08/23/2025
George Johnston
October 14, 1935 – August 10, 2025
George Dougherty Johnston passed into the great mystery on August 10th, 2025, age 89. Known to many as Uncle Sonny, he was a veteran, disc jockey, bar owner and tender, coin collector, artist, raconteur, and one possessed of the perfect voice and wit for radio.
Born in Fresno in 1935, George became Sonny immediately, as his father's name was George and his sister's Georgia. Sonny served in the Air Force as a radar operator from 1953 to 1957. Upon returning from service, he enrolled in Fresno State College studying broadcasting, a path that would result in a resume filled with four letter call signs. The first was KMAK in Fresno, after the station sought out students for part-time work. Within a month, Sonny was the on-air jockey from 6pm to midnight. He'd found his calling.
In 1961, Sonny found his way to KOWL, located at Harrah's in South Lake Tahoe, where he met and interviewed a great many famous entertainers of the era. After leaving KOWL, he obtained a 1st class license for broadcasting, leading to jobs at stations such as KSBW (Salinas), KOLA (Riverside), KHSJ (Hemet), KCKC (San Bernardino), KOLO (Reno), and KINS (Eureka). In 1973, while at KCKC, Sonny was recognized as one of the top five disc jockeys in the nation by the Academy of Country and Western Music.
In the midst of job changes and frequent relocations, Sonny married his first wife, Dianne Morrison, and they had two children, Mike and Cindy.
Sonny's on-air name for most of his career was George Dougherty, as he preferred a bit of anonymity, though not too much, and he thought the name rolled off the tongue a bit better than his surname.
In 1979, Sonny left Eureka for Grass Valley and KNCO, where he began work as a newsman, a change from his past work as a disc jockey. Sonny quickly became part of the fabric of Grass Valley and surrounds, and the pleasure of his company made for many, many friends. Sometime in 1980, a colleague at KNCO birthed the idea of the Uncle Sonny Fan Club, which was a hit with listeners. And the name of the fan club eventually lent itself to the Cedar Ridge bar Sonny opened in 1983: Uncle Sonny's Place. Sonny would go on to run and work the bar for 35 years, making the trek down from his home on Red Dog Rd every morning, rain, shine or snow, for a long day's work.
Sonny married his last wife, Joanie Hume, in 1988. They built their home on Red Dog Rd, traveled, gardened, and spent all their time in the company of one another. Sadly, Joanie died too soon, in 2001.
Sonny was possessed of a deep spirituality, and read extensively across many traditions, as well as across many disciplines. He was an intellect that was full of wit, one who remembered everything, and who had an incredible capacity for storytelling and mirth making. He was gregarious, generous, dependable and always there for his friends.
We are all saddened by the stilling of his voice, but take solace in knowing that voice is still traveling on the radio waves headed out to the farthest reaches of the universe.
Sonny is survived by his daughter Cindy, grandchildren Dianne (son Daze, granddaughter Oceana), Shaun and Kasey, as well as nieces and nephews for whom he has always been Uncle Sonny. As well, he is survived by countless friends and strangers whose lives he touched either in person, or through his presence on radio and behind the bar. He was predeceased by his son Mike and his wife Joanie.
There will be a celebration of Sonny's life at Uncle Sonny's Bar on August 31st, 2025 from 2pm to 4pm. The bar is located at 13475 Colfax Hwy (Hwy 174) in Grass Valley.
