Keith Bilbrey (born August 14, 1952) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

and

television host A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garne ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. He served as a disc jockey at Nashville's WSM, as an announcer on the '' Grand Ole Opry'', and as the host of TNN’s ''Grand Ole Opry Live''. He is also the show announcer for ''

Huckabee ''Huckabee'', formerly on Fox News, is a TV political commentary program, following the basic format of a late-night talk variety show, on TBN hosted by former Republican Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. It premiered on Fox News on September 2 ...

'', a variety show hosted by Mike Huckabee, on the

Trinity Broadcasting Network The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is an international Christian-based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, until March 3, 2017, when it sold its ...

Early career

Keith Bilbrey was born in

Cookeville, Tennessee Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's micropolitan areas, or smaller ...

to Leo and Ethel Bilbrey, the youngest of three children. His interest in radio began in fourth grade and he got his broadcast license at the age of 14. In 1968, Bilbrey went to work at Cookeville's

WHUB WHUB (1400 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Cookeville, Tennessee, United States, the station serves the Cookeville area. The station is owned by Cookeville Communications, LLC and features programmi ...

, soon after his 16th birthday. He remained at WHUB for six years. Keith attended

Tennessee Technological University Tennessee Technological University, commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech, is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie ...

from 1970–1973 where he was a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

fraternity.

WSM and the Grand Ole Opry (1974–2009)

In 1974, Bilbrey moved to Nashville to begin working for WSM, first as a substitute announcer for WSM-FM and then as a full-time disc jockey on WSM's FM and AM stations. Throughout his career, Bilbrey worked every single time slot at WSM and became an iconic voice in the modern history of the station and fan favorite. In 1982, Bilbrey began announcing on the '' Grand Ole Opry'', joining a long tradition of legendary ''Opry'' announcers, including

George D. Hay George Dewey Hay (November 9, 1895 – May 8, 1968) was an American radio personality, announcer and newspaper reporter. He was the founder of the original ''Grand Ole Opry'' radio program on WSM-AM in Nashville, Tennessee, from which the cou ...

, Grant Turner,

Ralph Emery Walter Ralph Emery (March 10, 1933 – January 15, 2022) was an American country music disc jockey, radio and television host from Nashville, Tennessee. Emery promoted numerous stars on his radio and TV shows, and was called the Dick Clark o ...

, and Hairl Hensley. When

The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On Septembe ...

(TNN) began televising a thirty-minute portion of the show in 1985, the young announcer became the first host of ''Grand Ole Opry Live''. Bilbrey hosted ''Opry Live'', along with the ''Opry'' warm-up show ''Backstage Live'', until TNN stopped airing the show in 2000. Bilbrey's affiliation with the ''Opry'' earned him additional opportunities in the world of country music television and radio. Starting in 1982, Bilbrey was the announcer for

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...

's ''

Midnight Jamboree ''Midnight Jamboree'' is an album by United States, American country singer Ernest Tubb, released in 1960 (see 1960 in music). It also includes performances by Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce, Patsy Cline, and The Wilburn Brothers. It is out of print, a ...

'', a post that Bilbrey held until Tubb's death in 1984. Bilbrey was the announcer for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

’s telecast of the

Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...

for three years, as well as the ''CMA’s 35th Anniversary Special''. Bilbrey continues to announce the non-televised portion of the CMA Award Show. He also served as emcee for a variety of television specials, including TNN's '' Music City News Awards: An Evening of Country Greats'', ''Honky-Tonkin’ at the Wildhorse'' (which featured

Aaron Tippin Aaron Dupree Tippin (born July 3, 1958) is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music, he gained a recording contract with RCA Nashville in 1990. His debut single, "You've Got to ...

and Marty Stuart) and the American Federation of Musicians ''100th Anniversary Show''. Bilbrey also played the role of historian for the A&E biographies of

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

and Ronnie Milsap. In 2006, Bilbrey received the prestigious

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at ...

Lifetime Achievement Award.

WSMV-TV and the Ralph Emery Show (1976–2000)

In addition to his career in country music, Bilbrey spent twenty-four years as an on-air personality for

WSM-TV WSMV-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTNX-LD (channel 15). The two stations share studios on Knob Road i ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

’s Nashville affiliate. Bilbrey served the majority of this period as the weatherman on the nation’s top-rated local morning show, ''The Ralph Emery Show'', which featured live music and skits in addition to the traditional news, weather and sports.

Leaving WSM

In March 2009, Bilbrey was let go from WSM and the ''Grand Ole Opry''. The news drew a great deal of local coverage, including numerous articles in ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'' and daily stories on the local news affiliates. Angry fans circulated a petition that collected over 4,000 signatures. According to ''The Tennessean'', the decision to release Bilbrey was simply a matter of cutting costs with advertising revenue slumping. At Bilbrey’s last ''Opry'' show, many performers dedicated songs to him, and Marty Stuart brought Bilbrey to the front of the stage for a final word with a standing ovation.

Recent career

Bilbrey currently serves as the studio announcer for ''

'', a TV political commentary program on TBN hosted by the Republican former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee. He is also currently the announcer and Larry's sidekick on ''Larry's Country Diner'' television series on

RFD-TV RFD-TV is an American pay television channel owned by Rural Media Group, Inc. The channel features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United St ...

(including live performances in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...

), and co-hosts ''Nashville Country Cookin with his wife (Emy Joe) on the Rural TV Network. Additionally, he hosts a syndicated radio show, ''Classic Country Today''.“Classic Country Today,” The Marketing Group, (accessed May 4, 2009. The weekly, two-hour program can be heard on approximately 175 stations nationwide. Bilbrey was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in 2015, while pursuing a variety of business opportunities and writing his memoir. In 2012, Bilbrey was recognized by the

fraternity with the Significant Sig Award, presented to "those alumni members whose achievements in their fields of endeavor have brought honor and prestige to the name of Sigma Chi".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilbrey, Keith 1952 births Living people People from Cookeville, Tennessee American radio personalities Tennessee Technological University alumni