Here's your chance to be teleported to Grand Junction, Colorado, of 1988. Did you ever hear this amazing radio ad? It ran for a long time on 99.9 KEKB.

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Grand Junction Artists and Grand Junction Businesses

Ah, the good ol' days of the locally produced radio spot set to music. There have been a number of creative musical spots produced and recorded out of Grand Junction. The old Guyton's Fun Junction spot was written and produced by my buddy Gary Smith. Here's one I bet you haven't heard in over 30 years.

The Commercial Must Have Worked

This commercial must have done its job since the client, Elam Construction is still in business in Grand Junction to this day. According to their official webpage, "For more than 50 years we at Elam Construction, Inc. have been putting our name on the line and our asphalt on some of the finest federal, state, municipal, commercial and residential paving projects in West Colorado."

Meet the Stars

This awesome throwback to 1988 comes to us courtesy of Jack Huhta. Jack published this on Youtube a little over ten years ago. He says:

I provided the voice for a local commercial that was played daily for a complete year on KEKB 99.9 FM in Grand Jct CO. This is 1 of 3 separate commercials, each one having a different pre-written text that I read with some character enhancement. I was paid a whopping 50 dollars for my work! But it gave me some needed notoriety for my band at the time, THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY which I had just assembled. It was a lot of fun and it was a great experience for me.

He Was Paid How Much?

He was paid $50? Wow, that's awesome. I'm the Production Director for KEKB (and five other radio stations) and don't get paid anything extra to produce a spot.

The Good, Bad & Ugly

I was following bands in and around Grand Junction back in the late 80s and early 90s, but for some reason don't recall this band.

Other Major Events from 1988

What world events took place during the time this radio ad aired? According to UTS,  these were some of the major events of 1988:

  • Table Tennis became an Olympic sport
  • In the United States, CDs outsold vinyl records for the first time
  • Die Hard, Crocodile Dundee 2, The Land Before Time, and Beetlejuice were all released
  • Stephen Hawking released his bestseller A Brief History of Time
  • The average cost of a new house in the United States was $91,600
  • Movie tickets were $3.50
  • In the first prime-time wrestling match in 30 years, Andre the Giant beats Hulk Hogan.

If you listen to the news report preceding the commercial you'll hear the announcer reporting on the Exxon Valdez incident which took place March 24, 1989. So, with that in mind, at the time this aircheck was recorded the Elam Construction spot must have been running for several months.

Thank you to Jack Huhta for posting this audio on Youtube. It's amazing how much, and how little, has changed in the world of radio ads.

Car Crashes from the 1950s Around Western Colorado

Here's a brief gallery featuring car accidents around Mesa County. Nothing of a graphic nature has been included in the gallery. All photos by Robert Grant.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Downtown Grand Junction Businesses of Yesterday

If you stop and think about it, several of the business pictured above are still up and running. Most of these photos were taken in the 1950s. Almost 70 years later, many are still going strong. Sure, some have moved to new locations, but others, Quincy's for example, are right where they've always been.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Western Colorado Winters of the Past

Here's a short gallery of Robert Grant photos showcasing Grand Junction and Western Colorado winters. They sure are fun. Then again, sometimes the snow and cold temperatures result in trouble.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Christmas Light Displays of the 1940s

These decorations don't compare to the magnificent blue light display you'll see in the neighborhood in the northwest part of town. It was a different time. Even at that, there's something heartwarming about these 1948 decorations.

These are the best of the best of 1948. I regret I don't know which house placed first, second, etc. In the end, it doesn't matter. They're all great. Take a look at the gallery. Who knows? You might see a house you recognize. For that matter, you might see someone you recognize.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Growers and Farmers of Western Colorado

You'll definitely recognize the surroundings. Bob Grant loved capturing Western Colorado icons in the shot. Whenever possible, he'd get Mt. Garfield in the background. If Mt. Garfield weren't available, he'd get the Bookcliffs, Grand Mesa, or even the Colorado National Monument.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Colorado Cannery Workers from September 1947

Let's go back to Coloroado 1947 with these hard working Americans.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Grand Junction Horses of Yesteryear

Please enjoy a number of Bob Grant photos from the Grand Valley's past. These came from a box labeled "Horse." Yep, that's it, the box was called "Horses." These were selected at random, covering a number of decades.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Awesome Grand Junction Fashion of the Past

Here's a fashion flashback to Grand Junction, Colorado, of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Many of these photos appeared in Sunday inserts promoting new fashions from Downtown Grand Junction merchants.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Random Images of Grand Junction

These 16 photos were chosen strictly at random. All photos are by Robert Grant.

KEEP SCROLLING: Robert Grant Photos: Western Colorado Winters of the 1940s and 50s

Enjoy these winter images captured from various sites around Western Colorado. All images are by Robert Grant. The majority of these shots were pulled at random from a drawer of negatives labelled "January 1949." A few others came from a neighboring file cabinet filled with thousands of Bob Grant prints.

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