Kyle Cantrell Archives - Bluegrass Today

Kyle Cantrell’s BanjoRadio launches tomorrow

Kyle Cantrell’s new bluegrass radio streaming service, BanjoRadio.com, will officially launch on Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. CDT. The service has actually been running in beta this past few weeks to test all the equipment, and he feels that all is set and ready to go for the July 14 debut.

BanjoRadio will offer live hosted content each weekday morning from 6:00-10:00 a.m. with Kyle, who has been familiar to bluegrass fans from his long service with Bluegrass Junction at SiriusXM. Recent downsizing at the company left him on the outside, so he has acquired the necessary studio and streaming technology to offer a similar service from his home in the Nashville area.

Tomorrow’s premiere will be loaded with not only a mix of current and vintage bluegrass music, but with interviews Kyle has conducted since leaving SiriusXM, with top artists like Del McCoury, Russell Moore, Becky Buller, Joe Mullins, Doyle Lawson, Michael Cleveland, and others. Following the 6-10 segment, all of these interviews will rerun until 2:00 p.m.

Then at 6:00 p.m. Kyle will broadcast the first of many scheduled Track-By-Track programs on BanjoRadio, a popular Bluegrass Junction show he introduced, this one with Tina Adair and her latest EMG project, Here Within My Heart. Tina will talk about each track on the album, and listeners will hear it played.

Outside of hosted content, BanjoRadio will offer randomized selections from the deep catalog of bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music 24 hours each day. A Sunday morning gospel show is also anticipated for the near future.

To enable this new service to survive, Cantrell is depending on contributions from listeners, which can be made online. Kyle says that he is humbled by how many folks have pitched in since he announced BanjoRadio a month ago.

“Initial donations are far exceeding expectations. It is absolutely amazing what people have done. I am deeply touched by the support. They made it possible for this to actually happen.”

Substantial investment in equipment was required to ensure that he could deliver the sort of quality signal his former employer is known for.

“I am doing it all in my studio, with my equipment. There are some third party providers for streaming and software, but I am using the exact same program as SiriusXM. I know the owner of the software company, and we are friends. Their industry standard software package is used by radio all over the world.”

Those wishing to contribute to the support of BanjoRadio can do so on their web site, where recurring monthly donations are also enabled.

To listen, simply visit BanjoRadio.com from any online device, phone, or computer. Apps are available for iOS, Android, and Apple CarPlay. An app for Alexa will be coming soon.

To get new music to BanjoRadio, you can email Kyle Cantrell directly, or send CDs to the station address:

PO Box 708
Mt Juliet, TN 37121

Welcome BanjoRadio to the world of bluegrass!

Kyle Cantrell announces online bluegrass streaming service

Long time SiriusXM radio host Kyle Cantrell has announced the imminent launch of a new 24/7 bluegrass radio service, which he calls BanjoRadio. Everything is set up and ready to go, and a launch date is set to be announced soon, possibly as early as next month.

Cantrell had become the primary voice of Bluegrass Junction, the bluegrass channel on SiriusXM, where he had hosted for the past 20 years. For the bulk of that time, not only did he voice the channel each day during the week, he also served as the Program Director, choosing all the music in rotation. Kyle also hosted interviews with bluegrass artists, and even live performances in their Nashville studio.

Before that, he spent many years at Nashville’s WSM, rising there to the AM Program Director position, during which time he had the honor of announcing on the Grand Ole Opry as well.

While at Sirius, he was recognized five time as the IBMA Broadcaster of the Year, SPBGMA DJ of the year nine times, and was inducted as a member of the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

This March Kyle was caught up in a major restructuring at SiriusXM, where nearly 500 people lost their jobs, and he says that the response he received from listeners at that time is what convinced him to start this new venture.

“When I left SiriusXM, I was genuinely moved by the outpouring of support on the part of the listeners and the artists. It made me realize that what we have here is a community, and I wanted to keep us all together.

I want us all to think of it as a ‘home base’ for bluegrass fans everywhere. I also want to be able to continue to support the bluegrass music industry, which has been really good to me. I’ve been fortunate to make many friends – both of industry folks and the artists who make their living through this music – and I want to do all I can to continue to give them a place to get their music out there.”

Plans are to keep BanjoRadio as a free service, though donations are being accepted now online. Those who donate $30 or more will receive a limited edition BanjoRadio T-shirt as a thank you gift.

“My goal is to keep this free for everyone. I’ve personally invested thousands of dollars in equipment and services to get this off the ground, and there will be large ongoing expenses. While we plan to enlist corporate sponsors, I’m really hoping this will be primarily a grassroots effort – ‘radio for the people and by the people.’

We’re building a community like no other. I’m excited about the future of bluegrass music and I’m really hoping people will join me on my mission to share the music I love, and its artists, with bluegrass fans worldwide!”

Kyle says that there will be a mix of live and pre-recorded original hosted content each day during the week. A free app for for your devices will be provided to make it easy to listen anytime.

To stay on top of the launch of BanjoRadio, you can sign up for Kyle’s free email list online.

Kyle Cantrell let go from SiriusXM

Announcements were made yesterday by SiriusXM that as many as 475 people would be laid off this month as part of a restructuring designed to increase profitability for the major satellite radio provider. It was initially interpreted as yet another tech company downsizing in the face of anticipated slowdowns this year.

This morning we have learned that among those let go is the popular host of Bluegrass Junction, Kyle Cantrell, who has spent the past 21 years with the network.

Kyle has been working in radio since 1980, when he started at WMTS in Murfreesboro, TN, moving to powerhouse WSM in Nashville not long thereafter. While at WSM, he rose to the role of AM Program Director in addition to his on air time. He also took on the honor of being an announcer on the Grand Ole Opry.

The job at XM Radio come his way in 2002, starting at their Classic Country channel, before taking over Bluegrass Junction in 2005, a channel Felton Pruitt had established. When Sirius and XM merged in 2008, both had bluegrass channels, which were then reduced to a single channel. Terry Herd had programmed bluegrass on Sirius from 2000 until 2006 when he left to run his own broadcast radio business, Bluegrass Radio Network.

Though those two bluegrass channels were distinct entities before the merger, Cantrell expressed his appreciation for the assistance he received from Herd in getting started and finding his way at XM in the early days.

Kyle has also voiced other channels on the network during his tenure.

Cantrell has been named the IBMA Broadcaster of the Year five times, and was inducted into the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2019.

No word yet about the fate of the other hosts on Bluegrass Junction, though they have been notified of Kyle’s departure.

In response to this news, he had this to say…

“I’ve had 20 years at SiriusXM — two and a half years as a show host, and 18 years programming and hosting Bluegrass Junction. It’s been an incredible run, and I’m very proud of what we have accomplished. I’m also grateful to SiriusXM for the opportunity to be a part of their team. I look forward to continuing to be engaged with the bluegrass community going forward, and I am thankful for the many friends I have made in the industry, and for all their support.”

For many thousands of people in the US and Canada, Kyle Cantrell has been the voice of bluegrass music for nearly two decades. He will be missed.

Kyle Cantrell inducted into the Country Radio HoF

Tonight, Kyle Cantrell, host of the Bluegrass Junction channel on SiriusXM, will be inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame at a celebration dinner in Nashville.

Kyle has been an Sirius since 2002, but worked for many years in country radio before joining the satellite network. His radio career began in 1980 at WMTS in Murfreesboro, TN, and he left there for a job on the big 650, WSM AM. He worked almost every shift at WSM, until being named Program Director in 1993. Since 1985 he has also served as the announcer for the Grand Ole Opry.

These days he has the biggest voice in bluegrass, programming and voicing the popular bluegrass channel at SiriusXM, giving him the chance to be a legitimate tastemaker for our industry. The show broadcasts 24/7/365 on channel 62.

Some of his friends in bluegrass created this video to share their pride for his major achievement.

Also to be inducted tonight are Charlie Monk, Mac Daniels, Bobby Denton, Jeff Garrison, and Gregg Lindahl

Congratulations Kyle Cantrell!

How to Break Through the Radio Airplay Barrier

The convention center in downtown Raleigh is crawling with bluegrass fans and artists alike, all interested in attending the various seminars being held on site. Throughout the day on Wednesday, I had the opportunity to drop in on a couple discussions. In particular, I enjoyed the seminar “How to Break Through the Radio Airplay Barrier” – something that I’m sure several new and upcoming artists were listening to closely.

The conversation, moderated by Chris Jones, included a panel of national radio DJ’s including Cindy Baucom of Knee Deep in Bluegrass, the Bluegrass Radio Network’s Terry Herd, and Sirius/XM Bluegrass Junction guru Kyle Cantrell. The panelists had quite a bit of helpful advice to offer artists who may be experiencing difficulties in getting their music sent out across the airwaves.

According to the panel, one of the most important things artists need to remember is that their music needs to fit the programming style of the radio station. If it doesn’t, no matter how much the DJ might like your band, they’re probably not going to play it. The group suggested that artists think about what other kinds of music the radio station plays, and what kinds of listeners the station is trying to reach before sending out an album.

Another piece of advice was that when you do decide to send out an album, make sure to plan ahead. It may take quite a bit of time – even a few weeks or more – for songs or an album to make its way from the artist all the way to the DJ who is going to play it. If an artist wants their songs on the radio, they need to send them out in advance of important dates like album releases to guarantee they’ll make it on the radio in time.

The panel also threw in a bit of humor, telling listeners that it’s never a good idea for artists to call a station and request their songs while changing their voice. The DJs will definitely know.

I had the chance to speak with one of the panelists, Terry Herd, and he summed up the seminar well with this advice: “Beyond the basics of recording great music and getting the project to radio, there is no magic bullet. Patience, persistence, and dedication will get you there.”