Nationality American Occupation Radio personality | Name William Compton | |
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Born December 29, 1945 ( 1945-12-29 ) Henderson, Texas, US Died 1977, Phoenix, Arizona, United States | ||
William Edward "Bill" Compton III (December 29, 1945 – June 21, 1977) was an American radio personality best known for creating Phoenix's first free-form radio station, KCAC-AM, and helping to "invent" notable AOR station, KDKB-FM. Compton Terrace, an amphitheater in Phoenix was named in his honor and he was inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2005.
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Early life
Compton was born in Henderson, Texas, but his family soon moved to Tyler, Texas where he attended John Tyler High School and got his first disk jockey job in 1964.
Radio career
Compton first began to influence Phoenix radio in 1969 when top-40 radio station KRUX-AM hired him to host a Sunday night free-form show. Using the on-air name of "Little Willie Sunshine," Compton played a diverse collection of music—folk, blues, jazz, and, of course, tracks on albums other than their hit singles.
The opportunity arose for Compton to become the station manager of a failing Spanish-language station, KCAC-AM.
Compton helped bring KDKB to the airwaves on August 23, 1971.