His real name is Philip Yarbrough, but he is known by his on-air name, Bill Drake. He chose the now legendary last name from among his relatives' surnames because it rhymed with WAKE, the AM radio station in Atlanta, USA where he worked in the 1950s. He accepted radio work in San Francisco and it was in California that he met Lester Eugene Chenault, who became his business partner. Together, the pair developed highly influential radio programming strategies and tactics. They were hired to turn KHJ in Los Angeles from a financial and ratings loser into a success. In 1965 they Drake and Chenault accomplished this with the Boss Radio format that turned the station into the most popular Los Angeles radio station at the time. Bill Drake also programmed KFRC in San Francisco.