Rick Dees facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rick Dees
Dees in 1986
Born	Rigdon Osmond Dees III (1950-03-14) March 14, 1950 (age 75) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Education	Grimsley High School University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Occupation	Radio personality, entertainer, comedic performer
Known for	Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Disco Duck La Bamba
Spouse(s)	Carolyn R Craft ​ (m. 1973⁠–⁠1977)​ Julie McWhirter ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	Kevin Dees

Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), known as Rick Dees, is a famous American entertainer. He is a radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist. Rick Dees is best known for his popular radio show, The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown. This show is heard by many people around the world. He is also famous for his funny 1976 song, "Disco Duck".

Rick Dees has won a People's Choice Award. He was also nominated for a Grammy Award for his music. He is part of the Broadcast Hall of Fame, which honors great people in broadcasting. He sang the main song for the movie Meatballs. Rick Dees also helped start the Cooking Channel TV network. He hosted morning radio shows in Los Angeles for many years. Today, he still hosts his daily radio show, Daily Dees, and the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown.

Early life and education

Rick Dees was born Rigdon Osmond Dees III in Jacksonville, Florida. This happened on March 14, 1950. He grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. Rick went to Grimsley High School in Greensboro. Later, he studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned a degree in movies, TV, and radio.

Radio career highlights

Rick Dees started his radio journey in high school. He worked at a radio station called WGBG in Greensboro, North Carolina. After that, he worked at different stations in the southeastern United States. These included WCAR in Chapel Hill and WSGN in Birmingham.

The "Disco Duck" song

Rick Dees became famous around the world while working in Memphis, Tennessee. This was during the disco music craze in the 1970s. In 1976, he wrote and recorded the song "Disco Duck". This song sold over six million copies. You can even hear a short part of it in the movie Saturday Night Fever.

"Disco Duck" won him a People's Choice Award. It also earned him a BMI Award for its sales. However, his radio station would not let him play the song on the air. They thought it was a conflict of interest because he made the song. Rick Dees was even fired from the station for talking about his song. He did not do the duck sounds himself. Other people recorded the duck vocals for the song and for his concert tour.

Moving to Los Angeles radio

After leaving Memphis, Rick Dees moved to Los Angeles. He started working at radio station KHJ. Later, in July 1981, he joined KIIS-FM. He quickly helped KIIS-FM become a very successful radio station. It became the number one station in America for making money.

The Weekly Top 40 show

Rick Dees started his Weekly Top 40 countdown show in October 1983. It began on 18 radio stations. This show was created after his station, KIIS, stopped playing another countdown show. The Weekly Top 40 has been heard in over 200 countries. It is also played on the Armed Forces Radio Network.

In December 2008, it became the first English-speaking radio show to air in China. The show is still broadcast today. It is available in different versions, like "Hit Radio" and "Hot Adult." There are also special editions for 80s and 90s music. This makes it the longest-running pop music countdown show in the world.

Rick Dees left KIIS-FM in 2004. He returned to Los Angeles radio in 2006 on KMVN. He hosted a morning show there. In 2009, that station changed its music format. In 2011, Rick Dees returned to KIIS's sister station, KHHT, for a year.

Today, Rick Dees continues to share his Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown globally. He also hosts the Daily Dees show. You can hear him live in Hawaii on Kohala Radio KNKR 96.1 FM.

Awards and recognition

Rick Dees has received many awards for his radio work. He won the Marconi Award. He is also in the National Radio Hall of Fame. In 1984, his comedy album Hurt Me Baby – Make Me Write Bad Checks was nominated for a Grammy Award. He later received the Grammy Governor's Award.

His other comedy albums have also been popular. These include I'm Not Crazy and Rick Dees Greatest Hit. He is in the North Carolina Music Hall Of Fame. He is also in the Tennessee Radio Hall Of Fame. Rick Dees won the Billboard Radio Personality Of The Year award for 10 years in a row. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Films and television appearances

Rick Dees has also worked in television and movies. In the early 1990s, he hosted his own late-night TV show on ABC. It was called Into the Night Starring Rick Dees. He has appeared as a guest on popular TV shows like Roseanne and Married... with Children.

He also hosted the TV series Solid Gold. Rick Dees has lent his voice to many animated movies. He was Rock Dees in The Flintstones. He also voiced Rocket Rick in Jetsons: The Movie.

In movies, Rick Dees played a role in La Bamba. He played Ted Quillin, a Los Angeles disc jockey. This DJ helped start Ritchie Valens's music career. In 1983, his voice was heard as a radio DJ in the movie Valley Girl. In 2020, he voiced a character in an episode of Family Guy. In August 2021, Rick Dees became the voice announcer for the TV network Rewind TV. This network shows programs from the 1980s and 1990s.

Music releases

Rick Dees has released several music albums.

• 1976 – The Original Disco Duck
• 1981 – Gift Rappin'
• 1983 – Hurt Me Baby – Make Me Write Bad Checks
• 1984 – Put It Where the Moon Don't Shine
• 1985 – I'm Not Crazy
• 1986 – Rick Dees Greatest Hit (The White Album)
• 1996 – Spousal Arousal
• 2008 – Rick and Steve Theme Song

Popular songs

Here are some of Rick Dees's songs and how they did on the music charts:

See also

In Spanish: Rick Dees para niños