Leroy Smith was Denver’s first Black disc jockey.
Colorado radio career
Smith hosted Rockin’ with Leroy in the midnight slot on KFEL 950 starting in 1948, playing rhythm and blues and early rock and roll for Denver listeners years before most stations would touch it. When KFEL became KIMN in 1954, his show continued on the new station, and he stayed on the air there until 1960.
He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado Hall of Fame in 2017.
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Career Moments
1948: Leroy Smith becomes Denver’s first Black disc jockey
Leroy Smith debuted Rockin' with Leroy in KFEL's midnight slot in 1948, becoming Denver's first Black disc jockey. His show featured rhythm and blues and early rock and roll, and it continued after KFEL became KIMN in 1954.
1960: Leroy Smith’s KIMN show ends
Leroy Smith's run on Denver's KFEL/KIMN came to an end in 1960, twelve years after he became the city's first Black disc jockey.
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