(Tells the story of outrageous TV evangelist Billy Sol Har...)
Tells the story of outrageous TV evangelist Billy Sol Hargus, God's other son, who has it all fame, wealth, women, and Jesus Jets and suddenly disappears.
Two Guys Four Corners: Great Photographs, Great Times, and a Million Laughs
(A gorgeous and surprising Father's Day gift book, this co...)
A gorgeous and surprising Father's Day gift book, this collection of photos and sassy commentary by radio star Don Imus and his brother, entrepreneur Fred Imus, offers a powerful and memorable work for lovers of the American West and for fans of Don's broadcasts. 70 photos, many in color.
John Donald Imus, Jr., known as Don Imus, is an American radio and television talk show host, writer and humorist.
Background
John Donald Imus was born on July 23, 1940 in Riverside, California, the United States. He is the son of Frances E. (née Moore) and John Donald Imus, Sr. With his younger brother, Fred, John was raised on a sprawling cattle ranch, called The Willows, near Kingman, Arizona.
Imus had a tough childhood and did poorly at school. He had changed a number of schools by the time he was in his late teens. His parents’ divorce when he was 15 also had a great negative impact on him.
Education
Imus attended Don Martin School of Broadcasting in 1966-67.
Imus entered the Marine Corps when he was only 17 years old in 1957. After his discharge at the age of 19, Imus had several unsuccessful stints as a window dresser and a rock 'n' roll musician.
For a time, he was homeless, and found shelter in laundromats. In 1961, Imus hitchhiked to Arizona, where he worked in uranium and copper mines, made another attempt at a recording career, and worked as a brakeman for Southern Pacific Railroad.
Imus got his start as a radio host at a small station in Palmdale, California, in 1968. After establishing himself and his brand of witty, somewhat coarse, and controversial humor, he moved on to Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1971, Imus made the move to WNBC in New York City, where he continued his brand of "insult humor" on his new radio show "Imus in the Morning." This year he missed 100 days of work due to unrestrained imbibing. He was fired in 1977 for absenteeism.
In 1987 he returned to his position and continued the show with its new format.
Imus retired in March 2018 after nearly 50 years on the air.
Achievements
Don Imus is best known for hosting the show ‘Imus in the Morning’, a highly popular show that was broadcast almost every weekday morning for 36 years on radio and 11 years on MSNBC until it was canceled on April 12, 2007. The program was once among the most listened to radio talk shows in the United States. He was one of the earliest shock jock radio hosts, pioneering a style of entertainment that is considered irreverent and, to many, offensive.
Imus was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in America in Time magazine (April 21, 1997).
He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.
In 2002, Talkers magazine ranked Imus as one of the 25 greatest radio talk show hosts of all time.
Besides his career as a radio host, Imus is known as a founder of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at New Jersey's Hackensack University Medical Center. The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center has won numerous awards for inventing and promoting the cleaning supplies, including an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Imus is a vegetarian. He and his wife founded the Imus Ranch in 1999 with the purpose of providing children with cancer a chance to experience life on a functioning cattle ranch free of charge. The ranch program was discontinued in 2014.
Physical Characteristics:
In 2000, Imus suffered serious injuries after a fall from a horse at his ranch and broadcast several shows from a hospital. The injuries resulted in chronic breathing problems, especially at higher altitudes, he has complained on his program. In March 2009, Imus was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer.
Connections
Imus was married to Harriet, whom he divorced in 1979. He married his second wife, Deirdre Imus (née Coleman) on December 17, 1994. Imus has two stepdaughters that he adopted from his first marriage (Nadine and Toni), two daughters from that marriage (Ashley and Elizabeth), three grandchildren and one son, Frederick Wyatt, from his second marriage.
