View From The Front Porch-Stan Hitchcock-December 5, 2012

Below is a comment sent to me by my friend Chuck Lowrance, one of my hero country disc jockeys from the good days of country music. Chuck's on air name was Chuck Lowe, and he worked top radio stations around the country. He is here talking about the death of Rick Blackburn:

Chuck Lowrance: Stan, Rick and I also go way back to the early years, I could always expect a phone call from Rick when he had a song or an artist that he wanted to get jump started. We spent countless hours on numerous occasions throughout the years discussing the do's and don'ts and the why's and why not's of the music business. Rick had an uncanny ability to spot that hit song or that special talent of an artist and the ability to mesh the two together to get the maximum success of both. The music industry is certainly better off today because Rick Blackburn was such a big part of it's success. Rick will be missed by everyone who knew him and especially by those of us that knew him well.

To: Chuck Lowrance from Stan Hitchcock

Yes, Chuck, Rick was of the era that we all love and it was the days of real music leaders who cared enough about their artists to call the radio guys like you and get the feedback and support. Chuck, you belong to a rare breed of radio professionals who actually built this thing we call "classic country", 50's-60's and 70's with voices that had character and personality, and who knew the music inside out because they knew and supported the artists, always making the artist welcome to drop in and chat on the air. Country Radio and country music will never have that close personal relationship again, the music has changed-the radio has changed and the fans are the ones that lose because of it. Thank you Chuck, for all the good you did our music and for the friendship that lives on.   -Stan