JUKE N’ JAMM BIO
BOB HOLDEN-CREATOR
In 1992, a time slot became available at WQOX with the departure of James Hall to another station. Jim Futrell, station manager, asked me to
fill the position. Having been at WQOX
for several years and producing radio and
TV programs of various types at various places, this was a natural for me.
Robert “Honeyboy” Thomas, legendary area DJ with roots in
R&B music, was on before the open time slot. He played a mix of jazz, blues, R&B, and urban
favorites. A small amount of local
music was also played on his show.
Other local stations played a small amount of “Memphis”
music, but not enough to do justice to local performers. Also, the music played was vintage Memphis
hits, not much of Indies. Forget
plugging gigs and interviews – music news for the most part did not exist on
the radio.
With all this in mind and being a musician myself, it was
decided to produce a show with local music flavors spotlighting the many sides
of music not often exposed or quite often taken for granted. A program was born that gave a slant to
impromptu Jam sessions and places (Joints) where “pickers” performed at and
songs of dynamic energy (fast or slow) performed by talented performers and
referred to as a “Juke”, hence a collection contained in a player device such
as a Jukebox, and a club in a ‘Juke Joint’; thus the name - “JUKE
N’ JAMM” indicating the concept of
the show. Feeling the need to inform
and educate the audience (WQOX is owned by the Memphis City Schools), I wanted
to give performers a chance to be more than another record on the radio. So, interviews, special features, short
bios, music news, and show dates were incorporated into the format. Musically, we are on a library format and
not a list of top 20 hits. Fair music
rotation is a vital element of the show.
Although the many flavors of Memphis rich with history,
heritage, and tradition are key music factors, Juke N’ Jamm plays music from
beyond Memphis. Rounding out the music
menu and giving a taste of those who left Memphis but continue to have
influence here, Juke N’ Jamm has an international flavor. Not limiting our music to just regional
artists, Juke N’ Jamm offers some performers their only airplay in Memphis.
In the eleven years Juke N’ Jamm has been aired, I have had
three co-hosts. David Poole brought a
flavor of jazz to the show. Dennis
Nelson brought the blues, music business features, and artist interviews to
life. My current co-host, Joe Terry,
brings a flavor of music history, Texas blues, and today’s technology (he’s our
web master) to the show. Joe has taken Juke
N’ Jamm to a new level offering features we could not do until now. Our growing “behind the scene” help is
vital, too. Two people can’t do all
that needs to be done. Thus, Carol,
Chris, Jim, and Alex play key roles to make us look and sound good.
In the future, Juke N’ Jamm plans to continue to grow to
new highs. Taking on a higher profile
in the Memphis music scene, Juke N’ Jamm - the radio show and other related
venues plan to offer many promotional opportunities to regional artists. This is our continuing pledge to support
Memphis music. Music like no other from
a place like no other – the Home of the Blues, the Birthplace of Rock and Roll,
and the cradle of Jazz – Let’s Juke N’ Jam!