I grew up listening to Country Music while driving a tractor on my dad and brother's farms in NE Missouri. The love of Country Music stuck with me, the desire to farm didn't. I listened to an AM station out of Chicago WMAQ, which was Country at the time. I always dreamed of working in Country radio, but growing up in a very conservative church I figured that it was a sin to listen to Country Music, let alone play it for a living. As time passed my views changed, but by then I had lost the courage to pursue my dream.

Finally in June of 2000, after having listened for several months to KOPN advertise for volunteer board operators, I got up the courage and called John Duncan at the station. He said to come on up, so I did. John was the ideal person to be my first contact in my attempt to see my dream come true. John had worked in Country Radio for many years and so he served as my mentor while I learned the ropes of radio.

My first day on the air, there was a really bad thunderstorm just outside the studio. One of my fears had always been to be on the radio during a storm, but I quickly had to deal with that fear and so I got it behind me my first day. I continued for several months running the board during NPR. I also started covering shows that were waiting to be filled with permanent programmers. I played a little bit of everything, Blues, R&B, Jazz, none of which I was particularly familiar with, but I learned fast and enjoyed getting to know other styles of music.

In October of 2000 I started doing Midnight Country on Thursday mornings from Midnight to 3AM. Like life, doing Midnight Country has had its highs and lows. The highs include having my niece DeeAnna Adkins come in and co-host Midnight Country with me for a few months. Another high, which I'll never forget, was when my girlfriend at the time would regularly come sit in on my show with me even when I knew she should be sleeping instead. We would often go to the Broadway Diner for a late night breakfast after my show.

One of my lows on Midnight Country was the night I was ten minutes into doing the show when a regular listener called and told me that Waylon Jennings had died the previous day. I had no time to pull it together, so when I went on the air I started to cry and had to quickly cut away to some music. Another regular listener called throughout the remainder of the show, just to talk and make sure I was okay. She still talks about how hard it hit me and how Waylon must have been like a brother to me. Of course I had to agree with her, Waylon was one of those artists I listened to growing up while driving a tractor. He also did, what I consider to be, the #2 Country song of all time Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love). You'll have to listen to Midnight Country to know what my #1 is.

Another low, no doubt the lowest and toughest, was going in to do Midnight Country on Sunday night after my girlfriend and I had split up the day before. The Country songs never sounded as sad as they did that night and for far too many shows thereafter. The last thing I wanted to do was a damn Country show, but someone reminded me that someday I would feel like doing it again, so not to quit.

Country Music to me is about life and all that life entails, the good, the bad, the highs and lows that most people can't find the words to describe, but can certainly relate to when they hear it in a Country song. Like the Bible that doesn't sugarcoat the failures of it's people, so Country tells it like it is, from drinking to regretting what the bottle has done, from breaking hearts to having your heart broken, from loving, losing and trying to find the courage to love again.

If you love Classic & Traditional Country Music, the kind you rarely hear on commercial Country stations anymore, then you'll love Midnight Country.

E-mail: Woody@MidnightCountry.org