Although our competitor purported to be one, theyre more of a rhythmic station that plays some hip-hop.. Laboe was born Arthur Egnoian in Salt Lake City to an Armenian American family. The final show from Laboe, who is credited with coining the phrase "oldies but goodies," was broadcast Sunday. (Celia Jacobs for The Times) For the record: 10:39 a.m. Feb. 17, 2023: An earlier edition of this story stated that Art Laboe started his radio career at KSAN 107.FM. He brought us together. Getty. His label later found success, in 1959, with the hits "Bongo Rock" by Preston Epps and "Teen Beat"by Sandy Nelson. @laweeklymusic, The 20 Best Hip-Hop Songs in History A permanent display of Laboes contributions resides in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. ``He has always treated people with respect and taken them very seriously -- not as a marketing demographic, not a source of potential advertising revenue, but he has taken them seriously as a community, and as individuals. He introduced Ricky Nelson to the radio airwaves. He was 97. He produced his final episode last week, and it aired on Sunday, October 9. 93.5 KDAY - 93.5 KDAY HIP HOP BACK IN THE DAY. I see these really tough looking guys in the crowd. In 1957, he started Original Sound Record Inc., and in 1958 he released the compilation album "Oldies But Goodies: Vol. Laboe continued to host regular programming until just a few days before his death. Like a lot of folks in Southern California, the team at Dublab are big fans of Laboe. SpouseParentChildSiblingFamily memberOther, Sweet James has my permission to help provide a free police report, Big Boy in the studio at The Real 92.3; Credit: Courtesy of iHeartRadio, Ciel Spa aka @CielSpaBH located the SLS Hotel i, Welcoming over 100,000 people every year, what beg, The holiday season is a time of giving! For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The key is to appeal to my large Hispanic/black following and the general audience. The Envelope Please The team at Magic 92.5 have been working on Laboe's award presentation since last year. The voices and stories that came from it enveloped him. Laboe, who was twice divorced, was preceded in death by two sons, three sisters and a brother. FOX REUNITE AT NEW YORK COMIC CON PANEL. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He started the show when he was just 16 years old. Art had talked about (adding) someone young, with a vivacious personality, she said. Anthony Macias, a University of California, Riverside ethnic studies professor, said the music Laboe played went with the dedications, enhancing the messages. "Art Laboe's legacy will endure as his team will continue to produce his current nightly request and dedication syndicated radio show, 'The Art Laboe Connection,'" the post said. Both Garay and McNeill emphasize the dedications that serve as messages to people behind bars. PALM SPRINGS, Calif. Art Laboe, the pioneering radio DJ credited with helping end segregation in Southern California, has died. Around 9 a.m. on a Friday in February, the radio station 92.3 FM abruptly switched formats. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Read More FILE - DJ Art Laboe sits in his studio and talks about his 75 years in the radio business on Oct. 9, 2018, in Palm Springs, Calif. Laboe, a pioneering disc jockey who hosted a . To have Luna at the helm of The Art Laboe Connection, Boudreaux said, points to the importance of having women's voices on air. Laboe also didnt appear to judge his listeners who asked for dedications for loved ones in prison, Alcaraz said. Over the years, people have come to trust Art, and he's earned their trust, and that's why he's so central to so many people's lives.". Laboe died at age 97 on Friday at his home in Palm Springs, following a bout with pneumonia, according to Joanna Morones of Laboe's production company. The Art Laboe Connection does have to meet certain music criteria of our flagship station Hot 92.3. Now, Dublab has opened up the format to include contributions from Laboe's audience at large. Listen to Jennifer Jones Lee on Wake Up Call, Bill Handel Morning Show, Gary and Shannon, John and Ken, Tim Conway Jr, Coast to Coast AM, KFI News and more on KFI AM 640! After serving in the Navy during World War II and working in the Bay area, he moved to Los Angeles KXLA-AM in 1950 (the station later became KRLA), according to a Laboe history written by author Harvey Kubernik. is the creator, producer and host of the internationally syndicated radio show, Sunday Night Slow Jams, currently heard on over 200 radio stations in 14 countries. Laboe died Friday night after catching pneumonia . And I havent let go since, Laboe said. 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Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Laboe died Friday at his home in Palm Springs, following a bout with . Super Freaky Girl Nicki Minaj Super Freaky Girl 2:23 AM. Art passed away at the age of 97, after catching pneumonia. Art had been the first person to play the Sun Records of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Enter to Win a digital download of A Man Called Otto PLUS a $50 savings pass from 1-800-Flowers! Born Arthur Egnoian in Salt Lake City to an Armenian-American family, Laboe grew up during the Great Depression in a Mormon household run by a single mom. She added that all the love and condolences coming in from the listeners and the artists and the people that knew him was also comforting. Morones said Laboe was aware his audience would welcome "a female voice" and someone who spoke Spanish before inviting Luna to co-host. Art Laboe, the pioneering DJ who became one of the first to play rhythm and blues and rock-n-roll, also credited with helping end segregation in Southern California, has died. ``Art Laboe has fostered a rare relationship with his audience,'' Josh Kun, a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, said in a statement released by Laboe's company. She also became a radio co-host for the college's "Wired Live at 5" and "Rock-a-Holics.". And this tough, hard-nosed guy burst into tears., Otto Padron, the CEO of Meruelo Media, called Laboe "a colossal presence in LA and an irreplaceable part of the 93.5 KDAY family.". Luna, 43, began working with Laboe in 2016, when she was hired as a call screener for The Art Laboe Connection at the recording studio on Desert Park Avenue in Palm Springs. In 2015, iHeartMedia's KHHT-FM dropped Laboe's syndicated oldies show after the station abruptly switched to a hip-hop format, sparking angry protests in Los Angeles. He was DJ'ing right up until then. Known for its oldies music, dedications and that legendary voice, the long-running The Art Laboe Connection continues to bring people together despite Laboes death in October at age 97. KOST 103.5 FM - Your Feel Good Station and Home of the Ellen K Morning Show. ", Art Laboe hosted an annual Art Laboe Valentine's Super Love Jam concert for his radio fans. Smothers filled the daypart most recently occupied by Bubba The Love Sponge, who is now on sports sister WHBO (1040). Art Laboe, the pioneering Los Angeles DJ who championed the Oldies but Goodies format and was revered for sharing on-air dedications with listeners, died Oct. 7 in Palm Springs, Calif. Laboe was th His show was picked up by Old School 104.7. Some listeners simply treasure memories with music. Those stick even after fans leave town. Gary Garay, who hosts the monthly Dublab show Mas Exitos con Ganas, grew up in Southern California's high desert and has been listening to Laboe for years. He still takes to the airwaves from a Palm Springs studio six nights a week from 7 p.m. to midnight, hosting The Art Laboe Connection a show broadcast on more than a dozen stations across . Mark Frosty McNeill, who co-founded the L.A.-based Internet radio station more than 15 years ago, surmises that Laboe is the common, influential link between both Dublab's roster of DJs and many of the locals who tune into their broadcasts. Laboe is credited with helping end segregation in Southern California by organizing live DJ shows at drive-in eateries that attracted white, Black and Latino listeners who danced to rock n roll and shocked an older generation still listening to Frank Sinatra and Big Band music. . Just last month, Laboe, who was born Aug. 7, 1925, celebrated his 79-year anniversary as an active radio personality. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Dick Smothers, best known as one-half of the Smothers Brothers comedy duo, guest-hosted mornings on Genesis Communications news/talk WWBA Tampa (820) on Monday, Feb 11. Born Arthur Egnoian in Salt Lake City, he started tinkering with radios as a youth, and is said to have built his own station by the age of 12. On Tuesday, flowers will be placed on Laboe's Walk of Fame star at 6800 Hollywood Blvd. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Former Associated Press reporter Russell Contreras contributed biographical material to this report. LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Memorial services were pending today for Southern California radio pioneer Art Laboe, who spent seven decades behind a microphone, brought rock 'n roll to the West Coast and coined the phrase ``Oldies but Goodies.''. Photo: Getty Images. Laboe was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. Though Laboe was Armenian American, his work was appreciated by people of a variety of backgrounds. Laboe, who hosted a show on Los Angeles radio station KDAY, died Friday of pneumonia, according to a statement on his Facebook page. Legal Statement. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2012. He remembers when dedications came from local listeners, then included callers from other states. "I got my own built-in research," Laboe said. All Rights Reserved. Art Laboe hosted an annual Art Laboe Valentine's Super Love Jam concert for his radio fans. It wouldnt hurt to follow the model of its ancestor, 92.3 The Beat, which featured Eazy-Es Ruthless Radio Hour.. His baritone voice invited listeners to call in dedications and request a 1950s-era rock n roll love ballad or a rhythm and blues tune from Alicia Keys. "I see these really tough-looking guys in the crowd. So was my mom! Laboe was presented with the honor by R Dub, XETRA Communicaciones rhythmic AC Magic 925 XHRM San Diego director of programming. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. They set up a Google phone number that fans can call to record their messages between now and March 1.