Home Cookin’ with Tommy Starr celebrates its 10th anniversary this month and we caught up with DJ and one of local music’s biggest supporters, Tommy Starr, to pay tribute and reminiscence about the many guests who have graced the studio over the years.

Home Cookin’ originally ran from June 1988 to mid December 1989 with Bryan Locke as the host.  Years later, when Locke became the Program Director for D93, he asked Starr if he would have interest in reviving the show and Starr stepped up to the challenge, reinventing it.  Instead of prerecorded segments, Home Cookin’ with Tommy Starr would feature live guests both performing and chatting through informal interviews as well as recorded music from local artists chosen on the spur of the moment.

According to Starr, “In the beginning I really had no idea what the plan was, I just wanted to do what I could to support the local music scene. The first month or two it was just music, then I did a phone interview with David Angstrom of Supafuzz from his home in Atlanta and thought, ‘Hmmm…what if I have more interviews, have guests?’ Pretty much from then on I had guests almost every show. From time to time I’ll take breaks from having guests so I can focus on the music because when you have guests you focus on that band’s music. That way I can play music by bands that maybe haven’t had as much exposure and spread the love around. Also, Home Cookin’ was really just something to help support the local music scene but it’s become the premier showcase for local talent.”

Bands interested in promoting themselves immediately lined up to be Starr’s guests.  He said in a July 2008 Amplifier cover story, that no one has ever been turned away from a spot on Home Cookin’, “I don’t knock on doors”, he explained. “The show is here for you if you want to use it.”  Black Stone Cherry and Slander he said were the two who used the promotional tool the most. “These two bands were really trying to promote themselves – push their product. They did a good job. Slander is no more, but when they were around they had a good turnout at their shows. They were well known, they had a following. Everyone knows about Black Stone Cherry, they were and are a promoting machine.”

Stephen Meredith from Slander (2001-2009) said, “Tommy Starr was always a huge support for Slander, and would always let us jump on the air with him to help promote an upcoming show or just to let people know that we were still around.”  Slander’s Jon Fox agreed, “I can’t even count how many times we were on Home Cookin’, but tommy was there from the beginning. Home Cookin’ helped us gain a loyal following, he really helped push our cds.”

As Meredith and Fox know, it takes more than talent to gain a following, there is constant work to promote and let fans know what you are doing.  It’s no surprise that the bands who have understood this the most are the ones Starr has seen rise from a local following to international exposure.  And groups like Black Stone Cherry, Sleeper Agent and Cage the Elephant continue to check in with Starr when they are in the area. 

John Fred Young of BSC said, “Oh absolutely, being on Home Cookin’ allows a lot of people in our area to turn on the radio and hear our music. We will always be guests on Tommy’s show as long as he will have us! Tommy is one of our dearest friends and he was the first person to ever play our band on the radio. Even before we had a record deal or any kind of interest from anybody. Tommy’s Home Cookin’ allows a lot of great artists from the area to be heard and that’s very important with the great amount of talent around our area! Tommy is a true music lover and supporter!” 

Band mate, Benjamin Wells recalled, “Tommy Starr was the first man to play BSC on the radio. I remember the day like it was yesterday! We all got in my car and tuned into D93 and waited until we heard our song, and he followed it with Purple Haze, we thought that was the coolest thing!”  He added, “As far as self promotion goes, if you don’t do it, you’ll be overlooked! We try to stay connected with our fans as much as we possibly can. Whether it be uploading videos, our website, Facebook, etc., it is very important to develop a relationship with your fans. You’ve got to put yourself in the fan’s shoes and ask yourself, ‘What do I want to see from my favorite band?’  that’s why we try and update our fans/friends as frequently as possible!”

Sleeper Agent’s Justin Wilson agrees, saying “I’ve been listening to Home Cookin’ since high school. Hell the first time I was on Home Cookin’ was in high school. It’s always been the best place to listen to artists from Bowling Green and the surrounding area. Talking to Tommy on the show is always fun. It’s a lot like home, and not just because it’s in my home town. If it weren’t for the show I’d never heard of some of the great bands that came from around here. I definitely think that Home Cookin’ is still one of the most important things for this city and the bands that take claim to Bowling Green. Tommy has supported every rendition of every band I’ve been in. He’s so good at keeping out of the drama that sometimes arises between the bands here in Bowling Green. He never plays favorites. He fully supports one band as much as the next because he loves music and Bowling Green.”

For Home Cookin’ to exist, it had to have the support of D93.  Luckily for Starr and the music community it does.  Program Director Bryan Locke said, “Home Cookin’ gives a genuine voice to our local music heritage.  We sometimes take for granted the incredibly talented musicians all around us here in south-central-Kentucky.  There has to be a ‘Village Square’ – if you will, for that to be heard on a regular basis.  As technology becomes more adept at allowing us to easily hear music from all points of the compass, it’s important that we collect, chronicle, and PLAY local music now more than ever.”

Kentucky HeadHunter Greg Martin also pointed out Starr’s attention to the history of the music scene, saying “Some have gone on to do great things, Tommy has been there from their humble beginnings. Tommy is very steeped and educated in local music history, not just the current scene, but the roots of local music. He’s very diligent, works hard and loves what he does. The HeadHunters and myself are very lucky to have Tommy as a fan, he’s believed in us through our many transitions over the years.”

Indeed Starr does possess not the drive to learn about local music and collect it, but to systematically archive all the contextual details.  “My collection consists of records, tapes, cds, posters, flyers, tshirts, stickers, you name it. I have everything from an autographed copy of BSC’s original ORIGINAL ‘Rock ‘n Roll Tape’ to early demos from Perfect Confusion (which later became CTE). I have a lot of live recordings made by various bands recorded at various venues from back in Picasso days to Tidball’s, some recorded by the sound guys, some by myself. I have the first bass drumhead ever used by Supafuzz in 1994. I have lots of early demos from the Itchy Brother days, just lots of stuff like that. A lot of these items I’ve acquired myself, however many have been graciously donated by friends  and artists of the local music scene.” said Starr.

And he in turn has graciously donated part of his collection to the Kentucky Museum and intends to give more in the future.  “As the collection started getting bigger, I started wondering, “What’s going to happen to all this?” I started trying to think what I could do with it, where could I donate, how could I get it to someone where other people could enjoy it? One day Jack Montgomery was on the show and said he was going to get involved with some type of local music archive at the Kentucky Museum. A light went on in my head.”

Montgomery commented on the project saying, “As many of us know, the local music scene is an important part of any communities’ musical and cultural heritage but one often overlooked until too much time has passed to build an adequate record of its presence and preserve the various memorabilia associated with it like posters, recordings, sheet music, musical instruments and the like. The Southern Kentucky Musical Archives/Preservation Project (SKYMAPP) was founded in 2004 by myself and members of the Bowling Green community and is dedicated to selectively collecting, organizing and preserving the popular musical history of the Bowling Green and South Western Kentucky region for the study, research and enjoyment of everyone.  We are working with the Kentucky Museum on this project who has agreed to house, catalog and periodically display the collection in special exhibits.  Tommy Starr was one of the earliest and most significant modern donors’ to our SKYMAPP collection with items as diverse as recordings by the famous fifties vocal group The Hilltoppers to posters and other memorabilia from such groups as Slickrock and places like the famous Bowling Green nite-club “Picasso’s.” Much of Tommy Starr’s collection was featured in a 2010 Kentucky Museum exhibit entitled Playing Our Song: Southern Kentucky Notes which celebrated the regions rich musical heritage.”

In comparing the past to the present Starr suggested, “I believe that bands used to put more work into the promotion of their bands. They used to use flyers, the radio programs, and the internet. These days it seems like most of the focus is on the internet which is great because it’s a great tool but sometimes they put too much faith in it. At any one time, more people are listening to me spin their tune than looking at their internet post. The internet is just one tool. Bands need to rediscover promotion. There are three local music radio programs in our area, they need to utilize them more. The reason I say that is not because of my show, bands sometimes tell me they’ve been on my show but nowhere else and while that’s flattering, it’s not doing themselves any favors.” 

Of the band’s which have succeeded beyond the region he suggests several keys to their success, saying “They have talent, they have drive and determination, they’re willing to work, and a little luck is nice. And there’s always that one someone who wonders how much further they can go and is willing to take a chance on them.”  He advises bands starting out saying, “First, they need to be dedicated. Practice, practice, practice. They need to promote, promote, promote. They need people to know who they are, what they sound like.  When they perform they need to give the people a show, get the songs tight, really put on a good performance. They need to put time and money into someone who knows how to record them. One of the most important things with me is when you drop off a cd with someone, make sure they know what it is. There needs to be a bio, track listing, pic of the band.”  He adds jokingly,  “Kiss my ass a little bit.”

It is his dedication and effort that has made Home Cookin’ the success it is.  One of his favorite guests, Tommy Womack sums it up thusly, “Well, he’s just a great guy. He started out as a fan and he has never ceased to be one. He has passion. Music scenes always depend on a few committed individuals who keep the flame alive. Tommy’s one of those people.”  Sleeper Agent’s Justin Wilson would concur, saying “I honestly feel that Tommy is the most important piece of the music scene in our little town. Thank you Tommy for all the support you’ve given me and my friends from day one.”  Catch Home Cookin’ every Sunday from 7-9 p.m.