Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), known professionally as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist. He is best known for his internationally syndicated radio program The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and his 1976 novelty hit "Disco Duck." A multifaceted figure in entertainment, Dees has earned accolades such as a People’s Choice Award, a Grammy nomination, and induction into multiple broadcasting halls of fame.
Early Life & Education
Rick Dees was born on March 14, 1950, in Jacksonville, Florida, to a modest family. Raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, he developed an early interest in radio and entertainment.
Dees attended Grimsley High School in Greensboro, where he began his radio career as a teenager at local station WGBG. He later pursued higher education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures. His academic background laid the foundation for his future success in broadcasting.
Career
Radio Beginnings and "Disco Duck"
Dees’ radio career kicked off in earnest during his high school years and continued through college, with stints at stations like WCAR (now WXYC) in Chapel Hill, WSGN in Birmingham, Alabama, and WKIX in Raleigh, North Carolina. His big break came in the mid-1970s while working at WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1976, amid the disco craze, Dees wrote and recorded "Disco Duck," a satirical novelty song performed with his group, Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots. The track soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in October 1976, selling over 6 million copies worldwide. It also reached #15 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and earned a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Song in 1977. Notably, the song appeared in the film Saturday Night Fever. However, WMPS management forbade Dees from playing it on air due to a perceived conflict of interest, leading to his firing after he mentioned its success on the air.
Undeterred, Dees moved to WHBQ-AM in Memphis, where his popularity grew, catching the attention of RKO General. This led to an offer to host the morning show at KHJ-AM in Los Angeles.
As AM radio waned in favor of FM, Dees transitioned to KIIS-FM in July 1981, where he transformed the station into America’s top revenue-generating radio outlet, with an asset value nearing $500 million.
The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40
In October 1983, Dees launched The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown, a syndicated program born out of a dispute between KIIS-FM and American Top 40 over network commercials. Starting with 18 stations, the show expanded globally, airing in over 200 countries and on the Armed Forces Radio Network. It remains the longest continulously-running pop music countdown in history, with Dees still hosting as of 2025. His charismatic style, comedic flair, and knack for engaging listeners solidified his status as a radio icon.
Later Radio Ventures
Dees hosted Rick Dees in the Morning at KIIS-FM until 2004, when a contract dispute led to his departure, with Ryan Seacrest installed. He returned to Los Angeles radio in 2006 on KMVN (Movin’ 93.9), co-hosting with Patti "Long Legs" Lopez and Mark Wong until the station flipped to a Spanish format in 2009. Dees then briefly rejoined KIIS’s sister station KHHT in 2011 for a year.
Today, he continues his syndicated Daily Dees show and Weekly Top 40 broadcast globally on radio stations around the world as well as streaming 24/7/365 on his streaming music app RICK DEES HIT MUSIC and BYOChannel.
Television and Film
Beyond radio, Dees ventured into television and film. He hosted the syndicated music series Solid Gold from 1984 to 1985. In the early 1990s, Dees hosted Into the Night Starring Rick Dees – his own hit late-night show on ABC. Sadly the innovate show only for 2 seasons (1990-1991) and was cancelled due to ABC’s consistent bumping his broadcast to 4am, with replacing its late night time slot with war news updates about the Iraq War.
Dees has guest-starred on shows like Roseanne, Married... with Children, Cheers, and Diagnosis: Murder. In film, Dees famously played Ted Quillin in La Bamba (1987), voiced characters like Rock Dees in The Flintstones (1994) and Rocket Rick in Jetsons: The Movie (1990), and contributed the title song for Meatballs (1979). His voice also appeared in Family Guy in 2020.
Comedy Albums and Business Ventures
Dees released several comedy albums, including Hurt Me Baby – Make Me Write Bad Checks (1983), which earned a Grammy nomination in 1984, followed by I’m Not Crazy, Rick Dees Greatest Hit (The White Album), and Put It Where The Moon Don’t Shine.
In 1984, he faced and won a copyright lawsuit from Marvin Fisher over a parody of "When Sunny Gets Blue" on the latter album, highlighting his penchant for pushing comedic boundaries. The landmark lawsuit later became the basis defense for establishing Parody and Satire as fair use.
Outside entertainment, Dees co-founded the E.W. Scripps network Fine Living, now the Cooking Channel, showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit.
Awards & Honors
People’s Choice Award (1977) for "Disco Duck"
Grammy Nomination (1984) for Hurt Me Baby – Make Me Write Bad Checks
Grammy Governor’s Award
Marconi Award
Billboard Radio Personality of the Year (10 consecutive years)
National Radio Hall of Fame (1999)
National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame (2007)
North Carolina Music Hall of Fame
Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame Star (1984, at 1560 N. Vine Street)
Personal Life
Rick married Julie McWhirter in 1977, a voice actress known for roles in The Smurfs and Casper the Friendly Ghost, and became a frequent collaborator on his radio shows.
Rick and Julie have one son, Kevin Dees, who runs a successful real estate business in Los Angeles and has two daughters, Ava and Briar, with his wife Kristen. The family resides in Toluca Lake, California.
Dees is an avid outdoorsman, farming in Kentucky, and enjoys golf (with a handicap of 6) and baking, even publishing his own book Rick Dees All-Time Top 40 Greatest Desserts, with proceeds benefiting the Salvation Army. He is also an Eagle Scout, and received the highly coveted Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 2018.
Legacy
Rick Dees’ influence spans radio, music, and television, marked by his innovative countdown format and enduring comedic presence. His ability to adapt to changing media landscapes—while maintaining authenticity—has inspired generations of broadcasters. Critics note his knack for blending humor with mass appeal, which he delivers in all aspects of his life. His career reflects a rare versatility, cementing his place in entertainment history.