HOLLYWOOD- Upon entering the broadcast studio at WHQT on this Sunday afternoon, an imposing figure can be seen towering over a bank of microphones. The lights are dim, but the spacious room is not exactly dark. As the tall man dons a set of headphones, members of a local blues band sit nearby waiting to go on the air with him for a live interview. The toe-tapping sound of the rhythm and blues hit 'Cheatin' In The Next Room' by the late Z.Z. Hill is playing. The imposing man at the microphone sports a wide smile as he leans forward to say, "We know who you are...and we're Hot! 105," in his trademark throaty voice.

It's just one of many phrases Sylvester "Chico the Virgo" Wesley has coined during his years in local radio. His voice fills the room while his fingers navigate a collection of control knobs they've become accustom to. Chico the Virgo has repeated this routine many times as he approaches his 34th year in the radio broadcasting business. During this time he has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognized for his service to the community. It wasn't always that way, but today he has endured to become a household name and dean of South Florida disk jockeys.

Born in Hollywood, Fl, he was raised in northwest Fort Lauderdale and graduated from Stranahan High School. He got his start in radio while attending college at Florida State University where he became an announcer at the school's station. Through the years he honed his skills at the old WRBD in Pompano Beach, WPOM in West Palm Beach and several other stations that served as the main arteries for music and information into the Black community.

Chico has very definite thoughts on the music business, today's music and his longevity. "It's important that I have a blues show but the sad part is that it's only on one day a week," referring to his increasingly popular show, Chico Plays the Blues, which airs Sunday afternoons. During the remaining days of the week he works as a Community Relations Liaison for Miami-Dade County and runs his own entertainment business. Wesley is reluctant to shower praises upon himself, but there is no shortage of others who are all too willing to do so.

"He set the bar for the rest of us and created an image that transcended radio before the days of videos or websites, where you wanted to be a part of the Chico, the Virgo experience," says Rodney Baltimore, local host of the Tom Joyner Morning Show on WHQT. "Unlike some of the other DJ's in this market, the Chico the Virgos and Huey "Baby" Andersons never really get the recognition they deserve, yet when you hear any old school song or think of a place where you hung out back in the day, most likely they were a part of your experience," Baltimore reflects.

Wesley gained much of his notoriety at WRBD where he learned the business and worked alongside legends like Joe Fisher, McKinley "Crown Prince" Williams and Charles "The Mad Hatter" Merritt, who passed away several years ago, who Wesley says most influenced his career.

Crown Prince left radio more than two decades ago but still listens to Wesley's show today. "Chico has followed the strong tradition established at WRBD and he has kept those values. I remember the time blues could only be sprinkled in with other music and here we have Chico who has brought it into South Florida's mainstream," said McKinley "Crown Prince" Williams. "No one in this market can really compete with him. His versatility, style and the fact that young DJ's seem to think it's degrading or beneath them to play the blues are the reasons his show is so popular," Williams said.

That show is a mix of humor, sultry greetings to love ones and shout outs to local everyday people who are grateful to hear their names on the radio. He regularly puts callers on the air -mostly admiring women- who praise his selection of music. On this Sunday he tells the story of Abraham "Honey Bun" Irving, a Fort Lauderdale man. The two are long time friends and Wesley joked over the air that Irving often talks about his days as a boxer, but never reveals he was knocked out before the bell even rang during one fight.

Wesley looks more like a professional football player than the charismatic disk jockey he is. His hobbies are fishing and cooking and they seem to contradict his imposing size, but few people dare tell him so. He is married to wife Veronica and has a son and two daughters. "I would advise them that due to the advances in technology and the way radio stations are being run today, there will be limited opportunities in the broadcasting field," he said when asked if young people should seek careers in the business. When comparing his show to others, particularly hip-hop, he says there is a place for all types of music. "I would like to see it [hip-hop] become more positive since it has such a great influence on our young people because it will be around for years to come," Wesley said. Crown Prince joked that Wesley is the Grand Daddy of disk jockeys and when asked about that and where he would like to see his career take him over the next few years, Wesley responded with one of his classic retorts. "If I'm the grand daddy, then that makes him the great grand daddy because I learned it from him," he laughed. "I think I have the know how and enough skills to go back on the radio full time and I think that's what I would like to do in the very near future." If he does return to radio full time, there are throngs of fans hoping it will be full of down home blues.

BY ELGIN JONES
www.BrowardTimes.com