On July 26, 2016 the Lehigh Valley arts community lost a wonderful friend. Otto Bost, aka, “Folk Dude” died suddenly while he was on vacation visiting family in North Carolina. Otto was in the original line-up of radio programmers when WDIY went on-air in 1995. His talents as an audio engineer, broadcast announcer, and live emcee helped WDIY to sound great in its first decades.
Otto produced and hosted the long-running Monday night folk show, “Acoustic Eclectic.” He deftly interviewed, recorded and presented many artists who came through the Lehigh Valley from 1995 through 2006. He recorded an astounding number of studio performances from a wide range of today’s most talented musicians. Selected recordings were included on WDIY’s fundraising CD compilations, Studio Sessions, Volume 1 (1999), and Studio Sessions, Volume 2 (2001). After retiring from “Acoustic Eclectic,” Otto became a weekly announcer and board operator for WDIY’s broadcast of “All Things Considered” from NPR.
Otto’s many talents were the focus of his business, FolkDude Creative Services, which, like WDIY’s studios, was based on Bethlehem’s south side. He documented many WDIY parties and events, providing the station and his clients with memorable photographs and videos. He was a fine singer and songwriter too – check out the CD “South Side Sunday Nights,” recorded at Godfrey Daniels.
The sound of his warm baritone will always be with us, whether it’s on the many recordings he produced or in the memories of those who listened to his broadcasts. We are truly grateful for his creative gifts that he so freely shared with us. Rest in peace, Otto Bost. We’ll miss you!
With love from your WDIY family
(Read Otto's obituary in the Morning Call with information on the memorial service here)