CLIFTON HEIGHTS — Mention the name Steve Kurtz to anyone in Delaware County who enjoys music, digs doo wop or likes to dance, and their feet will likely begin to tap and favorite songs will start popping in their head.
As “the daddy of doo wop dance parties,” and “the king of ‘let’s get this party started’ fun,” the legendary DJ/emcee/radio personality has been a household name in much of Delaware County and its surrounding areas for over 48 years.
Seven nights a week, the popular DJ can be found providing music and entertainment at local restaurants and taverns, weddings, fundraisers, birthday parties, grand openings, car shows, block parties, community events and more or emceeing shows and corporate events.
His expansive music-based career has put a mic in his hand at thousands of events and provided opportunities that Kurtz would never have dreamed about in his earlier years.
In a recent interview, the personable Kurtz, who exudes coolness in his rock ‘n’ roll jacket and dangling music note earring, smiles as he shares, “Believe it or not, I was a really shy and quiet kid growing up.”
Delco born and raised, Kurtz grew up, first in the Stonehurst section of Upper Darby, then in East Lansdowne.
His father was an East Lansdowne police officer. During the ages of 2 to 10-years-old, his mother took him and his sister to Armstrong Roberts Modeling Co. and the good-looking Kurtz children were hired to model in advertisements.
Although shy, the young model with the striking baby blue eyes and fair skin, appeared in ads for Anchor Fence, a life insurance company and others. He recalls getting ready to go up the elevator in Philadelphia’s PSFS Building and looking up and seeing a huge lit-up photo of himself.
“I remember a lady was passing us by, and she glanced at the ad and then looked down at me and asked, ‘Is that you?’ She was stunned,” he laughed as he retold the story.
Humble beginnings
Kurtz attended St. Cyril’s grade school and Lansdowne Aldan High School, graduating in 1969. After high school, Kurtz worked a variety of jobs: On a loading dock for a company in Yeadon, at the Navy Yard and as an armed guard. All the while, he was feeding his love of music by learning about and acquiring big stereo equipment with his friend, the late Dan Dougherty.
“I bet between the two of our houses, we could have done the sound system for the entire Tower Theater,” Kurtz laughed.
The friends started in the entertainment business together as Sound Discovery. Their first gig was deejaying at the Folsom Boys Club. Back in the ’70s, there weren’t many mobile DJs to emulate, so Steve and Dan were basically winging it.
“Neither of us thought this through when we agreed to take the job,” Kurtz remembers. “We didn’t have a clue what we were doing, and that’s the truth. Neither of us wanted to take the microphone and be in the spotlight. We had absolutely no training on how to be a disc jockey. We were basically just interested in sound and lighting and the DJ part —we just kind of delved into it unexpectedly, because of the other interests.”
The friends must have done something right that night, because before they knew it, their phones were ringing from referrals.
“Our second job was doing a wedding reception in Southwest Philly,” Kurtz reminisced. “I had no idea how to emcee a wedding.”
On one of the days leading up to the wedding, Kurtz went to what was then the Alpine Inn on Baltimore Pike and sat in the parking lot, mustering up the courage to go inside.
He finally went in and asked to see Sonny Dae, who was an experienced emcee/entertainer. Sonny Dae recorded “Rock Around The Clock” on the Arcade label in 1954, before Bill Haley later re-recorded it and it turned into a hit. When Kurtz explained his situation and asked Dae for advice on how to emcee a wedding, Dae told him to come into his office and sit down.
“I had a pen and notepad in my hand,” Kurtz remembered. “Sonny told me exactly what to do and what to say, and I listened intently and took notes.”
The event was a success and, from there, the referrals kept coming and Kurtz never looked back.
After two years, his buddy wanted out.
“He was more into stereo equipment than deejaying,” Kurtz said. “If I can’t be a billionaire doing this, I want out, he said. He took a job at PECO. We remained lifetime friends until he passed away in 2001.”
Hitting his stride
After his friend left the partnership, Kurtz continued deejaying solo.
The bookings became steady and the music/sound/lighting fell to the wayside, as Kurtz became more and more comfortable in his niche as a DJ. He began discovering that he was happiest when making others happy, by creating a fun and enjoyable time for them.
In 1978, when the TV sitcom “Mork & Mindy” first aired, people told Kurtz that he looked like the Robin Williams’ Mork character.
Kurtz capitalized on the similarity and began to book himself as an “intergalactical entertainer.” He self-taught himself some magic tricks, perfected Mork’s voice and nuances, dressed in a “Mork from Ork” costume and soon was in demand as a performer. He continued the side hustle until the show’s popularity waned in the mid-’80s after the show went off the air in 1982.
Kurtz began working a day job at the railroad in 1976. He ended up staying for 37 years, first at Penn Central, then Conrail and finally SEPTA. He retired in 2013, and said he enjoyed the job for almost four decades because he always liked the challenge of problem solving and making things right.
“My job was to troubleshoot the signal system and I really enjoyed my job because I like the challenge of fixing things,” he said.
Married to wife Barbara for 29 years, the couple, are the proud parents of four children and eight grandchildren.
“I’m a very active person,” Kurtz shared when asked how he does it all. “I just keep going, I always have!”
Kurtz has a job lined up for every day of the week. He’s his own booking agent so he’s free to take a gig or turn it down.
Currently, on Mondays, he runs karaoke at Casey’s in Ridley Park. Every Tuesday, he’s hosting a dance party at Redwood Community Center in Upland during the day and then heads to Martin’s Tap House in Aston to host karaoke that evening. On Wednesdays, he can be found hosting karaoke at Legends Bar & Grill in Boothwyn. Every Thursday, he’s at Streetlight Kitchen and Bar at Drexelbrook in Drexel Hill hosting a Dance Party. Meanwhile, Karaoke With Kurtz is hosted by Todd Linebaugh at Gatsby’s Bar & Grill in Aston.
When the weekend rolls around, Kurtz is still going strong.
On the last Friday night of the month, he’s currently playing tunes and filling the dance floor at Craft Beer Store in Springfield. In the summer months, he’s a regular DJ at the Tiki Bar at Remarco’s in Clifton Heights. The rest of his Fridays, as well as Saturdays and Sundays, vary weekly, but they’re always filled with weddings and other occasions, events, and shows to emcee. He’s in demand.
“I used to say that I did every kind of event but a funeral, but through my years as a DJ, I’ve done 13 funerals so now I can’t say that anymore,” he joked.
The parking lot party
During the pandemic, when DJs were mostly on an unexpected hiatus, and restaurants were hurting and people were missing social functions, Kurtz used his creativity and started a local trend.
He created the parking lot dance party, with safely distanced dancers.
Kurtz kicked off the trend at Gatsby’s in Aston with an FM transmitter to allow cars to pick up his music and upbeat commentary through their car radio.
People would pull up to the Gatsby’s parking lot, get takeout to eat, turn on their FM radios and get out of their cars to dance.
The innovation was an all-around win-win and the trend caught on, keeping Kurtz working throughout the pandemic. He also found another niche to fill to keep working during those difficult years. Since many bars and restaurants were closed to the public in 2020, he used his self-taught installation skills to replace or update the lighting and sound systems.
Asked what his favorite genre of music is and Kurtz says he likes it all, but admitted that doo wop is probably his favorite.
“Doo wop is so pure and natural,” Kurtz stated. “Most of it tells a story and, let’s face it, it’s fun! I was raised on it. I also like classic rock and pretty much all genres, if the music is good.”
Kurtz also has a radio show, “The Steve Kurtz Show,” which airs at 4 p.m. Saturdays on the Oldies station WVLT Cruisin’ 92.1 FM, heard in the Tri-State area.
On the internet, listeners can catch him at Famous56BossRadio.com. The radio personality used to travel to Vineland, N.J., to do his show, but now he thankfully has sophisticated equipment in his home studio that works as well.
Kurtz’s radio career began on a small station in Aston in 1995. Within three months, “The Steve Kurtz Show” was the highest rated show on the station.
Through the years, Kurtz has had amazing experiences come his way. He broadcasted from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland twice.
The president of the museum was going to have him on a regular basis, but Sirius Radio took over the studio there and it cut the opportunity short. He says that he was the only Philadelphia DJ invited to come back every year.
Memorable experiences
Kurtz worked alongside Sylvester Stallone when the actor was in town to film “Rocky Balboa” and to dedicate the Rocky statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Stallone agreed to be the grand marshal of the Philadelphia Hero Thrill Show in 2006 and Kurtz was emcee of the show.
In the years that followed, Kurtz was cast as an extra in “Creed” and “Creed II,” when the movies were filmed at Sun Center in Aston.
“The best part of the whole experience was getting to work 14-hour days with the stars, and seeing how a film is made and put together,” Kurtz shared.
Kurtz has met and been a part of shows with countless well-known performers, including the Skyliners, The Orlons, The Duprees, Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge, Lee Andrews and the Hearts, Bobby Rydell, The Dovells and many others.
In the Mid-1980s, Kurtz was hired as an emcee and stage manager for a live local cable TV show, which was also recorded and shown by three cable companies, seven days a week.
In 1990, Kurtz started Galax-z Records, recording a cappella groups, R&B artists and Rock bands. The a cappella group, 5/3 Woodland, recorded at Galax-Z.
“Steve Kurtz is the reason that 5/3 Woodland is still around today,” stated Albert Loughead of Norwood, a member of the a capella group. “Steve produced our first CD and made us locally famous.”
Kurtz has helped boost countless musical careers. He is a member of the board of directors for the annual Yacht Stock River Jam. He was founder and event coordinator of the Yacht Stock Vocal Competition, a highly competitive youth singing competition that was around in the early 2000s.
The hard-working DJ continues to work on a committee that meets at the FOP Lodge 5 in Philadelphia to put together the Philadelphia Doo Wop Festival each fall.
As if he doesn’t have enough to do, the enthusiastic Kurtz said he not only does all his own bookings and paperwork, but also makes his own promotional posters and materials and does his own social media.
Loves his work
The DJ/emcee/radio personality has garnered him Best of Delco and numerous other awards through the years.
He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for preserving the great doo wop sounds at the Penns Landing Doo Wop Festival honoring veterans in 2010. Marsha Four presented the award to Kurtz from The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center. Delaware County Council presented Kurtz with a proclamation in 2015 for his charitable work with the Delaware County Historical Society.
After thousands of public appearances and events, Kurtz shared that he’s still somewhat shy when he’s not on stage or in the limelight.
“When I’m not working, I don’t like being the center of attention,” Kurtz confided. “I am more comfortable when I’m on stage than when I’m in social settings.”
Few would ever guess there’s a shy bone in his body when Kurtz gets a microphone in hand. His charismatic persona and stage presence and his good taste in music immediately livens up the room and heats up the dance floor.
“I love this job as much today, or even more, than the day I began,” an energetic and smiling Kurtz said. “I can’t wait every day to go out to work because it’s always fun and I always have a great time!”
To reach Kurtz, follow him on Facebook and Instagram, or contact him at 610-203-4002 or radiokurtz@yahoo.com.
