Remembering a radio star

Mike “Hondo” Walker used his spotlight to boost local music

What’s the proper way to memorialize a loved one? Tennyson penned the epic Ulysses after the death of his own close friend and colleague, Arthur Henry Hallman. When it came to celebrating the life of Tulsa’s beloved 90s radio personality Mike “Hondo” Walker, his friends and family knew only one thing would suffice: a concert.

This year marks Walker’s 40th birthday and the 14th anniversary of his death. Hondo’s Birthday Bash will be held June 5 and 6 at The Shrine at 18th and Boston. Shrine owner and Tulsa concert promoter Donnie Rich emphasized that “this is not a benefit!”

“This is a full on Birthday Party!” Rich said. “It’s an acknowledgment that he’s still with us and is the reason we’re doing what we’re doing.”  

The Edge’s Chuck Stickel and Davit Souders and KMOD’s Lynn Hernandez will host the two-night event, which features bands whose careers Walker directly impacted, such as Caroline’s Spine and New Science.  

Hondo’s larger-than-life radio personality earned him a reputation as a shock-jock, but his high-spirited nature and honesty about what he liked always drew listeners. Whether he was antagonizing Metallica’s attorneys amid the Napster-era lawsuits or parking The Edge van in residential yards for on-location features, Hondo never failed to assure the listener it was all in the name of entertainment. Caroline’s Spine bassist Scott Jones said fans responded to Hondo because they knew they were listening to someone real. 

“He was just so good at what he did,” Jones said. “He didn’t need a script. He always knew what to say, and he’d say it in a way that was engaging. … He was very smart. He walked that thin line, but fans of the radio station would never let him be fired—and the station owners knew that.” 

With his infectious love for local talent and authentic support of the music he personally enjoyed, Walker used his voice and career on the radio to help local artists. Bands like Freakshow, Fanzine, Admiral Twin and Molly’s Yes all found their audiences growing by way of Hondo.  

“He was pumping these local and original shows on the radio and was always playing local music,” Rich said. “He would announce his own parties on the air, and these bands would come up to his apartment and play. He was putting locals on [the same level] as the big guys. You’d hear Caroline’s Spine, The Toadies and Stone Temple Pilots all in a row.” 

Jones remembers Hondo’s profound ability to garner new Caroline’s Spine fans.

“Whether he was on the radio in Tulsa, Kansas City, Dallas or Phoenix, it seemed like [Caroline’s Spine] always had a spike in sales and concerts,” he said. “We used to do a lot of radio. We were trying to get in with any radio station that would have us, and Hondo would always let us come on the air and do an interview. He was a genuine fan of our band. He would work until midnight and always end his set every night with our song ‘Necro.’ Eventually, The Edge got so many requests for our songs, they had to put us [in rotation].” 

Rich said Hondo’s Birthday Bash was conceived during a load-in before a gig. He got permission from Walker’s parents and had Stickel, Souders and Caroline’s Spine on board within an hour and a half of the initial thought. 

Perhaps the event is long overdue. But Jones said that for someone who touched so many lives, grief has no timeframe. 

“There were so many people at his funeral that they were spilling out into the street,” he said. “People like that have an impact on their communities, and he was very much a part of [ours]. I saw every musician I knew there, and they were all just as affected by Hondo as Caroline’s Spine.”  

All About A Bubble and DDS join a reunited Caroline’s Spine and New Science in the celebration of Walker’s life. Proceeds from the party go to honoring Walker in a more permanent way through Up With Trees signage in the Tulsa area. Tickets are available at TulsaShrine.com.