Larry Lujack
| Larry Lujack | |
|---|---|
Lujack at WCFL in 1974.
|
|
| Born |
Larry Lee Blankenburg June 6, 1940 Quasqueton, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died |
December 18, 2013 (aged 73) Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Esophageal cancer |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Superjock, Lawrence of Chicago, Uncle Lar, King of the Corn Belt |
| Alma mater |
College of Idaho Washington State University |
| Occupation | Radio host, disc jockey |
| Spouse(s) | Gina (div.) Judith Seguin (m. c.1972–2013; his death) |
| Awards | Illinois Broadcasters Association's Hall of Fame (2002) National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame (2008) |
Larry Lujack (June 6, 1940 – December 18, 2013), also called Superjock, Lawrence of Chicago, Uncle Lar, and King of the Corn Belt, was a Top 40 music radio disc jockey who was well known for his world-weary sarcastic style. Some of his more popular routines included Klunk Letter of the Day, the darkly humorous Animal Stories with sidekick Tommy Edwards as Little Tommy, and the Cheap Trashy Show Biz Report.
Lujack initially came to Chicago to work for WCFL-AM. He spent a few months there before being hired at WLS. While at WCFL, Lujack closed the air studio curtains during public visiting hours.
His Animal Stories routine came about because WLS was still receiving farm magazines long after the station changed to a rock-music format in 1960. Lujack started reading some of them and began airing stories from them instead of reading the grain reports connected with the Farm Report. When the Farm Report was officially discontinued, the feature became Animal Stories. A perfectionist about his work, Lujack would review every word he said on the air after each broadcast by listening to an audio cassette skimmer tape which would record only when the microphone was open.
Lujack retired initially in 1987, shortly after his son John from his first marriage died in an accident. In 1997, Lujack moved from Palatine, Illinois to the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico and, in May 2000, began working again, for then-WUBT (WKSC-FM) in Chicago, via a remote Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) link from a New Mexico recording studio, teaming up with Matt McCann who was based in the Chicago studio. The ratings for the show out-paced the rest of the radio station. In 2003, he reteamed with his Animal Stories partner, Tommy Edwards (Little Tommy), on WRLL (1690 AM) in Chicago, to broadcast his signature features on weekday mornings. On August 16, 2006, Lujack was terminated with the entire WRLL on-air staff as it was announced that the station's Real Oldies format would cease on September 17, 2006. The broadcast duo were on the air once again as part of the WLS "The Big 89 Rewind" on Memorial Day, 2007 and 2008 when the station returned to its MusicRadio programming, featuring many of the former WLS personalities and special guests, other DJs, etc.
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