Shadoe Stevens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shadoe Stevens
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Stevens at the 1989 Emmy Awards
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| Born |
Terry Ingstad
November 3, 1946 Jamestown, North Dakota, U.S.
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| Occupation | Radio host, voiceover actor, television personality |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Linda Stevens
(m. 1967; div. 1979)Cynthia Gaydos
(m. 1980; div. 1984)Beverly Cunningham
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 3, including Amber Stevens West |
Shadoe Stevens (born Terry Ingstad; November 3, 1946) is an American radio host, voiceover actor, and television personality. He is well-known for hosting American Top 40 from 1988 to 1995. Today, he hosts the worldwide radio show Top of the World. He also co-hosts Mental Radio, which talks about UFOs and strange topics.
Stevens helped create "Cabo Wabo Radio," a rock station for Sammy Hagar. This station broadcast from the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. On TV, he was the announcer for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS. Since 2015, he has been the main announcer for the Antenna TV network. You can also hear his voice as "G.O.D." in the musical Altar Boyz.
Contents
Early Life and First Radio Job
Shadoe Stevens was born in Jamestown, North Dakota. He first became famous in 1957. A magazine called Life wrote an article about him. It was titled "America's Youngest D.J." The article showed a photo of Stevens on the radio. He was broadcasting live from station KEYJ (now KQDJ) in his hometown.
The article said he built his own radio transmitter. He made it in his attic the year before. He used a special broadcasting kit with a long antenna. What the article didn't say was that his father and uncle owned KEYJ. They helped him get the equipment and advice. His family still owns many radio stations in North Dakota today.
Later, the station "discovered" him in an interview. Soon, he had his own weekly rock show. It was called Spin with Terry. In high school, he got a full-time job at the station. He hosted the Mister Midnight program. There, he developed his famous "slow 'n low" way of speaking.
College and Early Career in Radio
Stevens went to the University of North Dakota. He studied Commercial Art and Radio/TV Journalism. He also attended the University of Arizona. To pay for college, Stevens worked at radio stations. He worked at KILO in Grand Forks, North Dakota, KQWB in Fargo, North Dakota, and KIKX in Tucson, Arizona. At KIKX, he quickly became the most popular DJ. He was known as "Jefferson K."
After college, he joined WRKO in Boston in 1968. He worked the early evening shift. In 1970, he moved to Southern California. He joined KHJ as a "Boss Jock." His deep voice and energy quickly made him popular. Soon, he became the announcer for The Steve Allen Show on TV.
Stevens later became a radio personality and program director at KRLA in Los Angeles. He was hired to help KMET-FM become successful. Then, he created a new radio format for KROQ-FM ("K-Rock"). He stayed there for five years.
Rise to Fame in the 1970s
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stevens became even more famous. He created and produced "Fred R. Rated for Federated." These were funny TV commercials for Federated Group. This was a chain of electronics stores. The ads were so popular that Time Magazine wrote about them. This led to movie deals, TV shows, and his role on American Top 40.
Acting Roles
Shadoe Stevens first acted in a play called After the Fall. This was at the University of Arizona. He got the main role and impressed everyone. One reviewer said he "commanded the stage with a commanding voice."
He later did funny voiceovers for The Kentucky Fried Movie. He became nationally known as the announcer for Hollywood Squares. He was on the show from 1986–1989 and again from 1998–2004. He also played Kenny Beckett on the TV show Dave's World (1993–1997). He was the announcer for the Fender Bender 500 parts of Wake, Rattle, and Roll.
Stevens appeared as himself on The Larry Sanders Show and Caroline in the City. In 1988, he starred in the movie Traxx. In 1990, he played the main character in the TV series Max Monroe: Loose Cannon. He also had a small part in the movie Mr. Saturday Night in 1992. In 1996, he voiced Doc Samson in The Incredible Hulk cartoon.
In 1999, he had a small role on Beverly Hills, 90210. He played Sonny Sharp, an old radio DJ who became friends with David Silver.
From 2005 to 2015, Stevens was the announcer for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He still works with Craig Ferguson on the History Channel show Join or Die with Craig Ferguson. He is also on The Craig Ferguson Show on SiriusXM radio.
In July 2015, Stevens became the main announcer for the Antenna TV network. He took over from Gary Owens. He has also written children's books. His first book, The Big Galoot, came out in 2006.
Family Life
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Stevens married Linda in 1967, and they divorced in 1979. He then married Cynthia Gaydos in 1980, and they divorced in 1984. Since 1986, he has been married to fashion model Beverly Cunningham.
Stevens has three children. His son, Brad, is from his first marriage. His two daughters, Amber Stevens West and Chyna Rose, are from his third marriage. Amber is an actress. She appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson with her father in 2007. She also had a small part with him on American Top 40 in 1988.
Stevens' brother, Richard, is also a disc jockey. He sometimes filled in for Shadoe on Hollywood Squares.
See also
- List of Sigma Nu brothers
