May 15, 2026 • 5 mins
San Diego radio personality "Shotgun Tom" Kelly has been nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame. Now 75 years old, he got his first radio job at age 16. KOGO's Laura Cain met up with him to learn about his career and ask what's in his future.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Long time San Diego radio personality Shotgun Tom Kelly, the
man who pulled the trigger on a career and never
looked back, has been nominated for the National Radio Hall
of Fame this year.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Cocaz Laura Kane sat down with the legend and the
iconic ranger hat about how his career began, where it's going.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
At seventy five years old, Shotgun Tom Kelly's voice has
soundtracked SoCal for more than half a century, and now
he's been nominated for inductions into the Radio Hall of
Fame's Class of twenty twenty six. If you're surprised it
took this long, so are a lot of people, even
though Shotgun is humble about it.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I never thought I was going to get nominated.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
Every year I look at I get passed over, and
I'm looking at the names, and then I looked down
at the bottom of the list, and there I am,
along with these greats.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
So I was very much surprised. Laura, I'm not surprised
at all. I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier. You are iconic,
you are a legend. I like that people remember me
and that I've done some nice things just being cordial
to people.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Young Tommy got his first taste of the airwaves while
out shopping with his mom.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
I was ten years old, and my mom said, Frank
Thompson's on Cogo Radio and he's broadcasting in Lemon Grow.
Why didn't you take your bike down there? He said, okay, Mom,
I had no idea that I wanted to be in radio.
And I looked at Frank and I saw him talking
in the microphone. He saw this little kid looking at him,
and he said, well, we have a young man here
at the Cogo Mobile studio.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Here's four tickets for you to see the La t.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
Birds all men. I thought he had me a million bucks.
And my mom heard me on the radio. I fell
in love with the radio right there. I built my
own little radio station in my bedroom.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
By sixteen, he had his first real gig and the
name Shotgun Tom Kelly appeared.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
There's the truth and then there's a lie. The lie
is I'd say, you know, I never liked to ride
in the backseat. I was like to ride the front
seat next to my dad in that position is shot down,
thank you. The truth is they had me using a
named Bobby McCallister I hated that name. And the guy
on before me and he says, coming up next to
Bobby shot Gun McCallister, and I go, wow, that kind
(01:59):
of dresses that groopball name up. My real name is
Tom Er. When general manager said did you want to
use irwe on the air? What nationality are you? I'm Irish,
he said, do you use Tom? But I'm at Kelly
and we'll call you Shotgun to im Kelly. That's how
that name was born.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
And then came the smoky bear hat.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
I didn't start out wearing the hat until I came
to CACBQ and we were all looking for individual things
to do, so I wanted to stick out too, so
I went to Christensen's Department store and I bought myself
a spoke the bear hat.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
And that was nineteen seventy one. Didn't wearing it ever since,
same exact hat. Oh, I've had several hats.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Did they get beat up over time?
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Yeah? They do, and then I give them away at
charity events.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
But if one chapter defines Shotgun Tom for the Los
Angeles market, it's his years at Kirth one oh one,
where he stepped into the afternoon slot once held by
the legendary Dawn Steele.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Okay, on one by the greatest seventies. It's honors Gun Tom.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Something Shotgun is more proud of than anything, though, is
his sobriety, which he's never kept a secret.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
I've kind of always been open because I thought maybe
if I run into somebody and they've got a problem,
I could suggest that they go to a meeting.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
And I did that with a lot of people. And
you have used this platform help.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
You don't even know how many people you've helped.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
It's amazing how many people that you meet in broadcasting
that are going through the program. How long have you
been sober? If I don't take a drink or a drug,
I'll have forty two years, Laura.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And what advice does Shotgun Tom have for future radio.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
Stars anybody that wants to get into this business. Yeah,
you have to start out small, maybe as an intern
like we all did. But if you really want me
on the air, just keep at it. Don't give up.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
What does radio mean to you? I don't have to
get dressed where I am now.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
I'm on Serious XM Channel seventy three Monday through Friday.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
They let me talk about my trains.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
I talk about the music instead of what I used
to do do rapid fire stuff, get back to the music.
I'm able to be more of a communicator now, which
I'm grateful for.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Shotgun says he's excited about the possibility of being one
of the inductees, but says he's happy with what he's
already achieved.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
I've got the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I've worked the biggest radio station that is k Earth
one on one, and I've gotten Jocked of the Year
from Billboard Emmy Awards for my TV stuff. I'm satisfied
for that.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
If they want to put me in the Radio Hall
of Fame, I'll be absolutely grateful. That's one thing I've
always wanted as the last award.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
So many people helped me along the way. It's not
just me, it's a bunch of very wonderful people that
believed in me.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
So Ranger hat off to you, Shotgun. We're rooting for
you and know you'll make San Diego proud.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Laura Caane coc News So I show up a program
director of my news director invited me over at his
house for a poll party for Fourth of July. It
was an annual event and I show up and there's
shotgun Kelly in the backyard.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Are you serious?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Great guy, really down to earth and h and as
you heard his voice or is just iconic and great
name too.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah, congratulations Tom,
Long time San Diego radio personality Shotgun Tom Kelly, the
man who pulled the trigger on a career and never
looked back, has been nominated for the National Radio Hall
of Fame this year.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Cocaz Laura Kane sat down with the legend and the
iconic ranger hat about how his career began, where it's going.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
At seventy five years old, Shotgun Tom Kelly's voice has
soundtracked SoCal for more than half a century, and now
he's been nominated for inductions into the Radio Hall of
Fame's Class of twenty twenty six. If you're surprised it
took this long, so are a lot of people, even
though Shotgun is humble about it.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I never thought I was going to get nominated.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
Every year I look at I get passed over, and
I'm looking at the names, and then I looked down
at the bottom of the list, and there I am,
along with these greats.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
So I was very much surprised. Laura, I'm not surprised
at all. I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier. You are iconic,
you are a legend. I like that people remember me
and that I've done some nice things just being cordial
to people.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Young Tommy got his first taste of the airwaves while
out shopping with his mom.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
I was ten years old, and my mom said, Frank
Thompson's on Cogo Radio and he's broadcasting in Lemon Grow.
Why didn't you take your bike down there? He said, okay, Mom,
I had no idea that I wanted to be in radio.
And I looked at Frank and I saw him talking
in the microphone. He saw this little kid looking at him,
and he said, well, we have a young man here
at the Cogo Mobile studio.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Here's four tickets for you to see the La t.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
Birds all men. I thought he had me a million bucks.
And my mom heard me on the radio. I fell
in love with the radio right there. I built my
own little radio station in my bedroom.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
By sixteen, he had his first real gig and the
name Shotgun Tom Kelly appeared.
Speaker 5 (01:38):
There's the truth and then there's a lie. The lie
is I'd say, you know, I never liked to ride
in the backseat. I was like to ride the front
seat next to my dad in that position is shot down,
thank you. The truth is they had me using a
named Bobby McCallister I hated that name. And the guy
on before me and he says, coming up next to
Bobby shot Gun McCallister, and I go, wow, that kind
(01:59):
of dresses that groopball name up. My real name is
Tom Er. When general manager said did you want to
use irwe on the air? What nationality are you? I'm Irish,
he said, do you use Tom? But I'm at Kelly
and we'll call you Shotgun to im Kelly. That's how
that name was born.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
And then came the smoky bear hat.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
I didn't start out wearing the hat until I came
to CACBQ and we were all looking for individual things
to do, so I wanted to stick out too, so
I went to Christensen's Department store and I bought myself
a spoke the bear hat.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
And that was nineteen seventy one. Didn't wearing it ever since,
same exact hat. Oh, I've had several hats.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Did they get beat up over time?
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Yeah? They do, and then I give them away at
charity events.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
But if one chapter defines Shotgun Tom for the Los
Angeles market, it's his years at Kirth one oh one,
where he stepped into the afternoon slot once held by
the legendary Dawn Steele.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Okay, on one by the greatest seventies. It's honors Gun Tom.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Something Shotgun is more proud of than anything, though, is
his sobriety, which he's never kept a secret.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
I've kind of always been open because I thought maybe
if I run into somebody and they've got a problem,
I could suggest that they go to a meeting.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
And I did that with a lot of people. And
you have used this platform help.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
You don't even know how many people you've helped.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
It's amazing how many people that you meet in broadcasting
that are going through the program. How long have you
been sober? If I don't take a drink or a drug,
I'll have forty two years, Laura.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
And what advice does Shotgun Tom have for future radio.
Speaker 5 (03:37):
Stars anybody that wants to get into this business. Yeah,
you have to start out small, maybe as an intern
like we all did. But if you really want me
on the air, just keep at it. Don't give up.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
What does radio mean to you? I don't have to
get dressed where I am now.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
I'm on Serious XM Channel seventy three Monday through Friday.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
They let me talk about my trains.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
I talk about the music instead of what I used
to do do rapid fire stuff, get back to the music.
I'm able to be more of a communicator now, which
I'm grateful for.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Shotgun says he's excited about the possibility of being one
of the inductees, but says he's happy with what he's
already achieved.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
I've got the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I've worked the biggest radio station that is k Earth
one on one, and I've gotten Jocked of the Year
from Billboard Emmy Awards for my TV stuff. I'm satisfied
for that.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
If they want to put me in the Radio Hall
of Fame, I'll be absolutely grateful. That's one thing I've
always wanted as the last award.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
So many people helped me along the way. It's not
just me, it's a bunch of very wonderful people that
believed in me.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
So Ranger hat off to you, Shotgun. We're rooting for
you and know you'll make San Diego proud.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Laura Caane coc News So I show up a program
director of my news director invited me over at his
house for a poll party for Fourth of July. It
was an annual event and I show up and there's
shotgun Kelly in the backyard.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Are you serious?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Great guy, really down to earth and h and as
you heard his voice or is just iconic and great
name too.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah, congratulations Tom,
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