Bluegrass program features former South Stanly football coach – The Stanly News & Press

A former football coach with experience in radio broadcasting and bluegrass music brought his talent to a new local radio show.

Tasker Fleming, who trained in high school and college for 32 years, including three at South Stanly, hosts a one-hour bluegrass program called “Front Porch Bluegrass” on the WSPC radio station at 1010 AM and 107.3 FM .

Moving to Albemarle nine years ago, Fleming became a fan of a local radio show at the time hosted by BJ The DJ After he retired, the station was without a bluegrass show for about four years.

Fleming has been a fan of bluegrass for many years, since high school, when his father bought an old theater in Warrenton and turned it into a community civic center. On Sunday afternoons, the local radio station brought gospel groups to perform, such as the Suwannee Quartet, along with bluegrass artists like Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman and others.

Her father also promoted an annual program similar to the TV comedy and musical program “Hee Haw”, which benefited the local volunteer fire department.

The former coach’s bluegrass fandom grew even more after his family went to see bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs. Fleming bought a banjo through the JCPenney catalog with the money he earned from selling pumpkins.

“I grew up loving music,” he said.

He taught himself to play the banjo and eventually started playing with a group of other artists at various nursing homes in Stanly and neighboring counties before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just enjoyed being part of a music group because I have no talent,” said Fleming.

After talking to Matt Smith, owner of Stanly Communications, Fleming, who had retired from North Carolina but was teaching in South Carolina, he decided he wanted to do the program.

“We are looking forward to having a bluegrass program on the radio again. Many people came to us saying they liked it, ”said Smith. “What makes this show special is the love that Tasker Fleming has for music. It is his passion for bluegrass that makes this show possible, but it also appears on the air and makes his program much more interesting. “

Fleming also recently retired from South Carolina, which gives him time to do what he calls “a hobby”, which is the production of the program.

The program was also chosen by WIZS-AM 1450 in Henderson, a station that Fleming previously worked on in the 1990s, doing a football program called “Coach Talk”.

With regard to the program’s music, Fleming said that the selections can range from the 1950s to the present day. He also plans to present a Song of the Week and receives contributions from local artists, saying he wants to include North Carolina voices in the program.

The original and traditional bluegrass will be on the show, but Fleming said he could also add some innovative songs, mentioning a recent request from the listener for a song called “Beans In My Bacon”.

Despite saying that he is not a fan of the new progressive bluegrass, which he said is “almost more like an American country style”, Fleming said that if he listens to a song and likes it, he will play it.

“I would like to invite people to give (the show) a chance and listen to it.”