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?)
