Similar Artists:
- Born: April 27, 1932, Detroit, MI
- Active: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s
- Genres: Rhythm & Blues
- Instrument: DJ
Biography
While never releasing any proper recordings during his lifetime, Casey Kasem has nonetheless become something of a music legend himself. As the co-creator and host of one of radio's most enduring institutions in American Top 40, he delivered the biggest hits in the U.S. for ages; at one time, he was heard on more than 1,000 radio stations worldwide. Born to a family of Lebanese Druze parents, he began his broadcasting career in the mid-'50s at Detroit station WJBK. He started developing his laconic rock trivia style in the early '60s when he moved to California, working for KYA and KEWB before jumping on to a successful six-year spell at KRLA. It wasn't until 1971 that he and fellow Lebanese descendant Don Bustany created the syndicated radio program American Top 40. First broadcast in only seven stations, it quickly gained popularity, easily becoming America's top-rated radio show by the mid-'70s and well into 1988, by which time he left due to contractual reasons. He again took the show's reign in 1998, hosting it until 2004.Kasem is also famous for his voice-acting career, most notably for his long stint as the goofy, gluttonous, and easily scared Shaggy of the Scooby-Doo cartoon franchise. ~ Ricardo Rainho, All Music Guide
