Hullabaloo!--A New Book By Dave Hull

[Thomps2525]

In 1964, KRLA DJ Dave Hull was immortalized---or not---in a recording by the Scuzzies. The group took its name from "scuzzy," one of Hull's favorite adjectives. The song was Dave Hull The Hullaballooer.

Now, nearly four decades later, Hull has been immortalized in a book, Hullabaloo!: The Life & (Mis)Adventures Of L.A. Radio Legend Dave Hull, published on November 3, 2012, by Final Word Press. Or maybe I should say Hull immortalized himself---he's one of the co-authors.

Hull was born in January 1934 and worked in radio in Roswell, Dayton, Detroit, Columbus and Tampa before joining KRLA in 1963. Beginning in 1969, he also jocked at KFI, KGBS, KIQQ, KMPC, KRLA (again) and KHJ, then sold real estate for a few years, then went back into radio at KRLA (again!), KRTH and KIKF. He ended his career at Cathedral City beautiful-music station KWXY. (Yes, some old-fashioned beautiful music stations still exist!) Hull retired in 2010.

Anyone in the Los Angeles area---which I would think would include those of us on a Los Angeles radio forum---can get a copy of the book, and get it autographed by the Hullabalooer, at 11:30 am Saturday, January 19, at the Fuddruckers restaurant at 221 San Fernando Road in Burbank. The book can also be ordered from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hullabaloo-Ad...57432046&sr=1-1&keywords=hullabaloo+dave+hull

 

[michael hagerty]

Dave's an amazing guy who's been a big part of L.A. Radio for a long time. Good for him. I hope the book is a big success for him.

 

[Thomps2525]

I never met Dave Hull but I once got to tour the old KRLA studios at the Huntington Sheraton Hotel on Oak Knoll Drive in Pasadena and I got to rummage through his box of horns and other noisemakers. I resisted the urge to try them out.

I checked Amazon and Hull's book is already sold out...but more are on the way! Way to go, Hullabalooer!

 

[radiocph]

I remember him on KMPC, 1978-1979. The "Lovelines" show was funny, Then KMPC changed format (to sports?) in late 79 or early 80, and I lost track of him...

He showed up on KRLA in fall 1981 (I think--working from memory here). The show was funny, but KRLA didn't have a great night signal where I was living, and
I ended up switching to FM listening anyway....

 

[oldtimeradio]

Being in Arizona my only experience in listening to Dave Hull was listening to him on KFI. However, the years I spent listening was well worth it.

I've been waiting for this book to come out, and I'm placing my order for it now. Too bad I can't get to the autograph session.

 

[michael hagerty]

Dave was the #1 afternoon drive jock in L.A. for two years (1963-1965), beating even Gary Owens on KMPC, until The Real Don Steele on KHJ took the lead in fall '65.

I really enjoyed him on KFI (1969-71) and I understand his work at KGBS (1972-75) was top-notch as well.

 

[Thomps2525]

Does anyone remember the bit he did about the world's worst breakfast cereals? I can no longer recall any of the cereals but I remember hearing the bit and laughing at how outrageous it was.

Courtesy of George Junak's California Airchecks and good ol' YouTube, here is some video of Dave Hull on the air at KRLA in 1993: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp4-ZRo80Qk

 

[radiocph]

Does anyone remember the bit he did about the world's worst breakfast cereals? I can no longer recall any of the cereals but I remember hearing the bit and laughing at how outrageous it was.

I remember that one too. In fact, I think I wrote some of them down. A lot of "Ethnic humor" (Polish jokes and such) that I don't think would work here on radiodiscussions.com, though....If the moderator has no objection, then....

 

[Hot Hits]

Dave Hull did some very creative work, even inventing an early version of AM Stereo broadcast on KGBS AM & mono KGBS FM. If you held a radio with the AM to one ear, and the FM in the other ear he could blow your mind!. Of course L.A. had an AM Stereo Beautiful Music station at that time from Mexico I think?

Let's us remember Dave was the only live voice on AM 930 KRTH "Smokin' Oldies". The rest of the day it was Brother John.

 

[michael hagerty]

Dave Hull did some very creative work, even inventing an early version of AM Stereo broadcast on KGBS AM & mono KGBS FM. If you held a radio with the AM to one ear, and the FM in the other ear he could blow your mind!. Of course L.A. had an AM Stereo Beautiful Music station at that time from Mexico I think?

Yes, XETRA (690) in Tijuana was the first AM Stereo using what would, nearly a decade later, be known as the Kahn-Hazeltine system. XETRA was first...starting in '69, while Dave was still at KFI. They may have been done with it by the time Dave did his bit at KGBS. You needed two AM radios...one tuned slightly to the right (analog dial tuners, remember) of 690, one slightly to the left.

BUT...it goes back farther than that...using the same exact approach Dave used at KGBS. In 1958, Roger Carroll's nightly show on KABC was in stereo. One channel was broadcast on KABC-AM (790), the other channel on KABC-FM (95.5). It was the only daily stereo broadcast in Los Angeles and lasted until late 1959, when Roger left for KMPC.

 

[Thomps2525]

Wikipedia---which, as we all know, is always 100% accurate---says the Scuzzies' recording of Dave Hull The Hullabalooer was a top-40 hit in Los Angeles. Okay, so one thing on Wikipedia isn't 100% accurate: KFWB didn't play the song; in fact, KRLA was the only station that did play it. Yes, it made KRLA's chart...but you can't say that the song's chart appearance was not without bias. It debuted at #50 on KRLA's Top 50 Tunedex on February 28, 1965. The next week it jumped to #35. That was it.

(An aside: When Wink Martindale was on KHJ in 1959, both KRLA and KFWB played his recording of Deck Of Cards. Two years later, Wink was on KRLA and released Black Land Farmer; KRLA played it, of course, but KFWB didn't. KFWB rightly viewed KRLA as a competitor and was not going to promote KRLA by playing Wink's recording. Apparently in 1959 KFWB didn't feel threatened by KHJ's MOR format. "And this story is true. I know. I was that soldier.")