Kyle Cantrell, a Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee and major figure in bluegrass music radio, will be the featured guest speaker at Thursday’s Rooster Booster event.
The program begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Owensboro Convention Center (501 West Second Street) and is sponsored by Green River Distilling Company. Register to attend here or call the Chamber office at 270-926-1860.
The cost to attend Rooster Booster is $15 for Chamber members with reservations, $20 for members with no reservations, and $25 for non-members. Reservations include breakfast, which will be served buffet style at the beginning of the event.
Cantrell landed his first radio job in the summer of 1980 at Murfreesboro, Tennessee’s WMTS. In 1982, WSM called him to join the staff, and in 1985, at the age of 23, he took his place on stage as an announcer on the station’s Grand Ole Opry.
In addition to an 18-year run as an Opry announcer, Kyle served as host, producer, and music and production director for the station’s Music Country Radio Network, during which time he developed many shows and features highlighting the heritage of country and bluegrass music.
In 1993, he became WSM’s Program Director, and in 1996 was tapped to oversee programming for all three of the company’s stations as Operations Manager. As a part of WSM’s management team, he helped pioneer the stations first classic country format.
In 2002, Cantrell became the first morning host playing classic country music for Sirius Satellite Radio. In 2003, he left WSM and began a syndication company to syndicate his own classic country music show to more than 160 radio stations across the country. In 2005, he was tapped by Sirius’ satellite then-rival, XM, to take over the programming of their bluegrass channel.
At XM (which became SiriusXM in 2008), Cantrell completely revamped Bluegrass Junction, bringing the music in line with current industry trends while honoring his heritage. SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction became regarded as a major influence in bluegrass music. In 2013, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) named Bluegrass Junction as the Radio Station of the Year, and it has repeated that honor in the nine years since.
Cantrell has been named D.J. of the Year by SPBGMA nine times (2013-2020, and in 2023), and was named Broadcaster of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2021.
Spreading his love for radio, as well as country and bluegrass music, is a continuing passion for Cantrell. Today, through BanjoRadio, a venture he launched in 2023, he continues to interact with fans all over the world.
