CASEY KASEM
CASEY KASEM
The man who once dreamed of becoming a baseball player but ended up as a radio sports announcer in high school, has since become the youngest member ever inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. And he has his own star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame as well. Casey Kasem's friendly, 'crackling' voice style has taken him to the top of his profession.
All this is a long way from the days back in Detroit when young Kemal Amen Kasem (Casey's real name), son of Lebanese Druze parents, was a member of his high school's radio club. It was a short hop from sportscasting to radio acting. While majoring in speech and English at Wayne State University, he landed roles in national shows like "The Lone Ranger" and "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon." During military service in Korea, he coordinated and acted in radio drama on the Armed Forces Network.
A civilian again in 1954, Casey soon became a disc jockey, work that took him from Detroit to Cleveland, Buffalo, San Francisco and eventually Los Angeles. Along the way, his easy-going style became his vocal trademark- but not before Casey's station manager in Oakland told him to change his format from wild, improvised comedy characters.
Casey recalls what happened next vividly. Just minutes before his next show, still stuck for a new format idea, he spied a discarded magazine, Who's Who in Pop Music, in a trash barrel at the studio. It was full of facts about recording artists -- exactly what he needed. That night, he began telling stories about the true lives of popular musicians, teased with lead-ins a few minutes before each story was told. This "teaser/bio" format was to become a standard in the radio industry, and a familiar part of "American Top 40", which debuted on July 4, 1970.
In 1963, Casey moved to Los Angeles, adding TV to his radio work when he hosted "Shebang", a dance program produced by Dick Clark. He branched into film acting with several American International pictures, and, in 1968, into voice-over commercials. Kasem's voice immediately became sought after for spots, promos and cartoon shows. He has done over 2,000 episodes in series like "Scooby Doo", "Super Friends", "Mister Magoo" and "Transformers", as well as 'letters' and 'numbers' on "Sesame Street."
Through the 1970's and 1980's, Casey continued acting in films and TV, guest-starring on series from "Charlie's Angels", "Quincy" and "Fantasy Island" to "ALF" and "Amen". Meanwhile, his TV hosting included not only "America's Top Ten" but also the annual American Video Awards. And for a dozen years, into the '90s, he hosted the syndicated weekly musical countdown, "America's Top Ten," on TV.
Away from work, Casey has co-hosted Jerry Lewis's annual Labor Day Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1981. He has received the prestigious Founder's Award for aiding Danny Thomas's St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. A vegetarian, he does TV spots and specials aimed at combating alcohol abuse, drunk driving and hunger, as well as a major campaign against smoking for the National Cancer Institute.
Casey is a member of the board of directors for FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting). He has spent much of his time since 1986 calling the entertainment industry's attention to ethnic stereotyping and getting favorable responses. He has also helped promote and support workshops like the Cousins Club that bring Arabs, Jews and others together to discuss conflict resolution.
Casey has received numerous awards, most recently, the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action presented him a special Peace Award for his work "towards a just peace in the Middle East and for a maximum communication and cooperation between Arab-Americans and Jews in this country."
Casey leads a full and active life, yet there is the persistent belief in him that he can do more. His message to each individual is to believe that "I can make a difference" -- then get involved. He sets this example himself and communicates it each week to all his listeners with one simple catch phrase: