Bill Johnson's Big Apple Restaurant

One of the country’s original “Shock-Jocks”, ol’ Bill was a real cowboy who ran a rebel radio show right out of a makeshift jail-cell in his original Van Buren restaurant. Bill would ramble on to the people of Arizona almost every night until Midnight – and people would come from all around to dine and witness his broadcast. A huge favorite with local Arizonans, road-weary travelers and visiting celebrities, the show was eventually broadcast by KPHO, KRIZ, KTAR and KJJJ – all while being programmed, directed and engineered by Bill himself right out of the restaurant. Countless celebrity musicians, actors, cowboys and politicians would show up unannounced, eat some great food and talk it up with Bill while Arizona listened. He even took his show on the road with a self-built 40ft broadcast trailer he would set up at rodeos, country fairs, country-western concerts or anywhere else he could promote the Big Apple.