Joe Colborn, known to generations of Chicago radio listeners as Joe “JoBo” Bohannon, has passed away.
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Officers responded to his home in Freeport, Illinois, on Nov. 24. The Stephenson County Coroner’s Office confirmed to WGN News that Colborn died at the age of 70, but did not provide a cause of death.
“I only got the news from his family when I got home from work today, Colborn’s longtime Eddie & JoBo cohost, Eddie Volkman, told WGN as the news of Colborn’s death broke last week.
“I am devastated and an emotional wreck,” Volkman added. “They are investigating and will have more to tell us tomorrow. Heaven gained a golden voice today.”
According to CBS News, Colborn grew up in Ottawa, Illinois. Before joining Chicago’s B96 (WBBM-FM) in 1984, he worked at several other stations, including the former WGCL in Cleveland, Ohio.
Colborn started with an evening show but transitioned to the morning drive in 1988, partnering with Eddie Volkman, son of CBS Chicago Channel 2 meteorologist Harry Volkman. Eddie, who had joined B96 a few years earlier, was already part of the morning lineup with other hosts before teaming up with Colborn.
Longtime Radio Cohost Pays Tribute to Joe ‘JoBo’ Colborn
Volkman wrote on Facebook that even before he and Colborn were partnered on air, he was “immediately amazed at [Colborn’s] incredible energy, style, and people skills.”
The radio veteran explained that he and Colborn had different styles and had to adapt to each other. Volkman would often perform bits by having a dialogue with a “character” whose lines he pre-recorded, but this wasn’t Colborn’s approach.
“Unfortunately, Jobo did not do well with ‘scripts,’ so we adapted to basic ‘concepts’ of the skit, and because of that, we developed what I consider some of the best ad-lib, improv skills ever. Jobo understood gut human desires, interests, and impulses,” Volkman added. “He never wasted a break — when he opened the mic, magic always exploded through the airwaves.”
Colborn was remembered for his signature on-air catchphrase, “Are we in Chicago, or what?”
After a brief stint at Q102 in Philadelphia, Eddie and JoBo returned to B96 in 1996. They remained a popular on-air duo at the station until they were let go in 2008.
The duo went on to host a talk show together on WLS-AM starting in 2010. They also appeared on the former K-HITS 104.3 FM in 2011 and 2012.
Colborn eventually retired from radio and returned to his hometown of Freeport, Illinois, to be closer to family. However, he and JoBo reunited for an appearance on B96 in 2024.
B96 paid tribute to Colborn, calling him a legend who helped shape the station into what it is today. “For years, he and Eddie brought laughter, energy, and real Chicago spirit to our airwaves,” B96 posted on social media, per CBS News.