Don Steele Biography

Fast Facts

• Was named the number one air personality in influencing record single sales by Billboard magazine in 1967 and 1968
• Got his big break when he was hired as an afternoon host at KHJ-AM to help them transition to rock and roll music in 1965
• Quote: "(On the introduction of "Boss Radio" at KHJ): "We were standing literally at ground zero; then it became a huge giant․ It was like a mushroom cloud that went up - heavy on the mushroom․""
• After KHJ, he worked as an announcer at a number of oldies stations, including KRTH-FM in Los Angeles, where he worked for over 20 years
• Best known as a radio DJ in Los Angeles who entertained listeners as "The Real Don Steele" for more than 30 years
• His announcing style was described as having the "persuasive patter of a used car salesman" and he frequently made use of alliteration, slang, and his own made-up phrases
• Had a cameo role in the TV series "Bewitched" and appeared in cult films like "Death Race 2000," "The Day the Earth Moved," and "Gremlins․"
• His catchphrase for more than 40 years was the mystifying "Tina Delgado is alive, alive!," a reference to girl who probably didn't exist