Theme Songs on KUVO

Taking the stage with a theme song is the ultimate musical flex - a statement so strong, it sets the tone for the next hour or two or three or four. A few of the radio hosts on KUVO kick off their shows with a theme song so powerful, they trust those opening vibes to put the listener in the right frame of mind for what’s to come.

On The Morning Set, the most familiar track is our traffic and weather “sounder.” A traffic theme has to have movement to match the commuters and energy to get the day started. We retired the classic Clifford Brown/Max Roach cover of Bud Powell’s “Parisian Thoroughfare,” in favor of The Warren Baker Orchestra’s retro-sexy LP version of the 1958 TV theme for “77 Sunset Strip.” We are also fond of a few “morning” songs and “road” songs for commuters, including Bill Withers – “Lovely Day,” B.B. King – “Early in the Morning,” Craig Handy – “O.G.D. aka Road Song,” and Sergio Mendes – “Morning in Rio,” among others. 

The feature “Abi’s Pick” has three brief introductory tones, all strong opening guitar phrases: The Temptations (“Cloud Nine”), Emily Remler (“Snowfall”), and Mimi Fox (“Oh When The Saints Go Marching In,” recorded at KUVO Studios).

KUVO everyman / utility host Andy O’Leary carries a worldview favorite in his pocket, so it’s liable to be heard whenever he’s on the air. His frequent closing sentiment is Quincy Jones’ “Love and Peace” from the album Walking in Space.

On Friday nights, the Latin Soul Party (8 p.m. – midnight) doesn’t start until Santana’s “Maria Maria” (featuring The Product G & B) sounds off. “That song is a tribute to our late executive producer (and Danny Valenzuela’s wife) Maria ‘Mary’ Valenzuela, who always gave us production notes to make the show better,” said co-host Ricky O’. “She also made tacos for the Latin Soul Party every week.” The 9 p.m. hour of the show hypes up the party with the longtime theme, Tito Puente’s “Ran Kan Kan” from the “Mambo Kings” official soundtrack.

When Denver blues legend Sam Mayfield is hosting Saturday’s All Blues show every other week (4 – 6 p.m.), he begins with a rollicking, horn-filled instrumental version of “I Can’t Get Over You” (from his album “Blues by the Bushel”). “It’s my personal musical signature,” said Mayfield. “That song says get ready for the blues, ‘cause I’m bringing all kinds of blues, rhythm and blues, country blues - I’m going down the alley on ‘em.”

The R & B Jukebox opens with a coin drop and the honking, wailing Louis Jordan’s “The Slop,” a tune suggested by Carlos Lando, who used it on his show in the early 1980s at KDKO. Founder of the Jukebox, Rolando Garcia notes, “The Slop is from 1957, the latter part of Jordan’s career. It has a guitar solo, too. There’s nothing subtle about it - in your face R and B.” The show usually ends with Jimmy Forrest’s slow-drag “Night Train.”

On Saturday night at midnight, “Bella’s Soul FRESH” has become every Uber and Lyft driver’s favorite late-night soundtrack. Post-pandemic, DJ Bella Scratch commissioned a custom track with music by Wicjones and lyrics by Colorado emcee Toussaint Lorenz. “The show is a three-hour soulful exploration,” says Bella. “I don’t like to be in a box, so we’ll play electronic-leaning, drum-and-bass, New Orleans bounce-leaning. We get around musically.”

Since the dawn of Canción Mexicana’s first hour “Epoca Dorado” a few years ago, host Yolanda Ortega begins with “Mujer Mejicana Y Cascabel” by Mariachi Reina De Los Angeles, a classic tune played by many mariachi bands. “I love opening with that song because it has so much energy, and it expresses the spirit of a woman,” says Ortega.

On Sunday afternoon at precisely 1 p.m., KUVO listeners hear one of the most dramatic build-ups in music history. Layer upon layer, the anthem develops – Bass line – a haunting “whale” sound from the Conga – pulsing Organ notes – ride Cymbals and stick-on-the-rim (for air drummers like me) – scratching rhythm Guitar licks - building until it blooms in to lead Guitar licks with Conga commentary, and then an exhilarating Organ solo. Gerald Wilson’s “Viva Tirado” was a hit for El Chicano in 1970, and it has served “La Raza Rocks” host / historian Pocho Joe well in the 22 years he’s hosted the radio travelogue of Chicano rock progressions. “’Viva Tirado’ was the theme before I took on the show. It’s one of the soundtracks to our lives. It transcends jazz and Chicano rock, melting cultures together. It’s a song everybody recognized and enjoys.” 

In the middle of Sunday’s Latin music block is “Salsa Con Jazz” (2 – 4 p.m.) which uses René Touzet’s 1958 hit “Con Sabor Latino” as its lead-off. (The song was also a theme for a long-running salsa show on Los Angeles radio, which inspired Poncho Sanchez to cover it on his 2009 album “Psychedelic Blues.”) “The song says it all,” notes host Arturo Gómez. “It name-checks bolero, merengue, cha cha cha, mambo, and it truly is ‘a pleasure to be your host.’” 

Just as the mention of Brazil conjures images of sun, sand and beautiful beach bodies, the song “The Girl from Ipanema” elicits an almost visceral reaction. Aaaahhh. Cenir (once voted the sexiest voice in Denver radio) opens her Sunday evening two-hour vacation “Brazilian Fantasy” with two versions of the classic – the original by Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, and then a different version. Cenir speculates there are hundreds of cover versions out there. “The song was very familiar to Brazilians even before it arrived in the U.S. and stayed on the charts for a very long time,” said Cenir. “Brazil is also known for its love and worship of women (at least back in the day), and ‘Garota De Ipanema’ tells that story very well.” 

On Sunday night, before the regularities and rigors of the week take hold, KUVO presents, arguably, the only jazz and poetry radio show in the country, “The Nightside with Andy O’.” Andy says his theme song was suggested by this writer, who loves soundtrack music. “Night Side” by Henry Mancini from the soundtrack to the 1962 film “Hatari” was make-out music for John Wayne and Elsa Martinelli’s characters. “When Henry Mancini does jazz, he does it right, in this case with vibes and strings, and it’s soundtrack music, so I don’t mind talking over it,” said Andy O’.

In Memoriam

Some hosts who have joined the ancestors favored the following songs as themes for their shows:

Cool Lew (Gaiter), a noted drummer in Denver, hosted a Friday night jazz shown and opened with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messenger’s version of “Billie’s Bounce.”

Bassist-bandleader-educator Jimmy Trujillo founded the show “Salsa Con Jazz” on Sunday afternoons, beginning weekly with Steve Turre – “Macho (Para Machito).”

Denver’s “Senior Citizen of the Airwaves” was affectionately known as Mama Kat. Justina Curlee brought her genuine passion for life and good livin’ to her Friday night blues and R & B radio show “Rockin’ In Rhythm.” Her theme song: Bill Doggett’s “Honky Tonk Pt. 1.”