I reckon this is my week to stroll down memory lane. It’s lunch time at my house and I had to call in sick from work today. Something made me think I’d like some chili-cheese fries.
I knew I had a can of Kelly’s chili in the pantry. As I was preparing to open it, I asked myself if I needed to add water to it. It was as if I had heard it only yesterday; Joe Rumore’s voice popped into my head saying, “All you gotta do is just heat it up and eat it up!”. Well, there you go. Joe is still influencing me, at least, after all these years.
Picture from WVOK Memories
I think about Joe a lot. If I hear Skeeter Davis singing “The End of the World” my mind races back to the late 50s and through the 60s. Seems like every morning when I woke up, Joe was playing that record. Mother turned on the radio every morning when she got up. The dial was always set to WVOK.
Rumore had a sidekick on his show for as long as I can remember. Curly Fagan was a native of my hometown, Piedmont. As I entered adulthood I worked with his sister, Edith, at the local nursing home. She was full of stories about “Walter”. It took some time for me to realize that “Walter” was, in fact, “Curly”. Edith was just inordinately proud of her brother.
Mentioning records, the first 45 rpm record I ever bought was Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water. That must have been around 1969 or 70. I got it from Rumore’s Record Rack in Homewood, Alabama. My first experience with mail order! I wore the grooves off that record!
If you mention Bruno’s supermarket, I hear Joe saying, “Your dollar is worth more, at your Bruno’s store!” He was a champion of local businesses.
I bet lots of you of a “certain age” from this part of the world remember Joe. He was on every morning from nine to noon. His down-home, folksy way of talking made him an instant friend of everyone who heard him. I can still hear him announcing that we were hearing him from “WVOK, the Mighty 690, with 50,000 watts of power!”
Do you have any special memories of Joe and his radio show? Share them with me, please and thank you!
Jim L. Wright is a storyteller with a lifetime of experiences as colorful as the characters he creates. Born and raised in Piedmont, Alabama, Jim’s connection to the land, history, and people of the region runs deep. His debut novel New Yesterdays is set in his hometown, where he grew up listening to stories of the past—stories that sparked his imagination and curiosity for history.
Today, Jim lives in Leeds, Alabama, with his husband Zeek, a tour operator who shares his passion for adventure and discovery. Known affectionately as “Ol’ Big Jim,” he has had a diverse career that includes time as a storekeeper, an embalmer, a hospital orderly, and a medical coder. There are even whispers—unconfirmed, of course—that he once played piano in a house of ill repute.
No matter the job, one thing has remained constant: Jim is a teller of tales. His stories—sometimes humorous, sometimes thought-provoking—are often inspired by his unique life experiences. Many of these tales can be found on his popular blog, Ol’ Big Jim, where he continues to share his musings with a loyal readership.
Jim’s adventures have taken him far beyond Alabama. For seven years, he lived in Amman, Jordan, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. His time there, spent in smoky coffee shops, enjoying a hookah and a cup of tea while scribbling in his ever-present notebook, deeply influenced his worldview and his writing.
When Jim isn’t writing, he’s thinking about writing. His stories, whether tall tales from his past or imaginative reimagining is of historical events should read from his past or imaginative reimaginings of historical events, reflect a life lived fully and authentically. With New Yesterdays, Jim brings readers a rich tapestry of history, fantasy, and human connection.
Visit his blog at www.olbigjim.com to read more of his stories, or follow him on social media to keep up with his latest musings and projects, one of which is a series that follows Bonita McCauley, an amateur detective who gets into some very sticky situations.
His book, New Yesterdays, can be found at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.
I was a teen DJ way back then. My Mom was in a band with Curley Fagan back in the 1940s. I went to more Shower of Stars shows than I can count. Sweet, sweet memories.
I remember the Joe Rumore show. I’m from Piedmont also. Just found your bog or whatever they call stuff now. I liked radio when they played music, not all this hate talk bullshit.
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I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who loves to hike, to play music, make amazing fun food, carve wood, grow plants, to read good books and explore the world!
Life is a patchwork of moments — laughter, solitude, everyday joys, and quiet aches. Through scribbled stories, I explore travels both far and inward, from sunrise over unfamiliar streets to the comfort of home. This is life as I see it, captured in ink and memory. Stick around; let's wander together.
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Never heard the show but enjoyed the memory.
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Thanks for coming round today, John!
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Nice one, Jim. I’ve never heard of the show, but it’s a good memory to share.
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Thanks, Tim! Joe was the bright spot of the mornings.
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I was a teen DJ way back then. My Mom was in a band with Curley Fagan back in the 1940s. I went to more Shower of Stars shows than I can count. Sweet, sweet memories.
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I remember the Joe Rumore show. I’m from Piedmont also. Just found your bog or whatever they call stuff now. I liked radio when they played music, not all this hate talk bullshit.
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I’m with you on that, happilygiver. I stopped listening to radio back when Rush Limbaugh became popular. Now, I listen to music stored in my phone.
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