If you have been a fan of popular music at all in the past 25 years, you have undoubtedly heard the voice of Rick Dees on multiple occasions as he counts down the top 40 songs on the radio. His real name is Rigdon Osmond Dees, and he was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1950. He grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with a degree in TV, Radio and Motion Pictures. Even before he had the degree, however, Dees was interested in radio. When he was 17, he auditioned to host a music show on the radio and won the job.

It didn't take him long to work his way to hosting the top 40. He had jobs throughout the area from WTOB in Winston Salem to WKIX in Raleigh. By the 1970s, he was hosting a radio show in Memphis for WHBQ, which is where he recorded the single "Disco Duck." The single sold millions of copies for Dees and helped get his name out there even more. The early 1980s saw Dees move to his most famous role, as a host on KIIS in Los Angeles and the host of Rick Dees in the Morning.

Dees held the position at KIIS for 23 years, but also started working on other projects. He released a couple of albums and also started acting. He was on television shows like The Love Coat, Roseanne, Baywatch Nights and Days of Our Lives as well as movies like La Bamba and a voice role in Jetsons The Movie. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1999. An era came to an end in the mid 2000s as Dees was replaced with Ryan Seacrest. Dees is also known for his interest in cooking and baking and features his recipes online.