Art Laboe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Art Laboe (born c.1925) is an American pioneering disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner who is generally credited with coining the term "Oldies But Goodies."
In the early 1950's, Art Laboe was one of the first West Coast disc Jockeys to play Rock & Roll on the radio and one of the first to play black and white artists. In 1956, his show on KPOP radio was the #1 radio program in the Los Angeles area. He acted as MC for early Rock performers such as Jerry Lee Lewis at concerts at the El Monte Legion Stadium and the Hollywood Bowl. In 1958 his dance party show came to KTLA television in Los Angeles. He later rescued KRLA radio from near oblivion, turning it into one of the top three stations in the west coast market.
Through his "Original Sound Records" company, Laboe put together the first-ever record album to feature hit songs by various artists. Titled "Oldies But Goodies," the album stayed on Billboard magazine's Top 100 LPs chart for over three years. For decades, Laboe was at the heart of the West Coast music scene and the city of Los Angeles declared July 17, 1981 to be "Art Laboe Day" when he received a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. Art Laboe memorabilia can be seen at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum's interactive Rock and Radio exhibit in Cleveland, Ohio.
Today, Art Laboe continues in music as an MC, promoter, and Internet disc jockey. His "Killer Oldies" show can be heard every Sunday night in select cities across the West Coast. In 2006, he announced he will also do a nightly show (Monday through Friday) for select stations that already carry his Sunday Night show, stations like KDES and KHHT have already signed on with more expected to follow. You can now hear him on koko94.com. His radio programs are now based out of Fresno,CA (KOKO 94.3 FM)Every Monday Thru Friday 7pm - Midnight he is live taking requests an dedications. Radio’s legendary Art Laboe, who’s Sunday evening dedication show on Hot 92 Jamz has been rated #1 by a land-slide consistently across many demos for the past several years, will now host the 7PM to Midnight slot Monday through Friday on the station as well. In addition, Hot 92 Jamz’s #1 rated evening personality, Sean Andre, will now take on a split shift; hosting “At Work Requests and Dedications” Monday through Friday from Noon to 3PM, and the “Quiet Storm After Hours” show from Midnight to 3AM.
Art Laboe is widely known for creating the oldies format in radio, and his music sense directly reflects the HOT 92 Jamz philosophy of playing a perfect mix of Old School Favorites along with R&B Hits of Today. “Art is the quintessential personality for this radio station,” states Mike Marino, Director of Programming for Hot 92 Jamz. “He has a very rare connection with the audience, reaches across all demos and ethnicities, and his wide appeal is documented in the ratings success he consistently achieves in the weekend show he’s had on Hot for the past 5 years. His goal will be to add to the already tremendous audience Sean Andre has built in the daypart.”
