Gary Dell'Abate
| Gary Dell'Abate | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Gary Patrick Angelo Dell'Abate March 14, 1961 Uniondale, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Radio producer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Dell'Abate |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | |
| www.bababooey.com | |
Gary Patrick Angelo Dell'Abate (born March 14, 1961), also known as "Baba Booey", is an American radio producer, known for being the executive producer of The Howard Stern Show. His autobiography They Call Me Baba Booey, was released on November 2, 2010.[1]
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Early life and career [edit]
Dell'Abate was born in New York and raised in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island. He comes from a large Italian-American family. His father, Sal Dell'Abate, was an ice cream salesman. He attended Adelphi University, receiving the Richard F. Clemo Award at the end of his senior year,[2] where he interned at several radio stations. While interning with Roz Frank, a traffic reporter on WNBC, he came into contact with Howard Stern.
The Howard Stern Show [edit]
Dell'Abate has worked on The Howard Stern Show since September 4, 1984: originally on 66 WNBC, then syndicated through K-Rock in New York City, and later broadcast on Sirius XM Radio.
Previously nicknamed "Boy Gary" (Howard called his college roommate Dr. Lew Weinstein "boy" when giving an order; preceded by "Boy" Lee Davis at WNBC), Dell'Abate's "Baba Booey" moniker originated on The Howard Stern Show on July 26, 1990, after telling a story of his prized collection of animation cels. In the course of discussing a Quick Draw McGraw cel he might purchase, he misstated the name of McGraw's sidekick Baba Looey as Baba Booey. As is typical of the show, the rest of the cast "goofed" on his mistake, becoming especially merciless since he was mulling the purchase of a cel of a character without even knowing the character's correct name. Dell'Abate said something to the effect that they would forget the name by the next day, yet it has remained to this day. Eventually he titled his autobiography They Call Me Baba Booey.[3]
"Baba Booey" as a term has become a mantra for fans of The Howard Stern Show and is often used during crank calls to live network television or radio broadcasts. For example, a call made to ABC News during the low-speed police chase of O. J. Simpson's Ford Bronco through the streets of Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, signed off with "And Baba Booey to y'all!" Sportscaster Al Michaels explained to anchor Peter Jennings the significance of that phrase. More recently, Freestyle wrestler Jake Herbert yelled "Baba Booey" as the camera panned over Team USA during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.[4]
Personal life [edit]
Dell'Abate has two sons.[5] After Dell'Abate's brother Steven died of AIDS in January 1991, Dell'Abate became a supporter of LIFEbeat The Music Industry Fights AIDS[6] and serves as the charity's President.
He was featured in the May 2007 issue of Sound and Vision magazine where his home theater was profiled. In the article, he revealed that his favorite album is Aja by Steely Dan.[7]
Dell'Abate is an avid New York Mets fan, and, on May 9, 2009 he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Mets game. The pitch is ranked on many lists as the worst throw ever, as it landed down the third-base line and nearly hit an umpire. Dell'Abate is also a fan of the New York Islanders hockey team, and was interviewed for the 2012 book, Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders, 1972-1984, by author Greg Prato. Dell'Abate's thoughts and memories of following the Islanders (he also interned for the television station that broadcast the team's games at the time, SportsChannel) are featured throughout the book, as well as several photos of Dell'Abate with Islanders players at a Stanley Cup victory parade in 1980. [8]
On Monday, March 14, 2011, Dell'Abate was appointed to the Greenwich, CT Board of Parks and Recreation on a 119-64 vote margin. [9]
References [edit]
- ^ "They Call Me Baba Booey". Random House. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Television Triumph, Radio Tragedy". The History of Howard Stern. 2009-01-02. Sirius Satellite Radio.
- ^ "Great Moments In Al Michaels History". Deadspin.com. 2006-02-02. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ^ Vigdor, Neil (15 March 2011). "Stern show producer basks in afterglow of parks board approval". Greenwich Citizen. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Music Fights HIV/AIDS | Changing the Face of HIV/AIDS Through Music Entertainment". Lifebeat. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ^ Medich, Rob (2007-04-13). "Installations: The Real King of All Media". Soundand visionmag.com. p. 7. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
- ^ Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders, 1972-1984. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
- ^ Vigdor, Neil (2011-03-14). "RTM approves Dell'Abate to parks board seat". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Gary Dell'Abate at the Open Directory Project
- Howard Stern's official website
- Gary Dell'Abate at the Internet Movie Database
- Gary Dell'Abate on Twitter
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