Home Where I Belong

It's been crazy around here for a while. Blogging had to take the back burner and simmer a little. I've been transitioning back to my home church from the new work that had directed my energies a few weeks. I felt the mission would continue for at least a year; but, I could not get the rest of the family on board. It turns out that my wife and I both missed the old church but neither knew until I blurted out that the novelty had wore off. We agreed that we'd return home. And we did, not looking back. I worked to 100% of my abilities for the short time I was there building my skill set.

While we didn't regret our decision to return I did question why we left in the first place. As "luck" would have it on Sunday night the music pastor invited me to join the media team and introduced me to the person in charge; guess what? The new skills I learned at my most recent short time excursion I was able to intelligently  discuss with her. In fact, she observed that I could possibly teach their team the Pro Presenter software I had just experienced first hand. A mystery solved: the purpose for our diversion was learning a wholly new way of integrating sound, video and scheduling logistics for worship and bringing back those highly effective methods to our church. For the last decade I have craved some sort of synergy of my hobbies and talents. I realize how vague this all seems; but, I assure you, long suffering reader, it is coming together.

Stay tuned

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Freebies

If you are as cheap as I am then you are probably looking for good deals all the time.

To be even more similar to me you like to find free software on the Internet. Two very useful programs that I have found are 100% free to use forever, no strings attached. They are free of ads as well. I give my personal recommendation.

If you need an awesome free word processor nearly equal to Microsoft Word ® try Open Office. Download at  http://www.openoffice.org

If you like to tinker with digital audio then get the beta version of Audacity for multi-track recording and editing. I find it very reliable and easy to use, weather you're a beginner or an experienced pro. I have been using Audacity for about five years. There was a slight learning curve in the beginning. With the on-line users manual, all features are comprehensively explained. I am not a beginner; audio has been a serious hobby of mine for 30 years: in radio production for a dozen years and church sound since I was 14. Devices and fads have come and gone, but I can truly say that Audacity is the most useful tool ever. It does things impossible for even state-of-the-art analog production studios when I began in radio. The only criticism: there is no real time preview of plug-in effects. Hey, it is free after all. You may download at http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Freebies

If you are as cheap as I am then you are probably looking for good deals all the time.

To be even more similar to me you like to find free software on the Internet. Two very useful programs that I have found are 100% free to use forever, no strings attached. They are free of ads as well. I give my personal recommendation.

If you need an awesome free word processor nearly equal to Microsoft Word ® try Open Office. Download at http://www.openoffice.org

If you like to tinker with digital audio then get the beta version of Audacity for multi-track recording and editing. I find it very reliable and easy to use, weather you're a beginner or an experienced pro. I have been using Audacity for about five years. There was a slight learning curve in the beginning. With the on-line users manual, all features are comprehensively explained. I am not a beginner; audio has been a serious hobby of mine for 30 years: in radio production for a dozen years and church sound since I was 14. Devices and fads have come and gone, but I can truly say that Audacity is the most useful tool ever. It does things impossible for even state-of-the-art analog production studios when I began in radio. The only criticism: there is no real time preview of plug-in effects. Hey, it is free after all. You may download at http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Stay tuned

Where's the Reset Button?

I've been a bit leisurely lately. This blog has not demanded the attention as it once did. That might be a good thing,

Over my 44 years I have seemed to go through many fads not staying with them long. As a youth I played sandlot football and became obsessed with the sport; parental oversight prohibited me from actually playing in high school. "You could get hurt," my mother would often warn. Compliant children such as I listened only to regret much later what NFL franchise would have beckoned. In reality, officially competing would have been too much work  for a clumsy nonathletic clod. I went through many phases: gym memberships, tennis, bicycling, on and on. Finally, I decided that "bodily exercise profiteth little" so after a few years the fitness craze languished. I realize today that taking scripture out of context can be counterproductive. 

With my pollen filled lungs I have decided to be more proactive with my health lately. It may be a phase; but a 40 year age gap with such young children it's apparent that we couch potatoes must abandon leisure and get with the program. Wish me luck. Summer, here we come!

Stay tuned.

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Love Grew

Easter of 1983 I recorded the Rhoden sisters (founding members of the Children of Light) along their brother, my dad, James. The venue was a residence that had been converted into a tiny church in Savannah, Georgia. It was recorded unplugged style with a JVC stereo electret condenser microphone wired direct into a Dokorder 7700 ¼ ” tape deck running at 7.5 ips. Years later the original reel-to-reel recording was transferred to cassette on a Tascam 122 B professional machine. I used the cassette dub as my source for today's post. Unfortunately, the voices overpowered the recording equipment on the choruses so a bit of distortion remains. The song is Love Grew Where the Blood Fell; press play to enjoy

Welcome Facebook Friends

If you have linked over from Facebook (or anywhere), welcome to my blog. This is mainly a career retrospective of my days in Christian radio and church sound. Recently, I have started a commemorative fan page for the Children of Light, a gospel group near and dear to the writer. In the companion Podcast Gospel Rewind the Children of Light have been featured more than once. You're encouraged to explore the shows and posts. In the future, the group will be subject of a more extensive write-up and possibly their own site. For all fans of the group we have big plans for reissuing their albums on CD. We have discovered the original multi-track session tape and would love to share the Presenting Jesus album in 21st century crystal clear digital audio remix. As for the two other superb albums, the location of the master tapes is uncertain. We have access to good clean LP copies of the albums, but working with the original sound source is the preferred method.

Stay tuned

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Random Rant

Today’s post might not be popular,  I don’t care.

I was listening to the radio this morning; one of those typical man and woman hosted fluff shows. It does not matter which station. It proved why I elected years ago to listen exclusively to CD’s when in the car. The show was so sappy that I literally felt nauseous. Let me explain.

About 25 years ago a smart programmer in New York City took a struggling radio station, invented the Morning Zoo format and turned it into the number one Z-100 phenomenon popular to this day. FM radio was never again the same. In the place of a single DJ several hosts contributed to the morning show with well crafted wit and interesting banter. This format was cloned with varying success all over the country. Over the years many popular stations reduced the size of their morning shows down to typically one man and one woman; I think to increase their female listeners. In the age of political correctness these shows were biased to the female perspective. Male bashing has been en vogue for many years and these shows have reflected this upside down trend. As a result these male hosts have been emasculated ad nauseam.

The contrast between the sexes is what makes life interesting. Why then do I have to hear a man’s voice oozing  pseudo-sensitivity from my car speakers? We have gone too far. It’s time to man up! Radio programmers take note: women actually like real men.

Stay tuned 

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

I'll Be a Fool

There are April Fool's Day pranks all over the world today. Did you see the one from Google where they claimed to be changing their name to Topeka? One of my single Facebook friends changes his status to "married". Where was my invitation? Both very original. I struggled to put a prank together for the blogs but lost interest early on. Instead, check out this 1990 aircheck from radio home two. Witness the only times I actually looked forward to being sick; my hoarse voice sounded better to me, you be the judge.

 ©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Brick Wall Broadcasting

Do you ever get discouraged on your job? Does it seem that despite your best efforts success eludes you? I found myself in such a situation at my second radio home. Just a few months prior to getting this job I had resigned from my first broadcast station leaving to pursue major market radio. I launched out not knowing for sure if I would land a DJ gig at all. Gospel 90 had offered me transfer to their 50,000 watt sister in Atlanta. Determined to make it on my own I, at age 20, turned down a sure thing and a 100 mile daily commute for something closer to home in suburbia. Had I made a bad move?

I was at this new home on 1520 AM only four months when the news came down that the charismatic church  that owned WSPZ was selling the facility. Budget crunched owners lost interest in the station shortly after their pastor (also station general manager) unexpectedly resigned. He championed our little station; with him gone the gloves were off. The deacons now had free reign to unload the little thousand watt daytimer that signed my paychecks. Key staff dropped like flies and I became program director having jumped two pay grades in short order. For all intent and purposes I was my own boss with a skeleton crew on a shoestring budget. We made the best of the circumstances with decent content and better than average talent   making a little money by adding high school sports coverage with both local and national sponsors.

The owners wanted $750,000 for the station and wound up settling for $70,000 three years later having kept us paid without fail. The whole crew, although discouraged, must have been surprised the station didn't go dark; to the owners' credit we were never laid off or asked to take pay cuts. Today's aircheck is my final morning show on April 20, 1990, for the church owned 1520 AM which ceased broadcast operations 4 O'clock that afternoon. Listen as I almost reveal the transition which was kept mum until it was legal later that day. 20 years have obscured details of officially passing the torch to the new owner. Such as it is, the recording remains.

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

800 Views

I feel silly calling it a milestone, but my Peanut Whistle videos on YouTube have had over 800 views. Woohoo! I don't know how the site calculates the number. I do suspect that the tally may be considerably more since demographics data is included in the "insight" profiles. How would YouTube know such info without each counted viewer signed in? Yeah, the number is small compared to all the silly cat videos that get a million plus hits; let me have my moment. With that in mind I figure that more people have seen the video tour of my fourth radio home than we had total listeners at the time the station was on the air. Click on the link above to see my YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe while you're there.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Brush with Country

In the years since today's audio post I have learned to actually appreciate some of the music my radio bosses had me play. Below is the final Southern Gospel aircheck that transitioned into the first with a new Country format on my 3rd radio home. Please allow a moment for the mp3 to load, then press play.

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

A Country Fortnight

There is some truth to what my grandmother used to say, "Your tastes change every 7 years or so." Although she was referring to food; I have applied it to music as well. As the name of the blog implies Gospel has been a focus of mine for many years. Its influence cannot be understated. 

Other musical forms consistently appeal to me: Classic Rock, Jazz, Classical, R&B, Blues and such. Every so often, let's say about every seven to ten years, I will revisit a genre that had been overlooked and unappreciated by me for a while. Country music was traditionally the music of the deep south until the likes of Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill and others gave it a more youthful and universal appeal. That is when I got on the bandwagon. A couple of years earlier in 1991 I was a DJ on a new Country station just as the first wave of Young Country artists were about to hit the scene.

The opportunity had poor timing; it wasn't until '93 when I first saw a live country show at Opryland that I added the genre to my repertoire. Unlike many DJ's, I felt that I needed to be a fan of the music I played in order to seem genuine on-air.

Today's aircheck is an example of my first day; known then as Jim O'Neal, spinning the songs about mama, pick-up trucks, and trains.The recording is preceded by my last day with the Southern Gospel format. Have a listen and maybe a laugh at my expense, this Hillbilly gig lasted only two weeks.

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

St.Paddy's Day

Oh, how I enjoyed growing up in Savannah, GA; especially this time of year. The climate was mild as Spring entered. And, everyone was Irish (at least for a day.) Are you wearing your green?

We were told that our Saint Patrick's Day Parade and celebration was second only to that of Chicago. The way I saw it ours was much bigger considering the comparable sizes of the cities. All three network TV stations had live coverage. I assume that it's still a big deal down in the Coastal Empire although I can't prove it. I haven't visited in over 16 years. Well, maybe next year. Happy Saint Paddy's day everyone! Erin Go Bragh.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Living the Dream

A year ago this week I began a new radio station on the Internet called the GRIN, or Gospel Rewind Internet. It featured classic Gospel songs that covered a twenty year period from about the mid 1960 to the late '80's. We were about 70% Southern Gospel with some light CCM, Country and mainstream Gospel. GRIN was a hybrid based on the format of my first radio home, Gospel 90. At that station I was allowed to play broad range of songs now considered classics.

Technical issues plagued the GRIN. Hosting a 24 hour web radio station from my home computer I naturally blamed my equipment for the constant downtime and made the decision to kill off the GRIN after only a month and a half. Ironically, the problem was discovered in July of 2009; a bad modem supplied by my local phone company. It was a discovery made three months too late. Oh well, it's nice to live your dream; if only for a little while. Below is a sample of the GRIN in this netcheck. This is the first live show. Please allow time for the mp3 to load, it is a big file.

  

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Radio Home Four

1992. I found myself at a small broadcast facility out in the sticks. Twenty five hundred watts on AM radio with a Southern Gospel music format; the best thing about this station was that I was purely a disk jockey having recently stepped down as program director at my previous gig. Below is a sample of my show there. Please allow a few seconds for the mp3 player to load, then press the play button.

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Spring Forward

Just a very brief reminder for those of us in the United States in certain time zones; let's spring forward. Yes, it's that time again to advance our clocks one hour forward. Supposedly this was an attempt to save energy by making the daylight last an hour longer thus switching on our house lights later. That's probably no longer a valid reason, but I see it as the time of year when I cheer up considerably; spring is right around the corner! So, this Sunday morning at 2:00 AM set your clocks and don't be late for church.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Hallelujah Meeting!

What a week it was for the Rhoden family. We lost a dear member, my aunt Sylvia. She was laid to rest yesterday in Marion County, Georgia; but, her legacy lives on in song. Today I am rerunning a Gospel Rewind podcast from last year that featured Sylvia's awesome singing. The first song You're Still Lord by Lanny Wolfe and Phil Johnson then a duet with her long time collaborator, Rev. Jerry Rice; the song: How Much more written by Rusty Goodman. The last song is sung by her big brother, my late dad, James Rhoden Now I have Everything. I know my dad and his baby sister Sylvia are teaching the angels how to sing. Please allow time for the podcast to load.

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

The Unwritten Rules

Now the mandatory first anniversary posting. Actually, a year ago I began this blog having been inspired by an old radio buddy's blog. He hasn't written a new post since then but I have labored on with two weblogs. No, I am not patting myself on the back. It has been difficult coming up with posts. Not for lack of ideas; inspiration strikes at inopportune times: at the market, while driving, etc. I have a small digital voice recorder that I occasionally carry around to capture ideas. My mission or purpose for writing changed. I decided to broaden its focus. Instead of just war stories from my DJ days I have thrown in more opinion and family life. I have begun sharing far more than I would have while on the air. Somehow my home life and career never crossed paths in what I would share on the radio. Regrettably some often humorous happenings never made the show. I edited myself thoroughly and often; one just didn't discuss his personal life with listeners. I was way too strict with my multiple restrictions. Through the years I have lightened up. The new Gospel Rewind Podcast is proof.

I am not referring to the obvious. The use of abusive speech; profanity and slander are never justified on the public airwaves. What I mean is the unwritten rules dee jays live by. Negative words about a sponsor, complaining about the station's management or coworkers were no-no's. Only the well paid shock jocks of the day could get away such behavior. It is common sense not biting the hand that feeds you. One time in my young career I shattered some rules, took a few risks, made fun of each other and the format, and had a blast.

Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart were to appear in concert in my city at a local college in January of '86. It was very common in those days to trade airtime for free tickets. This was the one and only time in my career that free tickets were not offered to staff. Those among us were bitter towards the promotions company not Mylon. We loved his music and felt that the occasional freebie was compensation for our low salaries.The $15 fee for tickets seemed exorbitant. On this post Christmas aircheck in '85 a trio of us were on the same show making veiled references to the concert and being slighted by promoters. It turns out that it is one of my favorite airchecks. It was the one where I broke some unwritten rules, for sure. I truly showed my real personality not some Top 40 facade. It took me another six years to break away from the rules again two stations later. Tune in the non-conformist show below:

Stay tuned
©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

New Tricks for Old Dogs

With all this new technology I have been playing with lately I got to wondering just what I could do with new digital audio tricks on old copy. Today I fiddled around with a very old script for a skate party set in 1984 at a long defunct radio station and skating rink. Take a listen:

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Rocktober

Back when Contemporary Christian Music first became commercially viable in the mid 80’s with artists such as Amy Grant; I started my own CCM disk jockey show on a local 5,000 watt AM in Savannah, Georgia. The program concentrated on the current Christian top 40 plus recurrent hits and traditional Gospel with a modern beat. Today I present an unscoped original aircheck from October 1986. The month was known as “Rocktober” thanks to a promotional poster hung on the control room wall from Sparrow Records label. Enjoy the show!

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Fluffy News

Give me a break! Is this Tiger Woods infidelity issue hard news? The man’s many fornications have been presented to the American public as if they were more important than real news. I don’t know who is pulling the strings at ABC news; but, did they really think that a 15 minute press conference with the golfer was in the national interest? Was it really a “Special Report”? Yesterday in Austin, Texas, an idiot deliberately flew a small plane into the IRS building and that story didn’t get as much press. What an upside down world we live in today.

The Woods story should have, at best, been covered on Entertainment Tonight. This is not hard news!

Through out my years in radio we covered many stories: Soldiers leaving for Desert Storm, The Olympic Committee announcing Atlanta would host the 1996 Games, a school on fire, and various stories in the public interest. And as just an observer over the years; when TV news interrupted normal programming, something bad had happened. I remember in ‘86 when the space shuttle exploded. In the early 80’s when President Reagan was shot and the horrible events of September 11th, 2001 unfolding live in a Special Report.

I was home today when my heart sank; the Special Report graphic came up on my screen. Who died? Did something explode? No. It was a pro athlete apologizing for cheating on his wife. Friend, this is not special.

 

Stay tuned

Peanut Whistle Audio

Peanut Whistle Audio Check out this link to my new Gospel Rewind Podcast page. It's still in development so I will update page features as inspiration strikes me. Enjoy, subscribe and please check back often.

Stay tuned

© 2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Celebration Sunday

Before I get into today's post allow me to direct you to one of the new pages of this site. About a year ago I put together a small glossary of common terms used in the radio industry. Click on  the Gospel Aircheck Glossary in the side column should you need clarification on any technical word I sometimes slip into a post.

Sunday was a blast. I returned to my first audio love -- doing live church sound -- for the first time in a few months. I will chronicle my new journey here.

Snow Day!

Woo who Snow in North Georgia! So much for global warming; here is a shot of my baby girl's tricycle. Weather reports on our local ABC affiliate WSB TV state that as much as 6" of snow fell yesterday and overnight. What great fun for the kids! Go to my Facebook page to see all the photos I snapped today.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Let's Rewind

Now a blast from the past. Presented here today is a classic episode of Gospel Rewind featuring two timeless songs. Some of the contact info has changed. Reach me through email nealrhoden@gospelaircheck.com


©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Rocktober

Back in October of 1986 at my radio home number one a certain CCM label, I think Sparrow records, sent the station a promotional poster renaming the month "Rocktober". The following unscoped aircheck is my afternoon contemporary Christian music show. It is a stereo rebuild of the original mono recording. Enjoy.

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Get On Board!

Here at the Peanut Whistle I take a great deal of pride in the work accomplished over the years with various audio projects: the band demos, radio airchecks, commercials, and the podcasts. You’re invited to join this blog as a subscriber (did I mention it’s free!) While you read and visit click play on the mp3 players on the side column. You can subscribe by clicking on the “subscribe” button. You may have to scroll down a little. If you are viewing this via Facebook or in a reader, make sure you visit us at our website     http://www.thepeanutwhistle.com for all the media content we offer. Interact with the Whistle; you may contact me at gospelrewind@yahoo.com

Stay tuned
©2010 the Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

New Roots

I have found that blogging about church life is generally a very slippery slope. What I mean is that last week was both good and bad for the companion blog, the Peanut Whistle. I wrote a couple of posts that I felt were necessary. My family is transitioning to a new church home that we are very excited about; I wanted to chronicle the thought process that went into making the decision to leave a congregation and denomination where my wife and I shared deep roots. We met there, fell in love and had two of our babies dedicated there. Change is a process. This one is for the better.

Watch for new posts on what I continue to learn in church sound beginning my venture volunteering in an audio department that is now fully integrated with digital technology. When I began nearly thirty years ago the state of the art was analog; trending to using tracks on cassette, letting the piano collect dust. By the mid 90’s CD’s were used for soundtrack accompaniment. Note here that I always felt that live musicians were superior to canned music in worship. Tracks seemed too karaoke. I don’t want to offend an entire industry built on producing these recordings but they kill spontaneity. Not to mention the poor audio quality of the cassettes in the eighties; tape hiss was my constant nemesis. Although CD’s sounded better than tapes, the instruments needed playing again. Good news is that this new church has some talented musicians and singers playing 100% live.

Houses of worship are now using digital technology for visual presentation very effectively. That’s uncharted territory for me and quite an opportunity to learn something new. Running a board and mixing I can do, but lighting and video presentation are my weak points. I am nothing if not flexible, so please teach an old dog new tricks.

Stay tuned

A Win is a Win

Congratulations Saints fans! Coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans team made the most gutsy call I’ve ever seen in a Super Bowl. The on-side kick recovered was the pivotal moment for the NFL championship. On the other hand, Peyton Manning’s interception blunder in the fourth quarter sealed the Colt’s fate.

The true winners last night were the fans. It has to be one of the most exciting Super Bowls I have witnessed in 30 years following the sport.

Stay tuned

Super Sunday

What are your predictions for tonight’s game? I’ll go out on a limb; the Who will probably sing 3 numbers and break a guitar on stage at half time. There will be some funny new commercials. And, if you’re lucky, there will probably be a football game.

The Super Bowl is usually a very one sided affair and often a boring game; last year was an exception with the Steelers exciting 27 – 23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

I am thrilled that the New Orleans Saints made it this year despite my sworn “hatred” for the franchise that has been rivals of my beloved Atlanta Falcons. Following a remarkable recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina the Big Easy has bounced back nicely with a team the city can be very proud of no matter what the outcome tonight.

My wishful thinking prediction has the Saints winning by a field goal in overtime. Peyton Manning and the Colts are going to give Drew Brees and the Saints a real nail-biter. If New Orleans expects to win then they must play a flawless 4 quarters. If not, I give the Indianapolis team the victory 35 – 24.

Stay tuned

Listen to Daddy

    How often I have jumped to conclusions without having all the information. Today's post is an example of my not listening to that still small voice...

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Proverbs 3:3-7 KJV

  Many years ago I received some life changing advice from my then pastor; he said, "Live by these five words, what does the Bible say." He was referring to the best process of vetting the various guidance one receives in life. Sift the wheat from the chaff according to the Word, the one true authority. This pastor urged us to always check even him against this gold standard. He would also detail the hooey we've come to believe that is patently unbiblical. Since then I have been searching for a church that taught the truth in an unpretentious, very down to earth way. Following my time at this particular place, due to divorce from my first wife, I moved on to another affiliation and quickly grew tired of its church as usual mentality; thus my quest began for a congregation unbound by silly traditions.

  After ten years I have found such a church! You may have read a previous post in which I was somewhat indecisive, but my reservations were wrong. I was leaning on my own understanding of partial facts and I had relied on an incomplete picture of the situation; so, I whole heartedly apologize for any misunderstanding of what I have written. I have edited the earlier post to reflect changes. My only regret is that I didn't find this church a decade ago.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

It's a Man Thing

  We got some new living room furniture this weekend and had one small problem. What were we to do with the old stuff? I don't have access to a truck so taking away the couch and two chairs seemed an uphill battle. The furniture store charged a substantial delivery fee, but didn't do take away. I wound up taking the Lazy Boy to the Goodwill with no problem in the minivan. The next day when I took the large upholstered chair to the thrift store for donation, the guy almost refused it. It seems that even the Goodwill has its standards. Upon returning home I realized that the couch was too raggedy, but what was I to do with it? The trash man wouldn't pick it up. However, if the sofa was in pieces in bags... you see where I'm going with this. I broke out the heavy artillery: a claw hammer, razor knife, and the pièce de résistance, a Craftsman circular saw! I had so much fun disassembling that the kids envied me. A cloud of cloth and sawdust ensued and we carried out the couch in a thousand pieces. On trash day the unfortunate furniture departed with the rest of the garbage. All you men can now pound your chests and grunt like an ape just like Tim Allen.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Skate Times Three

Here's the "new" Gospel Rewind Podcast. Actually it is a rerun of sorts. I have re-voiced Skate, Skate, Skate from last year. The content has been reviewed, fact checked and updated. I have expanded some points for additional clarity.

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©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Where O Where?

  Well, today's post is a celebration of a new chapter in our church lives. Angie and I have been actively searching for a better fit in where we worship.
  If you have stumbled upon this post I have a little educational message for you; in our southern US culture, the place where one regularly attends church is priority numero uno.  Finally we all are in complete agreement: the kids are happy, the church is extremely friendly and the congregation has a youthful vigor missing in our most current affiliation. 

Stay tuned

 ©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

We're One

One month from today Gospel Aircheck will celebrate its first anniversary. Over the past 11 months this blog has changed: at first known as Gospel Rewind, then Radio Rewind, Gospel Webcast and finally, Gospel Aircheck. We now have our own domain name www.gospelaircheck.com and we are very thankful for our faithful readers and urge you to subscribe! Although our name changed we have remained consistent in providing posts that represent my original intent; telling my story from a ragged beginning in AM radio to the present day finding a New Media home.

Additionally, if you have any suggestions for future topics, please don't hesitate to contact me at nealrhoden@gospelaircheck.com

Look for new posts concerning the Gospel Rewind Podcast and the new music I will be recording exclusively for the show.

Stay tuned

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

The New Medium

  A new buzzword is sweeping the radio industry; That is, “New Media.” The term refers to podcasting, web shows, Internet audio and video streaming and such. It is my goal to make at least a dent in the new media pie with my show “Gospel Rewind” For now, the radio station I started last March is on the back burner. The instant, on demand, availability of my shows is very exciting as I introduce an original American art form to a new generation. Gospel music is root to most all genres of current popular music.

  I made a living playing such songs on various traditional AM & FM radio stations over a 12 year period from the early ‘80’s though about ‘95. Music appreciation has been a focus of most of my years since; gravitating to the religious form, mostly. I have noticed living among the Conservative Christian community that secular music is gaining more acceptance with reports of “Christian” stations tweaking their formats to “positive” music allowing the more innocuous mainstream hits airplay. I’m afraid we’ve crossed a dangerous line by mixing secular with sacred. It could spell the end of Contemporary Christian Music as we know it.

  Gospel Rewind will not be watered down. My New Media venture has a much more narrow focus, for sure. We do not limit the show to any sub-genre: Southern, Black Gospel, CCM, Inspirational, Choir, Christian Country, you name it; I have covered it all and try to blend the styles. My most recent podcast Heaven’s Jam is a great example of what I want the show to represent. Give it a listen. You’ll hear gospel music crossing racial barriers in a way I have seldom heard.

  For those not privileged to the episode’s back story; my dad was a blind minister, a piano tuner by trade, who was white. I was his hired assistant and we had, by chance, brought along a Panasonic cassette boom box which we used to record a 14 year old phenom piano player at a small black church in Savannah, Georgia. Often we were treated to our customers’ playing a freshly tuned instrument with much skill, but this cat was off the charts. My dad compared him to Andraé Crouch; for which the young man seemed honored. His father, the pastor, also blind, joined the singing. What sweet music was captured that day. My dad summed up the jam session by saying that a vast majority of true talent is yet to be discovered. For the two of us our cassette document was proof.

 

Stay tuned

Heaven's Jam Podcast

Heaven's Jam

A Child’s Love

Can you believe that January is almost over? I’ve always seen the first month of the year a bit slow; not this year though. To quote Bryan Duncan from a 1980’s CCM tune, A Child’s Love, “…I see the pages fall from the calendar like the leaves falling from the trees.”

 

I first played that song in 1986. It spoke to me in a way few songs have ever done. At the time I didn’t have children but very strongly identified with its message. “Teach me, dear LORD, to have a love for you, a child’s love” These days are filled with lessons learned from my 4 kids foreshadowed by a song from 25 years ago. I am blessed. Allow these words to soak into your spirit:

I see the pages fall from the calendar
Like the leaves falling from the trees
Feel a chill in the fear of the future
As I weather this autumn breeze
I watch my red-haired inspiration
Playing games out on the lawn
Such an innocent joy of living
He's his father's only son
Don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me, dear Lord, to have a love for you
A child's love
I let the changes in my season
Steal the passion from my heart
Like the roses fade in the winter
All the petals fall apart
Until a young voice gives my withered soul
A rejuvenating smile
And those small hands clasped around me
Erase the hardship for awhile
Don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me again about a child's love
And sharing the best of my time,
Oh, and don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me, dear Lord, to have a love for you
A child's love
Don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me again about a child's love
And sharing the best of my time,
Oh, and don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me, dear Lord, to have a love for you
A child's love
A child's love
A child's love
A child's love

Stay tuned

The Peanut Explained

Once a man named Riddle called a small town radio station a peanut whistle. With a chuckle I adopted it to mean any scruffy enterprise.

Originally, a peanut whistle was a miniscule ham radio (shortwave) transmitter with only a single watt or two power output that the “hams” (amateur radio operators) used. It was also Bob Riddle’s humorous semi-offensive metaphor for a low power, usually AM, radio station; those at which I spent most my broadcast career. By the way, Bob was a newsman who worked for me at radio home three where I was program director.

In the USA radio stations are limited to a maximum of 100,000 watts on FM and 50,000 watts on AM. Most of my radio homes have been 5,000 watts or less. I feel the power “disadvantage” made me more inventive than those big budget facilities ever could.

Well, the Peanut Whistle Audio Podcast is coming very soon. The equipment is up and running; I just need to find the time to get some episodes recorded. Ideas for new shows are appreciated.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved

We're Back!

Whew! what a crazy few days. My darling daughter Abbey just hosted her first sleep over party for her 7th birthday. She seemed to have the time of her life with several other girls screaming and having a good time as well. My son Luke and I were the only boys there. He found no problem in crashing the party, though. Oh my aching head; the noise and preparation took its toll on me. Her having a birthday so close to mine overshadowed my turning 44. That is a good thing; I really don't like too much fuss placed on myself. The last couple of days I have spent sick due to, I think, over indulgence in party food. One of our adult guests was sick, but I hope the former explanation is reason for my little 48 hour stomach bug.

Stay tuned

 ©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Gospel Rewind Webcast Returns

Well, the podcast and possibly the New Gospel Rewind Internet (the GRIN) radio station are closer to becoming a reality; we have ordered new equipment for the upload location here in metro Atlanta: turntable, mixers, digital media recorder and so on. Last year we worked very hard at bringing a podcast to the masses but were limited by our primitive equipment. At the time we used an inexpensive Realistic microphone and a DVD player with a karaoke feature then mixed in the computer using free Audacity audio editing software. It worked surprisingly well but did not meet my high production standards gleaned from years of pro studio experience. We have big plans for the new show and we'll be uploading the new webcast soon.

Stay tuned

© 2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Pandora’s Box

  Many music fans with high speed Internet already know of the vast streaming audio choices the web offers. Today I am listening to Pandora radio. The service is awesome and it is free; you can tailor according to your own tastes. Type in your favorite song or artist and, voila, it chooses a mix of selections especially for you with very minimal ads. To me; as soon as most Americans have a computer, Wi-Fi or WiMax receiver or web enabled cell phone, traditional radio is dead. That may be sooner than most people think. I hardly ever listen to AM or FM for anything more than news or the occasional talk show. I suspect many others have similar listening habits. Unfortunately, the market cannot withstand the infinite choices available and needs to be sifted because no company can make money when the audiences are so diluted. When any average 16 year old can start an on-line radio station in his basement and can pull away just one listener from more traditional media who knows what kind of Pandora’s box we’ve opened.

Stay tuned

copyright 2010 the Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved

The GRIN returns

  Oh the memories, below is a short recording of my Internet radio show Southern Gospel Favorites from March of last year, enjoy...

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copyright © 2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

The GRIN Aircheck

  Do you call a recording of an Internet radio an "aircheck"? I guess; I submit the new term "netcheck." Whatever you call it below is a recording of my web show Southern Gospel Favorites that I featured on the GRIN network last March, enjoy...

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copyright ©  2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Change of Season

  Today has been crazy; in a good way. As I emerge from a wintry depression funk Angie has come up with a remarkable idea that will affect our lives in a very positive direction. Problem is: not all of the pieces of the plan and how they fit are known to either of us. All that I can reveal now is that it is extremely exciting and for our family. (God willing, to borrow an uncharacteristic phrase). If this idea materializes we all will begin to feel a sense of independence and higher purpose previously unknown in our very happy marriage.

  I am cautious, but optimistic. 2010 is going to be a pivotal year bringing a brighter season in our lives. I wait, impatiently.

Stay tuned

copyright ©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

New GRIN

  I have been wavering for so long between terrestrial vs. Internet radio. If you’ve read my last few posts on where I intend to place the GRIN, an Internet streaming audio “radio” station started back last march. I am in favor of the old fashioned business models. However, the monetary investment involved in starting a conventional  radio station from scratch is huge. An LPFM, discussed in my previous post, would require at least $5,000 to do it right. This is an educated guess for sure. The Internet option becomes much more attractive at this point in the game.

  Last year I put a free station on the web; wow, that’s saving at least five grand as I see it. The trouble I had with delivering a viable product proved to be a false economy. My home computers were tied up 24/7 with unacceptable amounts of downtime due to a faulty modem. There are services as cheap as twenty bucks per month that will host a station and take care of the fees involved with keeping the music flowing legally. Their servers also host the Mp3’s uploaded from my location along with the ability of doing live shows from my studio. In their parlance, both archived and live streaming is offered without overusing my resources. The downside: the streaming is limited to a certain amount of simultaneous listeners at a fixed audio quality with options that vary from less than AM radio to Mp3 (subjectively better than stereo FM.) The higher the quality and/or listeners varies the cost. The fees are a la carte; question is, do you want more listeners listening at a crappy 32kbps or a handful at the pristine 128kbps? One could have both, but the cost is extreme for a self-supporting broadcaster. Prioritizing which is more important is a slippery slope. I favor the best audio available. The bean counters of this world would recommend the larger audience potential at the expense of sound quality. This is my baby so I won’t compromise on the product.

Stay tuned

Copyright © 2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved

LPFM & Internet Radio

Ok, so I’m on this new kick. Why couldn’t I combine a terrestrial Low Power FM signal with an Internet radio station? Last December the U.S. congress passed H.R. 1147 or Local Community Radio Act of 2009. The bill will now move on to the Senate then to the president’s desk for approval.

This is seen as a victory for small time broadcasters, myself included. As soon as possible we will get the ball rolling on an actual radio station home for the GRIN. I am optimistic the bill will be passed into law with all the full support of the broadcast community and the FCC.

A 100 watt FM radio station in a major population center, Atlanta Metro, would potentially reach a large population. Previous LPFM’s were not allowed in a major market such as Atlanta. The new bill reverses the FCC’s previous restrictions on major market penetration. The good news is that the FM dial here is not overcrowded either. Obtaining a good frequency should be a painless process.

There is talk now of repurposing the vacated analog TV frequencies on channels 5 and 6 for both troubled local AM facilities and future LPFM’s. Audio quality, especially for the AM’s would become 100% digital stereo thus producing an even playing field when compared to conventional FM. I am not too excited about this due to the non-existence of receivers. Although; as a former AM broadcaster myself, pristine digital quality would be heavenly. It would take years for the electronics industry to catch up. (Frankly, I hope that AM disappears entirely. It is 80+ year old technology 30 years past its prime.)

Internet radio faces many hurdles as well. Most listeners are tied to a PC. Live streaming over the Internet must become more portable before it catches up with terrestrial AM & FM. WiMax  and Wi-Fi show promise. But, I would wager that most folks would rather have their radio free of a monthly fee. I have reasoned that combining both LPFM and Internet steaming are a great strategy for a budget minded broadcaster such as myself. The GRIN will return. Just what type of carrier or simulcast combination is yet to be decided.

Stay tuned

Copyright © 2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved

Flashbulb Elvis

  An earlier generation would ask, "Do you remember when JFK was assassinated?" The inevitable response was a detailed recollection of exactly where one was and precisely what one was doing when the tragic news struck.

  Well, I was born three years after that black day in Dallas. So my personal flashbulb memory is the passing of the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley, on August 16, 1977. I was eleven; buying a 35 cent comic book at Reddings supermarket in Savannah, Georgia, when I overheard Beth, the cashier saying, "I can't believe he's dead." Not knowing who she was referring to I paid for the comic book and ran home. There, my mother was on the phone with my friend Daniel who had broke the sudden news to her. She was incredulous, Daniel had been known to stretch the truth a time or two. The pieces of the puzzle fit and we all realized he was not lying.

  Today is the King's 75th birthday so happy birthday Elvis; your fans still miss you. 32 years later and his popularity has not diminished.

  stay tuned

copyright ©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Confirm Me

  My 44th birthday approaching I feel less and less inclined to feel validated by anyone. Take for example the ever popular social website Facebook. More than once I have sent out those silly friend requests only to never be "confirmed". Take it as maturity setting in; but, these things just do not bother me as they once would. When I was 17 or 18 such behavior from a prospective friend would have been devastating. Honestly, Bill Gates never imagined Myspace or Facebook in 1983 or 1984 when the world was much less virtual.

  Stay tuned

 

copyright ©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

August 6, 1995

It’s been 14 years since I last made an appearance on real radio. It was an honest to goodness frequency modulated signal emanating 3,000 watts in stereo out of Carrollton, Georgia. Sorry, you new age Internet radio types, but nothing compares to an actual FCC license pinned to the control room bulletin board along with your fellow DJs’ operators permits, telemetry readings, etc.

Having my own Internet radio station last year was a great learning experience; but it would have never passed as a legitimate station, no matter how many listeners were “tuned” in, I felt like a pirate. To quote a comic hero, Jerry Seinfeld, “I don’t wanna be a pirate!”

That brings me to a very interesting development in the world of broadcasting LPFM or Low Power FM. The FCC has passed legislation (Which I will research for a later blog in full detail.) that will allow us enterprising programmers an honest to God FM radio station that will serve a 7 or 8 mile radius. While that may not sound like much, a suburban Atlanta area like mine has a population concentrated enough that I could reach a considerably diverse base.  As I figure it, my future low power station could potentially reach far more listeners than my last radio home did with 3Kw out in the boon docks. That first Sunday in August of 1995, I never envisioned the options available today. There are almost too many choices, but that is another story.

Stay tuned

Finger Nails on a Chalkboard

  Well, I broke a New Year's resolution; I promised to write a new blog every day. Even though I missed posting yesterday here's what I would have wrote. Have you ever been to a church service or a concert where the person behind you was singing loudly off key? On Sunday the tone deaf of a neighboring row were so distracting that a pew in the back seemed inviting. If it had been a paid event I would have wanted my money back.

  Do these people not know that they sing so badly? Forget monotone singing, sometimes they clap off rhythm and everybody seems out of sync. Maybe it's just me. Probably not, my wife agreed when she stepped down from the choir and thought I had made a poor seating choice; funny,  "Caruso" was seated after me along with her companion who frequently punctuated with loud comments to the preaching. OK, lesson has been learned for next Sunday. Please, my musically challenged friends; if you frequent church or the concert halls refrain from unsolicited participation unless you plan a stage career we didn't come to hear you perform. I'll get enough of your type on American Idol this month.

Stay tuned
copyright ©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

The Holiday Road (to recovery)

Happy new year my friends! Wow, twenty ten; that just sounds nice and futuristic. Seeing that I have always been an early adopter of all things new this year has a good vibe to it.

My wife Angie and I have had a blessed 2009 and look forward to the good things in store for 2010. 2009, what a great year it was: Angie got a fantastic new full time job she loves while I was allowed the privilege of becoming Mr. Mom with my proudest achievement, my family. We all enjoyed a Myrtle Beach vacation with Angie’s mother and my brother-in-law and his crew. The ‘09 holiday season has been my all time favorite. Thanksgiving was a blast; then Christmas Eve at my house with my sisters, my mom, the nieces and nephews joining my gang at our house; another celebration in north Georgia with my dad’s sisters on Sunday and yesterday, New Year’s Day, we opened gifts at my mother-in-law’s. Whew! What fun we all had.

The Turning Point

Through a process that has taken about 2 years to fulfill I have discovered with self-taught study of the human psyche that I fit into a melancholy temperament.  I have fought deep depression my whole adult live through  introspection and will. I have not been very successful, especially in the will department. Introspection has been a heavy burden because I have had my head stuck in an unremarkable past thinking this was truly therapeutic. I was dead wrong. One day recently, during the holiday season, I had an aha moment. I had been going through the motions letting one day melt into another when I realized that have so much to be thankful for here and now. I have a wonderful wife and great kids. They are what I have always wanted. Angie is a companion in the truest sense of the word, she is the model wife. My kids are my most valuable education; I have learned far more from them than they have from me.  And I continue to evolve personally and desire a more positive forward thinking outlook. Now I have a more keen since of purpose that I feel was lacking before. A new focus on the present has emerged and our hope is for a brighter future.

Stay tuned

© copyright 2010 the Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Blog in Transition

  Welcome readers to a new decade; the Two Thousand Teens, I suppose. If you read my companion blog, the Peanut Whistle, you'll know that this blogger has decided to make it more topical. I have been writing for at least 25 years for my own pleasure and have found the relatively new field of blogging a nice fit.

  In order to prove my commitment to making two quality blogs, this web log you're reading now has a domain name of its own, gospelaircheck.com. If you like reading about my adventures in gospel radio, youth skate parties and church sound, then this is the place. I will continue this mostly true narrative of my life. The only times that I veer away from the truth is to change names of people to protect their privacy or combine events for the sake of brevity. It is my hope that you will enjoy the posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Have a happy new year.

Stay tuned

© copyright 2010 The Peanut Whistle / Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Resolution Revolution

  Merry Christmas readers!

  Many years ago I decided to abandon the idea of News Years resolutions because they mostly involved weight loss. My announced plans of getting into the gym and dropping a few pounds fell by the wayside; usually by January 5th. In the years since my decision to quit the practice of  making vows I would not keep I have actually benefited by losing the weight and keeping it off  for more than 13 years. In summer of 1995 I got off by big butt and took a job that involved physical labor. Up until that point I worked as a radio disk jockey spending most of my day either sitting or reclining inventing ways of getting out of actual labor. That first hot August night I began a real job literally sweating the pounds away. Work is good for both body and mind. However, moderation can be viewed as beneficial.

  You see, I took the weight loss thing to the extreme and lost too much. People close to me said I looked sick having dropped almost 100 pounds in a fairly short amount of time that summer. I had my doctor prescribe a diet that I followed to the letter for almost four years. Later I realized that the plan was intended to remove the blubber quickly and not a maintenance diet designed to keep a healthy weight. Although I can no longer fit into those size 30 jeans I am comfortable in my skin whereas before the weight loss I was overly self-conscious. 14 years ago I firmly decided to leave my old career behind. It was killing me.

  Having said all that brings me back to todays topic: resolutions. This Peanut Whistle blog has become too much of a trip down only one address on memory lane. It has become too focused on a past that is dead and gone. While I still value my experiences as lessons for the future; the present time is the best I have lived in due to the wonderful additions over the past decade of a loving wife and four great kids who have no first hand knowledge of what has been presented in this blog. For the first time in many, many years I am making a resolution. For 2010, I intend to make Peanut Whistle more current with topical stories from my life as well as observations of trends in the music, Internet and broadcasting industry from my unique perspectives as a former DJ. Only my original Gospel Aircheck blog will have posts similar to the ones formerly featured here in the 'Whistle. My lessons learned throughout this exercise has been that the present is to be valued just as much as the past and that the good old days weren't always as good as I remembered. As Stevie Wonder penned,

"They've been wasting most their time / Glorifying days long gone behind  / They've been wasting most their days / In remembrance of ignorance oldest praise" 

  Instead of a Pastime Paradise let's go forward expecting our best days are ahead.

Stay tuned.







©2009 - 2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Decisions, Decisions, Part Two

  For a brief time in late 1986 my dad and I shared similar paths. We were both dissatisfied with how work prospects had dried up in the small coastal town we lived in for 13 years. In early summer of the year he asked if I had ever considered moving away to a bigger city and presumably a better life. He felt limited by the market and I agreed. Most disk jockeys of my era shared the opinion that moving "upmarket" was always a good idea. It meant better exposure and more money. The novelty of my first radio home had worn off. I was ready for a bridge burning change irrespective of an actual moving day. At the time I called it burnout. I was lying to myself; radio was my life. But what was I to do? I had a certain numerical figure in mind my current situation fell far from the mark of meeting, so a new career seemed necessary.

  Savannah, Georgia was known as a medium sized radio town ranked at about number 149 while Atlanta was a major market constantly in the top 10 of all US cities. By December of '86 my family had settled into our new home just outside the Atlanta metro, Douglasville. I had got a job immediately as an office temp doing telemarketing. At least I was using my voice, just in a different direction. The money was much better, almost my goal amount.

  My previous employer had set up an interview at a 50,000 watt sister station in Atlanta that I felt was a false opportunity. About an hour commute was unappealing even for the dollar figure, nearly twice my old rate. I would have been upside down with the fuel cost alone!

  I forever viewed this as a good decision although it meant a gap between radio homes. How long a gap was uncertain. The good news was that by the end of February I was in broadcasting again, This time at a 1,000 watt AM daytimer located mere minutes from home with comfortable pay.

  The station was in a facility recently remodeled and filled with the latest pro equipment. Despite its transmitted power, it was the best sounding facility of all my radio homes. Three months into my stay there the owner made the astounding announcement the the station would be sold! What had I got myself into?

  I had gained favor with the GM, "Vic", who gave me a 10% raise after only 30 days. It was this manager whose resignation, I assume, was catalyst for the sale. The business was owned by a local church, he was the pastor. The back story I can only speculate. I believe that the radio station was Pastor Vic's baby and his leaving gave those less enthusiastic of his cause leeway to unburden the load that we undoubtedly were. Key people eventually resigned and I became Program Director By November of 1987, finally earning my magic number, to the penny.

  Ironically, my monetary victory was shallow. I was unhappy. The money did not satisfy my artistic leanings. The station was boring. Except me, we had little or no listeners as we sailed on adrift, waiting to be sold. That process would take another three years. I have to give the owners credit for their integrity. Pulling the plug on the whole operation and going dark would have been the best course but they nobly kept us paid never missing a beat once. Unprecedented creativity was about to be unleashed from me as I was to find out with the successor at radio home 3. That is another story.

Stay tuned

The Big Tease

This is my new idea for an instructional video. Subject: Radio Broadcasting Technique, peanut whistle style.


Stay tuned
©2009 – 2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Decisions, Decisions, Part One

A question I often pondered is why did I stay in radio so long? The answer is not so easy. The money was not good at all. I started out as a minimum wage button pusher at a 5,000 watt AM daytimer in Savannah, Georgia in 1983. By 1986 I had squeezed another 15 cents an hour out of management. Wow! What a windfall. In 20/20 hindsight, I believed the low wages was ownership’s way of taking advantage of us admittedly unambitious disk jockeys who lived and breathed radio. In other words we were underpaid because we loved the medium too much and were fools enough to take the monetary abuse. The first four years was a love hate relationship. Fact was that I could have been more proactive in sending out airchecks to bigger stations; but I felt at the time a longing to stay in gospel radio. Lack of confidence also played a role.

I was a shy teenager who had friends working at the Piggly Wiggly making upwards of a dollar more an hour. The “prestige” of my job somehow compensated for the gap. Personal appearances at skating parties paid way more than my station in summer of ‘84 but these gigs became non-existent on into 1985, a pivotal year for me.

Realizing that my pleading with a system that was either unwilling or unable to give a substantial raise caused a sense of futility hidden from plain view. Those closest to me knew of my dissatisfaction. For the sake of my craft I was willing to continue honing my DJ persona while I secretly, later openly, pursued a better paying job.

A promising airplane factory job was the first I turned down. A five week training course completed, I flat refused to see myself ever taking any amount of money to do shift work. My dad had pulled some strings with a college buddy’s wife well connected with the plant. The job would have been a sure thing. Somehow radio beckoned and I returned full time despite the better money and benefits. Needless to say greed never played a role. The tug of radio was an irresistible force. It was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, the greater good, my purpose; a calling. With that rationalization my wander lust subsided, for the moment.

By the end of 1986 I was fed up by the insult of a tiny raise not compensatory with my perceived improvement  that I legitimately worked very hard  obtaining, thank you very much; artistically indignant to coin a phrase. In reality my skill set was only better in delivering time, temperature and record introduction with inflections borrowed from the FM top 40 disk jockeys I attempted to emulate never imagining that personality radio was the wave of the future.

The days of my type of DJ were numbered while the shock jock was on the cusp of forever changing the way radio was done. Not that I wanted risqué talk a part of my repertoire rather the courage of these innovators to break the rules by speaking in their natural voices, expressing the listeners’ mind and bringing a brand of honesty that turned broadcasting on its ear was what I came to admire today.

In my defense, personality radio was not part of my training or nature. Being myself on-air horrified me so  advice to lighten up would have likely fallen on deaf ears. I would have scoffed at the idea seeing it unprofessional. In the final analysis, no one mentored me to excellence. Only the mechanics of running the board were taught, the rest was hit or miss self education.

Radio home number one was never a cohesive unit; a beast lacking focus. It was truly chaotic and not in a good, creative contrasting way. There were other DJ’s who did time, temp and intros “better” than me, for sure, but that method was going the way of the dinosaur. The radio industry evolved as my station spewed an extinct form I would eventually unlearn at my next two stations…

stay tuned

copyright 2009 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

A Real Class Act

A super group took the stage exactly two years to the day prior to my entry into the world. Jake Hess and the Imperials, a hand picked gathering of superstars of the gospel music industry. A band of ringers that included: Jake Hess on lead, Gary McSpadden on Baritone, Sherrill Nielsen tenor, and the incomparable Armond Morales with his trademark silky bass. The night was January 16th, 1964 in Hadleyville, Alabama, Jake’s home town. Gospel music was never again the same. This group was different, they sounded modern. A little too different at first for some. Jake is quoted  as saying, “I don’t think we’re going to do it.” Armond lent some encouraging words, “Don’t limit God.” In a March, 1989 article from CCM magazine celebrating the groups’ 25th anniversary, the late Jake Hess concludes, “…If it hadn’t been for those three little words I don’t think there would be an Imperials today.”

Although singers came and went the Imperials sound remained consistently great. They backed Elvis Presley on stage and record, accompanied Jimmy Dean and many other stars of the music industry. The group has numerous Grammy and Dove awards; and in 1998 they were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. They’re the New York Yankees of Gospel.

Founding member Armond Morales suffered through a battle with cancer a while back and relinquished the Imperials’ name to son Jason and a new generation of singers. Now the original group is known as the Classic Imperials. Following a miraculous recovery, Armond continues the heritage began in ‘64 along with Dave Will, Rick Evans and Paul Smith.

In 1983 I made my first Lp purchase for my new stereo. The record was Stand by Power by the Imperials featuring then new lead singer Paul Smith. The album produced many hits including: Lord of the Harvest, Because of Who You Are and Stand by the Power. I have been a fan ever since.

Of course I knew of the group through my dad’s record collection. He had a scratchy mono Lp copy of the first record, Introducing Jake Hess and the Imperials. As a teen I was thrilled to spin their new record  that was in itself another triumph in redefining the Christian music art form. Somehow they managed to outdo themselves with every new album just as No Shortage, One More Song for You and Priority had done.

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with lead singer Rick Evans. We had a delightful conversation via Facebook about the forthcoming new album. I asked Rick how the new project was going, he said, “[It’s] a long process, but we are getting closer each day.” I replied that I could identify seeing that the creative process can be time consuming, my radio days and nights were often spent in countless hours on one 30 second spot. “We are lucky to be have a record company that is willing to take the time to make this right,” Evans continued. I asked if he could give me any glimpse into the songs included on the project. Rick replied, “Very different. We used some of the best writers in Nashville. They came up with a work of art. The record will actually be a journey of a person’s life. It is a cool concept and will be wonderful introduction back into the music marketplace.” Kind of like Styx and some of the other “concept” bands of the ‘70’s I jokingly referred. Not missing a beat the Classic Imperials new lead singer responded, “No actually you are on the right track. It is more like the Beatles and the Lonely Hearts [Club] Band thing. It will be GREAT!”

“It was twenty years ago today,
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.
So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years,
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Funny how the Classic Imperials and the Beatles started about the same time. The good news is we still have the Beatles of gospel here and now. Thanks to Rick and all the Classic Imperials for not only entertaining us, but more importantly ministering in ways those other guys never attempted.

Stay tuned.