Julian Taylor’s Jukebox is a program that’s new to CKUA. It airs Sundays from 7pm to 10pm MT. We asked host Julian Taylor about his vision for the new show, his musical influences, and what CKUA means to him.
Tell us about your show. What can people expect when they tune in?
A 3-hour eclectic musical adventure. I believe in supporting artists like myself whenever possible, so I make a point of ensuring that 70% of the music on the show every week is from black, Indigenous, and artists of colour. That said, hopefully that isn’t what listeners hear, just a bunch of great music. There are really no restrictions on genre, just music that I’m digging at any one particular time, and that I’d like folks to hear.
Who are your cultural influences and musical favourites?
My very first musical influences would have been many of the singer-songwriters that I was introduced to as a kid. My mom loved artists that had something to say and a moral social compass. The likes of Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Ritchie Havens, Willie Dunn, Odette, Joni Mitchell, Bill Withers, Nina Simone and Jim Croce were records and artists that I gravitated to on the regular. As far as cultural favourites Joe Lewis and Mohammed Ali were big in our family as my grandfather was a boxer himself. Of course figures like Rosa Parks, Chief Dan George, Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King just to name a few were big in our home, too.
How did you decide on your program’s name?
I have a vintage AMI/Rowe jukebox in my living room, and I’m always on the lookout for 7” vinyl to put in there. When I get visitors, obviously one of the first things I do is put on some music. So, the Jukebox radio show is meant to be what I’d play you if we were hanging out at my place.
What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
It may sound odd for someone who makes a living standing on a stage singing, but I’m actually quite introverted.
What does CKUA mean to you?
CKUA has always been very supportive of me and my music, and I’m a huge fan as a listener as well, so I was absolutely thrilled to learn that you’d be carrying the Jukebox. It will bring what is essentially a labour of love for me, to a lot of new listeners, not just in Alberta but all over the world. I am truly grateful to the fine folks at CKUA for supporting independent radio.
