The iconic DJ, who died earlier this month at age 97 after 79 years on the air, leaves a lasting legacy.
He was among the first DJs to play rock ‘n’ roll records on the radio in Southern California. He was among the first to do listener dedications on the radio. He was the man who coined the term “Oldies but Goodies” and later launched a record company dedicated to the preservation of those tunes. The year 2022 marked 79 continuous years on the air.
His radio career began at KSAN in San Francisco in part because he held a full radio telegram broadcast license, and the station needed licensed announcers, having lost many to the war effort. As told by LARadio.Com’s Don Barrett, “With some trepidation he went to the station and was taken to see the general manager, a gruff man who declared that Art had a squeaky voice and was too young.
It was at KSAN where he took on the name of Art Laboe, a suggestion by a boss to sound more American.But it was in the Los Angeles area where he made his mark. He started hosting live broadcasts where teens from all over the area — and of all races and cultural backgrounds — would come to hear the latest records and be part of a burgeoning music scene. You might say that Laboe helped to desegregate the city through music and dedications.
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