John Tesh

John Frank Tesh Jr. was born on July 9, 1952, in Garden City, New York. Showing early musical talent, he played piano and trumpet from age six and was a member of the New York State Symphonic Orchestra during high school. Concurrently, he played organ in a rock band. Tesh pursued communications and music at North Carolina State University, balancing his studies with playing on the varsity lacrosse and soccer teams. His foundational professional experiences began in radio and television, where he worked as a news reader for WKIX (AM) Raleigh in 1974, a role his college roommate, Bill Leslie, helped him secure. Over 12 years, he served as a news anchor in various cities including Raleigh, Orlando, Nashville, and New York’s WCBS-TV, where he became their youngest reporter at age 22.

Tesh’s career saw significant expansion into television broadcasting. From 1986 to 1996, he co-hosted the popular entertainment news program *Entertainment Tonight*. His involvement in sports commentary was extensive, covering the Tour de France from 1983 to 1986, the US Open, and gymnastics at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics for CBS and NBC. In 1991–92, he hosted the talk show *One on One with John Tesh* on NBC and co-hosted *John & Leeza from Hollywood* with Leeza Gibbons from 1993 to 1994. Building on his musical ambitions, which included performing as a keyboardist in Yanni’s first touring band in 1987, Tesh composed the iconic “Roundball Rock” theme for *NBA on NBC* in the 1990s. This theme was used for NBA broadcasts until the 2001–02 season and was revived for NBC’s 2008 Summer Olympics basketball coverage, later licensed to Fox Sports for college basketball. He also created the theme music for *Bobby’s World*.

After departing *Entertainment Tonight* in 1996, Tesh focused on his music career, evolving into a contemporary keyboardist. This led to the launch of *The John Tesh Radio Show* in 2003, a nationally syndicated program featuring music alongside practical “Intelligence for Your Life” factoids on topics such as health and well-being. The show, produced by TeshMedia Group and distributed by Compass Media Networks, reaches a wide audience across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In 2014, *Intelligence for Your Life TV*, a television adaptation of his radio show, debuted, with health segments hosted by his wife, Connie Sellecca. Tesh has authored books, including *Intelligence for Your Life: Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth* (2008). His musical output spans over 50 recordings, including gold albums and two Grammy nominations. He has won six Emmys and an Associated Press award for investigative journalism, and in 2018, he was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, followed by induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2019. His live concerts have cumulatively raised over $7 million for PBS.