I love interviewing southern soul/blues artists but I also really enjoy talking to dee jays and on-air radio personalities because they are the ones who make it possible for us to hear the music. Without these great people, we wouldn't enjoy the music that shapes our lives. Here's my interview with the remarkable Bookie Tee.
Bookie Tee is a classic example of great people who come from Camden, Alabama!! He is home grown talent from my hometown and he’s doing amazing things there.
Camden, Alabama…
Camden is a small town but it has two radio stations: one is 24-hour gospel; the other is WQLS 90.5 and it plays a variety of music. On WQLS, you’ll hear talk radio, gospel, preached sermons, hip hop, and southern soul/blues. But the best show on the air is Bookie Tee’s and he is live from 4 – 7pm, six days a week. He’s known as “Mr. Anything Goes” and that’s exactly what he means – anything goes! You may hear any type of music during his show and me, being me, I especially love his southern soul. I also love his engaging personality which shines through the airwaves. His energy is contagious!
Getting his start in the music industry…
I asked Bookie Tee how he got started in the music industry and he said that he grew up listening to radio. When he was in school, he would be the deejay at school parties. Pretty soon, word of how good he was spread throughout the area and he started doing yard parties. When he graduated from high school, he knew that music was something he really wanted to do and so he started to look for serious, professional work as a dee jay. He ran into stumbling blocks and hit walls because of the lack of knowledge many people have about people with disabilities. But he persevered and look at him now!!
Against all odds…
Did I mention that this fantastic radio personality is visually impaired? No? As with most people with disabilities, you can’t tell because he can do everything!! Bookie Tee went to the school for the blind in Talladega and he’s living proof that his blindness does not hold him back. You should sit beside him in the radio studio! I sat with Bookie Tee during his entire show and was amazed at the speed he managed the controls. He successfully produces a high quality radio show each day and he does it alone. He is just that good.
Artists he likes…
While growing up, Bookie Tee said he listened to Tyrone Davis, Johnnie Taylor, David Brinston, Keysia Cole, SWV, hip hop, and a wide variety of music. He didn’t just listen to one type of music.
Some of his favorite southern soul artists are Johnnie Taylor, Jay Blackfoot, Kenne Wayne, TK Soul, Vick Allen, Avail Hollywood, Pat Cooley, Bigg Robb, and he said he could go on and on. He likes songs that speak to you, songs that you can really feel and the ones that mean something. I found that he believes in establishing relationships with the artists and, as a result, he has personal ties with many of the artists that he plays on the air.
I asked him what was ‘the’ back-in-the-day song that got people up on the floor. He said that it was Candy Licker by Marvin Sease!!
He’s been working at WQLS since 2012 and has been a deejay since 2007.
Future in radio…
I often wonder about the direction of radio and so we talked about whether or not people actually listen to the radio. I think a lot of people are turning more to online music but he sees the popularity of the radio sliding back. (I hope so because I love live radio. What I don’t like, however, is the repetition of the same songs.) A lot of dee jays record their shows but Bookie Tee prefers to be live on the air and enjoys the camaraderie he has with his listeners.
In closing…
I had a ball talking to Bookie Tee. I had planned to sit down with him for an hour and ended up staying until he got off the air at 7pm. He is interesting, so knowledgeable about the music, and is fun to be around. We talked about new music, old music, and everything in between.
I asked him his closing thoughts for you guys and he said that if you have a disability, don’t let it stop you from doing the things you want to do. If there’s something you want to accomplish, anything you want to do, go for it!
Bookie Tee is an awesome radio personality who loves the music, loves his audience, and loves the artists who are producing great music. He is an inspiration because he refuses to let adversity limit his potential and he’s keeping Camden on the southern soul music map!! Thank you Bookie Tee!!
If you’re in the Camden, Alabama area, tune into WQLS at 90.5 FM. If you’re online, use this link to listen to him from 4-7pm Central time, Monday – Saturday:
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