But a popular country singer will be standing in for him after he found out why Higgins wouldn’t be on the air.
Debbie Stringer, general manager of the station, said Friday afternoon that listeners from around the area, and across the country who listen via live stream on www.blueridgecountry98.com, called in to find out what happened to Higgins last Saturday morning.
Higgins was on his 8 to 10 a.m. radio show, J.D.’s Country Gold & a Little Top Notch Grass, when he had a mild heart attack, according to his doctors. Fellow deejay Derrick Davis drove Higgins to a nearby hospital, and then he was transported by ambulance to Forsyth Medical Center. He had five bypasses done at Forsyth Tuesday, Stringer said.
On Thursday, Stringer was telling listeners what happened to Higgins, and Grand Ole Opry member George Hamilton IV, who grew up in Winston-Salem, happened to be listening to the broadcast from Greensboro, N.C.
“He went to Forsyth hospital to visit J.D. and asked for permission to do the show,” Stringer said. “He’s been a good friend to the station.”
Hamilton will be on the air with Davis today from 8 to 10 a.m. standing in for Higgins. Hamilton has been performing since the 1950s. His song, “A Rose and a Baby Ruth,” recorded in 1956 when Hamilton was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was No. 6 on the American pop charts, and later attained gold record status. Hamilton now lives with his family in Nashville, Tenn.
It is uncertain when Higgins may be able to return to the radio station, Stringer said.
“He is doing well considering he had five bypasses,” she said.
WBRF FM 98.1 is stationed in Galax, but its towers are located in Surry County. It can be heard on radio waves in 40 counties across four states, and is webcast over the Internet.
Contact Wendy Byerly Wood at wbyerly-wood@mtairynews.com or 719-1923.
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