REEL TOP 40 RADIO REPOSITORY

Joe Wicks in Burlington, Colorado, 1976
Joe Wicks in Burlington, Colorado, 1976

Joe Wicks in a band that makes a little money, (but still keeping the day job) 1985
Joe Wicks in a band that makes a little money, (but still keeping the day job) 1985

Joe Wicks, Paul Revere and Joe's wife Carolyn, 1998
Joe Wicks, Paul Revere and Joe's wife Carolyn, 1998

KIMN Denver May 1960
KIMN Denver May 1960

The Joe Wicks Collection
by Joe Wicks

I was born in 1954, about halfway between WLS and KOMA, just a bit west of KOIL, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Having a central location and little natural AM interference I discovered the secrets of AM radio at an early age. My ears lit up though, when I first heard Roy Orbison's "Oh Pretty Woman". At that point I became hooked on listening for more raw energy via my moms tabletop Silvertone in the kitchen. Late night with KOMA was not just fun, it was a way of life! I wanted to be in a "KOMA Band" like The Rumbles, The Red Dogs, The Blue Things, or the best name ever: Spider & The Crabs!

In 1967, my family moved to Denver. Not wasting a minute, I searched the dial that first night looking for KOMA. Instead, I discovered KIMN and KBTR. The Boss Jocks versus The All-Americans! Personality, Rock & Roll and it was all in My Town! At about 15 I decided to try for a career in radio. My break came when some of us from my class traveled out to Burlington, Colorado to audition live for the owner of a daytime AM-KNAB. Al Ross picked me and I stuck around KNAB for 8 years in full and part time positions while I took an unplanned detour into law enforcement (that's another story). The station got a new owner and went AM/FM. I ran a Sunday FM board shift for many years, with the full timers dubbing me "The Disco Gestapo".

In '82 I ventured into the life of a retail business owner, selling the business for a profit in '91. Money in my pocket, ready for a change, I applied for radio sales jobs and hooked up with KKPR AM & FM in Kearney/Grand Island, Nebraska. Eventually became Sales Manager, but the fun part is that I'm the emergency third string "remote talent", fill in on-air once or twice a year and they let me voice a commercial on occasion... (if it's for one of my own clients).

In late 1997, I developed the "95 Fabulous KIMN Tribute" web page. As a fan, I was disappointed that of all the tribute sites out there, none were for Denver stations. I took what souvenirs I had, searched the web for historical background and names and photos... lumped it all together and waited for it to be discovered. Since then, a lot of tapes, photos and memories have been donated by former KIMN people and the page is growing steadily.

The Repository thanks Joe Wicks for sharing!

[Descriptions by Uncle Ricky]

G2/5.0 compatible TOP STREAM 20.7Kbps (14.5Khz)
Hal Moore, KIMN Denver, 1966 (10:12)

. . . everyone's got their wood out doin' their knocks tonight . . .

Hal Moore
Hal Moore
Hal Baby Moore is heard as the outrageous, fast-talking high-energy early-evening jock on 95 Fabulous KIMN in December, 1966. This was "Boss Radio" in Denver circa 1966, plus reverb, with all the hippies groovin' on The Monkees coming to town and the KIMN Weather Tower, pre-recorded "HEAVY" and "MOTOWN" drop-ins with echo and an "accent reverb" on demand! Moore's performance is exceptional - we don't know why we haven't heard more from Moore, before...

As of February 4, 2001, 440:Satisfaction reports that Hal Moore is still working in Denver radio.

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G2/5.0 compatible TOP STREAM 20.7Kbps (14.5Khz)
Jay Mack, KIMN Denver, 1970 (07:19)

Tiny Tim and Jay Mack, 1970
Tiny Tim and Jay Mack, 1970
. . . how about Betty Jo Bioloski . . .

This was apparently Jay Mack's last nighttime shift in "Mountain America" on 95 Fabulous KIMN. This Friday night aircheck begins with Mack's invitation to his "nighttime freaks" to join him 2-6PM beginning Monday.

It's interesting to NOT hear any "more music" hype on this nighttime Top 40 radio station in 1970! Mack is the focus, he definitely does drop-ins and this is a fully-hosted Disc Jockey show in the finest 50's and 60's traditions! But it was 1970, and true Top 40: Shirley Bassey and Led Zeppelin - A classic from The Mile High Giant! Repository Contributor Joe Wicks credits Wayne Yaffee for the original.

Jay Mack passed away at the age of 64 on Saturday, March 2, 2002.

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More to Come from the Joe Wicks Collection!

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