BR.
BRUCE NELSON
During
the sixties and seventies, Bruce was an air personality
and programmer of legendary and influential Country
stations including WPLO, Atlanta; WUBE, Cincinnati;
WMIL, Milwaukee; KENR, Houston; KNUZ; Houston. While
at KENR in 1973, he was part of the team that took
a Country station to the number one position in a major
market for the first time. Dr. Bruce was Gavin Music
Director of the Year in 1974 and holds more than fifty
record company awards for helping break the careers
of Mickey Gilley, Freddie Fender, Johnny Lee and Gene
Watson.
In the early 1960's Dr. Bruce worked at the first FM country Station in the United
States WXRA in Woodbridge Virginia (Serving the Washington DC/Baltimore area)
along side famous fiddle player Scotty Stoneman of the famed Stoneman Family
and Country Disc Jockey Hall of Fame member "Cousin Ray". A sometimes
recording artist he charted nationally in 1973 with "Shake Em Up and let
Em Roll" on Royal American and was the opening act at Gilley's for Mickey
Gilley and Johnny Lee where he also originated the first live broadcast over
KENR in Houston from Gilley's (The Saturday Night Special) which later evolved
into the syndicated "Live at Gilley's during the Urban Cowboy heydays. In
2005 Governor Rick Perry and the state of Texas recognized Dr. Bruce with a senate
resolution noting his contribution to country music in the Lone Star State.
Today Bruce is the morning air personality on “Real Country Radio” KFTX-FM
in Corpus Christi, where he also serves as General Manager. He was inducted into
the Country Music Association of Texas Hall of Fame in 1999.
His charitable work includes raising funds for the Ontonagon Theater For The
Performing Arts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he worked before joining
KFTX.
