PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – He’s one of the longest serving DJs in the country with roots in South Florida.
Hot 105′s Chico the Virgo is celebrating 50 years on the radio airwaves.
Local 10 News Anchor Calvin Hughes spoke with Chico about his unique style, and the key to a long broadcasting career.
Chico’s improvisational catch phrases between songs have been his hallmark for decades.
“I have a lot of phrases like that, because we all play the same music, but people listen to me because they never know what I am going to say,” he said. “I don’t practice. When I see an intro to a song, see how much time I have to say and what I am going to say.”
Chico’s real name is Sylvester George Wesley Jr.
Wesley was born in Hollywood, Florida, and says he knew very early his life what he wanted to do.
“When I was a kid we had great personalities on the radio in South Florida, Rick with the Kick, the Mad Hatter, I would study these guys,” he said. “I told my mom, ‘I am going to be on the radio one of these days, I want to be like those guys.’”
It was only fitting that he came up with a name that rhymed, just for radio.
“I had a cousin named Chico who lived in Dania, and when they moved to where I lived, they started calling me Chico’s cousin,” Wesley said. “So about the time I got to high school, I was just Chico. Astrology was very big during those times so, I thought Chico, and I am a Virgo. And I thought Chico the Virgo on the radio.”
His radio career began in Tallahassee, but for decades Hot 105 has been his home.
Wesley’s list of favorite moments and music celebrities are names you would certainly see in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
“Betty Wright, LL Cool J, Chris Rock, Heavy D, bobby Womack,” Wesley said.
He says the internet and social media have forever changed the radio landscape, and chipped away at the importance of DJs.
As for the key to lasting, Wesley said, “Stick to purpose. The purpose is to serve.”