History of Wink Martindale in Timeline

Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale was a well-known American disc jockey, radio personality, game show host, and television producer. He is considered a pop culture icon, recognized for his enthusiastic personality and distinctive voice. Martindale hosted several popular game shows, including Gambit (1972-1976), Tic-Tac-Dough (1978-1985), High Rollers (1987-1988), and Debt (1996-1998). From 2014 until his death in 2025, he also hosted Wink's Vault on YouTube.

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Full Timeline

July 5, 1954: Recording of "That's All Right"

On the evening of July 5, 1954, Elvis Presley's first record, "That's All Right", was recorded at Sam Phillips' recording studio.

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July 10, 1954: First Airing of "That's All Right" and Elvis Interview

On the evening of July 10, 1954, Wink Martindale realized that listeners were reacting to a new song aired by Dewey Phillips: Elvis Presley's first record, "That's All Right." Martindale contacted Elvis, who was interviewed on air at WHBQ.

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1954: Marriage to Madelyn Leech

In 1954, Wink Martindale married Madelyn Leech. They later had four children together.

June 16, 1956: Elvis Presley Appears on Dance Party

On June 16, 1956, Elvis Presley made an appearance on Dance Party, the teenage TV show hosted by Wink Martindale at WHBQ-TV in Memphis.

April 1963: "Deck of Cards" Peaked in the UK Singles Chart

In April 1963, Wink Martindale's spoken-word song "Deck of Cards" peaked at No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart.

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1967: Acted in a Futuristic Documentary Film

In 1967, Wink Martindale acted in a short futuristic documentary film about home life in the year 1999 produced by the Philco-Ford Corporation which predicted, among other things, Internet commerce.

1971: Divorce from Madelyn Leech

In 1971, Wink Martindale divorced his first wife, Madelyn Leech. They had been married since 1954 and had four children together.

1975: Marriage to Sandy Ferra

In 1975, Wink Martindale married his second wife, Sandy (née Ferra).

June 1996: Became Host of Debt

In June 1996, Wink Martindale became the host of Lifetime's quiz show, Debt.

1997: Won a CableACE Award for Debt

In 1997, Wink Martindale's show Debt won a CableACE Award.

1998: Cancellation of Debt

In 1998, Debt was cancelled because the network target audience was not watching the show.

June 2, 2006: Received Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

On June 2, 2006, Wink Martindale received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

October 13, 2007: Inducted into American TV Game Show Hall of Fame

On October 13, 2007, Wink Martindale was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

June 2, 2009: Signed with Hit Parade Radio Format

On June 2, 2009, Wink Martindale signed with the syndicated Hit Parade Radio format.

February 7, 2010: Start of Hit Parade Radio Format with Martindale

On February 7, 2010, the syndicated Hit Parade Radio format began operation with Wink Martindale as afternoon drive personality.

March 4, 2010: Premiere of Instant Recall

On March 4, 2010, Wink Martindale's last program, the GSN original series Instant Recall, premiered. It was the first show Martindale hosted since Debt.

June 6, 2010: End of Hit Parade Radio Syndication

On June 6, 2010, the syndicator for Hit Parade Radio, where Wink Martindale was an afternoon drive personality, stopped operating.

2012: Returned to Radio with Christmas Hits Show

In 2012, Wink Martindale returned to radio as the host of The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, a nationally syndicated show produced by Envision Radio Networks.

2013: Guest Appearance on The Eric Andre Show

In 2013, Wink Martindale made a guest appearance on The Eric Andre Show, participating in comedic segments including wearing a motion-capture suit and promoting a drinkable mouthwash called Scoap.

December 2, 2014: Guest Appearance on The Chase

On December 2, 2014, Wink Martindale made a special guest appearance on the GSN show The Chase hosted by Brooke Burns and featuring Mark Labbett.

April 21, 2017: Appeared in KFC Ad Campaign

On April 21, 2017, Wink Martindale appeared in a KFC advertising campaign featuring Rob Lowe as astronaut Colonel Sanders making a JFK speech spoof and giving an homage; the ad is about launching a Zinger chicken sandwich into space.

April 4, 2018: Surprise Co-Host on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio

On April 4, 2018, Wink Martindale was the "surprise co-host" (via phone) for Sirius XM NHL Network Radio's "Three Questions" segment.

2018: Martindale Discusses Debt Being Sued by Jeopardy!

In 2018, Wink Martindale stated that the show "Debt" was sued by the creator of Jeopardy! because some of their questions and answers were too similar.

January 28, 2021: Deal or No Deal pilot upload claim

On January 28, 2021, Wink Martindale announced on his Facebook page that he possessed a pilot episode of the ABC version of "Deal or No Deal" and intended to upload it to his YouTube channel once it reached 18,000 subscribers.

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June 6, 2021: The History of Rock 'n' Roll Hosting Debut

On June 6, 2021, Wink Martindale began hosting the nationally and internationally syndicated radio show, "The History of Rock 'n' Roll", a two-hour weekend program looking back at music from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

July 19, 2021: Deal or No Deal pilot uploaded

On July 19, 2021, Wink Martindale uploaded the pilot episode of the ABC version of "Deal or No Deal" to his YouTube channel after reaching his goal of 18,000 subscribers.

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