[1] Laboe was born to parents Hosanna (née Kezerian) and John Egnoian in Murray, Utah,[2] a suburb of Salt Lake City, on August 7, 1925.

[1] After graduating from high school, Laboe studied at Stanford University, then joined the United States Navy during World War II.

[3] Laboe made his professional radio debut in 1943 on KSAN in San Francisco, while stationed at Treasure Island.

He obtained the job because he had a first-class radiotelephone license and the station had been depleted of staff in order to meet wartime demands.

During this period he changed his last name to "Laboe," which had been derived from the station manager's secretary's name, because "it sounded catchier"[1] and "more American.

While working at KPOP, Laboe got the idea to take his show on the road and broadcast live from the local Scrivner's Drive-In, on Cahuenga and Sunset.

As the popularity grew, Laboe found a promoter and a ballroom east of Los Angeles, and through that the El Monte dance hall was formed.

It soon expanded to KHHT (Hot 92.3) in Los Angeles (until its 2015 format flip), KAJM (Mega 104.3) in Phoenix, and stations in Bakersfield and Santa Maria.

In 2018, Art could be heard in 14 different radio markets including Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

[6] The success of the post-show meetup led Laboe to host a live remote from Scrivner's Drive-In on the corner of Sunset and Cahuenga in Los Angeles.