Jub Jam 2017 Preview with George Dunham

by: Cody Starr

For 23 years, George “Jub Jub” Dunham along with his co-hosts Craig “Junior” Miller and Gordon Keith (a.k.a. “The Great Gordo”) have been part of a team that redefined sports talk radio. When The Ticket (KTCK 1310 AM, 96.7 FM Dallas-Fort Worth) took to the airwaves back in 1994, “all sports” radio was in its infancy. While such stations existed in other markets, radio execs were skeptical that a format consisting of “all sports, all the time” had staying power.

The Ticket came along and well, it shattered the mold… in a way that I can only describe as an accidental stroke of genius. Rather than sticking to straight-laced sports journalism, it took an unscripted mix of guy talk, wacky on-air bits, sports news and “hot sports opinions” and built a subculture of loyal listeners, a.k.a. “P1s” (“P1” is radio jargon used to specify a station’s primary listener base, but due to its success The Ticket has pretty much hijacked the term. Simply Google “What is a P1?”). Over the years stations across the country have tried to copy “The Little Ticket” formula but none have been able to find those intangibles that make the magic; so elusive that even the staff couldn’t write the recipe if asked.

But amidst all the in jest crotch kicking that happens between on air personalities, the station culture is one of continuously giving back to the community, hosting various charity events throughout the year – golf tournaments, softball games, the Norm-A-Thon (hosted by legendary DFW broadcaster Norm Hitzges) are some off the cuff examples.

One Ticket charity event bleeds over into our Texas music world, and that would be Jub Jam. Like a lot of us, George Dunham got hooked listening to the likes of Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen and Pat Green. Inspired, he picked up his music ambitions that had been shelved since college and started his own band, The Bird Dogs, who are putting out their third album this summer. George admits, while it’s been fun, getting solid traction with his music has been difficult. So much so that he came close to giving it up, until a chain of events in his life and community shifted his focus to a bigger picture. It was out of those reflections that Jub Jam was born.

On April 13, Jub Jam 2017 will be held at legendary Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff. The music event benefits The Senior Source and features a pretty cool lineup – Flatland Cavalry, Kylie Rae Harris, Bobby Duncan, The Bird Dogs, The Gordon Keith Band, Michael Padgett and Steve Helms.

This was a fun interview and worth checking out. We cover George’s musical journey, this year’s Jub Jam lineup and of course mix in some Ticket shtick.

Check out http://www.theticket.com for more details.

Follow George on Twitter: @GeorgeDunham