Tommy Smalls (August 5, 1926 – March 8, 1972),[1][2] known as Dr. Jive, was an influential African-American radio disc jockey in New York City during the early days of rock and roll.
His weekday afternoon radio shows - with the slogan "Sit back and relax and enjoy the wax / From three-oh-five to five-three-oh, it's the Dr. Jive show" - became popular with teenagers and featured vocal groups, blues, rock and roll and Latin music.
In 1955 he began to present live rhythm and blues revues from the Rockland Palace and the Apollo Theater, and in November 1955 presented an unprecedented 12-minute segment on the nationally-networked The Ed Sullivan Show featuring Bo Diddley, LaVern Baker, the Five Keys, and Willis "Gator Tail" Jackson.
[6] In the late 1950s, he married teen model Dolores De Vega, who years later in 2009, appeared on the TV Land series, "She's Got the Look."
In 1960, Smalls, along with fellow disc jockey Alan Freed, was arrested and charged in the "payola" scandal, when both were accused of taking bribes to play records on their radio shows, and his radio career ended.