An interview with Randal Lee of Pure Country C106.1

__Steven Bender: Tell us a little about your occupation.__

Randal Lee: Most people will know me from the Midweek Bluegrass Breakdown, a show I host every Wednesday night from 7 to 10 p.m. It’s my hobby. During the day I’m a commercial electrician for Shawnee Electric just down the street from the station.

__SB: How did you become involved with C106.1?__

RL: In 2002, I had come to the station for a service call and was introduced to Cousin Carl (Bill Anderson), who owns the station. We got to know each other. I’ve always been interested in music, liked music and music history. I told him being a DJ sounded like fun. It just happened that one day the lady who did the Saturday morning bluegrass show was getting married and took a leave of absence. Carl asked me to come by and give it a try. That’s how I got involved with bluegrass.

__SB: Tell us about your weekly radio show.__

RL: Rick Jones at the station at the time helped me come up with the name Midweek Bluegrass Breakdown because bluegrass music has a lot of breakdowns, an instrumental term. A few years ago I came up with the gospel portion from 8 to 9 [p.m.], which was listener induced. We got as many calls for gospel bluegrass as we did for regular bluegrass, so we blocked off time for purely gospel music and requests. We have listeners from Dyersburg, Tennessee, to St. Genevieve, to Piedmont, to Poplar Bluff. I have a guy who calls me with a request every week from Newbern, Tennessee.

__SB: You’ve had a number of guests on the show over the years?__

RL: I’ve had artists come to the studio and play. The Tennessee Heartstrings Band, a group of girls, came in and played. I’ve done on-air phone interviews with artists like Audie Blaylock.

__SB: Who are some of your favorites in bluegrass?__

RL: I personally like to listen to Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice.

__SB: Bill Monroe or Ralph Stanley?__

RL: Well, I’m more of a Stanley man. We can’t deny that Bill Monroe is who basically got modern bluegrass started out of the Appalachian Mountains. There’s just something about the Stanley style I like, though.

__SB: Do you play an instrument?__

RL: I’m actually in a bluegrass band called the Chestnut Mountain Gang with my wife, Janie. Leevon DeCourley was originally in the band, and when he moved on, they needed a mandolin player. I was the “sound man” at the time. Band member Willard Huffman put a mandolin in my hands, and said, “Here, play this.” I said, “I don’t know how.” “You’ll learn.” That’s how I became a member of the band, and through the years I’ve learned to play rhythm.

__SB: Any final thoughts?__

RL: I like that this station is very independent. I have no playlist to adhere to, no certain artists I have to play. I can play local artists, too. Being a DJ is a lot of fun, as much fun as I can have with what I call a hobby.