Hudson & Landry
Encyclopedia
Hudson & Landry were an American comedy
team who wrote and recorded four gold albums on the Dore Records
label in the 1970s: "Hanging In There" (1971), "Losing Their Heads" (1972), "Right Off" (1972), and "The Weird Kingdom" (1974). The vignette "Ajax Liquor Store" (1971) was nominated for a Grammy Award
.
from 1957 until his retirement in 1988. Hudson worked at a variety of LA radio stations, including KFWB, KBLA, KEZY and KGBS, and came to prominence when he replaced Bob Eubanks as morning man on KRLA in 1963. In 1966, Billboard
ranked Hudson #1 in his morning drive time slot.
Holmes was featured in a George Lucas USC film school project The Emperor, which features Holmes during his time as an L.A. disc jockey.
Holmes passed away in 1997, and is survived by his former wife, Joanne Holmes, and four kids Tom, Colleen, Mike and Jay as well as his grandchildren Jenette, Bethany, Elizabeth, Kathleen, Chris, Pat, Rachael, Emily and John.
The popular sketch The Prospectors features a character named "Harlo," named for his former wife Joanne's father, Harlon Rarick.
before becoming the morning host on WDRC in Hartford and then WBZ in Boston
. Landry also was a disc jockey while he served in the Army.
Compilations of their material include "The Best Of Hudson & Landry" (1975),
"The Best Of Hudson & Landry, Vol. II" (1985), and
"The Complete Collection" (2004), a 3-CD boxed set on ITP Records, featuring rare non-LP single sides and unreleased material on the third disc.
. The two became a potent morning duo and it was their on-air chemistry that led to the recording of several successful comedy albums on Dore Records. Hudson & Landry recorded a total of 52 comedy vignettes. 39 of them were released on 12" vinyl. Their first release was the single "Ajax Liquor Store", which was nominated for a Grammy Award alongside Lily Tomlin
's "One Ringy Dingy". During their career, they were frequent guests on a number of popular television shows including The Flip Wilson Show
, The Steve Allen Show
, and Smothers Brothers
specials to name a few.
in 1988. He died on September 20, 1997 at age 66.
Ron Landry became a successful writer for television shows, including Flo
, Benson
, The Redd Foxx Show
and Gimme A Break. He also continued working in radio. Landry died of cancer on September 16, 2002 at age 67.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
team who wrote and recorded four gold albums on the Dore Records
Dore Records
Doré Records, pronounced "dorrie" and with an accent on the "e" was a sublabel of Era Records.It was founded in 1958 by Herb Newman and Lou Bedell. Their first big hit was "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears, written by Phil Spector who was a member of the group. Among the early staff...
label in the 1970s: "Hanging In There" (1971), "Losing Their Heads" (1972), "Right Off" (1972), and "The Weird Kingdom" (1974). The vignette "Ajax Liquor Store" (1971) was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
Hudson
"Emperor" Bob Hudson (born Robert Howard Holmes on October 7, 1929 in Erie, Pennsylvania) got his start in radio while serving in the US Air Force in Anchorage, Alaska. He began his civilian career in radio during the mid-fifties first in Erie, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Ohio, Indianapolis, Indiana, and San Francisco before settling in the Los Angeles area. He was consistently ranked among the top 10 DJs in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
from 1957 until his retirement in 1988. Hudson worked at a variety of LA radio stations, including KFWB, KBLA, KEZY and KGBS, and came to prominence when he replaced Bob Eubanks as morning man on KRLA in 1963. In 1966, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
ranked Hudson #1 in his morning drive time slot.
Holmes was featured in a George Lucas USC film school project The Emperor, which features Holmes during his time as an L.A. disc jockey.
Holmes passed away in 1997, and is survived by his former wife, Joanne Holmes, and four kids Tom, Colleen, Mike and Jay as well as his grandchildren Jenette, Bethany, Elizabeth, Kathleen, Chris, Pat, Rachael, Emily and John.
The popular sketch The Prospectors features a character named "Harlo," named for his former wife Joanne's father, Harlon Rarick.
Landry
Ron Landry (b. October 24, 1934) worked at several radio stations in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
before becoming the morning host on WDRC in Hartford and then WBZ in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Landry also was a disc jockey while he served in the Army.
Discography
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Hanging in There | Dore | |
| 1972 | Losing Their Heads | 35 | |
| 1973 | Right Off | ||
| 1974 | The Weird Kingdom |
Compilations of their material include "The Best Of Hudson & Landry" (1975),
"The Best Of Hudson & Landry, Vol. II" (1985), and
"The Complete Collection" (2004), a 3-CD boxed set on ITP Records, featuring rare non-LP single sides and unreleased material on the third disc.
Career
The comedy duo was born in the early 1970s when Hudson met Landry while both were working at KGBS in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The two became a potent morning duo and it was their on-air chemistry that led to the recording of several successful comedy albums on Dore Records. Hudson & Landry recorded a total of 52 comedy vignettes. 39 of them were released on 12" vinyl. Their first release was the single "Ajax Liquor Store", which was nominated for a Grammy Award alongside Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
's "One Ringy Dingy". During their career, they were frequent guests on a number of popular television shows including The Flip Wilson Show
The Flip Wilson Show
The Flip Wilson Show is a variety show that aired in the U.S. on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs starring a black person in the title role to become highly successful with a...
, The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show is an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC, and in first-run syndication from 1962 to 1964....
, and Smothers Brothers
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
specials to name a few.
Lives after split-up
After the duo split up, Hudson continued working in radio, including a stint at WMEX, later WITS, in Boston, until his retirementRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
in 1988. He died on September 20, 1997 at age 66.
Ron Landry became a successful writer for television shows, including Flo
Flo
Flo is an American sitcom which aired on CBS from 1980 to 1981. The series is a spin-off for Polly Holliday who portrayed the sassy and street-smart waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry on the sitcom Alice...
, Benson
Benson (TV series)
Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap ; however, Benson discarded the...
, The Redd Foxx Show
The Redd Foxx Show
The Redd Foxx Show is a short-lived sitcom that premiered January 18, 1986 on ABC. The show ended after four months on air.-Overview:It followed the life of Al Hughes , a New York City newsstand owner who adopted a "street-wise" teenager named Toni...
and Gimme A Break. He also continued working in radio. Landry died of cancer on September 16, 2002 at age 67.