Jess Cain

Jess Daniel Dennis Cain II (June 17, 1926 – February 14, 2008) was an American radio personality, actor, and World War II veteran. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he attended Northeast Catholic High School before earning a degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Cain served in World War II under Audie Murphy at the Battle of the Bulge, for which he was awarded the Silver Star. Following his military service, he pursued a career in performance, working across theater, musical theater, and early television. In 1951, he appeared on Broadway in the play Stalag 17. He also had a role in the early television series The Phil Silvers Show, known alternatively as Sergeant Bilko.

The longest and most prominent chapter of Cain's career was in radio. From 1957 to 1991, a span of 34 years, he served as the morning drive-time personality on WHDH/850 in Boston. In 1970, he publicly criticized Johnny Cash's anti-war song "What is Truth?," describing it as "junk" and "trash." Cain also adapted an old ragtime tune called "Shoutin' Liza Trombone" into a song about baseball player Carl Yastrzemski. That recording appeared on The Impossible Dream, an album commemorating the 1967 Boston Red Sox season, and was later included in the soundtrack of the 2005 film Fever Pitch.

Cain died of prostate cancer at his home on Beacon Hill at the age of 81. In November 2008, he was inducted posthumously into the National Radio Hall of Fame.