Jimmie Johnson and the Kactus Kids KABC San Antonio, TX KMMJ Clay Center, NE

About The Artist Jimmie Johnson became the new music director at radio station KMMJ in Grand Island (or Clay Center), Nebraska sometime in 1945 according to Doc Embree in his June 1945 column in Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder. Jimmie also told DOc that the station had moved to a new building as well as adding new entertainment acts to the station's roster. Some of the acts Doc referred to were Evee and Arlee, the Rangerettes; Connie Brunsvold who had rejoined the station roster after an absence with her new show "Rockin' Chair Time" in mid-afternoon; and, the Bohemian Band, which was a popular act in that area. Jimmie had a band called the Kactus Kids backing him up on his daily shows at KMMJ. He also appeared on programs with the "Old Timers" group that was on the station back then as well. As we have often found in that era, news sometimes came from the artists themselves when they wrote the publications of the day, doing their own small bit of public relations. Jimmie wrote the National Hillbilly News and in a letter in mid-1946 notes that he had left KMMJ sometime in December of 1945. He had moved on to San Antonio, Texas to radio station KABC. He mentioned he and his wife were working with the "Texas Outlaws" act at the time. His wife was Evee, The Gal From The Golden West. This leads us to believe this was Evee, The Yodeling Cow Girl that was a popular act on KMMJ when he was there. The real reason that Jimmie wrote appears to be that his subscription to the magazine had not been updated and getting sent to their new home address. Credits & Sources Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder; June 1945; Mountain Broadcast Pub. Co., Inc.; New York, NY National Hillbilly News; October 1946; Vol. II No. 3; Poster Show Print Co.; Huntington, WV