting. Starting in radio at an early age, he joined MANX Radio on the Isle of Man in the early 1960s, before moving to KNOX Radio in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1967.
A radio celebrity by then, he had a crowd of some 3,000 fans waiting at the airport for his arrival. By this time, he had been crowned “Sir Bernie Quayle – Knight of the Turntable.” Staying with KNOX for two years, the lure of home brought him back to England.
In 1989, Bernie began a long-running radio show on MANX called “The Late Show.” For folks in the United Kingdom, this was actually midday for those of us in Alaska because of the time difference.
MANX broadcast to thousands of listeners around the world during that time and still does. At the time, with the computer’s age, streaming live was in its infancy. That’s how I came to know Bernie. My work computer, when not in official use, would be tuned in to MANX.
Bernie’s soft voice was easy to listen to, and his taste in music was the same as mine. I’d sometimes place his show on the shop intercom, and for short periods, the mechanics tuned in as well. We became known to Bernie and MANX listeners as Mike and the Mechanics from Alaska.
The MANX Radio studio was chock-full of tunes that American stations didn’t have, and one of those songs was “Linda Sue Dixon” by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. I recalled this hit from around 1968, before it all but disappeared. When I asked Bernie via email if he still had the record, he replied that he did.
After asking for my address in Anchorage, two weeks later, I received a bootleg copy of the song courtesy of Mr. Quayle. In return, I sent him a large box of chocolates from Alaska Wild Berry Products. He shared them with the station employees, and they turned out to be a big hit, while the company received some free advertising.
Bernie wanted to know about Alaska, and several times he’d call and put me on live, with my task to tell the world about life in “The Last Frontier.” My shop leadman, Brian Flaherty, also did a radio episode, talking about the wild moose and bear that often visited our compound. Brian and I might’ve promoted Alaska better than the professionals.
It was humbling that our shop was chosen to represent the state by Bernie Quayle, because the man was friends with many celebrities, such as The Bee Gees, Andrea Bocelli, The Coasters, and others. He could’ve just as easily dialed up Governor Sarah Palin instead of us.
I still listened to MANX after relocating to Arizona, but Bernie had retired by then. The last news I received about Quayle was that he was having serious medical issues, with dementia a big part of it.
When Bernie passed away on January 22, 2022, at the age of 80, all of those occasions when we chatted or emailed came flooding back. I still have the tape of “Linda Sue Dixon” safely tucked away, with Bernie telling me at the time he sent it, why radio stations across the US stopped playing the controversial song.
The initials for Linda Sue Dixon, of course, are LSD. I’d never known that, or at least hadn’t noticed, and I’ll never forget, thanks to “Sir Bernie Quayle.”
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