KBBQ AM 1500:
K-BAR-B-Q

KBBQ's broadcasting building was located at 100 East Magnolia Blvd in Burbank. Some of the hosts on KBBQ were Corky Mayberry,Bob Jackson, Sammy Jackson, Don Hinson and Larry Scott. L.A. Dodger pitching great Don Sutton was a country music host for KBBQ (especially during the off season in the fall and wintertime.) The newscaster on KBBQ was Dick Spangler. Harry Neuman was another personality associated with the station. Sammy Jackson (who would later on join KLAC) played in the movie The Fastest Guitar In The West (I believe Marty Robbins might have been in that movie too.) The first song KBBQ might have played in 1967 was Pop-a Top by Jim Ed Brown. I heard the station the very first morning it aired. Don Hinson (later with KLAC) played actual records on his Sunday Morning show. He would play 78 RPMs along with 45 RPM's. He made this claim when he had his KLAC Sunday morning show (no other radio host in the L.A. area was doing this. These were collectors' items.) Love's BBQ restaurant in the San Fernando Valley would have a menu with a heart shape on the front. In the middle of the heart were the call letters saying, "KBBQ". There would be an arrow going through the heart. Below it would say "The best in Country Music". On the last Saturday of KBBQ existence, I was working at K_Mart. I brought a radio in and on the broadcast they kept mentioning "The Rock was coming" I did not know what they were meaning, but at 12:00 noon KROQ premiered and KBBQ was gone. This was in 1972. Before the switchover a song kept coming on periodically. The Barbershop I believe was the name of it. This was put out by a group called Lester Roadhog and the Cadallac Cowboys -- better known as The Statler Brothers. That might have been the last song on KBBQ. Another song that kept coming on periodically was The Hee Haw Counter Revolutionary Polka by Roy Clark. This could have been the last song. These two were coming on quite often as the last of KBBQ was automated. I was busy at K-Mart that morning just hearing bits and pieces. The final hours of KBBQ were recorded by Corky Mayberry on a multi-hour reel-to-reel tape, which still exists today. Some of the songs that were on the playlist at KBBQ were: Dumb Blond Dolly Parton Pop-a-Top Jim Ed Brown Mr. Shorty Marty Robbins You Can't Have Your Kate and Edith Too Statler Bros. Lincoln Park Inn Bobby Bare Delta Dawn Tanya Tucker The Lawrence Welk Hee Haw Counter Revolutionary Polka Roy Clark I Never Pick Cotton Roy Clark Singer of Sad Songs Waylon Jennings I'm A Ramblin Man Waylon Jennings Black Jack County Willie Nelson The Hanging Tree Marty Robbins Make The World Go Away Eddy Arnold Country Sunshine Dottie West The KBBQ call letters were moved to Ventura, where they resurfaced at 1590 AM as a country music station. The calls are currently being used in Fort Smith, Arkansas, at an FM oldies-but-goodies outlet. Added info from Scott Lynd: The first song the station played was Buck Owens' "Tiger by the Tail". I remember as I was listening to Dave Diamond's last show on KBLA when the station changed formats and call letters. Then I found this on YouTube and it brought back all the painful memories of that night! Don't get me wrong--I like country and especially Buck Owens, but KBLA played music that the other L.A. rock stations didn't. They played the Doors before anyone else, and it was more like a late 60s F.M. station. AM 1490 KROQ AM 1500 L.A. Radio Home Page