Art Laboe, the pioneering radio DJ credited with helping end segregation in Southern California, has died. He was 97.
in Southern California by organizing live DJ shows at drive-in eateries that attracted white, Black and Latino listeners who danced to rock-n-roll — and shocked an older generation still listening to Frank Sinatra and Big Band music.
His radio shows gave the families of incarcerated loved ones, in particular, a platform to speak to their relatives by dedicating songs and sending heartfelt messages and updates. California and Arizona inmates would send in their own dedications and ask Laboe for updates from family."I don’t judge," Laboe said in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press at his Palm Springs studio. "I like people.
Anthony Macias, a University of California, Riverside ethnic studies professor, said the music Laboe played went with the dedications, enhancing the messages. For example, songs like Little Anthony & the Imperials’ "I’m on the Outside " and War’s "Don’t Let No One Get You Down" spoke of perseverance and a desire to be accepted.
He soon became one of the first DJs to play R&B and rock-n-roll in California. Teen listeners soon identified Laboe’s voice with the fledgling rock-n-roll scene. By 1956, Laboe had an afternoon show and became the city’s top radio program. Cars jammed Sunset Boulevard where Laboe broadcast his show, and advertisers jumped to get a piece of the action.
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. A permanent display of Laboe’s contributions resides in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.
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