Oldies But Goodies

Cupid’s real name is Art Laboe, and although he may be a legend, Southern California’s most famous DJ is anything but a myth. Pioneer and revolutionary is more like it. He is single handedly responsible for creating the “oldies” format most R&B stations play across the country. He was the first person to compile an album featuring different artists’ hits and coin the term “Oldies But Goodies” to describe them. Art was also the first person to play Rock & Roll on a West Coast radio station, broadcast a live show from a drive-thru restaurant, and license music for films. He was hanging around when the modern electric guitar was invented, and Frank Sinatra offered to make him breakfast once. It might all sound like myth, but just ask the hundreds of inmates, ex-cons and Latino gangsters who write in dedications and call in requests on his show every week about how real he is. And it’s all in the name of love…

“You gotta be careful when you ask me ‘why’. You’ll get a long answer for a short question,” Art responds laughing to the question of how the hell a Stanford-grad-turned-engineer in the 1950s has a massive following of Mexican gang bangers from the less-than-glamorous hoods of L.A. The laid back glint of mischief in his eye and playboy tone of his voice might lead you to believe that making music history for over 50 years is easy as pie.


“I can remember when I did a show at the drive-in on Jefferson and Crenshaw back in the 50s. Everything west of there was nothing but the beach. The population of each [ethnic] group has grown tremendously since those days, especially Hispanics and Blacks. Back when I started in the 1950s, there were 12 stations, and only five played music. There was no FM. I started taking requests from the people, so I was the first one to play rock n’ roll out here. What separated me from everybody else was I wasn’t scared to play blues and rock. Other stations didn’t even know what it was, but I was taking requests from the people.”

Over 50 years later, Art Laboe is still taking requests from the people and has embedded his relaxed charm in the fabric of Los Angeles culture and in the hearts of her natives. For that reason, his request lines are blowing up nightly with real Angelinos calling from the streets and lowriders of the country’s biggest city, all talking to each other through the music he plays. One listen to his nightly radio show, The Art Laboe Connection on Hot 92 Jamz (92.3 FM Los Angeles) might clue you in to how connected he is with every type of listener in the town. He might get a call from the 15 year-old girl who wants to dedicate The Moonglows to her boyfriend of two weeks, or a letter from the lonely wife who requests The Penguins for her incarcerated husband. A tattoo artist in East LA might just call in to devote some Chuck Berry to his mother. It doesn’t matter who it is, every walk of life in Los Angeles listens to Art. The proof is in the pudding. The Art Laboe Connection has the highest ratings of any radio show across all demographics in the entire state of California.  “I’ve had three careers, with peaks and valleys,” he says pausing to chew on his thoughts. “The valleys weren’t real low though, but the peaks were the 50s, the 70s, and now. I play all the Hip Hop; I even played Tone Loc the other day. Diddy and Keisha Cole get play too.”

Art’s impact is seen best at the famous concert series bearing his name, “The Art Laboe Show”. A recent show in March 2007 featured heavyweights like The New Stylistics, Deniece Williams, Heatwave and the celebrated Zapp. In a city like Los Angeles where the color war goes race deep and broader than Crips and Bloods, black vs. brown is a sad reality. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a place where Black and Latino bangers can peacefully coexist without unloading tons of pent up frustration on each other. With the exception of a few punch-ups, they somehow manage to pull it off at Art Laboe’s concerts. With the ease of a veteran maestro, he introduces legends and goes through a lion’s share of shiny suits and costume changes all in the spirit of leisure, music and love. Everybody at the show loves the music, but maybe no one more than Art himself. From puppy love to divorce, Art’s seen the gamut of relationships through the dedications on his show. With half a century of experience under his belt, he’s got way too many stories to emphasize his points. 

“I don’t know if love songs affect love life, I’m sure they affect everybody’s. Men are no damn good. I tell girls that all the time when they call and wonder why a guy hasn’t called them for a while. They love that. It reminds me of a time I had pre-recorded a show while it was raining one day. I said something in my broadcast about snuggling up with your lover on a rainy day. So I get back home and me and my girlfriend are doin it. I mean DOIN IT. I had the radio on because I like to know if anybody messes up the broadcast, or if I did something wrong. So I’m on top of this girl, and my voice comes out of the radio talking about snuggling up with your lover on a rainy day, and she wraps her arms around my shoulders and asks me, ‘Is that a tape?’ I told her, ‘No, that’s live, the tape is screwing you.’ Men are no damn good.”

March on Cupid. We’ll be listening.