Laboe is also credited with helping end segregation in Southern California by organizing live DJ shows at drive-in eateries that attracted whites, Blacks and Latinos.
Art Laboe, a pioneering disc jockey who hosted a syndicated oldies show for decades, died Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. He was 97. PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Art Laboe, the pioneering DJ credited with helping end segregation in Southern California, has died. He was 97.
He later developed a strong following among Mexican Americans for hosting the syndicated “The Art Laboe Connection Show.” 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. “It was the first time he had heard his baby’s voice,” Laboe said. “And this tough, hard-nosed guy burst into tears.”
When the United States entered World War II, Laboe served in the Navy. He later returned to Southern California area, but a radio station owner told the aspiring radio announcer he should work on becoming a “radio personality” instead. As a DJ for KXLA in Los Angeles, Laboe bought station time and hosted live overnight music shows from drive-ins where he’d meet underground rockabilly and R&B musicians. “I got my own built-in research,” Laboe said.
The scene that Laboe helped cultivate in California became of the nation’s most diverse. Places such as the El Monte’s American Legion Stadium played much of the music Laboe aired on his radio show, giving birth to a new youth subculture.Laboe maintained a strong following throughout the years and transformed into a promoter of aging rock-n-roll acts who never faded from Mexican-American fans of oldies.
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