Biography.guide
Home › People › Songwriter › Fred Imus
Portrait of Fred Imus

Fred Imus

1942 – 2011

American radio talk show host

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Fred Imus

Lived 1942 – 2011 (aged 69). Fred Imus was an American songwriter, radio personality and radio.

Frederic Moore Imus (January 11, 1942 – August 6, 2011) was an American radio talk show host and the younger brother of radio talk show host Don Imus. He hosted Trailer Park Bash, a weekly country music program launched on May 6, 2006, on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET on Sirius XM Radio's Outlaw Country channel lasting five years until his death in 2011. His sidekick was former western actor Don Collier. Imus broadcast his show from his trailer in Tucson, Arizona. He frequently appeared as a regular guest on his brother's Imus in the Morning.

Career He attended Kent State University and served in the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division. Imus also restored cars, especially 1957 Chevrolets and worked as a brakeman for Southern Pacific. In 1963, before Don went into radio, he and Fred wrote and recorded a song called I'm A Hot Rodder (And All That Jazz) for the Challenge label under the name Jay Jay Imus and Freddy Ford.

While with Southern Pacific Railroad, he met fellow brakeman Phil Sweet, and in 1976 the two wrote the No. 1 country hit for Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius, I Don't Want to Have to Marry You, which was also voted "Song of the Year" by Music City News in 1977. Imus has been an on-air host at country music stations in Cleveland, Ohio, Cheyenne, Wyoming and El Paso, Texas, among others.

Because of his love of classic cars, Fred opened his own auto body shop in El Paso, Texas and with the idea from his brother Don Imus, he also sold a few shirts and hats out of his body shop with a simple mention from Don on his radio show. The store was called the Autobody Express, co-owned by Don and Fred. The Autobody Express was later moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Later, they had a store inside the Mohegan Sun Native American Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The company failed in 2003 and both stores closed.

From 2004-2005, he co-hosted Out West with Fred Imus and Nicole Cox, an afternoon talk show, on KJLL-AM in Tucson.

Death Fred Imus was found dead at his home in Tucson, Arizona, August 6, 2011 by Don Collier when he arrived to do Imus' weekly radio show. according to Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Don Imus.

Books Don Imus and Fred Imus, Two Guys Four Corners: Great Photographs, Great Times, and a Million Laughs. Villard, 1997. . Fred Imus and Mike Lupica, The Fred Book. Doubleday, 1998. .

References and notes

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Kent State University
Also known as
Frederic Moore Imus

People in Fred Imus's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Fred Imus's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Fred Imus?

American radio talk show host (1942-2011)

When was Fred Imus born?

Fred Imus was born on 11 January 1942 in Los Angeles.

When did Fred Imus die?

Fred Imus died on 6 August 2011 in Tucson.

What was Fred Imus's occupation?

Fred Imus was a songwriter, radio personality and radio.

What nationality was Fred Imus?

Fred Imus was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Fred Imus

· Wikidata: Q5495541

· DBpedia: Fred Imus

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Fred Imus. https://biography.guide/fred-imus/

MLA: "Fred Imus." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/fred-imus/.

Chicago: "Fred Imus." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/fred-imus/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:33 UTC