Casey Kasem

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Casey Kasem

Born April 27, 1932 (1932-04-27) (age 76)
Detroit, Michigan

Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem, (born on April 27, 1932, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American radio personality and voice actor.

Kasem founded the popular American Top 40 franchise in 1970, hosting it from 1970 to 1988 and then from 1998 to 2004. Between 1989 to 1998, he was the host of Casey's Top 40, Casey's Hot 20, and Casey's Countdown. He currently hosts four weekly syndicated radio programs based on the American Top 40 franchise: American Top 20 with Casey Kasem, American Top 10 with Casey Kasem, Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 70s, and Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The 80s. The later two are replays of AT40 shows from the respective decades.

In addition to his radio shows, Kasem also provides the voice of many commercials, has done many voices for Sesame Street, was the voice of NBC, helps out with the annual Jerry Lewis telethon, and most notably, provided the cartoon voice of Robin, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, Mark on Battle of the Planets, and a number of characters for the Transformers cartoon series of the 1980s.

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[edit] Radio

Kasem is best known by name as a music historian and disc jockey, most notably as host of the weekly American Top 40 radio program from 1970 to 1988, and again from March 1998 until January 10, 2004, when Ryan Seacrest succeeded him. He hosted a spin-off television show called America's Top 10 for a time in the 1980s. He was the host of the short-lived American version of 100% in 1999. For a period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Kasem was the staff announcer for the NBC television network. More recently, he has appeared on infomercials about CD music compilations. Kasem was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1992. He is a graduate of Wayne State University.

From January 1989 to March 1998 when he was not at the helm of American Top 40, he was host of Casey's Top 40, Casey's Hot 20, and Casey's Countdown syndicated out of the Westwood One Radio Networks.

In August 2006 XM Satellite Radio began airing newly restored versions of the original American Top 40 radio show from the 1970s and 1980s. Premiere Radio Networks also started airing reruns of AT40 (dating from 1970 to 1978 & 1980-1988) in January 2007.

Casey Kasem developed his rock-trivia persona from his work as a disc jockey in the early 1960s at KEWB in Oakland, California. His radio career actually started in the mid 1950s in Detroit, with station WJBK. He also worked for several other stations across the country, including WBNY (now WWWS) in Buffalo, New York, and KRLA in Los Angeles (1963-69), before launching the national show on July 4, 1970.

Known as a perfectionist in the studio, there are two known instances where Kasem lost his temper due to what he perceived as production errors. One dealt with the song selection prior to a long-distance dedication and the other had to do with the over explanation of the band U2, then relatively unknown to the mainstream audience. Both these moments have been displayed and satirized on websites such as YouTube.

He is known by his signature sign-off "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

[edit] Television

Kasem is a prominent voice-over actor, most notably the voice of "Shaggy" in Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo cartoons from 1969 onwards. He has done work for many other animated series, such as the voice of Robin, The Boy/Teen Wonder in the 1968 Batman cartoons and various versions of SuperFriends, the drummer Groove from The Cattanooga Cats (1969), Alexander Cabot III from Josie and the Pussycats (1970, 1972), and television specials such as Rankin-Bass' Here Comes Peter Cottontail. Kasem has also done many TV commercial voiceovers for companies and products like A&P, Chevron, Ford, Red Lobster, Raid, Hoover vacuum cleaners, Joy dish soap, Heinz Ketchup, Sears, Prestone, Continental Airlines, the California Raisin Advisory Board, the National Cancer Institute, and promos for the NBC television network[citation needed]. He also played the voice of Mark, the American name of Ken Washio in Battle of the Planets, the first American version of Gatchaman, as well as Bluestreak, Cliffjumper, Teletraan-I and Dr. Arkeville in the original Transformers animated series.

Kasem also hosted, from 1980 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1992, the syndicated American Top 40 TV spinoff America's Top 10, a weekly one-hour music video show that counted down the top 10 songs in the United States.

He initially was hired as the narrator of the TV show Soap, but quit the series after the pilot due to the controversial adult themes the show promoted. Rod Roddy replaced him in the narrator role; it became Roddy's breakout role and his first national television announcing role.

He has also lent his voice on Sesame Street in the 1970s and 80s.

In addition to voice-acting, Kasem has appeared on camera on Nick-at-Nite on New Year's Eve from 1989 to 1998, counting down the top reruns of the year.

He was once also seen on "The Late Show with David Letterman" performing a Top Ten list - the Top Ten Numbers from 10 to 1. The countdown of numbers was paused at number 2 for Kasem to spoof one of his long distance dedications. David Letterman could be heard laughing loudly in the background.

Additionally, he has appeared on-camera as a co-host of Jerry Lewis's annual Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1983.

Kasem also made two separate cameo appearances on the TV show Saved by the Bell in the early 1990s and one cameo appearance on the 1970s show Quincy, M.E. in the episode "An Unfriendly Radiance."

In the late 70's, Kasem portrayed an actor who imitated Columbo and had a key role in the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries two-part episodes: The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom Part I & Part II. He also portrayed a golf commentator on an episode of Charlie's Angels titled "Winning is for Losers", with then unknown actress Jamie Lee Curtis playing one of the golfers.

[edit] Personal life

Kasem was married to actress/singer Linda Myers from 1972 to 1979 and they have three children together: Mike, Kerri and Julie. Mike Kasem is a voice-over actor and in 1997 presented the MTV US Top 20 Countdown.[1] Their daughter Kerri Kasem is television and radio host. Kasem also has a daughter, Liberty Irene Kasem (b. 31 May 1990), by his second wife, Jean (neé Thompson), who he has been married to since 1980.

Kasem is of Lebanese Druze heritage,[2] and is a vegan.

He has been active in politics for many years, supporting Lebanese-American and Arab-American causes and politicians.

He was a member of Citizens for Nader in 2000 and supported Dennis Kucinich in his 2004 and 2008 presidential runs.[3]

Kasem has written a brochure published by the Arab-American Institute entitled "Arab-Americans: Making a Difference."[4]

[edit] Honors

He was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in the radio division.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mike Kasem
  2. ^ TY: Casey Kasem born as Kamal Amin Kasem
  3. ^ http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Casey_Kasem.php.
  4. ^ The Arab American Institute
  5. ^ "NAB Hall of Fame", National Association of Broadcasters. Retrieved on 2008-05-03. 

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