Music has been getting me through life since I was six years old, when my dad bought me my first radio. And apparently, he created a monster. He always had the car radio on—rock and roll, classic country, talk radio, whatever sounded good—and every year he'd somehow manage to upgrade my radio to a newer, better one. My mom had the old crooners playing around the house and was glued to American Bandstand. So, between the two of them, I really didn't stand a chance. Music became part of who I am. It’s been there for the good times, the bad times, the heartbreaks, the celebrations and everything in between. I honestly don't know how people get through life without it. And although I spend my days playing rock and roll, my musical taste goes way beyond that—crooners, outlaw country, jazz, Motown, oldies... if it's good, I'm in.
I grew up in Mentor, Ohio, and apparently never got the memo that I was supposed to move somewhere else. I loved growing up there, was very close to my family, and Northeast Ohio has always felt like home. Before radio, I worked a little bit of everything—waitressing, foundry work, retail, secretarial work and even driving a school bus. Then I figured out I couldn't sing and couldn't play an instrument, but I loved music, so radio seemed like a pretty good workaround. I've been at WNCX for 37 years, after also spending some time at The Wolf in Youngstown. I use my real name on the air because I wanted my parents to be proud. There was something pretty cool about hearing the family name coming out of a major Cleveland radio station.
I've watched WNCX go from the underdog back in the '80s to one of Cleveland's top radio stations, and even a Marconi Award nominee. That's a pretty amazing ride, and I'm lucky to have been here for so much of it. When I'm not at the station, I like motorcycles, cooking, baking, fishing, garage sales and pretty much anything that gets me outside. I'm also a birder, which means I can get ridiculously excited about seeing a bird that most people wouldn't even notice. I love cats, too. I had one for 21 years, and when he passed away I decided I needed a little break from cleaning up after another living creature every single day. I still love them—I just prefer them from a slightly greater distance now.
And apparently, I have no filter. So what you hear on the radio is pretty much what you get. I'm not cheap, I'm frugal. There's a difference. I drove the same car for 11 years and only got rid of it when things started going wrong. I like nice things, but I don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy them. After 40 years in radio, I still can't believe I get to make a living doing something I fell in love with when I was six years old. That's pretty damn lucky.
