Dave Hull
Dave Hull (January 20, 1934 – October 15, 2020), known as "The Hullabalooer", was an American radio personality voted one of the top ten Los Angeles radio personalities of all time.
Dave Hull | |
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Hull at a KRLA concert in 1965 | |
Born | |
Died | October 15, 2020 86)[2] | (aged
Career | |
Station(s) | KGFL WONE-AM WQTE WTVN WFLA KRLA KFI KGBS KIIS KMPC KHJ KRTH KIKF KWXY |
Hull began his radio career in Armed Forces Radio in Casablanca, Morocco and in commercial radio in 1955 at KGFL in Roswell, New Mexico.
He got his nickname while working at WONE in Dayton, Ohio. Los Angeles radio historian Don Barrett[3] quotes Hull as saying: "A woman wrote me from a hotel outside Dayton to say she couldn't stand all that hullabaloo. Well, Webster's defined it as a 'tumultuous outroar,' so I used it."
He reached Los Angeles' KRLA in the summer of 1963 as weekend relief and went full-time there in the 9pm-midnight slot by the fall of 1963. By the end of 1964, Hull's increasing popularity prompted one young female fan, Suzie Cappetta, to write and record a song entitled "Dave Hull The Hullabalooer", which quickly reached the local top 40 charts by early 1965.
Hull became close with The Beatles during their 1965 and 1966 American tours. During that time, Hull taped approximately fourteen interviews with the band. He, along with Bob Eubanks, planned The Beatles' 1966 concert at Chavez Ravine (Dodger Stadium). His work with the band earned him the honorary title of "fifth Beatle."
"We were told a very interesting story about the album, "Sgt. Pepper." The Beatles always liked drinking "Dr. Pepper," before and after their concerts, in America. Apparently, that beverage was not that accessible in England. The Beatles wanted to call their new L.P. record, "Dr. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." ("When I'm 64," for an album title, was simply a working title.) We were told, that it was none other than Dave Hull, who told The Beatles they would be in one big lawsuit, if they used the name "Dr. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." At Dave Hull's suggestion, it was changed from "Dr. Pepper's" to "Sgt. Pepper's." And the rest is history." — Bill Earl[4]
Hull worked closely with The Beach Boys, The Dave Clark Five and The Rolling Stones during that period. In December 1965, Hull opened his "Hullabaloo" teen club on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.[5]
Dave appeared (using the name David Hull) as a talent contest manager in an October 1966 episode of The Monkees.
Dave Hull was the first guest host on the nationally syndicated American Top 40 program, week ending November 6, 1971.[6] He was heard in Los Angeles at the time on KGBS. His hilarious "Dial-a-Weirdo" call-in show on KGBS was syndicated nationally for a while in the mid 1970s.
Hull hosted the nationally syndicated TV show Matchmaker in the late 1980s, reportedly seen in over 100 markets, a video version of his late 1970s Lovelines program heard on KMPC.
Hull held the 6 PM-to-midnight slot on one of the country's few remaining beautiful music stations, KWXY in Cathedral City, from 1994 until his retirement in January 2010. He also remained active as a voiceover artist for national radio and television commercials. He lived in Palm Springs California. Hull's book, Hullabaloo!: the (Mis)Adventures of L.A. Radio Legend Dave Hull was released in January 2013.[1]
Early stations and dates
- KGFL Roswell, New Mexico, 1955
- WONE-AM Dayton, Ohio, 1957
- WQTE Detroit, Michigan, 1960
- WTVN Columbus, Ohio, 1961
- WFLA Tampa, Florida, 1963
Southern California stations and dates
References
- "Bio". Dave Hull. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- Remembering Dave Hull, the KRLA radio legend so popular he had his own flavor of ice cream
- See a brief bio of Don Barrett at the bottom of http://laradio.com/ .
- Earl, Bill (1991). Dream-House: The history of a major West Coast radio station and Southern California's 50 years of "Radio Eleven-Ten" (PDF). Desert Rose.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "KRLA Beat" (PDF). KRLA. 4 December 1965. p. 9. Retrieved 4 March 2011. (PDF)
- Durkee, Rob. American Top 40: The Countdown of the Century. ISBN 0-02-864895-1. New York City: Schirmer Books, 1999. Accessed December 10, 2007.