I’ve always been an avid radio listener, and when I was living in Brooklyn NY in the 1980s, I really enjoyed a lot of the shows on WKCR, the Columbia University station. One in particular caught my attention: it was called “Tennessee Border” and the host played a great mix of western swing, alt country, and vintage hillbilly music. I started to think about the possibility of doing a show of my own one day where I could feature my growing collection of country music. When my wife and I moved to Portland in 1992, it didn’t take me long to find WMPG on the radio dial. I eventually met and became friends with Kristina Truesdale, who at the time was one of the hosts of “Soul Mates.” She invited me to sit in with her during a show and showed me how to run the board, let me read a few PSAs, etc. And then, with about 15 minutes left until her shift ended, she disappeared into the basement to look for a record…and didn’t come back! It was up to me to cue up and play the next couple of tunes until she finally returned in time to sign off. That was my radio baptism. I signed up for DJ training, joined the sub rotation, and in pretty short order I had a regular shift at 4:00am on Wednesdays. That lasted a few months, and then our beloved Jessica Lockhart moved me to Monday mornings. That’s where I’ve been ever since, playing honky tonk, western swing, and straight-ahead country music for the greatest listeners in the world. Volunteering at ‘MPG is one of the great joys of my life. I’ve been there for 25 years and look forward to the next 25!