Art Laboe was a disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and owner of a radio station who was both American and Armenian. Most people say that he came up with the term “Oldies But Goodies.”
Art Laboe, a pioneering radio DJ who read heartfelt song dedications to generations of loyal listeners and was credited with helping end segregation in Southern California during his eight-decade career, has died. He was 97.
Laboe died at home in Palm Springs, California, on Friday night (October 7) after getting pneumonia, according to Joanna Morones, a representative for Laboe’s production company, Dart Entertainment.
Last week, he made his last show, which broadcasted on Sunday night.
Was Art Laboe Married?
According to the reports, Art Laboe was not married. He has never talked about his private life on social media, so we don’t know if he’s married or not. However, it was reported that he had been married twice, each time to a different woman and Art Laboe was divorced from both of his first two wives. He had no children.
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Art Laboe’s Family Background
Art Laboe was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 7, 1925. His parents were Armenian immigrants who were also Mormons. During high school, his family moved to Los Angeles, and he graduated from Washington High School at age 16. After he finished school, he joined the U.S. Navy and was sent to Naval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. After that, he went on to study radio engineering at Los Angeles City College, San Mateo Junior College, and Stanford University.
Know About Art Laboe’s Success In His DJ Career
Laboe is credited with helping to end segregation in Southern California by putting on live DJ shows at drive-in restaurants that drew white, black, and Latino people who danced to rock ‘n’ roll and shocked older people who still listened to Frank Sinatra and Big Band music.
People also say that the DJ came up with the phrase “oldies, but goodies.” In 1957, he started Original Sound Record, Inc. In 1958, he put out the compilation album “Oldies But Goodies: Vol. 1,” which stayed on the Billboard Top 100 chart for 183 weeks.
Later, he became very popular among Mexican Americans because he was the host of “The Art Laboe Connection Show,” which was broadcast all over the country. His baritone voice encouraged people to call in dedications and ask for a rock ‘n’ roll love ballad from the 1950s or a rhythm and blues song by Alicia Keys.
His radio shows gave people whose loved ones were in jail a chance to talk to them by dedicating songs to them and sending heartfelt messages and updates. People in prison in California and Arizona would write their own dedications and ask Laboe for reports from their families.
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Laboe was one of the few people to get an interview with the new rockabilly star Elvis Presley when he came to Hollywood. He helped make the California scene one of the most diverse in the country. A lot of the music Laboe played on his radio show was played at places like El Monte’s American Legion Stadium, which helped start a new subculture of young people.
Laboe kept a strong following over the years and became a promoter of old rock ‘n’ roll acts that Mexican-American fans of oldies never stopped loving. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland has a permanent display of Laboe’s work.