Jim Ladd, freeform radio disc jockey, lost his L.A. postion at KLOS FM in October 2011. SiriusXm has given Jim Ladd 4 hours M-F on Channel 27 (Deep Tracks) to play his legendary freeform rock format to a huge audience recently and I tuned into his show during his first week. Having never heard Jim Ladd before, other than the Deep Tracks promotions, I had no expectations, other than it was Deep Tracks so he had to be good. Thirty minutes in I was not impressed. Classic Vinyl maybe, but Deep Tracks? I heard Mickey Thomas and Starship along with Jim walking on tracks…I turned the channel. After going to his Facebook Fan Page to voice my dislike of the show, I was greeted by his loyal fans telling me to give Jim a chance.
After hearing from Jim Ladd personally via Facebook, I gave his show another listen, another and another. Yes I heard classic rock tracks, but in a Jim Ladd themed segment/program. His “walking” on tracks was Jim being a part of the music. I also did research on Jim and found out how historic his career has been. The L.A. Weekly stated, “They fired Jim Ladd on a Tuesday. Ladd had been the nighttime DJ on L.A. classic rock station KLOS, in various incarnations, since 1969. He’s a rare DJ with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and inspired Tom Petty’s song “The Last DJ.”..Known for his access to stars like Petty, Jackson Browne, Don Henley and Roger Waters, Ladd’s late-evening show employed a concept he called “Theater of the Mind,” more like storytelling than simply playing a series of unrelated songs. A war-themed program might feature “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath segueing into “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Young, leading into “The Wall” by Pink Floyd. Ladd interviewed John Lennon in 1974, and, while at KMET, was also pivotal in bringing the news of his assassination to local audiences in 1980.”
Jim Ladd is a true RnR gem and has found a home on satellite radio and with me.
“Rock On ” Mr. Ladd …
