James “Dr. Daddio” Walker, the legendary radio personality and longtime owner and operator of AM 1510 KDKO Radio, has died.
In 2008, he was inducted into the Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame. At the time, he was remembered as the creator and owner of the first urban radio station west of Kansas City.
Walker started his career as a social worker in St. Louis, received a degree in education, worked as an insurance salesman and got his start as a radio announcer at KOKA in Shreveport, La., followed by stints in Atlanta, Jackson and Houston.
In 1967, he moved to Denver and started visiting radio stations, looking for work.
“I went to every radio station in the town,” he told The Rocky Mountain News in 1989. “They just wouldn’t hire Blacks.”
In April of 1968, he met the owner of Denver’s KDKO, then a country station, and convinced him to try R&B on the air. Soon he was hired as the announcer, station manager and manager of sales.
While many longtime radio figures doubted whether KDKO could work with soul and R&B, Walker proved them wrong, appealing to both Black and white youth alike, the Spotlight wrote in 1968. His station transformed the musical tastes of the city.
The station became known as “The Soul to the Rockies.”
“Soul is a universal word,” Walker told the paper in 1968. “It’s an inner feeling of an individual, and you’ve got to have it to appreciate soul music.”
Nearly two decades after he started working at the station, with help from the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and 17 investors, he purchased KDKO.
“I want to become a role model to our young black adults on the basis that if there is something that you want to do in life, you can do it,” he told the Rocky. “For me to own this station was not an easy task. But I knew it could be done. I knew that some way and somehow, I would get a chance to get this station. The key thing is to stay away from negative people, family or not. If you believe in what you can do, nothing is impossible.”
In the 1980s, when Five Points, once dubbed the Harlem of the West, was struggling, Walker moved KDKO from Englewood to the historic Black neighborhood in an effort to bring new energy to the community.
“My purpose for bringing KDKO to the Points is to change all the negativism that you read and hear about here,” Walker told The Rocky Mountain News in 1989 – in an indictment of media’s dour coverage of the neighborhood.
Over the years, he founded the first Juneteenth celebration in Montbello, mentored Denver Public Schools youth, and contributed to a resurgence of cultural energy in the historic Black community.
“His life was profound, purposeful, and deeply impactful,” wrote the Walker family in a statement. “The legendary voice that carried us through sunshine, rain, and long afternoon drives home. He touched generations, shaped lives, and leaves behind a legacy of faith, strength, wisdom, and of course, ‘Unity in the Community.’ A love that will continue to live through us.
“We will share details soon regarding fellowship and services,” the family continued. “We will celebrate his life, not mourn his passing. A life well lived, a soul well loved, and a legacy eternal.”
