Shadoe Stevens ― April, 1969 to April, 1970
Shadoe Stevens' Timeline
Yes, this is the same Shadoe who became a star on national television! He succeeded
Casey Kasem as host of radio's American Top 40, for 6 years. He was the announcer
on two incarnations of the game show, Hollywood Squares, and he played Kenny
on the TV series Dave's World, for four years. Shadoe says he came up with that
name while driving past a nuclear electricity plant in Texas.* You may not believe
that, but you will definitely love the rare airchecks (below), recorded at WRKO.
Today, he's involved in lots of stuff, including announcer for The Late, Late
Show. Check him out at his Website.
Shadoe was born Terry Ingstad on November 3, 1947 in Jamestown, North Dakota.
Stevens first came to fame in 1957, when a Life Magazine article about him,
entitled "America's Youngest D.J." featured a photo of Stevens broadcasting
live over 1000-watt Radio station KEYJ (now called KQDJ) in his home town. He
built his own working transmitter in the attic of his home the year before,
using a "souped-up" wireless broadcasting kit with a hundred foot antenna, both
the equipment and advice needed to build the transmitter having been furnished
by the staff engineers at KEYJ, which happened to be owned by his father and
uncle. He was later "discovered" in a "man on the street" interview by the station
and was soon broadcasting a weekly rock show called "Spin with Terry." During
his high school years, he maintained a full-time shift at the station, as a
host of the "Mister Midnight" program.
Shadoe graduated from the University of Arizona. While an art major there, he
put himself through school working full-time at KIKX Radio in Tucson, where
he quickly became the most popular DJ in town, under the on-air persona of "Jefferson
K." Following college, he joined the WRKO in Boston, where he pulled the 6 to
9 PM shift, during the station's peak in popularity. In the spring of 1970,
he moved to another Drake outlet, Los Angeles's KHJ. As one of the last true
"Boss Jocks," his big baritone and energetic enthusiasm soon gained a following.
Before long, he gained significant popularity on radio and became the announcer
and sidekick on the nationally syndicated television series The Steve Allen
Show. He went on to be an award winning radio personality and program director
in Los Angeles at KRLA. Attaining status as a programmer, he was hired to make
a success of KMET-FM and then to create the programming for a new radio format
on a new Los Angeles station, KROQ-FM, where he remained for five years. Let's
not forget American Top 40, which he hosted in 1988.
Stevens then gained national recognition as the announcer for two incarnations
of The Hollywood Squares, as well as playing Kenny Beckett on the sitcom
Dave's World. In 2006, Stevens was
hired to be the announcer on CBS's The
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
He is also the author of a series of children's books. The first, released
in 2006, called The Big Galoot,
received rave quotes from Whoopi Goldberg, Dick Clark, Henry Winkler, and Gene
Simmons. Dick Clark said, "In verse reminiscent of Dr. Seuss...it's the perfect
combination for kids from four to a hundred and four." It's available
online and in select bookstores.
If you can help fill in the blanks, please
let me know!
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| At KIKX (1967)
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At WRKO (1969) |
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| At KHJ (1970) |
At KROQ (1973) |
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| Shadoe, circa 2002 |
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Airchecks