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Outgoing VBK, NOBS President “Jukebox Jack” Boosts Media Exposure, New Memberships

host posted on April 22, 2011 13:54

“Catfish” Carol d’Aquin, “Jukebox” Jack Lyles and Nancy “Lil’ Red” Gros Celebrate after Lil’ Red & Big Bad’s win at the Voodoo Blues Challenge finals at the Rock ’n’ Bowl, OCT 2010

This month we turn the microphone on “Jukebox Jack” Lyles, outgoing New Orleans Voodoo Blues Krewe/New Orleans Blues Society president and WWOZ disc jockey. Under his tenure as president, VBK/NOBS has grown tremendously. We now have more members than ever. Jukebox Jack helped to garner an explosion of media exposure. From television, to radio and local publications, this year’s Voodoo Blues Challenge received tremendous exposure that brought throngs of eager fans and new members to the widely publicized competitions.

Those who have heard “The Jukebox Jack Show” (Tuesdays 3-6 am) on WWOZ 90.7 FM in New Orleans or www.wwoz.org on the internet can appreciate his vast musical knowledge. Lyles grew up in a town called Cut ’n’ Shoot, Texas—a small community north of Houston. “That’s where I got my exposure to the blues,” he says. “My grandfather was from Tupelo, Mississippi and used to play harmonica with several different blues and rockabilly bands.”

“As a kid in Texas living out in the country we used to go in my grandfathers pickup truck which had a big whip antenna on it and tie a chain on it and throw the chain in a lake and it would give us a greater listening distance and we could hear all the way to Baton Rouge. We could catch Shreveport and Baton Rouge stations and border stations in Mexico radio when FM first came into the world.”

Jack would frequently visit Houston to attend shows at different clubs and by the late ’60s, he found himself working as a roadie for local musicians and doing odd jobs around KPFT Radio Station, part of the Pacifica Radio Network.

As he and his wife, Pamela Davis Lyles, raised a family, Jack owned car dealerships and his love for music continued. Pamela is a New Orleans native and they would often visit family in her hometown as many as 15 times a year. Finally in 1997 they moved to New Orleans.

It was actually a connection through his wife that got Jack thinking about becoming a disc jockey. “My wife went to school with David Torkanowsky,” he says. “He used to come over to the house and I would play all different kinds of music for him. He invited me up to WWOZ about 3 ½ years ago. I would program music for his Thursday afternoon ‘Blues Ball’ show and then I got trained as a DJ at night time.” Now Lyles has his own show, ‘Jazz with Jukebox Jack,’ and often fills in for Torkanowsky on his show (Thursdays ‘Blues Ball’, 2-4 pm) as well as for Dennis "Big D" Schaibly (‘Sittin’ at the Crossroads,’ 2-4 Wednesdays) playing the Blues.

One of the hallmarks of Jukebox Jack’s blues shows has been his tireless support for local musicians. He often has musicians in the studio who play live on the air and do interviews with him. Jack says this is one of the main missions of WWOZ. “It is intended to give musicians that don’t have a record label a platform to be heard. WWOZ is there to support local musicians and venues,” says Jukebox Jack.

The additional exposure on television and radio that Jack was instrumental in coordinating has given the VBK, NOBS, the Voodoo Blues Challenge and the musicians additional exposure and a much bigger voice. Furthermore, Jukebox Jack secured the first ever simulcast for the finals of the Voodoo Blues Challenge on WWOZ, and has helped secure the simulcast again for this year’s finals scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24th at Rock ’n’ Bowl.

This has truly been a landmark year for the VBK, NOBS under Jukebox Jack Lyles’ tenure as president. With the help of other board members, specifically James Wade Hines, the Blues Society was able to pull in more aspects of the music industry, such as Rabadash Records, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival and the Voice of the Wetlands Festival. “It has given us a lot more credibility,” he says.

Although he will no longer be president of the VBK, NOBS, Jukebox Jack will continue to be an advisor to the board. “Everything we got in the way of media exposure and the judging has catapulted the society and we're going to keep that going for this year,” he says. We want to send out a big thanks to Jack for everything he has done, and don’t forget to catch him on the radio!

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Comments

# Deborah Gauthreaux

Saturday, April 30, 2011 4:31 PM

Jack you're the best; thank you for everything you've done for the VBK! This group of people are fun to be around with all having the same interest "BLUES." Best of luck with all future endeavors!