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Dick Biondi (born September 13, 1932, Endicott, New York
Endicott, New York

Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton, New York Binghamton metropolitan area....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a Radio Hall of Fame
Radio Hall of Fame

HistoryThe National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum, is a project of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, Illinois, and is a museum dedicated to recognizing those who have contributed to the development of the radio medium throughout its history in the United States....
 Top 40 and Oldies
Oldies

Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on a period 15 to 55 years before the present day.In the 1980s and 1990s, "oldies" meant the 15 years from the birth of rock n roll to the beginning of the singer-songwriter era of the early 1970s, or about 1955 to 1971....
 disc jockey
Disc jockey

A disc jockey is a person who selects and plays sound recording for an audience. Originally, disk referred to phonograph records, while disc refers to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling....
.

Biondi gained national attention in the 1950s and 1960s as a disc jockey on leading AM radio stations
AM broadcasting

AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation....
 in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York

Buffalo , is the second largest city in the state of New York. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the county seat of Erie County, New York....
; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
. Besides being among the first to play Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame....
, Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent

Gene Vincent, real name Vincent Eugene Craddock, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and, especially, rockabilly....
, and other early rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 artists, he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. Since 1984, Biondi has been a mainstay on Oldies stations in the city where he first earned his reputation, Chicago.

Biondi is credited as the first U.S.






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Dick Biondi (born September 13, 1932, Endicott, New York
Endicott, New York

Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton, New York Binghamton metropolitan area....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a Radio Hall of Fame
Radio Hall of Fame

HistoryThe National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum, is a project of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, Illinois, and is a museum dedicated to recognizing those who have contributed to the development of the radio medium throughout its history in the United States....
 Top 40 and Oldies
Oldies

Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on a period 15 to 55 years before the present day.In the 1980s and 1990s, "oldies" meant the 15 years from the birth of rock n roll to the beginning of the singer-songwriter era of the early 1970s, or about 1955 to 1971....
 disc jockey
Disc jockey

A disc jockey is a person who selects and plays sound recording for an audience. Originally, disk referred to phonograph records, while disc refers to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling....
.

Biondi gained national attention in the 1950s and 1960s as a disc jockey on leading AM radio stations
AM broadcasting

AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation....
 in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York

Buffalo , is the second largest city in the state of New York. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the county seat of Erie County, New York....
; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
. Besides being among the first to play Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame....
, Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent

Gene Vincent, real name Vincent Eugene Craddock, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and, especially, rockabilly....
, and other early rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 artists, he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. Since 1984, Biondi has been a mainstay on Oldies stations in the city where he first earned his reputation, Chicago.

Biondi is credited as the first U.S. disc jockey to play the Beatles
The Beatles

The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
, on Chicago's WLS 890 AM
WLS (AM)

WLS is a Chicago radio station. The Call sign stand for World's Largest Store . The station operates on an AM broadcasting clear channel frequency of 890 kHz with a power of 50,000 watts, with In-band on-channel during the day, and C-QUAM AM Stereo at night ....
 in February 1963, with the song "Please Please Me". Later, while working at KRLA 1110 AM in Los Angeles, he introduced the Beatles and Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
 at their Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances....
 concerts.

In 1995, Biondi was featured in an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, and other people who have in some major way influenced the music industry, particularly in the are...
 along with other legendary disc jockeys. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998.

Career


Biondi began his career in radio on WCBA 1350 AM
WCBA (AM)

WCBA is a radio station in the List of radio stations in New York State#Elmira.2FCorning area of New York state. It Broadcasting at 1000 watts day and night on 1350 Kilohertz from studios in South Corning, New York....
 in Corning, New York
Corning (city), New York

Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,842 at the United States Census 2000....
. He was picked up in 1958 by WKBW 1520 AM
WWKB

WWKB is an AM broadcasting radio station in Buffalo, New York that operates on a frequency of 1520 kHz. It is owned and operated by Entercom Communications....
 in Buffalo, and in 1960 gained fame on Chicago's 50,000 watt WLS, which covered most of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 east of the continental divide
Continental Divide

The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the drainage basin that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, 1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic Ocean , and 2)...
. In 1963, Biondi left WLS and moved to KRLA, the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles. At KRLA, Biondi was in good company working with other legendary radio personalities, including Bob Eubanks
Bob Eubanks

Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an United States radio, game show host and television personality best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off from 1966 to 2000, where he was known for using the catch-phrase, "Makin' Whoopee"....
, Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem

Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem, is an United States radio personality and voice actor. Mr. Kasem is a graduate of Northwestern High School in Michigan and the Wayne State University....
, Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell

Charlie O'Donnell is an American television announcer best known for his work on Wheel of Fortune .O'Donnell began his career in 1958, working with Dick Clark on American Bandstand....
 and Dave Hull
Dave Hull

Dave Hull, aka The Hullabalooer, is a legendary Los Angeles radio personality voted one of the top ten LA radio personalities of all time....
. In 1964-65, between being fired and re-hired by KRLA, he hosted a nationally syndicated show carried by 125 stations on the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System

The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. Of the four national networks of American radio's classic era, Mutual had for decades the largest number of affiliates but the least certain financial position....
.

Biondi returned to Chicago on WCFL 1000 AM
WMVP

WMVP is the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is owned by American Broadcasting Company. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove, Illinois....
 in 1967. In 1973 he left Chicago once again for a decade-long stint on WNMB in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and serves as one of the primary Tourism towns along the Grand Strand....
. Biondi returned to Chicago in 1983 and was briefly on WBBM 96.3 FM
WBBM-FM

WBBM-FM,B96, is a top 40 outlet in Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 4.2 kW....
. In 1984 he was the signature voice for the launch of the new Oldies station WJMK 104.3 FM
WJMK (FM)

WJMK is a rock music-leaning variety hits radio station in Chicago, Illinois. The station is known as Jack FM. The station adopted this format on June 3, 2005 after spending 21 years as an oldies station....
, where he was heard until the station switched formats in June 2005. Biondi, along with the Oldies format, was kept on a digital subcarrier HD2, but he was released in July 2006. In November of that year, Biondi started on WLS 94.7 FM, where he co-hosts "True Oldies on 94.7" from 7-11 p.m. (Central Time) with Producer Dan Wolfe.

A recreated example of Mr. Biondi's program on WKBW can be found on Ron Jacobs' Cruisin' 1960 (Increase Records INCR 5-2005). This re-creation includes several classic rock and pop songs of that era, contemporary commercials, and DJ patter.

External links