Rick Dees Bio
Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), known professionally as Rick Dees, is an American radio personality, actor, comedian, and musician who gained international prominence through his nationally syndicated The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown. The Jacksonville, Florida native achieved unexpected fame with the 1976 novelty hit Disco Duck, which sold more than six million copies. Over a multi-decade career, Dees has shaped modern countdown formats and humor in American media through his work at major radio stations including KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, while also building a portfolio of television appearances, voice work in animated features, and film roles. He has been recognized with prestigious awards and hall-of-fame inductions in broadcasting, and he continues to influence radio and digital streaming through ongoing syndicated programs and appearances.
Early Life and Background
Rick Dees was born Rigdon Osmond Dees III in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 14, 1950. His family relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina, where he spent his formative years. Dees demonstrated an early interest in broadcasting and entertainment during his youth in North Carolina.
He graduated from Grimsley High School in Greensboro before pursuing higher education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC Chapel Hill, Dees earned a bachelor’s degree with a focus on motion pictures, television, and radio, providing him with a solid academic foundation for his future career in entertainment and broadcasting.
Path to Celebrity
Dees began his radio career while still in high school, working at WGBG, a Greensboro radio station. This early start in broadcasting allowed him to develop his distinctive style and gain practical experience in the industry during his teenage years.
Following his graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dees continued to build his radio career at various stations throughout the southeastern United States. He worked at WCAR (now WXYC) in Chapel Hill, WSGN in Birmingham, Alabama, and WKIX in Raleigh, North Carolina. These early career stops helped him refine his craft and develop the entertaining approach that would later define his success in major markets.
Rick Dees Career
Early Career (1970s)
Dees gained exposure to the national entertainment scene while working at WMPS AM 680 in Memphis, Tennessee, during the disco era of the mid-to-late 1970s. In 1976, he wrote and recorded the novelty song Disco Duck, which became an unexpected phenomenon, selling more than six million copies worldwide. The satirical track earned Dees a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Song and the BMI Award for record sales. Despite the song’s commercial success, his station management forbid him from playing it on the air due to perceived conflicts of interest.
After the success of Disco Duck, Dees joined RKO Radio and moved to KHJ in Los Angeles, where his morning show helped improve the station’s ratings. However, as AM music radio began losing audience share to FM competitors, Dees transitioned to KIIS-FM in July 1981, a move that would define the next major chapter of his career.
Breakthrough (1980s–2000s)
At KIIS-FM, Dees quickly established himself as a dominant force in American radio. Under his leadership, the station became the number one revenue-generating radio outlet in America, with an asset value approaching half a billion dollars. His morning show became appointment listening for millions of Los Angeles listeners.
On the weekend of October 8–9, 1983, Dees launched The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown, initially on 18 stations. The program was created after KIIS-FM dropped American Top 40 in a dispute over network commercials. The show expanded steadily and is now heard in over 200 countries worldwide and on the Armed Forces Radio Network, distributed domestically by Compass Media Networks and internationally by Dees Entertainment International through Radio Express. In December 2008, The Weekly Top 40 became the first English-speaking radio show to air in China. The program remains the longest continuously running countdown featuring pop music in the world, available in multiple editions including Hit Radio, Hot Adult, 80s Edition, and 90s Edition.
Dees departed KIIS-FM in February 2004 after 23 years with the station, replaced by Ryan Seacrest. He returned to Los Angeles radio in August 2006 on KMVN, Movin 93.9, hosting the morning show with Patti Lopez and Mark Wong. After the station shifted to Spanish contemporary music in April 2009, Dees redirected listeners to his website. He returned to Los Angeles radio once more in April 2011 at KHHT, serving as afternoon host for approximately one year.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond radio, Dees hosted the late-night television program Into the Night Starring Rick Dees on the ABC network in the early 1990s. He appeared in the 1987 feature film La Bamba, portraying Ted Quillin, the Los Angeles disc jockey who helped launch Ritchie Valens’s career. His voice acting credits include starring as Rock Dees in The Flintstones and voicing Rocket Rick in Jetsons: The Movie. He also provided voice work for the Family Guy episode La Famiglia Guy in 2020, portraying Peter Griffin’s impression of him. In August 2021, Dees was announced as the voice announcer for Rewind TV, a Nexstar Media Group network featuring programming from the 1980s and 1990s.
Rick Dees Awards Won
Rick Dees has received numerous accolades recognizing his significant contributions to broadcasting and entertainment. His achievements include Billboard Radio Personality of the Year award for 10 consecutive years, the prestigious Marconi Award, and induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, and the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame. In 1984, he received a Grammy Award nomination for his comedy album Hurt Me Baby – Make Me Write Bad Checks and has since received the Grammy Governor’s Award. He has also received a People’s Choice Award and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His comedy albums, including I’m Not Crazy, Rick Dees Greatest Hit (The White Album), and Put It Where The Moon Don’t Shine, have achieved worldwide success.
Rick Dees Family
Rick Dees has one son, Kevin Dees. Additional details about his family life remain private.
Personal Life
Dees continues to operate his holding company, Rick Dees Entertainment, which facilitates distribution of his syndicated radio programs globally. In March 2025, Rick Dees Entertainment signed a deal with iHeartMedia enabling the company to access the archive of Weekly Top 40, including the addition of two permanent iHeartRadio webstreams—one focused on current programs and a Classic channel featuring archival broadcasts from the 1980s to 2000s. As part of the promotion, Dees briefly reunited with former co-host Ellen K during her morning show on KOST-FM on March 21, 2025. Dees remains active in broadcasting, hosting the syndicated Daily Dees show and the Weekly Top 40 Countdown, with programs available on terrestrial radio stations and streaming platforms.