Joe Klein

Joe Klein (aka: Joseph Klein) is a well known American audio producer, voice over artist and voice director. While in High School, Klein was at the helm of a closed circuit radio station which spawned several major media figures. After a brief stint as teenage disc-jockey he was hired by well known jazz singer and Producer, John Lasalle in the early 1970's. The pair soon became partners and produced hundreds of national radio and television commercials and jingles.

In 1977, Klein started his own production company, L.A. Trax, INC. Shortly after starting the company Klein was "discovered" by radio veteran Scott Shannon, who at the time was working for Neil Bogart's Casablanca Records. Shannon asked Klein to produce an ad for the disco version of the Star Wars theme artist by Meco Menardo. The commercial was aired nationally on hundreds of leading radio stations and was largely responsible for propelling the record to #1, after it had stalled on the charts for several weeks. Klein went on to produce hundreds of additional ads for the label over the next three years.

Soon as the notoriety of the commercials produced by Klein grew, he began to produce record spots for other major labels, including Warner Brothers, Capitol Records, EMI-America, Mowtown, Liberty, Chrysalis, Ariola-America among others. By the early 1980's L.A. Trax was known as the leading producer of record album spots in the United States. During a fifteen year period Klein produced over 1200 radio and television spots working with the best known voice talents and in Hollywood, including Ernie Anderson, Chuck Riley, Gene Moss, Danny Dark and actors William Shatner and Martin Sheen. The company also produced several corporate and marketing videos for major corporations before Klein closed the company in 1992.

In 1978 Klein co-produced the self titled album of the punk rock band the Sunset Bombers which included Doug Fieger on bass. In 1988 Klein wrote and produced the novelty holiday tune "Christmas in Malibu" by the Rad Dudes. Klein also worked as a producer with surf music pioneer Merrell Fankhauser in the late 1970's.

Klein stayed active in the business as a voice over artist, represented by well known talent agent Don Pitts. Through the mid-1990's he voiced several national radio and television commercials and performed dialogue for feature films and television programs.

Joe Klein retired from "the business" in 1996 but resurfaced in 2005 when he launched The Podcast Voice Guys with long time friend and fellow voice talent Bill Fortune. The company produces voice overs and media elements for podcasts and video blogs.

Media Appearances

 * Joe Klein provided several ADR lines of dialogue for the Tom Hanks film, Turner and Hooch
 * Joe Klein is the voice of the Star Trek: The Continuing Mission audio ads as well as the voice of "Next Time on the new audio adventures of Star Trek: The Continuing Mission"

Background Information

 * Joe Klein was the voice of the "2006 Vloggie Awards"
 * While there is no blood relation, Joe Klein is the Uncle of Executive Producer, Sebastian Prooth.
 * Sebastian Prooth says "all I know about audio I learned from Joe [Klein]"