YOU'RE A CELEBRITY!
It's been a while since I have posted on here, so I hope you haven't given up on me completely. Honestly, I have tried to write on this particular subject about 5 times, and every time I do I come away thinking that everyone will view me as some big ego-maniac and I delete the thing and move on. Now I'm going to try it again and this time I'm going to write the dang thing anyway and try to make my point.
A fellow that I considered my mentor in this business once told me that to be successful in radio it required an "overwhelming desire for personal recognition". At that point in the early 70s I left radio and moved to a totally different occupation; I didn't have that desire. I stayed away for 24 years.
All the years I was away from radio full time I kept thinking about what I could have done, or would have done had I taken a different path. God blessed me with a nice throat and the equipment therein to make sounds that folks find pleasant; at least I hear that a lot. But maybe, just maybe, I could do more than just use my throat to make a buck. The personal recognition would be nice, but could I really touch people's lives? That would be the ultimate satisfaction in my way of looking at things.
Now it's 2007. I have just returned from a trip to Nashville and an event called the Country Radio Seminar (CRS). It is 4 solid days of shows with big name stars, small time stars, stars to be and stars you've never heard of and may never hear of. There are plenty of so called "sessions" on various subjects related to the radio industry, and plenty of "sessions" of pure YEEE-HAWW! with other radio people from the 50 states. Did I learn anything? Yeah, I think so. Let me try to explain.
Several of the big stars that I really admire are very big on helping other people get a start in the music business. It doesn't matter what I think about their music or public image, they are using their good fortune to help others. Toby Keith has taken his fame and money and started his own record label to help struggling artists. Tim McGraw has helped numerous artists get a start, not the least of which is Jo Dee Messina. Danny Shirley, the driving force behind Confederate Railroad, hauled a young kid around several years ago letting him open shows and try to get noticed when Confederate Railroad was big time...that kids name is Kenny Chesney. Danny is doing the same thing now with Cody McCarver.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am a native of Pikeville, KY. I live within one tenth of a mile from where I was raised. The Jones Fork of Feds Creek carries my family name. I married a local girl and my sons were raised right here in this community. I get quite a bit of recognition every day, even when I go to the grocery store, just because of my voice, but I would go to the top of a hill and blow my brains out before I would ever snub someone or not speak when spoken to.
I told you I was having a helluva time writing this, so I may be all over the road. The thing I want to say is that it doesn't matter what your station in life is. When you get the opportunity to help someone do something...then do it. It will pay off a thousand times over!
I am invited to do a lot of things for a lot of causes. The last couple of years I have been asked to be a "celebrity waiter" at a local restaurant for a cause. "Celebrity"? Me? Dang It I'm from Ferguson Creek. 7-9pm? ssshewww it I get up at 4:15am! OK, OK, I'll do it. A week later I received a card from a little boy who benefited from my inconvenience. He drew the card and in his little first grade printing he thanked me. I cried. I took from MY busy time to help. Imagine that, celebrity that I am.
A couple of times I have been asked to use my connection with a country star to do a program for a local school system during a critical time of year for the young people; prom. It's always in the morning and very hard for the star to do, but they did it as a favor to me and with a sense of purpose for the young people. The last time I did it, the young people were rowdy and didn't appear to pay attention. I was embarrassed for myself and the star, but more especially for the young people. A few months later I met one of the rowdy young people. They told me that they attended the thing that morning and it started them thinking. They had a good time at the prom and didn't necessarily act like a "little angel", but they altered their plans from what they had originally intended, played it safe and felt they had made the right decision. I shivered. Imagine that, asking a favor of me, celebrity that I am.
November 4, 2007. I was the MC at the Expo Center for the Sawyer Brown/Confederate Railroad/Jeff Bates show. I had a ball! It had been a very long day and when it was over I was bushed. While standing near the front entrance after the show talking with some friends, a lady recognized me and asked me for a favor. She was with 2 other ladies and a handicapped young person. She told me of the child's love of Sawyer Brown and could I get "him" to do a meet and greet. "Him" meaning lead singer Mark Miller who everyone thinks is Sawyer Brown. Without thinking of my station in life I went down the elevator and found Sawyer Brown's road manager and made the request. He said he would try. After about 15 minutes he came back and said that Mark was with his parents and had already changed clothes, but he handed me a picture autographed by the entire band. I thought, "Geesh, what a let down", but the child and the ladies were absolutely thrilled when I presented it. They asked if they could take a picture of me with the child and after considering the damage to their camera I agreed. I'm always embarrassed when I see a picture of myself.
I received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago telling me that the young "special" person had chosen me as their new "hero". He carries my picture with him and tells everyone that we are friends. Me? Why? Because I took a minute...and you can too. I choke up every time I think about it.
Take a minute that you don't have and do something for someone. Be a celebrity in your own way. It doesn't matter who you help, if someone needs it and you give it, you will be celebrated in ways that will matter in such a time as it WILL matter. Help Somebody.
I hope and pray you accept this post as it feels in my heart and not as some sort of ego thing that my lack of writing skills and clear thinking may have blundered into.
Stay tuned
Randy
A fellow that I considered my mentor in this business once told me that to be successful in radio it required an "overwhelming desire for personal recognition". At that point in the early 70s I left radio and moved to a totally different occupation; I didn't have that desire. I stayed away for 24 years.
All the years I was away from radio full time I kept thinking about what I could have done, or would have done had I taken a different path. God blessed me with a nice throat and the equipment therein to make sounds that folks find pleasant; at least I hear that a lot. But maybe, just maybe, I could do more than just use my throat to make a buck. The personal recognition would be nice, but could I really touch people's lives? That would be the ultimate satisfaction in my way of looking at things.
Now it's 2007. I have just returned from a trip to Nashville and an event called the Country Radio Seminar (CRS). It is 4 solid days of shows with big name stars, small time stars, stars to be and stars you've never heard of and may never hear of. There are plenty of so called "sessions" on various subjects related to the radio industry, and plenty of "sessions" of pure YEEE-HAWW! with other radio people from the 50 states. Did I learn anything? Yeah, I think so. Let me try to explain.
Several of the big stars that I really admire are very big on helping other people get a start in the music business. It doesn't matter what I think about their music or public image, they are using their good fortune to help others. Toby Keith has taken his fame and money and started his own record label to help struggling artists. Tim McGraw has helped numerous artists get a start, not the least of which is Jo Dee Messina. Danny Shirley, the driving force behind Confederate Railroad, hauled a young kid around several years ago letting him open shows and try to get noticed when Confederate Railroad was big time...that kids name is Kenny Chesney. Danny is doing the same thing now with Cody McCarver.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am a native of Pikeville, KY. I live within one tenth of a mile from where I was raised. The Jones Fork of Feds Creek carries my family name. I married a local girl and my sons were raised right here in this community. I get quite a bit of recognition every day, even when I go to the grocery store, just because of my voice, but I would go to the top of a hill and blow my brains out before I would ever snub someone or not speak when spoken to.
I told you I was having a helluva time writing this, so I may be all over the road. The thing I want to say is that it doesn't matter what your station in life is. When you get the opportunity to help someone do something...then do it. It will pay off a thousand times over!
I am invited to do a lot of things for a lot of causes. The last couple of years I have been asked to be a "celebrity waiter" at a local restaurant for a cause. "Celebrity"? Me? Dang It I'm from Ferguson Creek. 7-9pm? ssshewww it I get up at 4:15am! OK, OK, I'll do it. A week later I received a card from a little boy who benefited from my inconvenience. He drew the card and in his little first grade printing he thanked me. I cried. I took from MY busy time to help. Imagine that, celebrity that I am.
A couple of times I have been asked to use my connection with a country star to do a program for a local school system during a critical time of year for the young people; prom. It's always in the morning and very hard for the star to do, but they did it as a favor to me and with a sense of purpose for the young people. The last time I did it, the young people were rowdy and didn't appear to pay attention. I was embarrassed for myself and the star, but more especially for the young people. A few months later I met one of the rowdy young people. They told me that they attended the thing that morning and it started them thinking. They had a good time at the prom and didn't necessarily act like a "little angel", but they altered their plans from what they had originally intended, played it safe and felt they had made the right decision. I shivered. Imagine that, asking a favor of me, celebrity that I am.
November 4, 2007. I was the MC at the Expo Center for the Sawyer Brown/Confederate Railroad/Jeff Bates show. I had a ball! It had been a very long day and when it was over I was bushed. While standing near the front entrance after the show talking with some friends, a lady recognized me and asked me for a favor. She was with 2 other ladies and a handicapped young person. She told me of the child's love of Sawyer Brown and could I get "him" to do a meet and greet. "Him" meaning lead singer Mark Miller who everyone thinks is Sawyer Brown. Without thinking of my station in life I went down the elevator and found Sawyer Brown's road manager and made the request. He said he would try. After about 15 minutes he came back and said that Mark was with his parents and had already changed clothes, but he handed me a picture autographed by the entire band. I thought, "Geesh, what a let down", but the child and the ladies were absolutely thrilled when I presented it. They asked if they could take a picture of me with the child and after considering the damage to their camera I agreed. I'm always embarrassed when I see a picture of myself.
I received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago telling me that the young "special" person had chosen me as their new "hero". He carries my picture with him and tells everyone that we are friends. Me? Why? Because I took a minute...and you can too. I choke up every time I think about it.
Take a minute that you don't have and do something for someone. Be a celebrity in your own way. It doesn't matter who you help, if someone needs it and you give it, you will be celebrated in ways that will matter in such a time as it WILL matter. Help Somebody.
I hope and pray you accept this post as it feels in my heart and not as some sort of ego thing that my lack of writing skills and clear thinking may have blundered into.
Stay tuned
Randy
