This year is my 25th anniversary in radio. I started at 19 and decided to focus on jazz/urban alternative, helming 2 shows, S.O.U.L(Sounds of Universal Love) and The S.O.U.L Of Jazz. I co-founded the artistic collective/record label The Groovement/Earthseed Records. In 2000, I was hired by Truth.com, the anti-tobacco campaign & was host of the nationally syndicated show, Truth Fm. Â Around that time, I began working for London-based radio station Soul24/7.com. In 2012, my show, The S.O.U.L Of Jazz, became nationally syndicated in over 25 markets & carried by The African American Radio Consortium. In 2014, I also began working with Jazz FM in London, the biggest jazz station in the world. My show can be heard simultaneously in Atlanta on 91.9 WCLK & Houston on KPVU 91.3 weekday afternoons.
My career was immensely influenced by a local jock in Atlanta named Ken Batie. He was essentially my mentor, as he held down the current spot I occupy on WCLK (2 pm- 7 pm). His legacy has greatly inspired me to continue in the tradition of delivering quality jazz music to my generation.
I loved Ken’s spirit of adventure. It was unlike anything I had seen in America. DJ’s like him were commonly known in Europe, specifically the UK. Ken played a lot of groundbreaking music that was refreshing & boundless. He saw the future and many of the things he pushed are now standard fare in public/commercial radio. I followed in his footsteps and continue to break global artists that I see as the next big thing. I borrowed from him the need to create an optimistic persona on-air, one that not only entertains, but inspires and conjures good feelings.
The proudest moment for me to date was when I won the Best Afternoon Drive Award from the Atlanta Journal & Constitution and followed that by winning HBCU.net Masterpiece Of The Year Award. Winning both of these prestigious honors was a win for the underdog. It showed the viability and how essential public radio is and can be to our community.
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