America’s Morning Show

BLAIR GARNER
Host

Discovered by a local radio executive in his hometown of Canyon, Texas, Blair Garner has been on the radio waves since age 17. Working on local radio stations all through college, Garner quickly climbed the ranks as his voice caught the ear of program directors from many major markets. He quickly found himself working for legendary stations in Washington, D.C., New York City, Houston and Los Angeles.

It was in the early 1990’s, though, that Garner found his niche – late-night radio. He found that the demand for third-shift disc jockeys was high across the country and set out to fix that problem. Garner planned for two long years before After MidNite ever hit the airwaves. It quickly became a fast-growing syndicated country radio show with over 100 affiliates picking it up in the first year. Today, over 20 years later on America’s Morning Show, his distinct voice mixed with his conversational-styled interviews makes him one of the most recognizable radio personalities in North America.

Garner credits his drive and success to the unwavering support from his parents growing up. “Every day they would tell me to ‘work hard and be kind,’” says Garner. “and even today, when I tuck my kids in at night, I say the same to them. That’s how important I think it is.” In his nearly 30 years in the business Blair has definitely done those two things. As proof, he has been hailed three times from the Academy of Country Music as their “National Radio Personality of the Year.” He’s also been nominated for the prestigious Marconi Award in broadcasting and not to mention the invaluable adoration of country music’s biggest stars. In 2013, he was inducted to the National Radio Hall of Fame and began his next chapter as the host of America’s Morning Show.

CHUCK WICKS
Co-Host

Chuck Wicks hit the Nashville music scene in 2007 with his Top 5 hit, “Stealing Cinderella,” off his debut album, Starting Now. In 2008, he starred on the eighth season of the ABC hit reality show Dancing With The Stars, making it all the way to the semi-finals. Following his early successes, Wicks decided to take some time to focus on writing and to get back to the simplicities of life he learned while growing up and working on a potato farm in small town Smyrna, Delaware.

Wicks’ love for hunting and the outdoors has landed him on multiple Outdoor Channel hunting shows and vignettes. Now, Wicks hosts his own show on the Outdoor Channel, The Hunt Club, in addition to his morning co-hosting duties on America’s Morning Show.

Wicks’ new EP Rough was released in April 2012 and is currently available on iTunes. His lead single, “Salt Life,” debuted in the summer of 2013. Wicks partnered with the ocean lifestyle brand, Salt Life, to give 20,000 fans a
complimentary copy of the EP with their purchase of Salt Life branded products, which include apparel, headwear, bags, sunglasses, sunscreen and other beach gear.

2014 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Wicks. His recently released single “Us Again” quickly rose to the Top 10 on the iTunes Country Singles Chart in its first week with fans and radio loving the new music. A new album is due out later this year.

TERRI CLARK
Co-Host

It was 1987 when Terri, her mother Linda and her best friend packed the aspiring singer and her belongings into a Honda Civic and drove from Canada to Nashville, leaving her to play for tips at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, a legendary Lower Broadway honky-tonk. For years Terri bused herself across town constantly hoping for that “big break.”

Then, in 1995 after landing her first record deal, she launched her career with “
Better Things to Do,” a contemporary twist on the no-nonsense approach of Kitty Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” From there, Terri went on to spawn 3 multi-platinum albums plus the Top 10 hits “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me,” “I Just Wanna Be Mad,” “I Wanna Do It All,” and “Girls Lie Too.” The only Canadian female member of The Grand Ole Opry, she reveals the starting point for every part of the Terri Clark sound needs: the hardcore honky-tonk of Merle Haggard; the California country-rock of Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris; and the tough-minded women like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. And its this same recipe for her songs that Terri brings to America’s Morning Show every weekday morning. She’s lived the “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” way of life and she speaks directly to the country audience. Authenticity is the only language she speaks.

ROBIN MEADE
News

Robin Meade is the Emmy Award-winning anchor of HLN’s morning show, ” Morning Express with Robin Meade.” A staple in broadcast Journalism, Meade has become one of the most popular television news personalities in the industry.

In addition to television, Meade also debuted her first country album, “Brand New Day,” in June 2011. And the follow-up album “Count On Me” in 2012. Working with Nashville heavy-hitters like John Rich, Victoria Shaw and Keb Mo. Both albums feature original songs, many of which were co-written by Meade.

Meade attended Malone College and Ashland University where she majored in radio/television production, programming and performance and minored in political science. Meade’s first book, “Morning Sunshine! How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It, Too,” was released in September 2009 and instantly became a New York Times bestseller.

Twice hourly you can hear Robin on America’s Morning Show reporting the latest news straight from the HLN/CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.

ERIKA GRACE POWELL
Entertainment Correspondent

Erika Grace Powell is a Vocal Performance graduate of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. She is classically trained in opera, classical crossover, musical theatre, and pop. Erika was crowned Miss South Carolina
2005 and advanced to the 2006 Miss America Pageant, where she won the Bernie Wayne overall talent award and placed as a top ten finalist. Erika was also crowned Miss South Carolina USA 2012. This is a rare occurrence that a woman should win both the Miss America and the Miss Universe state titles in her lifetime. She was thrilled to place in the Top – 15 at The Miss USA Pageant in Las Vegas.

Erika has been spotted on television shows like “Ugly Betty”, “White Collar”, “Royal Pains”, “The Good Wife”, and in commercials for Kohl’s, Lowe’s, and many others. She joined America’s Morning Show in November 2013 with the role of Entertainment Correspondent. Catch her every weekday bringing you the latest in entertainment news with her NASH Trash and NASH News segments.

 

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