SD RnR HISTORY INTERVIEW 1 --KEVIN KING pt1

In the first portion of the interview seen here, we meet Kevin in the early years, formative phases and sense of adventure.  Sioux Falls residents of the era will love his first person descriptions of the rise and exit of Ma's Boys. Recorded 4/12/14 at the Ramkota.

EXCERPT FROM MY INTERVIEW WITH JOHN BROWN

I had the opportunity to interview John Brown, the man who orchestrated the 1960s KOMA band scene.  He began with the Flippers, discovered the promo power of KOMA, built Mid-Continent Entertainment and opened the Red Dog Inn, all before the age of 30.

John is one of my heroes.  He is a self-made, visionary and bold businessman – the kind of person who makes America a land of opportunity.

I will post more of my interview with John.  Here is a small sample of our conversation.

THOSE OF US Ramkota 041814

THOSE OF US rocked the Ramkota Ballroom on a brisk Saturday night in April.  I got to the hall just before they started playing so I hadn't established a camera shot.  Shaky sometimes but a real live scene.  Enjoy!

YOURS TRULY K-O-M-A

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KOMA, 1520 on the AM dial, was a radio phenomenon in the 1960s and 1970s.  KOMA had millions listeners in a couple of dozen Midwest and high plains states.  The South Dakota Music Association has chosen KOMA  its 2014 Radio Station of the Year. (scroll down to read more about KOMA)

WHAT SONGS DID KOMA PLAY?

Here is a KOMA survey from August 1965 (click to expand):

WHY KOMA MATTERED IN SOUTH DAKOTA

In the mid 1960s, South Dakota, like most of the plains states, had very few fulltime Top 40 rock stations. Stations like KLOH and KELO aired rock only part time and KIMM and KSDR signed off at sunset. For many eager rock listeners, KOMA was their favorite nighttime station.  You could hear KOMA almost anywhere in South Dakota.

In 1964, John Brown, owner of Mid-Continent Entertainment in Lawrence, Kansas, was promoting a band called The Blue Boys, who soon became The Blue Things.  According to Brown, he was tired of driving endless miles to put up posters for gigs when he starting buying ads on KOMA.  The ads worked incredibly well and led the way for dozens of bands to advertise dances and summer tours on KOMA.

Brown’s bands, The Blue Things, The Flippers, The Red Dogs, Spider and the Crabs, The Rising Suns and The Young Raiders, became regional sensations and were role models for aspiring South Dakota musicians. At least two South Dakota bands, The Apostles and The Bleach Boys also advertised on KOMA.

Listening to KOMA was a common shared experience, a place to hear new tunes and the source of information about dances in ballrooms, armories, Legion halls, clubs and frat parties.

BRIEF HISTORY OF KOMA

KOMA was one of a handful of US radio stations authorized to operate at night with 50,000 watts, the maximum power allowed by the FCC.  To protect the signals of stations from Central and South America, KOMA was required to use a highly directional signal which covered much of the central and western US and parts of Canada.

In 1958 KOMA was acquired by Storz Broadcasting headed by Todd Storz, an heir to the fortune of the Storz Brewing Company in Omaha. Storz also owned other legendary early Top 40 rock stations like WDGY, Minneapolis; WHB, Kansas City; WTIX, New Orleans; and WQAM, Miami.

KOMA switched from automation to live programming in early 1964 and quickly became the most popular station in the region. DJs who spun the hits included Dale Wehba (heard in the clip above), Perry Murphy (the fat daddy fun frolic), Charlie Tuna, Don McGregor, Paul Miller, John David, Chuck Dann, J. Michael Wilson, Johnny Dark, Buddy Scott and a Brit, John Ravencroft.

Unknown to listeners, in the late 1960s the FCC fined KOMA for over modulating its signal, a technique that pushed its reach even farther than authorized.

TWO OF MY EXPERIENCES WITH KOMA

When I was in ninth grade, KOMA was saluting listeners in the many states where it was heard.  I sent in a card for “South Dakota Night” and they said my name on the air and joked that my handwriting made my name look like “Ken Zookie.”  I was amazed by how many kids at Patrick Junior High told me they heard it.  This was one of things that led me to a career in radio.

In the fall of 1969, after I worked at KISD, I was living near Stillwater, Oklahoma and I made a pilgrimage to the KOMA studio and transmitter in Moore, just south of OKC.  John David was my tour guide.  Among the many things I saw included KOMA’s underground production studio.  KOMA was a “conelrad” station – stations that were supposed to keep broadcasting in case of nuclear attack.  The production room was also a bomb shelter with emergency food, water and supplies.

My First Radio Research Project

 Ken Mills with radio and research telephone

In 1959 there were four radio stations in Sioux Falls: 

KSOO at 1140am was the mom and dad station.  Rosemary Clooney tunes and a morning guy who had conversations with himself in high-pitched nasally voice.

KISD at 1230am was automated, mainly featuring the voice of Jim Ameche, Don Ameche’s brother, playing what was then know as “beautiful music.”

KELO at 1320am had talk shows and hour after hour of NBC Monitor. 

And KIHO – my favorite station, the outlaw rock station at 1270am .

KIHO, or KI’-ho, as it was known, played 24/7 rock n roll.  KIHO was owned by a company from Chicago. Having watched “The Untouchables” me and my speculated  that the mob had something to do with the station, a rumor that made KIHO all the more appealing to me, a 10 year old boy.

KIHO, with jocks Smiling Jack Shafer, Dandy Dan, “The Morning Mayor KIHO Helgie” played the hits without regard for parental sensibilities.  I was in love with that skywave, particularly The Coke Show, a Saturday night request show where I had made my first on-air appearance answering a trivia question.

My dad and I had a disagreement about KIHO.  He didn’t like station.  I claimed KIHO had more listeners than any other Sioux Falls station.  He disagreed -- certainly KSOO had the most listeners, he bragged.  After all, KSOO was where he bought his political campaign ads.

So, on a Saturday afternoon in May 1959, my parents and my little sister went somewhere, leaving me home alone for a few hours.

I decided that the only way to prove my dad wrong was to do a survey that would prove that KIHO had the most listeners.

I got the phone book.  I marked every tenth name and phone number. 

Then, I started calling the numbers.

I’d say, “I’m taking a survey to find out what your favorite radio station is.”

Some of the people getting the call would say “who is this” and “who do you work for.”  But almost no one hung up on me and most gave me the call letters of their favorite station.

If I reached an older voice, I knew it was probably a KSOO listener.  If I reached a kid, they were likely to be a KIHO listener.

I kept a careful tabulation of the responses hoping my beloved KIHO would win.  It was close.

After three hours of calls, the final count was

KIHO  14

KSOO 12

KELO 2

KISD 1

Other (WNAX, Yankton) 2

When my parents and sister got home, I could hardly wait to show my dad the “proof” of KIHO’s superior popularity.

To my surprise, when I told him about the survey he wasn’t pleased.

“You did what?”

I went through my methodology.

There was a quiet conference between my mom and dad.

My telephone privileges were ended until further notice and I was sternly advised not to do this again.  But my dad never again said that KIHO wasn’t number one.

The lesson for me was that research works.

My KISD Tribute Video

Magic Returns to Sioux Falls

Thank you for everyone who told me they like my blog. I will update more often.

I'm back from the South Dakota Rock Hall of Fame 2011 Induction event April 16 in Sioux Falls. This is the third year I have attended -- I was inducted into the Hall in 2009.

Each year, a sense of magic returned for me and many others who attended. Though decades have passed, the South Dakota Rock Hall takes me back to when I was 18 and the world was mine to conquer. For a few hours, I felt like I could fly.

Here are some of my personal highlights from the weekend:

• THE REUNION OF THE X-MEN

(photo: The X-Men in 1965)

Though I didn't book the X-Men, I promoted many shows that featured them. Gary Johnson, Mike Connor and John Everist went on to be part of Those of Us, one of my bands.

The X-Men were in fine form at the SD Rock Hall bash. What I liked the most was that they played two of their original tunes, "Believe Me" and "Until It Is Time for Me to Leave." I had heard these songs many times on 45 rpm singles but the X-Men brought new life to them with incredible passion and raw emotion.


(photo: Mike Connor & Gary Johnson 2011)

The X-Men played so well but the night belonged to Mike Connor who was honored with a life time achievement award from the SD Rock Hall.

Mike Connor brought the best out of each member of the X-Men in the same way he has brought out the best in musicians, friends and associates for four decades. This night was magic and Mike Connor was the wizard. Thank you, Mike.

• THE STARFIRES REUNION & TRIBUTE THE STEVE ELLIS & MORE

Back in the day, Steve Ellis and the Starfires were the best band in the area -- terrific musicians, great songs and one step ahead of cool. After Steve Ellis died in a tragic motorcycle accident in 1967, the band dissolved.

Barry Hanson (photo left) was one of the Starfires but seemed to be on the way to becoming a rock casualty. But, he reappeared in Sioux Falls for the Rock Hall concert.

He emerged as a rock showman and storyteller (kind of like Springsteen) with amazing focus and energy -- like he was channeling God. The Starfires set closed with the band playing "Amazing Grace" behind a video tribute to Steve Ellis. But wait -- the tribute video kept going and lovingly remembered other great local rockers who had passed. I cried. It was a highlight of my life. Thank you, Barry.


• THE TORRES REUNION

Fritz Leigh, Rick Gillis, Mike Strub and Gary Meyer were joined by original member Steve Manolis and others to show the incredible influence the Beatles and the Byrds had on all of us.

Time and space evaporated and we were taken to a 1966 Pontiac on gravel road on a moon lit night.




• "BOSS" BRIAN CUMMINGS & THE MOB REAPPEAR

Brian Cummings and Mike Paris from The Mob (above) at the SD Rock Hall reception. Brian is perhaps the most talent radio announcer and voice actor I know. He had enormous influence on my career. Brian rocked at KISD Sioux Falls, KIMM Rapid City and KSDN Aberdeen before fame and fortune in Hollywood where he is still a bfd.

The Mob, from Chicago, made Sioux Falls a second home by making frequent appearances at The Mocamba Club, a famous and notorious hot spot. Their set at the SD Rock Hall bash thrilled the SRO crowd topped by "Try A Little Tenderness."

• AUTHOR CHRIS HARPER DELIVERS THE MEANING OF IT ALL

Chris Harper (photo right with Chris Buren at a book signing at Zandbroz Variety) was the lead singer for my band The Trippers. He has just released the book "Flyover Country" http://flyovercountry.co/ which tells how he and the class of 1969 met the world and lived life.

Chris hired me to do advance work on the book and he appeared on radio interviews, at book signings and in a nice article in the Argus Leader.

In the book, Chris says "rock n roll saved my life."

Me too!

Thank you to the South Dakota Music Association and everyone for such a wonderful time.