About 24 years ago, I was invited to be a guest on Tommy Jett's radio show. I grew up listening to the "fastest Jett in the air," and can still feel the excitement of seeing the big spotlight in the sky drawing people toward a big concert or high school football game.
If WFLI was there, it was a big deal.
So, getting the chance to spend a couple of hours with the man himself spinning records and talking about music was a treat. I know it was 24 years ago, because my daughter had just been born, and when I told Tommy her name was Grace, it launched a conversation we repeated every single time we talked.
"How is Grace?" he would ask.
"You know why I always remember and ask about her, don't you? It's because of grace that I know I'm going to heaven." I don't think they ever actually met.
He said it that first time we met, and he repeated it every time after that, including at least twice during the conversation we had five days before he passed away in his sleep last week. He'd called to ask about her wedding, and also to see if he could get a little publicity for the online and over-the-air shows he was doing.
He was 77 when he died. TJ played music in the local market for 57 years and I have no doubt he would have done it another 57 if he could have.
David Carroll said it best last week while remembering Tommy with Jeff Styles, Jim Reynolds and Kevin West on "The Morning Press" on WGOW: "Tommy loved being Tommy Jett."
He liked being recognized at the grocery store and he loved introducing an act at Riverbend every year. In fact, he mentioned that he was hoping to do so at least one more time this year. He loved hearing stories from people who grew up listening to him and he loved hanging out with his fellow broadcasters.
It's a funny thing about radio and TV broadcasters. We really do invite them into our cars and homes when we listen to them, especially on a regular basis. That is still true, but radio today is not like it was back when Tommy started. He helped transform local radio and he became a local rock star in the process.
Seeing him in person at one of the Jet Fli Spectaculars the station produced back then was as thrilling for fans as seeing Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits or Pete Townshend of The Who.
If there was one thing that I learned about Tommy Jett over the years, it was that he was all about grace in every sense of the word.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.