Joseph K. Bevilacqua (born January 2, 1959) is an American actor, producer, director, author, dramatist, humorist, cartoonist, and documentarian.
Biography
Early life
Bevilacqua was born on January 2, 1959, in Newark, New Jersey, the son of a policeman, Joseph Bevilacqua Sr., and a housewife, the former Joan Kvidahl. Bevilacqua began performing as a child. His family moved to Iselin, New Jersey in 1965. In 1971, he began recording his first audio stories, Willoughby and the Professor, half hour stories, in which he performed all of the voices himself, creating live sound effects, and scoring with 78 RPM records he found in his attic.
According to NPR, Bevilacqua sent a 120-minute cassette of his Willoughby stories to voice actor Daws Butler, the voice of Yogi Bear, Quickdraw McGraw, Huckleberry Hound and other Hanna-Barbera and Jay Ward cartoon characters. Butler soon dubbed himself Bevilacqua's mentor.
Author
Joe Bevilacqua has written and edited a number of books, including Daws Butler, Characters Actor, the authorized biography of his mentor and the voice of Yogi Bear. He co-authored the script book Uncle Dunkle and Donnie with Daws Butler and edited Butler's Scenes for Actors and Voices workbook. He has also written many liner notes on the history of radio for Radio Spirits releases.
Radio career
Bevilacqua also worked for WBGO, Jazz 88 in Newark, NJ, and produced documentaries for WNYC, New York Public Radio, on jazz legends including Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Cab Calloway, and Lionel Hampton. His features play on NPR.
He is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, and in 2009, Bevilacqua presented his commentary for Marketplace. about his "green lifestyle".
As of June 2014, Bevilacqua had 14 regularly airing radio series, and 34 hours of new radio per month.
The Joe Bev Hour
The Joe Bev Hour is the umbrella named used by radio stations for all of his productions syndicated worldwide: The Comedy-O-Rama Hour is improvised radio theater, performed by regulars Bevilacqua, Lorie Kellogg, Kenny Savoy, Jim Folly and guest stars Rick Overton, Judy Tenuta, Bob Camp (co-creator of Ren and Stimpy), Shelley Berman, Al Franken (before he was a Senator), Bob Edwards, Julie Newmar and Stuart Pankin. The series had a four-year run on Sirius XM Radio before moving to syndication. The Jazz-O-Rama Hour is a music show hosted by Bevilacqua, featuring 78 RPM and early LP recordings remastered from his own personal collection spanning the 1920s to the 1960s. The Joe Bev Experience is an omnibus of documentaries, interviews, comedy and drama. Cartoon Carnival is an hour of rare and classic cartoon audio, children's records, cartoon music and sound effects, new radio cartoons, interviews and mini-documentaries about the animation. The Joe Bev Audio Theater is an anthology of drama and humor storytelling with full casts, sound effects and music. The Joe Bev Hour Sunday Edition is a rotating lineup which includes The Comedy-O-Rama, The Joe Bev Experience, Cartoon Carnival, and The Joe Bev Audio Theater.
Stations running The Joe Bev Hour including WGTD, Wisconsin Public Radio, Sound Stages Radio, WHRO-Norfolk, VA, The 1920s Radio Network, Toon Radio, Pawling Public Radio, Radio New Zealand, WGTD, Wisconsin Public Radio, Sound Stages Radio, WHRO-Norfolk, VA, The 1920s Radio Network, Toon Radio, Pawling Public Radio, Radio New Zealand, Prairie Public, Moab Public Radio, KAZU, WNMU-FM, KREV, WMMT, KAWC, Red River Radio Network, Marfa Public Radio, KCUR, WEZU, WSNC, Troy Public Radio, WCMU Public Radio, WRPI, KUAT, KUHF, KVMR, WRFA, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WHRV, KVMR, WUCF, WFIU, KRPS, KUT, WLRN, WTIP, WNCU, KEOS, KRUA, New Hampshire Public Radio, KGOU, Delta College Public Radio, WPSU, Northeast Indiana Public Radio, KMXT, KUFM - Montana Public Radio, WEFT, Northern Community Radio - KAXE & KBXE, WRVO, WYSO, WMPG, WGUC, KRPS, WEKU, Oregon Public Broadcasting, WXXI, Yellowstone Public Radio, Robin Hood Radio/ WHDD AM 1020/FM 91.9-WLHV FM 88.1 /WGHQ AM 920, WHRV, WVAS, WDCB, WMUK, KCCK, WAMC, Here and Now, WGBH, KWIT, KDUR, WGUC, WJFF, WILL, WNPR, WCAI/WNAN, KTNA, WKSU, WKMS, AMU, KSTX (KPAC), KERA, WFCR, WUAL, KZYX, KCPW, Stan, Delmarva Public Radio, KRCB, WKNO, KSJD, KFSR, KUHF, KQED, Spokane Public Radio, WUIS, WEKU, WEPS, WNCU, WPSU, KUOW, KUHB, KTXK, Raven Radio, WQUB, WCOM, WMUB, KGLT, KDNK, KMXT, KSFR, WVPE, South Dakota Public Broadcasting - Radio, KSUT, KUVO, KDLG, KVNF, KUHB, Yellowstone Public Radio, WERU, KSRQ, WKSU, KRCB, GAUF, WUSM, WDNA, KUGS, WGCU, KFAI, WUTS, East Village Radio, KAOS, KBBI.