Gary D. Sinclair (born 1952), known professionally as Michael Gary "M.G." Kelly and Machine Gun Kelly, is an American actor, disc jockey, and radio personality. In addition to hosting several radio programs over the years, Kelly has held several acting roles as a disc jockey; also, he has served as an offstage announcer on two
game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
s.
His
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
is a reference to
George "Machine Gun" Kelly Machine Gun Kelly most often refers to:
* Machine Gun Kelly (gangster) (1900–1954), Prohibition era American gangster
* Machine Gun Kelly (musician) (born 1990), American actor and musician
Machine Gun Kelly may also refer to:
* ''Machine-Gun K ...
, a notorious criminal.
Radio career
Kelly has hosted and produced several radio programs. Several are still airing on stations across the United States and Canada; production and distribution of his current shows went on a brief hiatus in the late 2000s but have since resumed. He worked at
KSTP in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market from 1972 through 1975. During the 1970s and '80s, Kelly enjoyed much success as a radio personality on Los Angeles radio stations
KHJ,
KTNQ
KTNQ (1020 AM) is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, with a Spanish talk, Spanish AC and Regional Mexican format. It is owned by Latino Media Network; under a local marketing agreement, it was programmed by former owner ...
,
KOST
KOST (103.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, United States. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music in early November and ending a few days after Chris ...
and
KODJ
KODJ (94.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Salt Lake City, Utah. The station airs a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station's studios and offices are located in West Valley City.
KODJ has an effective ...
.
Programs produced by Kelly include:
*''Live from the 60s'' (1986–93, reruns from 1993 to 1996 and 2015–present), hosted by "The Real
Don Steele
Don Steele (born Donald Steele Revert; April 1, 1936 – August 5, 1997) was an American disc jockey and one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement for health reasons in May 199 ...
," a retrospective on the 1960s featuring 1960s music, distributed by
Premiere Networks
Premiere Networks, Inc. (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. It is th ...
. Reruns as of 2015 distributed by
Compass Media Networks
Compass Media Networks is an American radio network. The company launched in January 2009.
It is owned by former Westwood One CEO and former COO of Connoisseur Media, Peter Kosann. The company focuses on radio and offers representation and m ...
.
*''American Hit List'' (1998–present) similar in format to ''Live from the 60s'' except hosted by Kelly himself. This series featured a broader playlist stretching the 1950s to the 1970s, with a focus on 1964–73. This is the only Kelly program distributed by
Westwood One
Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming.
The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The co ...
. An updated version, ''Classic Hit List'', has also been offered since the mid-2010s, which includes more 1980s songs and a
classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
lean; this show is currently distributed by
Compass Media Networks
Compass Media Networks is an American radio network. The company launched in January 2009.
It is owned by former Westwood One CEO and former COO of Connoisseur Media, Peter Kosann. The company focuses on radio and offers representation and m ...
.
*''Back to the 70s'' (1998–2007, 2011–present). First 52 episodes hosted by
Charlie Tuna
Arthur W. Ferguson (April 18, 1944 – February 19, 2016), known professionally as Charlie Tuna, was a radio personality and television host based in Los Angeles, California.
Career
Radio
At age 16, Tuna began working at his hometown's radio s ...
, airing in reruns through 2007; subsequent revival (ca. 2011) hosted by Kelly himself and distributed by Compass.
*''The Amazing 80s'' (1998–present) hosted by Kelly, marketed as a direct competitor to
Backtrax USA
''Backtrax USA'' is a weekly two-hour radio program hosted by former WHTZ (Z100) disc jockey Kid Kelly that premiered in 1992. The original show highlights hit music from the 1980s. Since 2003, ''Backtrax USA'' has also offered a 1990s version o ...
. Distributed by Compass.
*''Your 90s Rewind'' (2015–present) hosted by Kelly.
*''Top 30 USA'' (1980s), AC Radio top 30 countdown (or as the show implies a CountUP show) hosted by Kelly and distributed by
CBS Radio
*''Your Good Time Oldies Magazine'' (1992–95), co-hosted by Kelly and
Charlie Tuna
Arthur W. Ferguson (April 18, 1944 – February 19, 2016), known professionally as Charlie Tuna, was a radio personality and television host based in Los Angeles, California.
Career
Radio
At age 16, Tuna began working at his hometown's radio s ...
Acting career
M. G. Kelly's acting career includes a role as DJ "Bebe Jesús" in the 1976 film
''A Star Is Born'', starring
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
and the role of Father John Voss in the
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
film ''
The Enforcer'',
as well as many television roles, including two ''
CHiPs
''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. After the final first-run telecast on NBC in May 1983, the series went into reruns on Sundays fr ...
'' episodes from 1978 and the 1979 ''
WKRP in Cincinnati
''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...
'' episode titled "Fish Story". He also provided the voice of the villain The Lightning Bug in the 1979 serial spoof ''
J-Men Forever
''J-Men Forever'', originally titled "The Secret World War", is a 1979 comedy film by Philip Proctor and Peter Bergman of the Firesign Theatre. The film is a pastiche using film clips from Republic Pictures, Republic Movie serial, serials, re-dubb ...
''.
In addition to acting, Kelly served a short stint as announcer on the game show ''
The Pop 'N Rocker Game
''The Pop 'N Rocker Game'' is an American game show and variety show produced by Ron Greenberg Productions and Alan Landsburg Productions. The program premiered on September 17, 1983, and aired through September 1984 and combined musical trivia w ...
'', hosted by
Jon Bauman
Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (born September 14, 1947) is an American singer, best known as a member of the band Sha Na Na, and game show host. Bauman's Sha Na Na character Bowzer was a greaser in a muscle shirt.
Biography and career
Bauman was bo ...
. In late 1988, he took over as the announcer on ''
Wheel of Fortune'' following the death of former announcer
Jack Clark in mid-1988. Kelly announced both the daytime network version of the show and the nighttime, syndicated version hosted by
Pat Sajak
Patrick Leonard Sajak ( ; né , born October 26, 1946) is an American game show host, television personality, and creative consultant. He is best known as the host of the television game show '' Wheel of Fortune'', a position which he held fr ...
until March 1989. Kelly was succeeded by
Charlie O'Donnell
Charles John O'Donnell (August 12, 1932 – November 1, 2010) was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows, and for his distinctive baritone voice. Among them, he was best known for '' Wheel of Fortun ...
, the original announcer of the daytime version, who remained with the show until his death in 2010.
Partial filmography
* 1976 ''
A Star Is Born'' as Bebe Jesus
* 1976 ''
The Enforcer'' as Father John
* 1978 ''
The Buddy Holly Story
''The Buddy Holly Story'' is a 1978 American biographical musical drama film directed by Steve Rash which tells the life and career of rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. It features an Academy Award-winning musical score, adapted by Joe Ren ...
'' as Avalon M.C.
* 1978 ''
The Fifth Floor
''The Fifth Floor'' is a 1978 American thriller film about a sane woman who gets sent to an asylum. It stars Dianne Hull, Bo Hopkins and Mel Ferrer.
Plot
The film focuses on Kelly McIntyre, a disco dancer played by Dianne Hull who through no fau ...
'' as Hal
* 1978 ''
CHIPS "Peaks and Valleys (TV Episode)'' as M.G. Kelly.
* 1979 ''
Roller Boogie
''Roller Boogie'' is a 1979 American teen musical exploitation film about roller disco, directed by Mark L. Lester and starring Linda Blair, Jim Bray, Beverly Garland, Roger Perry, Mark Goddard, Jimmy Van Patten, and Kimberly Beck. Set i ...
'' as D.J.
* 1979 ''
J-Men Forever
''J-Men Forever'', originally titled "The Secret World War", is a 1979 comedy film by Philip Proctor and Peter Bergman of the Firesign Theatre. The film is a pastiche using film clips from Republic Pictures, Republic Movie serial, serials, re-dubb ...
'' as Lightning Bug (voice)
* 1984 ''
Voyage of the Rock Aliens
''Voyage of the Rock Aliens'' is a 1984 film directed by James Fargo and starring Pia Zadora and Craig Sheffer.
Plot
A guitar-shaped spaceship and Robot 1359 (voiced by Peter Cullen), search the universe for the source of rock and roll music. ...
'' as Radio DJ
* 1984 ''
Night Patrol
''Night Patrol'' is a 1984 American comedy film starring Linda Blair, Pat Paulsen, Andrew Dice Clay, Billy Barty, and Murray Langston. The actor Murray Langston, who portrayed Melvin White, acted as his usual stage persona The Unknown Comic wit ...
'' as Hotel Manager
* 1989 ''
Body Slam
Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...
'' as T.V. Interviewer
* 1989 ''
Lobster Man from Mars'' as Big Dick Strange
* 1989 ''
UHF
Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter ...
'' as Promo Announcer (voice)
References
External links
Official M. G. Kelly productions website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, M. G.
1952 births
Living people
American male film actors
Game show announcers
People from Ada, Oklahoma
Radio personalities from Oklahoma