Tom Clay
Pictures
Listen to, buy or share
Buy
7digital
iTunes
Amazon
eBay
-
6,216
scrobbles
-
1,847 listeners
-
yakkowarner is listening to
Tom Clay – What The World Needs Now Is Love
Tags
Biography
Tom Clay (20 August 1929, New York, New York — 22 November 1995, Los Angeles, California) (born Thomas Clague) was an American radio personality and disc jockey.
In the 1950s he was popular in the Detroit area on WJBK-AM both as a DJ, and for his on-air comic characterizations; he became a local celebrity. In the mid 50’s Tom moved to Cincinnati and was a smash hit. He was considered by many the best DJ in town and had a huge following on WSAI’s night show. He used music and records to build a radio “image”, and signed off with a signature “That’s All”.
He was caught up in the payola scandal of late 50s, and openly admitted to having accepted thousands of dollars for playing certain records. After being fired from WJBK, Clay worked at short-lived Detroit Top 40 station WQTE (now WRDT) only to be fired again when the station changed format to easy listening music in 1961. After moving to Los Angeles and becoming a popular personality on KRLA, Clay returned to the Detroit area and found work at CKLW in neighboring Windsor, Ontario, at the time one of the foremost Top 40 AM stations in North America.
According to the book Rockin’ Down the Dial, a history of Detroit Top 40 radio of the 1950s and 1960s by David Carson, Tom Clay became friendly with Marilyn Monroe during his time in Los Angeles working for KRLA. Clay’s daughter, Kimberly, told Carson that her father never revealed much about his friendship with Monroe, but would only say that she seemed very lonely.
In the 1950s he was popular in the Detroit area on WJBK-AM both as a DJ, and for his on-air comic characterizations; he became a local celebrity. In the mid 50’s Tom moved to Cincinnati and was a smash hit. He was considered by many the best DJ in town and had a huge following on WSAI’s night show. He used music and records to build a radio “image”, and signed off with a signature “That’s All”.
He was caught up in the payola scandal of late 50s, and openly admitted to having accepted thousands of dollars for playing certain records. After being fired from WJBK, Clay worked at short-lived Detroit Top 40 station WQTE (now WRDT) only to be fired again when the station changed format to easy listening music in 1961. After moving to Los Angeles and becoming a popular personality on KRLA, Clay returned to the Detroit area and found work at CKLW in neighboring Windsor, Ontario, at the time one of the foremost Top 40 AM stations in North America.
According to the book Rockin’ Down the Dial, a history of Detroit Top 40 radio of the 1950s and 1960s by David Carson, Tom Clay became friendly with Marilyn Monroe during his time in Los Angeles working for KRLA. Clay’s daughter, Kimberly, told Carson that her father never revealed much about his friendship with Monroe, but would only say that she seemed very lonely.
Top Tracks
Top Albums
-
What The World Needs Now Is Love
19 listeners10 tracks
Released:
Amazon MP3
Listening Trend
1,847listeners all time
6,216scrobbles all time
Recent listeners trend:
Start scrobbling and track your listening history
Last.fm users scrobble the music they play in iTunes, Spotify, Rdio and over 200 other music players.
Create a Last.fm profileShoutbox
Leave a comment.
Log in to Last.fm or sign up.
-
saintdave57
So sad , when great people die too young
-
Squirel
There are too many sick people - still
-
vortex77
What's prejudice ? I think that's when somebody's sick !!
Top Listeners
-
bepoppie
Top Listener -
pauld82
Top Listener -
Sjardy
Top Listener -
shabbychic
Top Listener
