Look up fan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Fan or FAN may refer to:

Technology[link]

• Mechanical fan, a machine for producing airflow, often for cooling
  • Computer fan (or CPU Fan), a machine for cooling off the electronics contained within a computer
• Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air
• Future Air Navigation System (or FANS), an air traffic control scheme also known as CNS/ATM

Entertainment[link]

• Fan (person), a fanatical enthusiast or supporter, especially with regard to entertainment and sports
• A person involved in science fiction fandom
• "Fan" (song), by Pascal Obispo
• "Fans" (song),a 2007 album track on Because of the Times by the Kings of Leon
• Fans (album), a 1984 album by Malcolm McLaren
• La Belle Lucie, a solitaire card game also known as The Fan
• Fan, an opponent in the video game Yie Ar Kung-Fu
• Fan, an ident for BBC Choice, used from 1998 to 2003

Computing[link]

• File area network, method for file sharing over a network
• Fantom (programming language)
• Triangle fan, a data structure to describe polygons in computer graphics

Geology[link]

One of several types of fan-shaped deposits of sediment caused by the flow of streams or glacial melt:

• Outwash fan
• Alluvial fan
• Outwash plain

Places[link]

• Fan, Albania, municipality in Albania
• Fan (river), river in Albania
• Fan County, in Henan, China
• Fan district, historic district in Richmond, Virginia
• Fanling Station, Hong Kong; MTR station code FAN

Biology[link]

• Sea fan, a marine animal of the Cnidarian phylum
• Free Amino Nitrogen, in brewing, amino acids available for yeast metabolism

Other uses[link]

• Fan (geometry), the set of all planes through a given line
• Fan (surname) (Chinese character: 范, pinyin: Fàn), a common Chinese surname
• Fan, the legendary descendant of the Yellow Emperor claimed as the progenitor of the Su clan in China
• Fluoride Action Network, a group that campaigns against fluoridation
• Japanese war fan, an object used in Japanese feudal warfare, also used in martial arts
• Fang language (ISO 639-2 code)

See also[link]

• The Fan (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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Epik High
Epic High on September 19, 2009
Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Alternative hip hop, hip hop, pop rap
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Woollim Entertainment 2003-2008, 2010-Present Map the Soul, Inc. 2009-Present
Website	www.mapthesoul.com
Members
Tablo Mithra Jin DJ Tukutz

Epik High (Hangul: �픽하�) is a South Korean indie hip hop group from Seoul, South Korea. The group is composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz. Their music has been considered by many as a "lyrical piece of literature" and "urban poetry", lyric orientated, soulful and often witty while addressing serious social issues such as identity, discrimination, community, unity and change as a whole through the use of sometimes controversial subject matter. The group has been on hiatus since 2009 whilst members served individual mandatory military service.

History[link]

2003-2005: Earlier Days[link]

Epik High was relatively unknown early in their career due to hip-hop's lack of popularity in Korea. Their success began with the release of their second album, titled "High Society". Upon the success of their third album, Swan Songs, released in late 2005, Epik High has become one of the most popular hip-hop groups in Korea. "Fly", the title song, and "Paris" (feat. Jisun from Loveholic) from their third album became hits in Korea, reaching number one on many Korean music channels as well as on online music charts.^[1] "Fly" was also chosen for the video games FIFA 07 and Pump it up, this song has now become a popular track for dancers/freestylers. Epik High's fourth album, "Remapping the Human Soul", released on January 23, 2007 has shown a very different music style from their previous albums. "Fan", the fourth album's title song, and "Love Love Love" have been big hits in 2007.

2006: Swan Songs[link]

Epik High's 3rd album, Swan Songs, became a mainstream hit in the Korean music scene. Notable hit singles included Fly and Paris. The album was later repackaged as "Black Swan Songs", which included remixes of various hit songs.

2007: Remapping the Human Soul[link]

Their fourth album, Remapping the Human Soul, was released on January 23, 2007. The album was supposed to come out in October 2006, but the date was postponed.^[2] The album sold almost 90,000 copies in its first month and pushed Epik High to the number one spot for best upcoming artist. It went on to sell a total of 130,000 copies. The group was chosen as the best artist of the month.^{[citation needed]} The group decided to head towards a 'no genre, just music' style for their fourth album. Some songs in the fourth album have been banned from several channels due to issues dealing with sexual crimes, war, education and religion; the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is trying to stop air play as stated by Tablo in an interview with The Korea Times.^[3] With the title song "Fan", the album became their number one selling music album. In addition, Epik High's fame has risen in Japan with the song "Flow", which features Emi Hinouchi. They will release a CD sample in Japan. There have been offers to remake "Fly" as well as "Paris".^[4] The album sold 120,301 copies during the year, making it the third best-selling album of 2007 in South Korea.^[5]

2008: Early Success of Fifth Album and The First Mini-Album[link]

Over 50,000 copies of the fifth studio album entitled "Pieces, Part One" were pre-ordered. The first single off the new album and released music video is "One," which features Jisun from Loveholic and Korean actress Jung Ryu-won. Shortly after "One", music videos for "Breakdown" and "Umbrella" were created. After the success of "Pieces, Part One," Epik High released a mini-album, titled Lovescream. This is their first mini-album since their debut in 2003. It came out September 30, 2008. Teasers were put up on the Epik High website, which gained attention because it was made of abstract, animated graphics instead of actual actors.^[6] The mini-album gained huge success and the title track "1 Minute 1 Second" topped online music charts.

2009: Map the Soul[link]

Early 2009, Epik High parted ways with their old label Woollim Entertainment, and founded Map The Soul, an independent record label that currently consists of Epik High, MYK, Planet Shiver and Dok2.

Epik High's seventh work, a book-album entitled "é­‚: Map the Soul," was released on March 27, 2009. Completely independent from any major label, the book-album was distributed exclusively on Epik High's website. They recorded the album with the help of other artists such as MYK, Kero One and Beatbox DG. Tablo has specifically stated that é­‚: Map the Soul is not Epik High's official 6th album but instead a special project. On May 19, 2009, Epik High released both worldwide and Korean versions of the music video for "Map the Soul". To commemorate their first release under their independent label and to interact with fans, Epik High toured various cities in the US (New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) along with Kero One, MYK and Far East Movement in May 2009.

On July 22, 2009, Epik High and the electronic group they scouted, Planet Shiver, joined forces and released an album with re-recorded, remixed and remastered versions of Epik High’s past hit songs titled Remixing The Human Soul.

On August 14, 2009, Epik High member Tablo revealed on his blog that they are working on a new album called "[e]". Then on September 16, 2009, Epik High's 6th album, "(e)", was released. This album contains 30 tracks in 2CDs and a 74 page mini-book, which has interviews of each member as well as pictures. The Korean tour began on September 19, right after the album release. The first single for (e) was "따�해(Wannabe)" which features Mellow, and is an electronic-pop song that criticizes the current trends of K-pop. A joint music video was released for the next upcoming singles ("Trot" and "High Technology") shortly afterward. On December 6, 2009, a music video featuring scenes from the movie "No Mercy" was released with the track "Slow Motion".

[edit] 2010-present: Epilogue and military service

On October 15, 2009, DJ Tukutz enlisted for mandatory military service for two years, and was discharged on August 7, 2011.

On March 9, 2010, the album "Epilogue" was released.^[7] Epik High had created their new album with their new song "Run," representing their new artistic direction. This new album contains fewer songs than the previous, but is dedicated to all their fans and they thank everyone for all their support, as they wait for DJ Tukutz to finish his military service.

On August 3, 2010, Mithra Jin also enlisted for mandatory military service, he entered the 102 reserve in Chuncheon, then served as an infantry rifle soldier, a member of the military band and a GOP soldier, and finally at the Defense Media Agency (DEMA). He was discharged by the Ministry of Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on May 14, 2012.^[8]

Announced on September 27, Tablo made his comeback on November 1 with his debut solo album. Although Tablo signed an exclusive 4-year contract with YG Entertainment, he indicated that it does not mean that Epik High has disbanded nor are they necessarily signed (or will sign) to YG as a group.^[9]

Members[link]

• Tablo AKA Supreme T, AKA Daniel Armand Lee: rapping, vocals, songwriting, composing, programming
• Mithra Jin AKA Sleeping M: rapping, vocals, songwriting, composing
• DJ Tukutz AKA Street T: turntables, programming, samples, songwriting, vocals, composing, engineering

The Movement[link]

Epik High is part of The Movement, a Korean hip-hop crew, which includes several other well-known hip-hop artists:

• Drunken Tiger
• Dynamic Duo/CB Mass
• Yoon Mi Rae/T/Tasha
• Sean2Slow
• Buga Kingz
• Leessang
• YDG
• G-Won (Eun Ji Won)
• Double K
• Top Bop
• Yankie
• Insane Deegie
• Ex-plicit Linez
• Dok2
• Roscoe Umali
• Mickey Eyez
• Bizzy
• MNOVA

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2003: Map of the Human Soul
• 2004: High Society
• 2005: Swan Songs
• 2007: Remapping the Human Soul
• 2008: Pieces, Part One
• 2009: (e)
• 2010: Epilogue

EPs[link]

• 2008: Lovescream

Projects[link]

• 2006: Black Swan Songs (Repackaged)
• 2009: Map the Soul
• 2009: Remixing The Human Soul

Awards[link]

References[link]

1. ^ "(Korean) Epik High 1st on online chart". http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=106&oid=111&aid=0000021553. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
2. ^ (Korean) Tablo's hip hop magazine interview
3. ^ Epik High Soars to New Heights
4. ^ Epik High to expand into Japan with sample CD
5. ^ "(Korean) January - Total sales level". Archived from the original on 2008-05-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20080508152311/http://www.miak.or.kr/stat/kpop_2007_2.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
6. ^ "Epik High Website". http://www.epikhigh.com. Retrieved 1 December 2008. 
7. ^ http://mapthesoul.com/news/29
8. ^ Oh, MiJung (14 May 2012). "Epik High’s Mithra Jin Released from Army". Mnet News. http://global.mnet.com/news/newsdetail.m?searchNewsVO.news_id=201205141449_6653. Retrieved 16 May 2012. 
9. ^ "Epik High's Tablo Joins YG Family". Asia Pacific Arts. 09/28/2011. http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?epik_highs_tablo_joins_yg_family_17430.aspx. 

External links[link]

• (Korean) (English) Map the Soul Epik High's official website
• (Korean) Tablo's Cyworld homepage
• (Korean) DJ Tukutz's Cyworld homepage
• (Korean) Mithra Jin's Cyworld homepage
• (English) Icarus Walks Epik High's fansite & fanforum

Pascal Michel Obispo
Obispo performing on stage in Paris 14 July, 2011
Background information
Born	(1965-01-08) January 8, 1965 (age 47)
Origin	Bergerac, Dordogne, France
Genres	Pop, rock, progressive rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocalist
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Epic/Sony
Associated acts	Florent Pagny, Zazie, Johnny Hallyday, Jenifer Bartoli and Natasha St-Pier
Website	www.pascalobispo.com

Pascal Michel Obispo (born 8 January 1965 in Bergerac, Dordogne, France) is a French singer/songwriter.

Pascal Obispo started singing in 1980. He got his first record deal in 1990, Le long du fleuve. With his second album, Plus que tout au monde, selling over 2 million albums, his songs became a popular success. Some of his most famous songs are "Plus que tout au monde", "Laurelenn", "Tombé pour elle", "L'important c'est d'aimer", "Personne" and "Fan". With his 2007 release of Les Fleurs du Bien (a play on Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal) he makes allusions to Rosa Parks, Pablo Picasso and others. He is also well known for his various escapades, his unconservative behavior, his haircut, etc. His name is an anagram of painter Pablo Picasso's name. Most of his albums have now sold more than 1 million copies.

Obispo used his popularity to help with humanitarian work and particularly with work to stop the AIDS epidemic. He has worked with many other well-known artists such as Jean-Jacques Goldman, Florent Pagny, Johnny Hallyday, Patricia Kaas, Amel Bent, and Natasha St-Pier.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Le long du fleuve (1990)
• Plus Que Tout au Monde (1992)
• Un Jour Comme Aujourd'hui (1994)
• Superflu (1997)
• Live 98 (1998)
• Soledad (1999)
• Millésime Live 00/01 (2001)
• Studio Fan – Live Fan (2004)
• Les Fleurs du Bien (2006)
• Les Fleurs de forest(live)(2007)
• Welcome to the Magic World of Captain Samourai Flower (2009)

Musicals[link]

• Les Dix Commandements (2000) – Music: Pascal Obispo, Book and Lyrics: Lionel Florence and Patrice Guirao

Obispo is currently working on his newest production, "Adam et Eve, La Seconde Chance". The musical comedy is set to open on Jan. 31, 2012 at the Palais Des Sports in Paris, France.

Singles[link]

External links[link]

• (French) Official website
• Biography of Pascal Obispo, from Radio France Internationale

References[link]

This article about a French musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010)

James Dyson
Born	(1947-05-02) 2 May 1947 (age 65) Cromer, Norfolk, England
Residence	Gloucestershire France London
Nationality	British
Education	Gresham's School Byam Shaw School of Art Royal College of Art
Known for	Dual Cyclone bag less vacuum cleaner
Net worth	£1.45 billion (2011)
Spouse	Deirdre Hindmarsh
Children	3
Website
James Dyson Foundation

Sir James Dyson (born 2 May 1947) is a British industrial designer and founder of the Dyson company.

He is best known as the inventor of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic separation. His net worth in 2011 was said to be £1.45 billion.^[1]

Early life[link]

Dyson was born in Cromer, Norfolk, England, being one of three children. Dyson was sent to Gresham's School boarding school, Holt, Norfolk, from 1956 to 1965, when his father died of cancer.^[2] James excelled in long distance running: "I was quite good at it, not because I was physically good, but because I had more determination. I learnt determination from it."^[3] He spent one year (1965–1966) at the Byam Shaw School of Art (now part of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design), and then studied furniture and interior design at the Royal College of Art (1966–1970) before moving into engineering.^{[citation needed]}

First inventions[link]

The Sea Truck, Dyson's first product, was launched in 1970 while he was at the Royal College of Art. His next product, the Ballbarrow, was a modified version of a wheelbarrow using a ball instead of a wheel. This was featured on the BBC's "Tomorrow's World" television programme. Dyson stuck with the idea of a ball which his brother had thought of, inventing the Trolleyball, a trolley that launched boats. He then designed the Wheelboat, which could travel at speeds of 64 kilometres per hour (40 mph) on both land and water.

Vacuum cleaners[link]

DC07 Dyson vacuum cleaner

In the late 1970s, Dyson had the idea of using cyclonic separation to create a vacuum cleaner that would not lose suction as it picked up dirt. He became frustrated with his Hoover Junior’s diminishing performance: dust kept clogging the dust bag, reducing suction. The cyclone idea came from the spray-finishing room's air filter in his Ballbarrow factory.^{[citation needed]}

Partly supported by his wife's salary as an art teacher, and after five years and many prototypes, Dyson launched the "G-Force" cleaner in 1983. However, no manufacturer or distributor would handle his product in the UK, as it would disturb the valuable market for replacement dust bags, so Dyson launched it in Japan through catalogue sales.^[4] Manufactured in bright pink, the G-Force sold for £2,000 (British equivalent). It won the 1991 International Design Fair prize in Japan. He obtained his first U.S. patent on the idea in 1986 (U.S. Patent 4,593,429).

After failing to sell his invention to the major manufacturers, Dyson set up his own manufacturing company. In June 1993, he opened his research centre and factory in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Dyson's breakthrough in the UK market, more than 10 years after the initial idea, was through a TV advertising campaign that emphasized that, unlike most of its rivals, it did not require the continuing purchase of replacement bags. At that time, the UK market for disposable cleaner bags was £100 million. The slogan "say goodbye to the bag" proved more attractive to the buying public than a previous emphasis on the suction efficiency that its technology delivers. Ironically, the previous step change in domestic vacuum cleaner design had been the introduction of the disposable bag â€” users being prepared to pay extra for the convenience. The Dyson Dual Cyclone became the fastest-selling vacuum cleaner ever made in the UK, which outsold those of some of the companies that rejected his idea and has become one of the most popular brands in the UK.^[5]. In early 2005, it was reported that Dyson cleaners had become the market leaders in the United States by value (though not by number of units sold).

Following his success, other major manufacturers began to market their own cyclonic vacuum cleaners. Dyson sued Hoover UK for patent infringement and won around $5 million in damages.

In a highly controversial and bitterly opposed move,^[6] his manufacturing plant moved from England to Malaysia, for economic reasons and because of difficulty acquiring land for expansion, leaving 800 workers redundant in 2002. The company's headquarters and research facilities remain in Malmesbury. Dyson later stated that because of the cost savings from transferring production to Malaysia, he was able to invest in research and development at Malmesbury,^{[citation needed]} but further redundancies at Malmesbury were subsequently announced in 2008.^[7]

In 2005, Dyson incorporated the wheel ball from his Ballbarrow concept into a vacuum cleaner, creating the Dyson Ball, claiming it to be more maneuverable.

Further inventions[link]

In 2000, Dyson expanded his appliance range to include a washing machine called the ContraRotator, which had two rotating drums moving in opposite directions. The range was decorated in the usual bright Dyson colours, rather than the traditional white, grey or black of most other machines. The item was not a commercial success and is no longer available.^[8]

In 2002, Dyson created a realisation of the optical illusions depicted in the lithographs of Dutch artist M. C. Escher. Engineer Derek Phillips was able to accomplish the task after a year of work, creating a water sculpture in which the water appears to flow up to the tops of four ramps arranged in a square, before cascading to the bottom of the next ramp. The creation titled Wrong Garden, was displayed at the Chelsea Flower Show in the spring of 2003.^[9] The illusion is accomplished with water containing air bubbles pumped through a chamber underneath the transparent glass ramps to a slit at the top from which the bulk of the water cascades down. This makes it appear that the water is flowing up, when actually a small amount of water diverted from the slit at the top flows back down the ramps in a thin layer.

Dyson Airblade

In October 2006 Dyson launched the Dyson Airblade, a fast hand dryer.

Dyson's most recent addition is a fan without external blades, which he calls the "Air Multiplier".^[10]

Personal life and non-business activities[link]

Dyson married Deirdre Hindmarsh in 1968. The couple have three children: Emily, Jacob and Sam.^[11]

Dyson paid £15 million for Dodington Park, a 300-acre (1.2 km²) Georgian estate in Gloucestershire, close to Chipping Sodbury. He and his wife also have a £3 million chateau in France, and a town house in Chelsea, London.^[12] The Sunday Times Rich List 2008 estimated his fortune at £1.1 billion, while Forbes estimates it at £1 billion.

Dyson was chair of the board of trustees of the Design Museum, "the first in the world to showcase design of the manufactured object", until suddenly resigning in September 2004,^[13] stating the museum had "become a style showcase" instead of "upholding its mission to encourage serious design of the manufactured object".

James Dyson Foundation[link]

Dyson set up the Foundation in 2002 to support design and engineering education. This is specially aimed at inspiring young people to study engineering and become engineers by encouraging students to think differently and to make mistakes. The Foundation particularly supports schools in Wiltshire as well as medical and scientific research in partnership with charities. It achieves this by funding different resources such as the "Education box", a box filled with activities for a school to use as a teaching aid. The Foundation loans the boxes to schools for four weeks, free of charge. They are suitable for Key stage 4 and above and can be used in universities. The Education box enables students to take apart and examine a Dyson DC22 Telescope vacuum cleaner. In addition,, a school is allowed to retain a James Dyson Foundation teacher pack, and a copy of Genius Of Britain, a Channel 4 TV series featuring James Dyson himself, and design engineering posters. Other resources are also available.

Another way the Foundation inspires young minds is with the James Dyson Awards. This is an international design award that "celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers".^[14] It is organised and run by the James Dyson Foundation Charitable Trust and is open to graduates (or recent graduates) in the fields of product design, industrial design and engineering.

Honours[link]

In 1997, Dyson was awarded the Prince Phillip Designers Prize.^[15] In 2000, he received the Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Award. He received an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Engineering) from the University of Bath in 2000.^[16] In 2005, he was elected a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2007 New Year Honours. Since 2011, he has been provost of the Royal College of Art.

Autobiography[link]

Dyson, James; Giles Coren (1997). Against The Odds: An Autobiography. ISBN 0-7528-0981-4. 

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dyson Company website.
• James Dyson profile at Forbes.com
• BBC notice of Dyson's water sculpture Wrong Garden with photos and diagram.
• Engineering the Difference Dyson's Richard Dimbleby Lecture in 2004
• James Dyson interview on Design at Core77.com
• All of James Dyson's patents and patent applications

For other persons named Billy James, see Billy James (disambiguation).

For the character "John Boy", see The Waltons.

The John Boy & Billy Big Show

Genre	Talk, Comedy
Running time	4 hours per episode, Monday through Friday
Country	United States
Languages	English
Home station	WRFX 99.7
Syndicates	Premiere Radio Networks
Starring	John Isley, Billy James, Robert D. Raiford, Terry Hanson, Jeff Pillars
Creators	John Isley, Billy James
Directors	Jeff Kent
Producers	Jackie Curry-Lynch
Recording studio	Charlotte, North Carolina
Air dates	since November 8, 1986
Website	TheBigShow.com

John Isley and Billy James, known as John Boy & Billy, named after "John-Boy Harris and brother Bross Harris", are American radio hosts based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their comedic morning program The John Boy & Billy Big Show broadcasts from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. eastern time in several southern and midwestern states via syndication through Premiere Radio Networks.

The show is syndicated to both Classic rock and Country Music radio stations. The format consists of talk segments intermixed with music, contests and skit-based humor. Broadcast states include North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The duo frequently interview musicians, comedians, NASCAR drivers, professional wrestlers, and other public figures. Robert Earl Keen, Killer Beaz, Tim Wilson, Rodney Carrington, and James Gregory are occasional guests. The show also markets a line of Bar-B-Que sauces (named John Boy & Billy Grillin' Sauce).

History[link]

For more than five years, John Boy and Billy hosted the morning show at Top 40 WBCY in Charlotte. Their comic talents made them number one with the station's 18 to 34 listeners. But John Boy quit in February 1986, while Billy stayed for a month and a half, partnering unsuccessfully with Jim "Catfish" Prewitt.^[1]

WRFX, which changed to album rock that same year,^[2] signed John Boy and Billy to do their morning show, but they could not start their new show until November due to a noncompete clause. A $250,000 billboard and television campaign,^[1] in which the jocks had bags over their heads,^[3] preceded their return. On November 8 at 9 A.M., they announced, "They're back!" and played "The Boys Are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy. One difference on the new station, said John Boy, was "We'll actually listen to the music ... we're rock 'n' roll guys."^[1]

John Boy was arrested at a night club October 21, 1990, and charged with felony possession of marijuana, but the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor because the amount was small. As part of his plea agreement, John Boy agreed to broadcast anti-drug messages on WRFX.^[4]

Early in 1993, news came out that John Boy and Billy were being asked by Mel Karmazin (boss to Howard Stern) to move to Atlanta, Georgia, and syndicate their show. At the time, WROQ in Greenville, South Carolina, was the only other station carrying the show. WRFX general manager Jack Daniel said the station made a six-year deal that would keep John Boy and Billy at WRFX but also allow the show to be heard in Atlanta, along with Raleigh and Columbia in the Carolinas as well as Texas, with the hosts getting a share of syndication income. One disadvantage: the show would include less locally-oriented humor that people in other markets wouldn't understand.^[5]

By August 1994, the show was heard on 14 radio stations, most playing rock. Two of the stations were sports talk--WRFX-AM (co-owned with flagship WRFX-FM) and WFNS in Tampa, Florida. The other stations were in WZZU in Raleigh; WROQ in Greenville; WSFL in New Bern, North Carolina; WXFX in Montgomery, Alabama; WYBB in Charleston, South Carolina; WMFX in Columbia; WKLC in Charleston, West Virginia; WDRK in Panama City Beach, Florida; WVRK in Columbus, Georgia; WJMX-FM in Florence, South Carolina; WIMZ in Knoxville, Tennessee; and WEKL in Augusta, Georgia.^[6] WRFX-AM went back to sports talk in the morning early in 1995.^[7]

On July 6, the show added KZPS in Dallas, Texas, which at number 7 in the nation was the largest market yet. Now on 19 stations, its largest markets had been Orlando, Florida, and Nashville, Tennessee, but now John Boy and Billy had the potential to be mentioned alongside Stern and Don Imus. John Boy hoped to be heard up north, too, though many doubted that would work.^[8]

By 1996, the show was heard on 28 stations in 10 states.^[9] In June of that year the first country station to air the show was WMTD-FM in Beckley, West Virginia.^[10]

In 1999, John Boy and Billy were being heard on 65 rock stations in 18 states, but the show was expected to dramatically increase its potential audience when the producers added the option of country music. WHSL in Greensboro, North Carolina, which like the show and WRFX was owned by Capstar Broadcasting, was one of the first country stations in the network. Prophet Systems Innovations, also owned by Capstar, developed the technology to easily allow different musical programs between talk segments (about three rock songs were played per hour, though country songs tended to be shorter and there might be more of them). Macon Moye, vice president and general manager of the John Boy and Billy network, said the addition of country music would allow the show to be heard in northern states where the show would not fit a rock format. Sean Ross, editor of Airplay Monitor, cautioned that the show might be "too edgy and too male" for some country stations, but Tom Taylor, editor of the M Street Daily Fax of Nashville, Tennessee, believed the show had great potential to expand.^[11]

By 2002, 110 stations carried the show. At this time, oldies stations could broadcast the show with songs specific to their format. This was true when classic rock stations inadvertently aired the Queen song "Another One Bites the Dust" immediately after the show reported about the Beltway sniper attacks in October 2002. Executive producer Randy Brazell said songs were selected in advance and stored using complicated computer software. After the hosts learned from an affiliate what had happened, they decided that to mention it on the air would give the incident more attention; perhaps people had not noticed.^[12]

In 2008 the show gained its first New Jersey affiliate, Country Music station 106.7 WKOE in North Cape May. In April 2009, the show went north of the Mason-Dixon line and went on the air on 95.9 WZDB Sykesville, Pennsylvania "Rockin the Northern Alleghenies".

The show is broadcast with a time-delay.^[13]

Discography[link]

John Boy and Billy released a number of albums between the 1990s to the 2000s.

Main albums[link]

• Economically Priced First Album
• Head Cleaner
• Straight, White & Southern
• Big Ol' Hairy Album
• Two For the Show
• Love Ya…Mean It
• Southern Exposure
• A Barrel of Laughs
• Freakshow
• Dixie Diner
• Rocket Science
• Radioland
• Rough Cuts
• American Goobers
• Karl Childers: Potted Meat
• Karl Childers: Potted Meat Rides Again
• Ike at the Mike
• Songs We Love To Sing

Compilations[link]

• Christmas Album
• Nerve-Wrackin’ Christmas Part 2
• John Boy & Billy: Best of 20

Box sets[link]

• John Boy & Billy in a Box (unavailable; consists of the first four albums listed above)

Other events[link]

John Boy and Billy have a "Comedy Classic Weekend" every year at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina where they make public appearances along with the crew and guest comedians.^[14]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Robert D. Raiford on the Internet Movie Database
• Jeff Pillars on the Internet Movie Database