Tom Donahue
Encyclopedia
Tom "Big Daddy" Donahue (May 21, 1928 – April 28, 1975), was a pioneering rock and roll
radio
disc jockey
, record producer and concert promoter.
Donahue's career started in 1949 on the east coast of the U.S. at WTIP
in West Virginia
and continued at WIBG
in Philadelphia and WINX
in Maryland
. He moved to San Francisco in 1961 after the payola
scandal involving Alan Freed
and Dick Clark
.
Donahue re-invented himself, first as a disc jockey at Top Forty
station KYA (now KOIT
) in San Francisco, and then to run a record label
(he discovered, produced, recorded, and managed The Beau Brummels
on his Autumn Records
label, later selling the act to Warner Brothers). He also opened a psychedelic
nightclub (Mothers on Broadway in San Francisco), and produced concerts at the Cow Palace
and Candlestick Park with his partner, fellow KYA disc jockey Bobby Mitchell (also known as Bobby Tripp; real name Michael Guerra, d. 1968). Together, they produced the last Beatles concert on August 29, 1966 at Candlestick Park.
Donahue wrote a 1967 Rolling Stone
article titled "AM Radio Is Dead and Its Rotting Corpse Is Stinking Up the Airwaves" which also lambasted the Top Forty format. He subsequently revamped the foreign-language station KMPX into what is considered to be America's first alternative "free-form" radio station on the largely ignored FM band, playing non-commercial music by album-oriented bands. In 1969 he managed Leigh Stephens
, Micky Waller
, and Pete Sears
in the band Silver Metre, and Stoneground
in 1970. In 1972 he moved to the role of general manager at KSAN
, where he encouraged playlists of music from different eras and genres interspersed with political commentary.
A typical example of KSAN radio featuring Tom Donahue can be found on the album The Golden Age Of Underground Radio.
Donahue, and his DJ wife Raechel
, formed further free-form radio stations KMET and KPPC-FM in Los Angeles
.
He died from a heart attack in 1975. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1996 as a non-performer, one of only three disc jockeys to receive that honor.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, record producer and concert promoter.
Donahue's career started in 1949 on the east coast of the U.S. at WTIP
Independent Public Radio
Independent Public Radio is a public radio network in Minnesota. It is the second-largest public radio organization in the state, after Minnesota Public Radio...
in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and continued at WIBG
WIBG
WIBG is a talk radio station from Ocean City, New Jersey. These call letters were previously used in Philadelphia for a pioneering rock 'n' roll station now called WNTP....
in Philadelphia and WINX
WINX-FM
WINX-FM is a radio station licensed to Cambridge, Maryland, USA. The station is currently owned by First Media Radio, LLC.-History:...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He moved to San Francisco in 1961 after the payola
Payola
Payola, in the American music industry, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast. Under U.S...
scandal involving Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
and Dick Clark
Dick Clark (entertainer)
Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American businessman; game-show host; and radio and television personality. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years...
.
Donahue re-invented himself, first as a disc jockey at Top Forty
Top Forty
The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
station KYA (now KOIT
KOIT-FM
KOIT-FM is an Lite Rock-formatted radio station in the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. Its slogan is "Lite Rock, Less Talk". The station's programming was also simulcast for many years on 1260 AM...
) in San Francisco, and then to run a record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
(he discovered, produced, recorded, and managed The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino , Ron Elliott , Ron Meagher , Declan Mulligan , and John Petersen...
on his Autumn Records
Autumn Records
Autumn Records was a 1960s San Francisco-based pop record label. Its most prominent contract was considered The Beau Brummels, a band who released a pair of top 20 singles, "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little"....
label, later selling the act to Warner Brothers). He also opened a psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
nightclub (Mothers on Broadway in San Francisco), and produced concerts at the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
and Candlestick Park with his partner, fellow KYA disc jockey Bobby Mitchell (also known as Bobby Tripp; real name Michael Guerra, d. 1968). Together, they produced the last Beatles concert on August 29, 1966 at Candlestick Park.
Donahue wrote a 1967 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
article titled "AM Radio Is Dead and Its Rotting Corpse Is Stinking Up the Airwaves" which also lambasted the Top Forty format. He subsequently revamped the foreign-language station KMPX into what is considered to be America's first alternative "free-form" radio station on the largely ignored FM band, playing non-commercial music by album-oriented bands. In 1969 he managed Leigh Stephens
Leigh Stephens
Leigh Stephens is an American guitarist and songwriter.Stephens became famous as the former lead guitarist of the San Francisco psychedelic rock group Blue Cheer. He was ranked number 98 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He has claimed to have been the...
, Micky Waller
Micky Waller
Micky Waller was an English drummer, who played with many of the biggest names on the UK rock and blues scene, after he became a professional musician in 1960...
, and Pete Sears
Pete Sears
Peter 'Pete' Sears is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than four decades he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock of the 1960s, folk, country music, arena rock in the 1970s, and blues...
in the band Silver Metre, and Stoneground
Stoneground
Stoneground was a rock band formed in 1970 in Concord, California. Originally a trio, Stoneground expanded to a 10-piece band by the time of their eponymous 1971 debut album. The group appeared in two films, Medicine Ball Caravan and Dracula A.D. 1972 , and released three albums before singer Sal...
in 1970. In 1972 he moved to the role of general manager at KSAN
KSAN-FM
KSAN is a commercial radio station licensed to San Mateo, California, with its transmitter located on San Bruno Mountain. It broadcasts to the San Francisco Bay Area...
, where he encouraged playlists of music from different eras and genres interspersed with political commentary.
A typical example of KSAN radio featuring Tom Donahue can be found on the album The Golden Age Of Underground Radio.
Donahue, and his DJ wife Raechel
Raechel Donahue
Raechel Donahue is a rock radio pioneer generally associated with her husband Tom Donahue, who died in 1975. She was the original entertainment reporter for CNN, briefly served as VJ for Cable Music Channel and a longtime radio personality in San Francisco on KSAN and in Los Angeles on KMET,...
, formed further free-form radio stations KMET and KPPC-FM in Los Angeles
Los 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...
.
He died from a heart attack in 1975. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1996 as a non-performer, one of only three disc jockeys to receive that honor.