Larry Gogan: An Appreciation
(Active 1961 - 2019)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
A full biography of the legendary radio announcer, journalist,
author and entertainer is beyond the scope of our website, however
we felt it was important to talk about the impact and influence
Larry had on the showband era (and by extension, the cultural
revolution which swept across Ireland from the 1950's through the
1980's) and beyond.
According to sources on the
Internet, Larry was born on May 3rd, 1934. We could find little
information about his early life, but we do know that he joined RTE
radio (previously known as Radio Eireann) in 1961 at the age of 27.
RE had been officially established on June 1st, 1960. Almost
immediately Larry became identified as the voice of a new generation
coming on the scene as the country was being awakened by music from
across the world like Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Rolling Stones.
Just as importantly, he was soon
presenting the music of the showbands to a country hungry for its
own home grown stars. The first Irish showband records would be made
in 1962, coinciding with Larry's arrival on the scene. He would soon
be rubbing shoulders with the superstars of the era and appearing in
ballrooms across the country as he had become Ireland's "top pop
D.J."
Throughout the next 60 years he
was one of the top disc jockeys and journalists in the country. He
wrote a regular column in Spotlight for years and also often
contributed to various publications on the subject of records and
entertainment. Larry would be one of the main DJs who made the move
from RTE 1 to RTE Radio 2 in 1979. He would stay with the station
for an unbelievable 40 years, retiring in 2019 aged 84. He wasn't
done yet as he then moved over the RTE Gold, the digital station
playing the oldies.
In 1975, Larry was interviewed by
James Morrissey for a piece in Spotlight on his ten years at
the top of the business and asked him about the Irish music industry
(full article below).
Said Larry,
"Irish records have been criticised so often but there can be no
doubt that record standards are on the up all the time...bad
records? What is a bad record? Several discs that get knocked go on
to sell in the thousands...who is the ultimate judge? As regards the
music business, it too has grown in leaps and bounds in the right
direction. We have top artists - take the Times as one of many
examples...the music business could hold its own in any league."
Larry sadly died January 7th, 2020
at the age of 85.
Along with Gay Byrne, who passed
away just 2 months early on November 4th, 2019, Larry was one of the
greatest supporters of the showband era, and in fact all Irish bands
and musicians for an amazing 60 years! They will both be sorely
missed.
More to come.....
click on thumbnails
for full image
