Don Steele

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Don Steele
Hollywood, California
DiedAugust 5, 1997(1997-08-05) (aged 61)
Hollywood, California
SpouseShaune McNamara Steele
Career
Stations
StyleDisc jockey

Don Steele (born Donald Steele Revert; April 1, 1936 – August 5, 1997) was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement (for health reasons) in May 1997. He was better known as "The Real Don Steele," a name suggested by his program director, Steve Brown, at KOIL-AM in Omaha, Nebraska. Brown hoped the moniker would click with listeners and make him stand out from other radio personalities.

Early career

Born in

KEWB
Oakland/San Francisco before returning to Los Angeles to help kick off what would become one of the most influential radio stations in the country, 93/KHJ, Boss Radio, in April 1965.

National prominence

Steele became nationally known as a DJ on radio station

KRTH-FM
(K-Earth 101), until his death in August 1997.

In the book Los Angeles Radio People, Steele recalled the beginnings of Boss Radio in 1965: "We were standing literally at ground zero, then (the radio format) became a huge giant. It was like a mushroom cloud that went up -- heavy on the mushroom."

Steele also gained additional notoriety due to an ill-fated promotion which KHJ undertook on behalf of his show during the summer of 1970. The promotion was dubbed a “Super Summer Spectacular” and involved Steele driving around the Los Angeles-area in a flashy red car. Throughout the day, KHJ would broadcast clues about Steele's location, and listeners who successfully tracked him down would receive cash prizes of about $25, equal to $188 today. On July 16, 1970, two teenagers attempting to track Steele by car at speeds of roughly 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) forced another car into a highway center divider, causing the death of Ronald Weirum. Weirum's family sued various parties, including KHJ, asserting that the tragedy was a foreseeable consequence of the recklessness inherent to the nature of the "Super Summer Spectacular" promotion. The family's lawsuit eventually reached the Supreme Court of California, which held for the plaintiffs. The Court's opinion in the case, Weirum v. RKO General, Inc., 15 Cal.3d 40 (1975) has since become a well-known holding on the subject of foreseeability in torts law, and is often studied in American law schools.[1]

One of Steele's ongoing on-air bits was the refrain, "Tina Delgado is alive, alive!" Legends grew as to the meaning of the phrase, but Steele never did reveal what it really meant, or who the girl was who uttered the words.[2]

The Real Don Steele stayed at KHJ until June 1973, then moved on to L.A. radio stations KIQQ, KTNQ, KRLA, KODJ / KCBS and arrived at KRTH in July 1982. He recorded commercials and at one time had a successful, nationally syndicated radio show. He is also the DJ on Cheap Trick's "On the Radio" ("Heaven Tonight"). His career took a dive in the mid-1980s, at which time a copywriter directing him as a voiceover for a Sea World radio spot introduced him to legendary voice actor Ernie Anderson. On hearing Steele in the booth, Anderson immediately connected Steele to his agent. Within weeks, Steele was back on top with a drive time slot at KRTH-FM in Los Angeles.

That show, "Live From the 60's", was created by Steele along with friend and contemporary

KHJ-AM, then DJ'd with him in the '70s at 10Q. "Live From the 60's" was a three-hour program that featured oldies exclusively from the 1960s. Each hour of the show profiled a certain year from that decade. It was written and performed in present tense, and peppered with audio clips of news events, presidential speeches and TV shows that correlated with that particular year. The show ran in syndication, and was marketed and picked up by over 200 radio stations with an "Oldies" format from 1988 until 1993. Repeats of earlier shows aired in some markets as late as 1996. In July 2015, "Live From the 60's with The Real Don Steele" was placed back into three hour re-run syndication for AM/FM and Podcasting radio stations.[3]

Death

Steele died of lung cancer on August 5, 1997, at the age of 61.[4][5]

Recognitions

A poll seeking the top 10 disc jockeys in Los Angeles from 1957 to 1997 rated Steele second (behind Gary Owens) among the 232 personalities nominated. The ballot was printed by Don Barrett in his 1994 book, and results are published in the second volume of his book. Rick Dees said of Steele in Barrett's book, "Pure, raw energy and focus. And he still has it every day. That's amazing!"[6]

Boyd R. Britton, who worked with Steele in the late 1970s at KTNQ said, "He educated me in star quality, in energy and focus. He epitomized energy on the air." Reflecting on Steele's habit of using very high headphone levels, Britton said, "Very early on he was extremely hearing damaged. It was very difficult for him to hear in a group. That made his natural speaking voice almost as loud as his on-air voice."[4]

In 1993, from KRTH, Steele told the Los Angeles Times: "I don't think I'm any different now. I've never stopped. I've never changed. I never did anything else. This is the music of my life."[4]

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 3, 1995.[7] The star is located at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard near La Brea Avenue.[8]

Film and TV appearances

For a decade, Steele hosted a weekly dance-party show on

KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978). On prime-time TV, Steele had appearances in a 1966 episode of Bewitched, and in an episode of Here Come the Brides
in 1970.

The Real Don Steele sound clips from KHJ airchecks are prominently featured in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and on its accompanying soundtrack album.[9]

Films

Title Year Role Notes
Targets 1968 Deejay on Radio Voice, Uncredited
The Student Teachers 1973
Death Race 2000 1975 Junior Bruce
Grand Theft Auto 1977 Curly Q. Brown
Rock 'n' Roll High School 1979 Screamin' Steve Stevens
Eating Raoul 1982 Howard Swine - Swingers Party Host
Gremlins 1984 Rockin' Ricky Rialto Voice
Nowhere to Run 1989 Charlie Caddo
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019 Himself Voice, Uncredited

References

  1. ^ "The tragic death of Jacintha Saldanha, and the long, slow demise of individual responsibility". The National Post. December 10, 2012. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  2. ^ "Tina Delgado is Alive!". 93KHJ Boss Radio. April 28, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  3. ^ "Live From the '60s with The Real Don Steele". M.G. Kelly website. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Myrna Oliver, "Real" Don Steele, Style-Setting L.A. Deejay, Dies at 61, Los Angeles Times (August 7, 1997). Retrieved on August 3, 2012.
  5. ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/LA-Radio-Guide/LA-Radio-Guide-1997-10-11.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  6. .
  7. ^ "The Real Don Steele". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  8. ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/LA-Radio-Guide/LA-Radio-Guide-1995-07-08.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  9. ^ "KHJ, L.A.'s Coolest AM Radio Station, Is Basically a Background Actor in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2019.

External sources