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Art Laboe

TeaPartyDude said:
Ninety-three years old and still going strong!

https://www.sfgate.com/entertainmen...ies-to-link-inmates-13510070.php?t=c84371f09b
Click to expand...

To give you an idea...I'm 66. Growing up on LA radio in the 60's, I knew Laboe not as a regular DJ (I guess his original heyday was the 50's) - but as the guy who hocked Oldies But Goodies albums, and (IIRC) promoted Oldies shows at El Monte Legion Stadium.

I guess he came back as more of an on-air personality after I left LA - 1980's?
 
LKellerIII said:
To give you an idea...I'm 66. Growing up on LA radio in the 60's, I knew Laboe not as a regular DJ (I guess his original heyday was the 50's) - but as the guy who hocked Oldies But Goodies albums, and (IIRC) promoted Oldies shows at El Monte Legion Stadium.

I guess he came back as more of an on-air personality after I left LA - 1980's?
Click to expand...
He didn't hock those records, he owned the company that made them, he was Mr. Oldies but Goodies! I met Art in 1978, 41 years ago at a Penthouse Playmate/KRLA Big Eleven Softball game, he seemed so old to me then, he was 54. I was 20. I met his Son, Art Jr. who died at an early age. Art today at the L.A. Radio site is looking quite old
 
Hot Hits said:
He didn't hock those records, he owned the company that made them, he was Mr. Oldies but Goodies! I met Art in 1978, 41 years ago at a Penthouse Playmate/KRLA Big Eleven Softball game, he seemed so old to me then, he was 54. I was 20. I met his Son, Art Jr. who died at an early age. Art today at the L.A. Radio site is looking quite old
Click to expand...

If he's 90, he is damn old. I just saw Clint Eastwood (88) in The Mule. He looked fit, but ancient, and as I understand it, Clint has always worked out and taken good care of his health. But there is just so much you can do, and it beats the alternative.
 
LKellerIII said:
To give you an idea...I'm 66. Growing up on LA radio in the 60's, I knew Laboe not as a regular DJ (I guess his original heyday was the 50's) - but as the guy who hocked Oldies But Goodies albums, and (IIRC) promoted Oldies shows at El Monte Legion Stadium.

I guess he came back as more of an on-air personality after I left LA - 1980's?
Click to expand...

Llew:

Art was sort of in my blind spot as I grew up, too---but looking back on it now, it's impressive---on the air in L.A. beginning in 1952, on KGFJ, KFWB (pre-Color Radio), KXLA (the predecessor to KRLA), KPOP (the predecessor to KGBS) and KDAY.

It was while at KPOP that Art hit on the idea of licensing oldies, putting them in a collection of albums and selling them. He founded Original Sound and ran it for years. The label even had one original hit---Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" in 1959.

Art focused on Original Sound exclusively from 1961 until 1970, when he went back on the air at KPPC, XEPRS (which had been XERB up until 1971) and KRTH.

It was Art, as General Manager of KRLA, that brought that station back to life and relevance after it had fired everyone save Johnny Hayes and gone automated. Art came aboard in 1975, hired Bill Pearl and Tom Greenleigh to program in 1976, and in the winter '76/'77 book, actually beat KHJ in the ratings.

He left KRLA when Greater Media bought it in '79, but came back as a jock in 1985 and had a 13-year run before KRLA changed format. At which point, he went across the street to KCMG (later KHHT) and did 17 years. And then did another two on KDAY.

Legendary, inspirational and totally his own thing---a uniquely L.A. radio story.
 
He had a couple of other notables on Original Sound besides Sandy Nelson. There was “Bongo Rock” by Preston Epps and “Talk Talk” by The Music Machine. A funny release (not a hit, though) was “Little Things Mean a Lot” by Jayne Mansfield. When I worked for him, though, he was focused on his oldies compilations, owning many of the songs, and albums by locally notable artists, such as Brenton Wood.
 
michael hagerty said:
Llew:

Art was sort of in my blind spot as I grew up, too---but looking back on it now, it's impressive---on the air in L.A. beginning in 1952, on KGFJ, KFWB (pre-Color Radio), KXLA (the predecessor to KRLA), KPOP (the predecessor to KGBS) and KDAY.

It was while at KPOP that Art hit on the idea of licensing oldies, putting them in a collection of albums and selling them. He founded Original Sound and ran it for years. The label even had one original hit---Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" in 1959.

Art focused on Original Sound exclusively from 1961 until 1970, when he went back on the air at KPPC, XEPRS (which had been XERB up until 1971) and KRTH.

It was Art, as General Manager of KRLA, that brought that station back to life and relevance after it had fired everyone save Johnny Hayes and gone automated. Art came aboard in 1975, hired Bill Pearl and Tom Greenleigh to program in 1976, and in the winter '76/'77 book, actually beat KHJ in the ratings.

He left KRLA when Greater Media bought it in '79, but came back as a jock in 1985 and had a 13-year run before KRLA changed format. At which point, he went across the street to KCMG (later KHHT) and did 17 years. And then did another two on KDAY.

Legendary, inspirational and totally his own thing---a uniquely L.A. radio story.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Michael. A great synopsis of a great career. As I mentioned a few months ago in a post about KTYM 1460 - a daytimer that sold brokered programming - I think I recall Laboe promoting his OBG albums by playing cuts on "K-Time"...maybe late '60s.

Though I was too young for KXLA - KRLA's predecessor on 1110 - I believe they were a country format, so did Art spin C&W discs for awhile? I've pieced together that 3 other KXLA jocks were Jim Hawthorne, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Cal Worthington.
 
michael hagerty said:
Llew:

Art was sort of in my blind spot as I grew up, too---but looking back on it now, it's impressive---on the air in L.A. beginning in 1952, on KGFJ, KFWB (pre-Color Radio), KXLA (the predecessor to KRLA), KPOP (the predecessor to KGBS) and KDAY.

It was while at KPOP that Art hit on the idea of licensing oldies, putting them in a collection of albums and selling them. He founded Original Sound and ran it for years. The label even had one original hit---Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" in 1959.

Art focused on Original Sound exclusively from 1961 until 1970, when he went back on the air at KPPC, XEPRS (which had been XERB up until 1971) and KRTH.

It was Art, as General Manager of KRLA, that brought that station back to life and relevance after it had fired everyone save Johnny Hayes and gone automated. Art came aboard in 1975, hired Bill Pearl and Tom Greenleigh to program in 1976, and in the winter '76/'77 book, actually beat KHJ in the ratings.

He left KRLA when Greater Media bought it in '79, but came back as a jock in 1985 and had a 13-year run before KRLA changed format. At which point, he went across the street to KCMG (later KHHT) and did 17 years. And then did another two on KDAY.

Legendary, inspirational and totally his own thing---a uniquely L.A. radio story.
Click to expand...
I remember working with Johnny Hayes in 77 who was the only live announcer and did mid days. The morning show was called the Art Laboe morning show but Art was not heard. KRLA might have fired the announcers yet maintained a large AFTRA airstaff to work the streets as 'Hitmen'. Jack Roth was acting PD, Art did taped weather phoned in from home and Mike Horn did News. They had a drawer stuffed with $100 bills, that's hard to forget!
 
LKellerIII said:
Thanks, Michael. A great synopsis of a great career. As I mentioned a few months ago in a post about KTYM 1460 - a daytimer that sold brokered programming - I think I recall Laboe promoting his OBG albums by playing cuts on "K-Time"...maybe late '60s.

Though I was too young for KXLA - KRLA's predecessor on 1110 - I believe they were a country format, so did Art spin C&W discs for awhile? I've pieced together that 3 other KXLA jocks were Jim Hawthorne, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Cal Worthington.
Click to expand...

While KXLA was country, I guess it wasn't a hard and fast 24/7 thing. Here's an aircheck of Art, live from (gasp!) a burlesque club on KXLA in 1951: https://pastdaily.com/2014/09/27/art-laboe-1951-pop-chronicles/

I doubt Hawthorne would have played country, either.
 
TeaPartyDude said:
Betty Rowland was a nice shapely gal! I wonder what she is doing now? Probably somebody's great grandma I guess.
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It's so anti-#MeToo to discuss women in this misogynistic fashion.
 
TeaPartyDude said:
Wow, sixty years ago. Bobby Darrin is doing a poor imitation of Chuck Berry! At least there are a few Black and Brown Teeny Boppers in the audience, remarkably that was a BIG THING back then.
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Art Laboe's audience was always quite diverse. His Oldies But Goodies albums in the 60's featured lots of Black artists, and on the radio he attracted huge numbers of Hispanics.
 
Art is 93??? I didn’t grow up in California, but I remember him being on the radio on Sunday nights. Magic 92.5 in San Diego played it. Is it still on?
 
golden eagles97 said:
Art is 93??? I didn’t grow up in California, but I remember him being on the radio on Sunday nights. Magic 92.5 in San Diego played it. Is it still on?
Click to expand...

I do not think he is still on Magic.

A good friend had one of his first radio jobs running the board at Magic during Art's show on Sundays. On a number of occasions, he found groups of young people in the parking lot wanting to greet Art after the show. They did not quite understand that the show was sent from another city, but eventually they rode off on their motorcycles or sped away in their low riders. Quite a few had MC jackets on, too, which was a bit of a concern late on a Sunday night, but he said they were just fans and were anxious to tell the man that he was great.
 
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