He was 85.
In his six-decade career, he introduced listeners to an array of musicians, from Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, to small local acts that may never have found an audience without him.
Shay opened the door to new worlds of music for thousands of Philadelphia-area listeners, escaping into a sound that was exotic in the urban Northeast with artists like David Amram, Leo Kottke, Geoff Muldaur — performers you couldn’t hear anywhere else on the radio.
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“I loved the way he put together his shows,” Dye remembered. “His music was always linked in some way, and then he was totally low-key, funny. He was a guiding light for me on how to be on the radio, and I loved him for that.”
Shay’s show featured live performances and conversations with artists he befriended, making listeners feel like they were in on something special.
In 1967, his listeners were among the first to hear Joni Mitchell play a new song: “Both Sides, Now.” She told Shay that her friend, Dave Van Ronk, insisted on calling it “Clouds.” Later, she would record the song — one of her best known — and call the album “Clouds.”
Shay — who was often referred to as the dean of folk DJs — was also one of the founders of the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 1962. He emceed the festival, replete with dad jokes, until 2016.
“The ambience he created onstage was one of the special things that distinguished the Philadelphia Folk Festival,” said Dye, who co-hosted the festival with Shay several times.
Shay’s sign-off from the 1976 festival was included in an anthology he produced for the event’s 40th anniversary. It was during the late singer-songwriter Steve Goodman’s rendition of “Goodnight Irene.”
Goodman called Shay to the stage and said the performers would back him up while he made his announcements.
“It’s just like the radio, Gene,” said Goodman, prompting Shay to vamp in a carnival barker voice, with a message that fans may find comfort in:
“It looks like we’ve come to the end of a Philadelphia Folk Festival, and I wanna say, it’s been so nice having you here.”