Dec 31, 2020
Robert Leonard Tulgetske, 78, aka Bob Edwards aka The Voice of Country Music, has signed off the air one last time Dec. 29, 2020. Bob was born on Feb. 10, 1942 to Roland and Viola Tulgetske in Rogers City, Michigan where he spent his formative years.
As a young boy, Bob was fascinated with radio and loved the radio shows of the day. Bob and a friend Mark Heller set up a studio in Heller’s bedroom that could broadcast onto the family stereo. Bob and Heller put on entire shows for the entertainment of their listening audience, which consisted of Mrs. Heller. As an adult he managed to find a larger audience. From 1960-1963 Bob served in the military as a tank loader on M-48 tanks and as a Jeep driver for the S-3 division stationed in Hawaii. He would often joke that his job was to “protect the pineapples.” While serving in the military he became stage manager for the special services entertainment division working on “Come Blow Your Horn” and acting in “Time Limit”: He also produced shows with Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Ferlin Huskey, Dick and Dee Dee, The Shirelles, Gene Pitney, The Cascades and The All-Pacific Entertainment Show. Radio however was always his calling. Put in his words “All I ever wanted to do was radio.” After being honorably discharged from the service his broadcast career began. Aside from a small stint as a news broadcaster he primarily worked in radio. Bob started his career in 1964 at WHAK in Rogers City. He also worked at WHSB Alpena, WMKC St Ignace, WYTW Cadillac, WTOM-TV Cheboygan and TV 9&10 Cadillac. Bob worked as Music Director, Program Director, and Assistant Manager at WHAK where he was also the host of the Morning show. During his career he frequently traveled to Nashville to attend the Country Radio Seminars where he interviewed and became friends with many in the country music industry such as Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker & Chet Atkins. For years he was Master of Ceremonies for numerous country shows, as well as area functions, including the Annual Posen Potato Queen Pageant & The Alpena Area Junior Miss Pageant. In May of 1997 Bob was inducted into the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame, forever cementing his legacy as “Country Bob”. After retiring from broadcasting in 2011 he continued to be active in many aspects of the music industry. He transformed his garage into a recording studio in hopes of helping up and coming artists launch their careers. He was instrumental in bringing the Hillman Community Radio to life as the Vice Chairman and served as a council member for the Village of Hillman. Bob both wrote and produced many Christmas plays presented as old-time radio shows for the Brush Creek Mill in Hillman. He also had his hand in bringing to Hillman the bandshell which he was very proud of. He loved to share the joy of music with everyone. Bob was an avid storyteller and could sit for hours talking about his younger years. His soft voice and laid-back personality will be missed by friends, family, and his listening audience.