Big Al Weekly has been a figure in bluegrass music since way back in the prior century. As a performer, but primarily as a broadcaster, Al has won fans and made friends all across the US through his efforts in the music world.
Since the late 1980s Big Al has been fascinated with radio, and has found a way to get on the air wherever he has lived since that time. The Big Al Bluegrass Show ran for 15 years in his home town of Ravenswood, WV on WMOV. Moving to Nebraska, he hosted a show on powerhouse station KRVN in Lexington, with a signal reaching more than a dozen states.
A quick look at the various honors that have come his way offers an idea of the esteem in which he is held. Al has been three times nominated as Broadcaster of the Year by the IBMA, and has been named a Kentucky Colonel and an Admiral Of The Great State of Nebraska. In addition, he is a Lifetime Member of the Branson Gospel Singer Association, and was inducted into the Nebraska Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
Now his weekly program, The Big Al & Sandy Radio Show, which airs on WDIC 92.1 in Clintwood, VA, on WMMT in Whitesburg, KY, and on The Bluegrass Jamboree online, is getting a big boost. Starting tomorrow (March 2), it will be broadcast on Country Music News International Radio, giving the show time slots in the UK and Germany, plus an additional airing in the US market.
Big Al says that he is delighted to add a bluegrass voice to the wide variety of music on his new network.
“I am very excited to add Country Music News International Radio to my show for many reasons. Not only does it thrill me to be able to share the music and artists with over a million more listeners, but I am happy to add a strong bluegrass element to the station. These are great people that have worked really hard and built an incredible vehicle for music, and I can’t wait to provide them with the bluegrass to help further our genre across the pond as much as possible.”
Weekly’s broadcast partner is Sandy Shortridge, a bluegrass singer/songwriter from southwest Virginia who performs widely in the region, with Big Al on bass.
WDIC also broadcasts Al’s Gospel bluegrass program, Sunday Mornings, and he hosts Music To Truck By on the Overdrive magazine radio service, where he has brought bluegrass music to truckers all over the country.
Congratulations to Big Al and Sandy on this wonderful news!
