Show Hosts
Jay Butler - Program Host
You can email Jay Butler at jbutler@wdetfm.org Check out Ed Love's Highly Recommended New CDs 2008
With almost five decades of broadcast experience, Jay Butler is a familiar voice to generations of Detroiters from his years at WJLB, WCHB and WQBH. Listeners can expect a lively mix of blues, R&B and soul when they stop by “Jay’s Place” on Saturday nights. Listeners can expect a lively mix of blues, R&B and soul when they stop by “Jay’s Place” on Saturday nights. Listeners can expect to hear such artists as Buddy Guy, BB King, Etta James, Bobby Bland, Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Reed, Alberta Adams, the Butler Twins, Cash McCall, Delbert McClinton, Jimmy Reed, Johnnie Bassett, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Muddy Watters, Ray Charles, Roomful of Blues, Roy Buchanan, Sam Cooke, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Santana, Taj Mahal and countless others.
The pastor of Sweet Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church, Robert is a self-taught musician who developed a love for traditional blues music as a teenager and began playing professionally in his mid-twenties. Nowadays, he is a scholar of blues and gospel, and WDET is honored to have him as the host of Deep River, a gospel and spiritual show that delves into America's devout and sacred music tradition. As a performer, Robert has shared the stage with a variety of well-known musical artists, such as Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams and Dr. John. His styles include songs and playing styles from the Mississippi Delta, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia and early Chicago blues traditions. Aside from his performing and broadcasting careers, he has taught blues music at Central Michigan University, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo College, among other places. Robert has received many awards in the past, including 1991 Metro Times "Detroit's Best Blues Instrumentalist" and 1995 Living Blues Magazine named him "one of America's Top Blues Performers."
"Most radio is about what’s the latest cut and there is nothing wrong with modern gospel, but the rich heritage and tradition of this music has been the foundation for many contemporary performers" --Robert Jones
You can e-mail Robert Jones at rjones@wdetfm.org.
Michael Julien - Program Host
A native of the Caribbean Island of Dominica, Michael came to the United States to study mass communications. He joined WDET in 1983 as a volunteer and now hosts the only show on Detroit FM radio that features Caribbean sounds. He has hosted Reggae International, Reggae Vibrations, Caribbean Vibrations, Radio Free Earth and The Michael Julien Program. Michael has received many honors for his radio programs from Metro Times and Caribbean Entertainment Guide and was also presented with the 1998 Citizen of the Year award by the Caribbean Association in Detroit.
"I hope that my listeners always discover new music and information. I have a strong community commitment and involvement and try to share that with my listeners." --Michael Julien
Check out Michael Julien's Top 10 And Then Some 2005.
You can email Michael Julien at mjulien@wdetfm.org.
Ed Love - Program Host
WDET is proud to include one of the nation's most prominent radio hosts as part of its award-winning programming: Ed Love. For more than 24 years, Ed has delighted listeners with Destination Jazz: The Ed Love Program on weekdays from 7pm to midnight on WDET 101.9FM. Ed’s passion for jazz and radio extends all the way back to his youth in Kansas, when he was an avid listener of his mother’s records and hosts like Dick Martin of WWL in New Orleans. After graduating from broadcasting school, Ed worked for Armed Forces Radio in several states and in the Philippines. Starting in 1960, he worked at various stations throughout Detroit until finally joining WDET in 1983.
Ed has not only entertained Detroit radio listeners throughout his impressive career, but also spent six years hosting a nationally syndicated program The Evolution of Jazz, educating and entertaining listeners on 125 stations from coast to coast. For his contribution to the world of jazz, Ed was honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Motor City Music Foundation. Ed was recognized by the Friends of the Detroit Institute of Arts with the Dr. Alian Locke Award in 1999 for his contributions to the arts. He’s earned two Spirit of Detroit Awards from Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young and Dennis W. Archer, as well as recognition by current Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in addition to two Wayne County Executives, the Michigan House of Representatives, the Michigan Senate, the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Broadcast Awards for his profound knowledge and love of jazz. The Southeast Michigan Jazz Association (SEMJA) recognized Ed for his outstanding contribution to jazz and the arts. In 2005, Ed received the “Detroit Jazz Guardian” Award from the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts and the Detroit International Jazz Festival. Ed was also honored in 2005 with the "Distinguished Arts Achievement" award from the Oakland County chapter of The Links. He has also served as the senior program consultant for the Detroit International Jazz Festival since 2000.
"I introduce people nightly to new recordings in jazz and play the classics of years gone by -- what I like to call Ed Love Flashbacks." --Ed Love
Check out Ed Love's Highly Recommended New CDs 2007
You can email Ed Love at elove@wdetfm.org.Larry McDaniel - Program Host
Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, to a family of modest means, Larry traveled with his family to wherever the whirl of a sawmill would put a paycheck in his father's pocket (hence the title of his show, Arkansas Traveler)--but his family also made treks to hear performers in nearby towns. Larry has always perceived music as a great importance in his life. As a youngster, he bicycled miles through the woods to catch the likes of James Brown and the Famous Flames in concert. His first taste of broadcasting came aboard the U.S.S. Newell where he served as a radioman in the Navy. His creativity was put to the test with the rocking of the ship. He hung his record player from the overhead pipes so it would "roll" with the waves. He then followed the same course with his microphone! He began hosting Arkansas Traveler program in 1977 on WDET. Quick to expose young talents that aren't signed to the big labels and to pay tribute to the originators of bluegrass, Larry is a man who is passionate about the simple truths and pure delivery of bluegrass music.
You can e-mail Larry McDaniel at lmcdaniel@wdetfm.org.
Matt Watroba - Program Host
Matt Watroba's immense passion for folk music has led him to his position as music host of Folks Like Us on WDET. In 2000, he was awarded "Best Overall Folk Performer" by the Detroit Music Awards. His long list of credits include the prestigious Ann Arbor Folk Festival, the Detroit 300 celebration, The Ark, the Spirit of the Woods Festival, the New Jersey Folk Weekend, Louisville's Kentucky Music Weekend, and hundreds of school and community presentations throughout the Great Lakes Region. An excellent guitar player, playing both traditional and contemporary folk, Matt has shared the stage with many great performers, such as Pete Seeger, Shawn Colvin, Christine Lavin, Richard Thompson, Peter Yarrow, Tom Paxton, Arlo Guthrie and Ramblin' Jack Elliot. He has been a part of WDET music offerings for almost two decades and continues to entertain and educate listeners with his knowledge of folk music.
You can e-mail Matt Watroba at mwatroba@wdetfm.org.