born Dec. 23, 1907, Galena, Ill., U.S.
died May 7, 1996, Evanston, Ill.
U.S. radio entertainer.
He entered radio in the 1920s as part of a singing team. In 1933 he took over as host of an NBC morning program in Chicago and created The Breakfast Club . Usually unscripted, it relied on listeners' comments, poems, and folksy humour. It was the longest-running show in radio network history when it ended in 1968.