Kid Leo
Encyclopedia
Lawrence J. Travagliante — better known by his on-air personality
Kid Leo — serves as both program director
and afternoon disc jockey
on Little Steven's Underground Garage
on Sirius XM Radio (Sirius XM channel 21). He first began in radio in 1973 at noted Cleveland rock station WMMS
(100.7 FM
, "The Buzzard"); during his 16 years, WMMS was consistently one of the highest rated radio stations in the country. In 1988, he left to work as an executive at Columbia Records
where he served until 2002. Since 2004, Travagliante has been involved with Underground Garage; he also currently operates his own consultancy, LJT Entertainment.
in February of 1973. He became the afternoon drive DJ in 1974 and held that time slot until he left the station in December of 1988. In 1977 he was promoted to Music Director and assumed the Operations Manager position in 1986. “To many, Kid Leo was WMMS. For sixteen years, he was the pulse of the station, pumping music and life into the veins of listeners.” He was known for embracing new acts and was credited with breaking many artists in the Cleveland market and giving them a leg up on a national profile. Some of those artists were Bruce Springsteen
, John Mellencamp
, Pat Benatar
, Roxy Music
, Cyndi Lauper
, The Pretenders
, New York Dolls
, and Southside Johnny
.
While at WMMS, Kid Leo became involved in the campaign to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
to Cleveland. For his efforts in helping secure the Rock Hall, former Cleveland mayor and then Ohio governor, George Voinovich
, presented him with the “Key To The City” in 1990. His on-air work is represented as part of the permanent radio exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Kid Leo received many industry awards while in radio and in 1980 was named as one of the “Heavy Hundred: The High and Mighty of the Music Industry” in Rolling Stone
. He also was named “Best Disc Jockey” by Playboy
in their January 1987 issue. His radio gravitas was also referenced in the director’s cut of Cameron Crowe’s
2000 motion picture Almost Famous
. In 2003, he was inducted into the Radio Television Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame of Ohio.
in 1989 as Vice President of Artist Development. His first responsibilities were to oversee the Alternative
, Jazz
, Metal
and Dance
departments and strengthen their presence within the company. He was named the label liaison for the Rolling Stones “Steel Wheels” tour
and collaborated with the band and their management on behalf of Columbia’s interests. He instituted the first promotion department at a major label that was solely dedicated to the Adult Album Alternative
(AAA) format. Kid Leo was directly involved with the campaigns that broke Alice In Chains
, Shawn Colvin
and Train
. In 2002, he left Columbia Records but continued on as a consultant through 2004.
.
for Little Steven’s Underground Garage
, a channel at Sirius XM Radio that was developed by Little Steven Van Zandt
. He worked closely with Van Zandt in applying 24/7 format rules to the concepts that Little Steven uses on his own terrestrial radio syndicated program. Kid Leo is also on the air in the Underground Garage (Sirius XM channel 21). His show airs weekdays from 4 p.m. ET until 7 p.m. ET. As Program Director, he guides an on-air staff that includes Andrew Loog Oldham
, Kim Fowley
and Handsome Dick Manitoba
.
, leukemia
and AIDS
.
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
Kid Leo — serves as both program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
and afternoon disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on Little Steven's Underground Garage
Underground Garage
Underground Garage is the name shared by two related but different radio outlets, a syndicated show and a satellite radio station, both created and supervised by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt to present rock 'n' roll and garage rock on radio...
on Sirius XM Radio (Sirius XM channel 21). He first began in radio in 1973 at noted Cleveland rock station WMMS
WMMS
WMMS — branded 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout much of the history of FM broadcasting...
(100.7 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
, "The Buzzard"); during his 16 years, WMMS was consistently one of the highest rated radio stations in the country. In 1988, he left to work as an executive at Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
where he served until 2002. Since 2004, Travagliante has been involved with Underground Garage; he also currently operates his own consultancy, LJT Entertainment.
WMMS
Kid Leo started at WMMSWMMS
WMMS — branded 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout much of the history of FM broadcasting...
in February of 1973. He became the afternoon drive DJ in 1974 and held that time slot until he left the station in December of 1988. In 1977 he was promoted to Music Director and assumed the Operations Manager position in 1986. “To many, Kid Leo was WMMS. For sixteen years, he was the pulse of the station, pumping music and life into the veins of listeners.” He was known for embracing new acts and was credited with breaking many artists in the Cleveland market and giving them a leg up on a national profile. Some of those artists were Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
, Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
, Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
, New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
, and Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny is an American singer-songwriter, who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.-Early days:...
.
While at WMMS, Kid Leo became involved in the campaign to bring 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 shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
to Cleveland. For his efforts in helping secure the Rock Hall, former Cleveland mayor and then Ohio governor, George Voinovich
George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich is a former United States Senator from the state of Ohio, and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as the 65th Governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998, and as the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989.-Personal life:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, his father was...
, presented him with the “Key To The City” in 1990. His on-air work is represented as part of the permanent radio exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Kid Leo received many industry awards while in radio and in 1980 was named as one of the “Heavy Hundred: The High and Mighty of the Music Industry” in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. He also was named “Best Disc Jockey” by Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
in their January 1987 issue. His radio gravitas was also referenced in the director’s cut of Cameron Crowe’s
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
2000 motion picture Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
. In 2003, he was inducted into the Radio Television Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame of Ohio.
Columbia Records
Kid Leo joined Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1989 as Vice President of Artist Development. His first responsibilities were to oversee the Alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and Dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
departments and strengthen their presence within the company. He was named the label liaison for the Rolling Stones “Steel Wheels” tour
Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour
The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels Tour was a concert tour which was launched in North America in August 1989 to promote the band's album Steel Wheels; it continued to Japan in February 1990, with ten shows at the Tokyo Dome. The European leg of the tour, which featured a different stage and logo,...
and collaborated with the band and their management on behalf of Columbia’s interests. He instituted the first promotion department at a major label that was solely dedicated to the Adult Album Alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
(AAA) format. Kid Leo was directly involved with the campaigns that broke Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
and Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
. In 2002, he left Columbia Records but continued on as a consultant through 2004.
LJT Entertainment
In 2002, Kid Leo formed LJT Entertainment LLC. The company is a music/media focused consultancy whose clients have included Columbia Records, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Renegade Nation. LJT Entertainment’s offices are located in Rye, New York in Westchester CountyWestchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
.
Underground Garage
Since 2004 Kid Leo has been Program DirectorProgram director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
for Little Steven’s Underground Garage
Underground Garage
Underground Garage is the name shared by two related but different radio outlets, a syndicated show and a satellite radio station, both created and supervised by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt to present rock 'n' roll and garage rock on radio...
, a channel at Sirius XM Radio that was developed by Little Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...
. He worked closely with Van Zandt in applying 24/7 format rules to the concepts that Little Steven uses on his own terrestrial radio syndicated program. Kid Leo is also on the air in the Underground Garage (Sirius XM channel 21). His show airs weekdays from 4 p.m. ET until 7 p.m. ET. As Program Director, he guides an on-air staff that includes Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham is an English producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963, and was noted for his flamboyant style.-Biography:...
, Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
and Handsome Dick Manitoba
Richard Manitoba
Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba is an American punk rock singer and radio personality, best known as the lead singer of the New York City band The Dictators.- Background :...
.
Personal
Kid Leo sits on the Board of Directors of the T.J. Martell Foundation, a music industry-based charity which raises funds for research in the areas of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
External links
- Sirius XM: Underground Garage
- Renegade Nation
- The T.J. Martell Foundation - New York
- Radio Television Broadcaster's Hall of Fame of Ohio inductee page
- Rock Hall WMMS exhibit
- Kid Leo on WMMS afternoon drive, November 1985
- 1980s WMMS TV commercial featuring Kid Leo (1/2)
- 1980s WMMS TV commercial featuring Kid Leo (2/2)