Longtime disc jockey Jim Ladd, a central determine within the emergence of FM rock radio in Los Angeles, died Saturday after struggling a coronary heart assault. He was 75.
Ladd’s loss of life was introduced Monday by Meg Griffin, an on-air colleague at SiriusXM, the place they each labored on the satellite tv for pc radio service’s rock channels. Ladd has a shift on SiriuxXM’s Deep Tracks channel, which options the album-oriented rock he performed over his lengthy profession.
Ladd was a favourite persona throughout the rise of rock radio on the FM band within the Nineteen Seventies, working at Los Angeles stations KMET and KLOS, the place he spent 14 years as its noon host.
Ladd reveled within the tales of the free-wheeling days of free-form rock codecs on FM, made potential after the FCC dominated in 1964 that giant market AM stations couldn’t duplicate greater than 50% of their programming on an FM outlet.
The rule led to new stations that capitalized on a inventive surge in rock and pop music that emphasised albums over the hit singles performed on the highest 40 retailers that proliferated on the AM band.
Ladd’s 1991 memoir “Radio Waves” recounts how air shifts within the early days of these new FM retailers had been usually carried out by way of a haze of marijuana smoke.
Ladd later chafed on the elevated commercialization of FM radio because it overtook the AM band as the first supply of music programming for radio listeners. He outwardly expressed disdain for administration and consultants who favored extra restricted playlists.
“I spent 20 years being referred to as on the overall supervisor’s carpet for talking my beliefs,” Ladd instructed The Instances in a 1991 interview.
Jim Ladd circa 1970.
(Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Pictures)
Ladd’s devotion to the music earned an invite from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters to be part of his 1987 album “Radio Okay.A.O.S.” Ladd performed himself as a insurgent disc jockey on the recording. He additionally traveled with Waters on the album’s world tour and starred in all three MTV music movies.
Ladd was additionally the inspiration for rocker Tom Petty’s 2002 tune “The Final DJ,” which depicted a disc jockey who stood as much as radio station administration. (“Nicely the highest brass don’t like him speaking a lot / And he received’t play what they are saying to play…”)
Ladd was a popular determine amongst artists, interviewing most of the prime acts within the album rock style over his profession. A number of posted tributes on social media after studying of his loss of life.
“‘The Final DJ’ has crossed the tracks,” wrote John Densmore, drummer for the Doorways. “There wasn’t a extra soulful spinner of music. The songs he performed had been working by way of his blood, he cared a lot for rock n’ roll. Irreplaceable… a really unhappy day, which might solely be dealt with by carrying his spirit ahead.”
This can be a creating story.