John Records Landecker (1947-)

John Records Landecker is an American Top 40 disc jockey best known for saying “Records truly is my middle name.”  Landecker ruled the airwaves on WLS Chicago from 1972-1981 with features like Boogie Check, Americana Panorama, and Press My Conference.

Landecker was born in Michigan on March 28, 1947 to Werner and Marjorie Landecker.  Although most people assumed “Records” was a stage moniker, in truth, the name came from his mother’s maiden name Marjorie Victoria Records.  John began his career on radio while still in high school at WOIA-FM in Ann Arbor, MI.  He attended college at Grand Valley State University and worked for Grand Rapids station WERX.  After brief stints on stations in Lansing and Philadelphia, he landed a job as the evening jock on 50,000-watt WLS 890 broadcasting from Chicago in 1972.  The powerful WLS clear channel signal reached 38 states giving Landecker ratings that are unheard of today.

Boogie Check was a humorous feature Landecker did in the last two minutes of his show every night.  He would take several brief telephone calls on the air in rapid succession.  Americana Panomram featured humorous introductions to songs.  Press My Conference featured song bits interspersed with interviews.

After retiring in 2015, John Landecker returned to the airwaves in 2020 and can be heard on WGN in Chicago 7-10pm weeknights.

Landecker was elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2017 and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2020.  He was inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on June 6, 2022.