Meet the Media: Rick Dees

Posted: June 1st, 2012




You could be at a rest-aurant, or a charity event in Lexington and spot a boyishly charming face in the crowd. He exudes enthusiasm and fun. “Where do I know him from?”


Then you hear the voice, and there’s no question: it’s Rick Dees. But why are you seeing him here, of all places? Many people don’t know that he calls Central Kentucky home for a good part of the year.


“The beauty and the people of Central Kentucky are just fabulous. My wife Julie and I found this remarkable place during a visit with friends many years ago,” Dees said, in reference to their home in Danville. “We knocked on the door and started making offers. Eventually they said yes, and we love living here.”


While The Disco Era wasn’t quite so kind to most who strutted through it, it was the launching pad for a brilliant career that is still going strong. Rick Dees became a household name in 1976 when he wrote and recorded “Disco Duck,” the award- winning runaway hit novelty record, which sold over six million copies. A number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Disco Duck” made an appearance in the film “Saturday Night Fever.” Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles once introduced the track on an episode of “Solid Gold” by lamenting how he wished he could’ve written such an incredible piece of music.


The platinum recording earned Dees a People’s Choice Award and garnered the BMI Award for record sales in a single year. Subsequent comedy albums also enjoyed success worldwide, earning him a Grammy Award nomination and Grammy Governor’s Award.


Of course, he is known for more than just his parody songs. His career in radio really took off when, in 1981, he began hosting the top- rated morning radio show in Los Angeles. Rick Dees turned KIIS-FM into the #1 revenue-generating station in America.


During the height of Disco Fever, Dees and a friend rented out a warehouse, put in a huge sound system, lights, and dance floor, and turned it into “an instant Studio 54”. Charging a five dollar cover, Dees and his partner were hoping for 300, maybe 500 people to show up—if they were lucky. W hen over 2,000 people showed up, he realized the potential for big money in show business. That year, he earned over $200,000, capitalizing on a moment in music history.


His internationally syndi- cated radio show, The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, is heard by more than 70 million people across the globe. It is played in 125 countries and on the Armed Forces Radio Network. In April, he launched a nationally syndicated daily radio show, “Daily Dees”, which quickly became one of the top five shows on Los Angeles radio. One of his promotional announcements says “Rick doesn’t just talk ABOUT the stars, Rick talks TO the stars!” Just about every Hollywood heavyweight and recording star has been interviewed by Rick Dees. Many of those celebrities still consider him a personal friend.


With unprecedented ratings success, his trophy cabinet was bursting at the seams. Dees has earned a number of accolades in his career so far, including Billboard Radio Personality of the Year award ten years in a row. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and National Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame. A graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he is also an inductee of the North Carolina Broadcast Hall Of Fame. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well, and serves on the nominating committee of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.


A little-known radio industry secret: most radio announcers you hear these days are not actually live, especially on the FM dial. With digital studios, most announcers pre-record their shows and load it into the station’s studio computers ahead of time. Announcers can sound live anywhere in the world, at any time. There is an art form to this. “DJ’s” will record several announcements in a matter of moments, or record their entire show, which is heard between music and
commercials. The DJ moves on and records another show for another market. It can sound polished, live and local when done well. When done not so well, it sounds bland and stiff.


Rick Dees’s radio show, often taped in Danville in his state-of-the-art digital studio, goes light years beyond a traditional taping. Heard in Los Angeles on Hot 92.3FM, Dees makes art; he takes the production value up several notches, creating a show that instantly feels relatable and hilarious.


Dees and his assistant put in the time and energy to produce a funny, fast paced, topical show. Dees uses sound effects, caller interaction, comedy bits, music, wit and his high-energy “Dees-isms” to generate a large and loyal listenership. He will often rehearse bits, doing several takes until it is “nailed!” before he gives it the okay to air. His sense of the absurd and his love of comedy have earned him big ratings in every city in which he has performed.


He hosted his own late-night TV show on ABC in the early 90’s, “Into The Night Starring Rick Dees.” He has guest-starred on a number of hit television shows, including “Roseanne,” “Married With Children,” “Cheers” and “Diagnosis Murder.” Dees also hosted the popular syndicated series “Solid Gold.” His voice has been heard on numerous animated features, including The Flintstones where he starred as Rock Dees and Jetsons: The Movie, as Rocket Rick. He also had a role in La Bamba, portraying the young man who helped launch Ritchie Valens’s career, Ted Quillen.


An avid outdoorsman, Dees is deeply passionate about preserving open land in America. An Eagle Scout, he raises crops and cattle on his Danville farm. He is a hobby pastry chef and loves cooking dishes that feature chocolate. Dees loves to play golf and once caddied at the Masters for Mark O’Meara, where Jack Nicklaus jokingly asked him if he was Dick Clark.


When he’s not spending time in Kentucky, Dees also resides in Toluca Lake, a suburb of Los Angeles, with his wife Julie whom he married in 1977. Julie is an accomplished comedienne with numerous credits, voicing several Smurfs, Betty Rubble and Casper the Friendly Ghost. Julie and Rick have a son, Kevin, who is President of Creative Development for Dees Entertainment, Inc., and a radio and TV host himself— clearly, showbiz runs in the family.


Dees also has business enterprises outside the world of radio. He is the founder/partner of the Fine Living Network, which would later become the Cooking Channel. Dees also founded DDN—The Dees Digital Network—the online engine that drives his professional website, RICK.COM. Many of his latest ventures delve into the digital realm, including the launch of online digital channels.


Radio announcers are much like musi- cians and athletes. Many devote their entire lives to mak- ing a living at their craft. Few ever make it to the top and stay there. It’s clear that with his business acumen and winning charm, Rick Dees will be on top for a very long time.


Enjoy Rick’s parody Solid Gold performance of his #1 hit, Disco Duck, with Lisa Hartman and introduced by Paul McCartney tinyurl.com/discodees

 


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