In 1965, when Boss Radio began on 93/KHJ, there was an elite team of air personalities on the station. These magnificent seven men made history in Los Angeles by being the original lineup of on-air talent.
Robert W. Morgan 6 to 9 a.m 
Roger Christian 9 a.m. to Noon 
Gary Mack Noon to 3 p.m. 
The Real Don Steele 3 to 6 p.m. 
Dave Diamond 6 to 9 p.m. 
Sam Riddle 9 p.m. to Mid. 
Johnny Williams overnight 
This site is dedicated to Christian, Morgan, and Steele:
Roger Christian
I first met Roger Christian in 1972 when I went to work at a Hollywood radio station with studios and offices at the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga. This was before Bill Drake and Gene Chenault arrived. At that time, the station was called K100-FM.
Roger Christian’s amazingly smooth and mellow voice was just perfect for the soft-rock format that Drake and Chenault took off the air. I considered Roger Christian to be the first LA radio celebrity I ever met that I thought was worth spending any time with. Although he was one of the original seven Boss Jocks on 93/KHJ, and before that was already well known on LA radio because he was on the air at two legendary AM rock and roll stations, KFWB in Hollywood and also KRLA in Pasadena, he also wrote songs with Brian Wilson. Yes, that Brian Wilson.
Roger Christian was into cars--very fast cars. With Brian Wilson he wrote car songs like “Shut Down” and “Little Duece Coupe” that The Beach Boys recorded in the early 1960s. He also cowrote “Deadman’s Curve” for Jan and Dean.
My most vivid memory of Roger Christian involved a very fast car. One day in 1973 he drove me in his beloved Jaguar from his home up on Mulholland Drive down to the K100 studios on Sunset Boulevard. If ever there were a land speed record for traveling down Cahuenga Boulevard, it should’ve belonged to Roger Christian for that trip! I expected if the past predicted the future, that one day Roger Christian would go out in a blaze of glory behind the wheel of a very hot British automobile.
But that’s not what happened. At the age of 57, he died in 1991 following a period of illness. Roger Christian was one of the most unforgettable people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was grounded and unimpressed with himself—unlike other celebrities I had been before or since. There was a confidence that he radiated, but he was not pushy nor demanding.
Let me provide a memorable sample of his work on K100. He had produced and narrated a documentary for Capitol Records about The Beatles in the 1960s, so of course I asked Roger Christian to narrate an updated music documentary about The Beatles that I wrote and produced in 1973 for the station. The excerpt you will hear contains the famous “turn me on, dead man” line from The White Album and some of the most memorable music ever played backwards:
Roger Christian (1:01, MP3, 483 KB)
Robert W. Morgan
My interaction with the most amazing morning man in radio was during the time when K100 was programmed by the Drake-Chenault team. Morgan was more like one would imagine a celebrity would be. He knew what he wanted and he wasn’t afraid to demand it of everyone.
To get on his bad side was hugely unpleasant (believe me, I know from experience), so you avoided that condition at all costs. His intelligent sense of humor was one of the most endearing aspects of his personality, both on and off the air. Celebrate his full life (1937-1998) at an amazing tribute site: RobertWMorgan.com.
The Real Don Steele
I also worked with Steele at K100 when it was first programmed by the Drake-Chenault team. Suffice to say that I never met anyone like him before or since. To describe him as “unique” would be a complete and utter understatement. Although his on-air persona was one of high energy and drive, I was pleasantly surprised that in all his interactions with me, he was neither aggressive nor arrogant. This man had a vibe that is difficult to put into words. He gave off a sense or spirit of generous vitality and excitement, almost as if he didn’t belong here among us all.
He was totally LA—a wild ride at high speed without seatbelts. Anyone who ever heard his Friday afternoon sign-offs will never forget the experience. I was lucky to have worked with him in Hollywood at K100. He would ask in his sign-offs, “What do we know and believe?” I know and believe that he will best be remembered as cranking up the volume and the excitement in our lives, if only for a little while. He was with us and among us all from 1936-1997, but his sprit will live forever—never to be silenced. There is much to remember about him online here: TheRealDonSteele.com.
Posted by Woody Goulart. Filed under: People •
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