When's the last time, a disc jockey got a seat on the Michigan
Supreme Court?
Don't bother scrambling for the the history books, the answer is
never.
Say hello to Alton Thomas Davis the former appeals court judge
from up North. Last week in a stunner of an announcement, former
Justice Betty Weaver finally resigned from the high court and worked
her magic with Governor Granholm to get Davis the job.
But here's a chance to impress your family and friends. In a
moment you will know his unusual air name when he play records, your
remember records don't you, on an FM station in Petoskey years ago.
Tom Davis was attending college and doing a bang up job on the
debate team. A wealthy business man had just purchased a 50,000 watt
FM station and was scurrying around for a disc jockey. He called the
college and asked for somebody who could talk on the radio.
Davis filled the bill and found himself in front of a microphone
for the first time.
Now back then, being on an FM station is not what it is today.
Most folks did not have the FM ban on their radios and AM ruled the
world. Davis figured that out as he often wondered, "Is anybody out
there listening."
Nonetheless, he did so well that the boss promoted him, if you can
call this a promotion. He got to anchor, what they affectionately
refer to as the grave yard shift from midnight to 6 a.m. each night
What kind of music did you play? he was asked.
"Anything I liked (and) early in the morning I played music for the
farmers and the cows," he gives out a hearty laugh.
Being the top jock in that time slot finally gave way to his desire
to practice the law and thus ended his show biz career.
But the "Red Baron" will go down in history as the first radio
announcer to find his way to the state's highest court and now, as Paul
Harvey would say, you know the rest of the story.