March 7, 1976. Gerald Ford was President. The Pittsburgh Steelers were Super Bowl champs. Rocky received the Oscar for best picture. A peanut farmer from Georgia was beginning his campaign for the presidency.
That’s also when a very nervous banjo player went on the air for the first time to play bluegrass music on San Diego’s #1 country radio station KSON.
Who would have believed I’d still be there 33 years later?
We’ve done some big anniversary celebrations over the years (like a big show at the East County Performing Arts Center in El Cajon on our 25th) but this year I’ll celebrate on the air with some old songs from the past 33 years. A lot of great bluegrass has been recorded during that time. Alison Krauss was only 4 years old when I started my radio show.
Thanks to all the folks at Lincoln Financial Media (who owns KSON now) for keeping me on all these years and to all the bluegrass music fans who have been so loyal for so long. It has been a lot of fun (and it still is!)
You can listen to my show online when it’s being broadcast (10 p.m. on Sunday night) or you can listen “on demand” at kson.com/bluegrass.
Comments
3 responses to “My radio show turns 33!”
Really good show……My wife and I used to go to the Blue Guitar down in Old Town long ago owned by Ed Douglas and my brother in law, Bill Wylie. We have listened and loved bluegrass forever it seems. We listen to your show every Sunday night from good ole Julian, where we live now. Long ago we would go to the Wrongbranch, in Julian, where Kenny Wertz, Gary Car, Bill Wylie, etc. would play bluegrass for beer.
What fun, and what wonderful music. We are so glad to hear that bluegrass is still around and becoming even more popular
Keep up the good radio…….we love it.
Many thanks.
My sister just turned me on to your c.d. Whoopin good stuff. Love the gospel. Especially the one about Jesus in the temple, “On My Fathers Side” I’ve listened to and enjoyed the “Blugrass Show” for many years, even though I usually fell asleep due to the fact it was Sunday and I get up at 4:00a.m. Keep it up, maybe someday I’ll join y’all. Thanks, ‘Ward
Congrats on 33 years! You’re obviously doing it right. I wish I could listen, but of course we can’t pick you up in southern Ky and we are still on dialup (we live way out in the country and don’t have high speed yet). Maybe we’ll get high speed soon and I’ll certainly tune in.
Richard Perry