The World's Most Durable DJ : Uncle Ray
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Born Reinaldo Maria Cordeiro to a Portuguese family in Hong Kong, Uncle Ray earned the title 'World's Most Durable DJ' by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2000.
He discovered his love for music as a refugee in Macau, where his family sought shelter following the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941.
In 1944, during a New Year's Eve party organized by the refugees, they hired the local Pinky Pinetta big band. Enamored by their performance and inspired by jazz drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, he decided to learn the drums.
While working at HSBC for four years after the war, a job that bored him, he also played as a drummer with his band, The Telstars, at jazz clubs.
At the age of 25, Cordeiro started writing scripts for Hong Kong's premier radio station, Radio Rediffusion and hosted the program Progressive Jazz.
In the 1950s, he launched a highly successful show called Rumpus Time, which featured live performances by local bands. This platform helped launch the careers of groups like The Fabulous Echoes and artists like Mona Fong.
He became so famous that fans would surround his studio, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. After a period as a producer at Radio Television Hong Kong, he returned to radio to host his most renowned show, All The Way With Ray.
The show aired for over 50 years, from 1970 until his retirement in 2021 at the age of 96.
Cordeiro had an outstanding career and was voted Hong Kong's top radio jockey for four consecutive years. He interviewed visiting virtuosos such as Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, the Bee Gees, and Tony Bennett.
In 1964, he interviewed the Beatles three times in one week and famously walked out on pop star Rod Stewart before an interview in 1974. Hong Kongers worldwide tuned in to his station to experience a sense of home.
In 1987, he received the title of Member of the British Empire (MBE) and was awarded an honorary doctorate in social science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2022.
Uncle Ray passed away on January 13, 2023, at the age of 98. Still, his voice, iconic newsboy cap, and grey beard evoke a sense of familiarity and comfort to every listener he had.
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