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dick biondi at wcfl , circa 1967 . winr wls am krla wcfl am wmaq am wbz wsai wnmb wcba-am wbbm fm wjmk fm wls fm kvob ksyl whot am wkbw am webr richard o. biondi endicott , new york 200px 13 september 1932 dick biondi wcfl 1967edited.jpg dick biondi
 dick biondi
dick biondi

richard o. `` dick '' biondi -lrb- born september 13 , 1932 -rrb- is an american top 40 and oldies disc jockey .
calling himself the wild i-tralian , he was one of the original `` screamers , '' known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off .
in a 1988 interview , biondi related he had been fired 23 times ; both fits of temper and jokes gone wrong were part of the tally .
over many years and many frequencies , dick 's close-of-the-program line was , `` god bless , bye , bye , duke .
thanks a million for dialing our way . ''
biondi gained national attention in the 1950s and 1960s as a disc jockey on leading am radio stations in buffalo , new york ; chicago , illinois ; and los angeles , california .
besides being among the first to play elvis presley , jerry lee lewis , gene vincent , and other early rhythm and blues artists , he was able to meet them also .
the early rock and roll era meant `` record hops '' where disc jockeys would make personal appearances at local schools and clubs ; they often included appearances by the artists whose records were being played .
biondi is credited as the first u.s. disc jockey to play the beatles , on chicago 's wls 890 am in february 1963 , with the song `` please please me '' .
later , while working at krla 1110 am in los angeles , he introduced the beatles and rolling stones at their hollywood bowl concerts .
since 1984 , biondi has been a mainstay on oldies stations in the city where he first earned his reputation , chicago .
on 2 may 2010 , dick biondi celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first chicago broadcast .
wls-am and wls-fm presented a 5 hour simulcast special from 7 pm to midnight , featuring memorable moments in his career and special celebrity guests , with biondi as its host .
biondi is an inductee of the national radio hall of fame .
