Legends Of Radio - Dick Biondi

Dick Biondi's 90th birthday party continues here at Red Robinsons Legends with an interview we did for a series called "Knights Of The Turntable", a salute to some of my favourite deejays. Dick explores his early days, shares his experiences with Bobby Darin, and wraps with some advice for young people interested in radio. In 1958 and 1959, Dick's 6-midnight show was powered by the monster signal of "The Big KB", 50,000 watt clear channel WKBW. It was only a matter of time before "The Big Noise From Buffalo" got noticed in 1960 by Chicago rock'n'roll powerhouse WLS-AM 890. "WLS was my favorite,'' Dick says. "It was 38 states and Canada." The “Wild I-tralian” was voted the nation's most popular Top 40 disc jockey in 1961 and 1962. His support and airplay of Bobby Curtola's "Fortune Teller" helped make the record a huge success, and Bobby became Canada's first teen idol. Dick was the also among the first US deejays to play "Please Please Me", the first US single release by a new British group: The Beatles. In 1963, Biondi left Chicago for KRLA/Los Angeles, where he introduced The Beatles and The Rolling Stones at their Hollywood Bowl concerts. Dick returned to Chicago in 1967 for a five-year stint at WLS’s fiercest rival, WCFL, and again in 1984 for a two-decade run at Oldies WJMK. He returned to WLS in 2006 — but this time on FM — for another twelve years. Dick's health issues and management changes at 94.7 WLS-FM forced him off the air in 2018. Dick's friend Pamela Enzweiler Pulice is the driving force behind "The Dick Biondi Film: The Voice That Rocked America!", a new documentary on "the world's oldest teenager". Help me celebrate Dick's 90th (and help Pam) with a donation at dickbiondifilm.com