Wizard of the Wind

Jacket Description/Back: As a boy Jimmy Gill is mesmerized by his late mother's old console radio. Through the airwaves he discovers a fabulous new world that, in the 1950s, is just entering a "golden age" of rock, with such phenomena as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino. With his young black friend Detroit Simmons, Jimmy traces the sound to a tatty building just beyond his own back door: radio station WROG. Totally by accident Jimmy and Detroit become involved with the station, beginning careers in broadcasting at very young ages. Along the way they encounter the mad, creative, colorful characters who are changing the musical landscape. With technical help from the ever-ethical Detroit as well as financial backing by rather more unsavory fellows, Jimmy progresses from owning a budding FM station to building a media empire of radio and cable television networks. He also falls in love with a beautiful country music star, Cleo Michaels. As his success sours to greed, Jimmy Gill begins to lose touch with the magic of the medium that first grabbed him by the soul. Only when shady dealings that helped to build his career threaten to topple it does he reach back to the forces that have truly shaped his life: the support of loyal friends and the inimitable warm embrace of regional radio. Biographical Note: Don Keith had a 22-year career in radio broadcasting in which he was twice named BILLBOARD MAGAZINE "Radio Personality of the Year" and won every major award ifor broadcast journalism n his state from United Press and the AP. He is an award-winning and best-selling author and has published over two-dozen books on subjects including college sports, WWII history, NASCAR racing, broadcasting, submarines, and more. He lives with his wife, Charlene, in Indian Springs Village, Alabama, and is active in literacy efforts and his hobby of choice: amateur radio. His web site is www.donkeith.comPublisher Marketing: As a boy Jimmy Gill is mesmerized by his late mother's old console radio. Through the airwaves he discovers a fabulous new world that, in the 1950s, is just entering a "golden age" of rock, with such phenomena as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino. With his young black friend Detroit Simmons, Jimmy traces the sound to a tatty building just beyond his own back door: radio station WROG. Totally by accident Jimmy and Detroit become involved with the station, beginning careers in broadcasting at very young ages. Along the way they encounter the mad, creative, colorful characters who are changing the musical landscape. With technical help from the ever-ethical Detroit as well as financial backing by rather more unsavory fellows, Jimmy progresses from owning a budding FM station to building a media empire of radio and cable television networks. He also falls in love with a beautiful country music star, Cleo Michaels. As his success sours to greed, Jimmy Gill begins to lose touch with the magic of the medium that first grabbed him by the soul. Only when shady dealings that helped to build his career threaten to topple it does he reach back to the forces that have truly shaped his life: the support of loyal friends and the inimitable warm embrace of regional radio. Publisher Marketing: As a boy Jimmy Gill is mesmerized by his grandmother's old console radio and the amazing sounds it magically brings into his sad, dreary existence. Through the airwaves he discovers a fabulous new world that is, in the 1950s, just entering a "golden age" of rock and roll with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats Domino. With his young black friend, Detroit Simmons, Jimmy traces the sound he hears on the radio to a rough building just beyond his backdoor: radio station WROG. By accident, Jimmy and Dee become involved with the station and begin careers in broadcasting at early ages. Along the way, they encounter the mad, creative, colorful characters who are changing the musical landscape, the rock and roll stars and the deejays. With technical help from Detroit and financial help from some unsavory characters, Jimmy becomes a top disk jockey and eventually owns an FM station. From there, the two ride the crest of the broadcast explosion and build a media empire. Jimmy also falls in love with beautiful country music star Cleo Michaels. But along the way, Jimmy loses sight of what attracted him to the magical medium of radio in the first place, the ability for a talented dee jay to emotionally affect his audience with just a few words or the right mix of music. His success sours to greed and a lust for power. But when early shady dealings threaten to topple his empire and claim his best friend, Detroit, and the woman he loves so much, he reverts to the forces that have truly shaped his life: the support of friends and the inimitable warm embrace of creatively done radio. This novel is an allegory of what has happened to radio broadcasting over the last 20 years...where power and greed have replaced the creativity and talent of the disk jockeys who virtually re-invented radio on the fly when television threatened to kill it. The book is dedicated to over 300 radio personalities who will be familiar to many. After all, those readers likely grew up listening to some of these air talents, and allowed the legendary DJs to provide the soundtrack of their lives. Review Citations:

Publishers Weekly 11/04/1996 pg. 63 (EAN 9780312147693, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 11/15/1996 pg. 1623 (EAN 9780312147693, Hardcover)

Library Journal 11/15/1996 pg. 88 (EAN 9780312147693, Hardcover)

Booklist 12/01/1996 pg. 641 (EAN 9780312147693, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Keith, Don Don Keith is an Alabama native and attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he received his degree in broadcast and film. He has won numerous awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for news writing and reporting, as well as Billboard Magazine's "Radio Personality of the Year" during his more than twenty years in broadcasting. His first novel, " The Forever Season", won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award. Keith lives in Indian Springs Village, Alabama, with his wife, Charlene, and a black cat named Hershey.