Greg Wood: Truly local radio
This year, Knoxville grass roots radio station WDVX celebrates its tenth anniversary.
The station, which plays such a diverse variety of music it’s hard to give it a label (although Tony Lawson, the station’s owner, reluctantly refers to it as “Americana�), is also home of The Blue Plate Special—a live, in-studio performance that happens every weekday from (roughly) noon until 1 p.m. (and sometimes on Saturdays). It’s one of Knoxville’s most well-known events.
Given the station’s popularity these days, it’s hard to believe it started as a shed in Clinton.
WDVX was licensed in 1997 and went on the air from a test pattern from a mountaintop. “We first went on the air from the back porch of this fella’s house,� Tony says.
“It’s a great outlet for local music to reach beyond just our region,� Tony says. Often, local acts will open for the featured performers, who have ranged from Del McCoury to Bela Fleck to Sxip Shirey to much, much more. Tony says that occasionally the station gets email from people in New York or The Netherlands, just to name two examples, saying they enjoyed the set.
Not surprisingly, the station’s specialty shows vary. Tuesday nights there is a bluegrass show, which is, of course, imperative for any form of Americana station. They start off every show with Bill Monroe, who Tony points out sort of founded bluegrass. This is more dedication to a theme than most specialty shows feature.
I personally find the Thursday night “Hillbilly Fever� country music show to be rather interesting. I’m not in any way a fan of commercial country. In my mind, it’s a step below pop music, in that it simply sounds worse to hear someone with a strong southern accent and overly-polished yet twangy guitars singing what is essentially a pop song.
However, after living in Nashville for a year, I eventually realized I would have to learn to accept country music on some level. As such, I can occasionally appreciate classic country.
And Tony points out that classic country makes up the entire specialty show, ranging from tunes from the 1920s to about ’72-’73. Interestingly, this is around the time that Lynyrd Skynyrd started. I’m not saying they killed acceptable country music with their disgusting breed of Southern rock... Necessarily.
Other shows include Johnny Mac’s Friday evening blues show (“it’s one of the cookin’-est blues shows you’ll ever get,� Tony says) and the Knoxville News-Sentinel’s Wayne Bledsoe’s show on Saturday evenings.
There isn’t an exclusive show for local music, but Tony points out that the Blue Plate Special is essentially that.
If you haven’t headed down to the corner of Gay Street and Summit Hill for the WDVX Blue Plate Special, you’re missing out. It’s a gem of an event here in town. The intimate, coffee shop-esque feel to the building creates a great performance. Since the show is broadcast, the audience is captivated by the performance. Everyone is there to see the show, so the crowd isn’t loud or rowdy.
It’s one of the best features of living in Knoxville.