He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and after his parents (Harry Bruton, father) split up was raised by his mother (Imotene Hanby) in Amarillo.

From the mid-1950s, he worked on radio stations in Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Denver and Portland, where he was known as Dennis James (eventually forced to change due to the nationally known game show host who also used the pseudonym).

After working at KYA in San Francisco, he moved to KRLA in Los Angeles in 1962, and was involved in the Beatles' arrival in the city in August 1964.

He had a regular afternoon show, featuring character voices including "Maude Skidmore", and owned the Revelaire Club in Redondo Beach.

In the 1970s, he also managed bands including the Turtles, Three Dog Night, Everpresent Fullness, and Steppenwolf.