RADIO

I started listening to WMNF, Tampa, shortly after it went on the air. I eventually became a volunteer DJ there, doing a 2-hour bluegrass show once a week for about 13 years. Occasionally I filled in on other shows. Thanks to my exposure on WMNF, I was one of the emcees at several bluegrass festivals and one folk festival. I got to meet Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, et al. I went to a lot of jam sessions, and did some pickin' & singin' with little pickup groups playing coffee houses, county fairs, and even the state fair. We didn't get paid, but did get passes and meals. I played autoharp, rhythm guitar, sang harmony, occasionally sang lead, and usually tossed in some comedy. I loved it! not the exposure per se, but simply the fact that it was so much fun and such a stress-reliever! Shortly after moving back here in 1996, I landed a 2-hour Saturday spot on an old AM station, which had been a top-40 station when I was a teen. At the time, it was in the throes of death. Here's a picture of me at the controls of WMNF in 1993. I had sun-burned lips, a "Far Side" T-shirt ("Know Your Insects"), and was holding the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken II" CD set. Do I miss all that? The music at the New Year's Eve party made me realize just how much! Playing and singing at home alone just is not the same!