The
Real Don Steele would have been 84 today. You've probably heard me
talk of him before. He's one of my idols.He passed away on August 5, 1997. For thirty years The Real Don Steele ruled the Los Angeles airwaves, most notably on 93/KHJ “Boss Radio” in the 60’s and 70’s. Outrageous, electrifying, thrilling – that was Real on…and OFF the air. If you want to hear the greatest cookin’ jock to ever crack a mike in the heyday of top 40. You can check him out here.
Real also appeared in some highly prestigious films such as EATING RAOUL, DEATH RACE 2000 (starring Sylvester Stallone), ROCK N’ ROLL HIGH SCHOOL, and Ron Howard’s first directing effort, GRAND THEFT AUTO. Television credits are equally as impressive: TALES FROM THE CRYPT and HERE COMES THE BRIDES.
I had the pleasure of working with him at two radio stations, K100 and TenQ in LA in the 70’s. He also fell off my couch stinking drunk one night and my wife still invited him to dinner again.
His catch phrase was “Tina Delgado is alive, ALIVE!” shouted by some unknown frenzied girl. No one ever knew the story behind it. Who Tina Degado was. How he came to use it. Even what the hell it meant. But it didn’t matter. It was all part of the excitement this larger-than-life personality created for “the magnificent megalopolis of Boss Angeles” three hours every day…and especially on “Fractious Fridays”.
Every year on his birthday, April 1st, I wish that maybe his passing is just an April’s Fool joke. That would be so like him. And at 3:00 I could turn on the radio, “Devil with a Blue Dress” by Mitch Ryder would come blazing out of my speaker and I would hear “The Real Don Steele is alive, ALIVE!”
He is in my heart. And always will be.
Happy birthday, RDS... wish I was born earlier (and on the other coast) to have heard you in your heyday... thank God for steaming airchecks!
ReplyDeleteAs a huge fan of radio, I dig this stuff.
ReplyDeleteFriday question: If I recall some game show hosts in 60's and 70's were first disc jockeys in the Los Angeles area - is this something you ever tried to pursue?
ReplyDeleteRDS was the Best of the Best!! I love the fact that I grew up in BossAngeles in the 60's and was able to hear him every day, along with all of the other greats on KHJ - it's why I got into radio and spent 25 years trying to live up to the magic I grew up with! I still miss Boss Radio and being on the radio every day - but am so very glad I have the memories!
ReplyDeleteI loved listening to him on KHJ, and later when he came back on KRTH101, hearing Devil with the Blue Dress was always his kickoff to the weekends on Friday evenings. Does anyone have a link to Robert W. Morgan’s tribute to him?
ReplyDeleteIt’s criminal that the Radio Hall Of Fame has yet to recognize his genius. I nominated him in the past and will do so again this year. Every fan should make their voice heard at this link.
ReplyDeletewww.radiohalloffame.com
And hearing his voice throughout Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, amidst the recreated streets and period vehicles, was truly a time machine excerpt of his genius.
ReplyDeleteKen, you worked as a radio DJ for a long time (or many short times). Why do you think falsetto performers have been so enduringly popular? I'm thinking Four Seasons, Stylistics, Bee Gees, Robert John ("Sad Eyes"), Leo Sayer and Michael Jackson.
ReplyDeleteI was his "secretary" during his stint at K100, and he was the nicest jock I ever worked for. He had me pull his "golds" for him because he wanted a fresh ear to choose the music. One time I even got to write his Friday outro, where he named people whose names had an "ay" sound in them. He was truly a lovely man, and I miss him, too.
ReplyDeleteOnly knew him from some prepackaged oldies shows that came out in the 90's and such. I thought his personality was great.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched my favorite episode of Wings in honor of David Schramm. It was the one where Roy, Faye and Antonio try to win a call in contest..and Real Don Steele was the DJ...That was funny and the payoff was hysterical.
He's a riot in DEATH RACE 2000, as the annoying play-by-play guy Junior Bruce.
ReplyDeleteI could have listened to that in REAL time all day!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best RDS airchecks ever!
I enjoyed his snippets in Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. Great songs too. Say what you like about Tarantino but he sure can pick songs for his films.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note - Ken, as you live in LA, you might want to notify the cops that they should consider placing James Woods on a 5150 hold. He's just tweeted that the Democrats created the Coronavirus.
https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1245441730469494784
What a truly sad decline in a once talented actor.
Friday question:
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the M*A*S*H Corona virus supercut?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WuaDK0mTc4
yes, I have seen that. Very amusing.
ReplyDeleteToday is also my cousin Crazy George's birthday.
ReplyDeleteFound this on a blogpost "The Real Don Steele" button. Have no idea if it's accurate:
ReplyDeleteAccording to the book KHJ:INSIDE BOSS RADIO by Ron Jacobs, Tina Delgado was a woman in Portland, OR where Steele was working. The local newspaper had printed an obituary for her and then a few days later retracted the story as Tina was very much alive. So Steel grabbed on to it and ran with it.
LOVE...non better than RDS...my memory of sitting in my powder blue '60 Ford Falcon in the Cleveland High parking lot at top of the hour...3 o'clock on Friday and getting adrenaline rush for the weekend...Know Don is up on the heavenly clouds with his monitor cranked up and greeting all of us on KHJ...Miss ya Don...SOB!
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