Congratulations, Keith Bilbrey!

I wish I could be in Murfreesboro, Tennessee this Saturday night, but I am going to be on the road in Eastern Ky and Tn. The reason that I would love to be in Rutherford County is the annual Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame Awards dinner. This year, I am familiar with many of the inductees – but there is one that I have a special bond with.

His name is Keith Bilbrey.

I don’t know if I can tell you the exact moment that I knew what I wanted to do with my life as a kid. I do remember being allowed to stay up late during the summer of 1985 when I was eleven, and scanning the radio dials at night. I became mesmerized by call letters like WLW, WBAP, and others like them – that ruled the AM airwaves at night. There was also those other letters – that have always been the gold standard in radio, as far as I am concerned – WSM.

It was about that same time that I started listening to the 50,000 watt power house that was home to the Grand Ole Opry. There were some great voices that I enjoyed listening to – Mark Mabry, Hairl Hensley, and Keith Bilbrey. Keith did the mid-day shift on the station back in those days – as well as a Saturday oldies show which ran from 10-2. There was something about his delivery as a broadcaster that made me listen. Bilbrey was one of the first announcers that I ever heard that when he came out of a song – he did so in the form of a conversation rather than just telling you what you heard.

For instance, some broadcasters would say “There’s Charlie Rich with ‘Behind Closed Doors.’ Instead, more often than not, I would hear Keith say ‘That’s what happens Behind Closed Doors, from Charlie Rich…on WSM.’ That was lesson one. It just seemed a lot more informal, and more of a conversation. He approached the interview process the same way. I also learned another valuable lesson from Keith Bilbrey. If somebody calls you quite a bit – particular someone younger – be nice to them. I picked that up from him because he treated one kid from Dickson County with a ton of respect – even though I know he had to be driven crazy from time to time. I got to hang out with him at WSM remotes from time to time, and even spent a period of time as a guest panelist on “Stump The Jock,” a trivia contest he did on WSM. (For reference, I stole that idea….and many others from what I heard on the station. I’m glad ideas aren’t copyrighted. If so, he and Kyle Cantrell could sue me for the tens of dollars I made at WDKN!)

Would I have wound up in the business at some point in my life if I had never listened to Keith? Perhaps. But, I will never know – nor would I want to. His grace, friendliness, and warmth are things that I aspired to all my life…..and still do. Keith, I am sorry I can’t be there this Saturday, but know that in my book…. Nobody deserves it more! You are truly a “Radio Legend.” (But, we knew that in 1988, didn’t we?)

A New Beginning

It was about eight years ago when I first walked into the place that for the better part of that time since I have called home. At that point, I recall being excited and optimistic about what the future was going to hold. I was just about four months from being married, and this would be the place that we would spend – hopefully – the rest of our lives at. This would be the place where the children grew up.

But….life happened. Those plans changed. But, when I moved back to Tennessee after a brief period in Georgia, I returned to that house – and those memories. Every damn one of them. Not all of them were bad, mind you. There were Christmas celebrations. Holidays. But, some weren’t so good. And, some of those fall on me. Truth be told, I wasn’t that crazy about going back to the place where we lived as a family. But, I had some pets, and I had said goodbye to so much in my life. I couldn’t bear to part with anything else. So, I moved back. There were nights that I heard the ghosts. Their presence was quite overwhelming. Telling me ‘Well, you really made it….didn’t you?’ or maybe ‘If you had done this or that, you wouldn’t be this lonely now.’ Or, perhaps the strongest voice of all was…..none at all. My cats provided solace when I was there, but I was slowly killing myself by kicking myself over and over for a past I couldn’t change. Mistakes? To quote Sinatra, I did make a few. But, I honestly would do 98% of it the same way again. I wouldn’t have one of the relationships that I am the most proud of – and whether you are a critic or a detractor (and I will admit that my love for animals has gotten me way over my head before), I have found that I am more loyal than I thought I was a few years ago.

May is going to be an interesting month for me. Hopefully, the start of a new beginning. I have found a home for two of the cats, which leaves me with a manageable two. I will be moving into a new apartment later in the month. It’s something that I should have done a long time ago. I am really looking forward to it. Sometimes, one has to look deep within and realize that change is something you have to initiate. I want a life – besides my work, which I am very blessed with. I want to fall asleep on the couch watching TV…..something I haven’t done, at my place, in about five years. I want to feel good about myself again….or maybe for the first time. And….I want the girl….not today or the day after that, but I do want to fall in love again. Unlike before, I don’t think I am incomplete without someone, but I think I can make it work next time. But, I don’t want to have somebody for the sake of making anyone else happy or to show that I can be in a relationship. I want fire. I deserve that.

Long post made short……the past is the past. I have made peace with just about everything from that period in my life. My record isn’t perfect, and anybody who wants to be a critic, well, the Lord knows I have given them plenty of ammunition. But, I am trying to make strides. I’m trying to take better care of myself. I’m trying to think better of myself. Believe it or not, the latter is the toughest. But, I am doing better. Plus, I am kind of tired of writing these heavy blog posts. I would much rather write about the merits of Samantha over Jeannie, how great a 1982 album by Kenny Rogers was, or that special someone……wherever she is…..A new beginning……I hope so. I really do!