What’s On Your Plate?

It came as a shock.

“The late Cowboy Jack Clement came to perform. When he arrived, he was expecting a traditional radio show in a studio, and not an audience,” says Red Hickey. “He actually got really nervous saying he hadn’t performed live in years. (We) found ourselves trying to calm the songwriting giant—and one of our heroes—down. We had to take him out for a walk to calm his nerves.” 

As the Monday through Friday host of WDVX’s “Blue Plate Special” on 89.9 FM, Hickey oversees a legendary radio program in the studio located on bustling Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. 

At high noon, Hickey throws on her headphones and away they go.

“At 11:59 a.m. I’ve already covered the flow of the show with both acts and prepped the audience to go live on-air,” she said. “Then, I just sit back and watch it all happen.”

With the station celebrating 20 years on-air, the BPS has become a melodic crossroads in Southern Appalachia for the “real deal,” the “nitty gritty,” and the “cat’s meow.” 

“People are bored with fake music. Today, with auto tuning, anyone can record a studio [album] and make it sound decent. However, they can’t pull that off in a live performance,” Hickey noted. “Many of our acts comment about how nervous they get because the audience will actually pay attention and listen to the words—unlike people in bars. This encourages the (performer) to throw their best performance out there. Sometimes I get sucked into the show and forget my cue to ask questions—I’m a lucky girl.”

Six days a week, two acts jump in front of microphones facing a live studio audience, with WDVX capturing the magic. 

“Not everyone likes to go out at 10 o’clock at night to see music,” Hickey says. “So, it’s our goal to keep training Knoxville and its visitors that there is live music to be seen in the daytime. It also is good opportunity for the bands to be able to promote their night shows to the audience and listeners.” 

Leafing through the program’s list of past performers is like reading a “who’s who” phone book of bluegrass, country, folk, soul and Americana. 

It includes arena acts like The Avett Brothers, Sturgill Simpson, Yonder Mountain String Band, The String Cheese Incident, Chris Stapleton and St. Paul & The Broken Bones. 

And it includes cornerstone legends, from Marty Stuart to Jim Lauderdale, Claire Lynch to Jerry Douglas, David Grisman to Rodney Crowell. 

And yet, at the core of the WDVX and the “Blue Plate Special” resides a keen ear for up-and-comers, the “what’s new” of a media platform that has always championed local and regional acts—looking to not only break through into the “next level,” but also hone their chops on a stage as renowned as it is welcoming.

“We’re proud to hit this (20-year) milestone and I’m sure there will be many more years to come. Thanks to Tony Lawson and Don Burgraff for pioneering the whole idea 20 years ago,” Hickey says. “We’re a listener supported radio station and we receive big support from around the world. We started in a little camper back then—who would think we would receive worldwide support and recognition today?”

For more information, visit wdvx.com.