Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Special! (True Tunes Classic!)

Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Special

This show would not exist without the long, steady, wise guidance and technical prowess of music writer, radio veteran, and mixmaster extraordinaire, Bruce A. Brown. In this special, inside-out episode, we turn the microphone around. Host and podcast co-founder John J. Thompson sits down with Bruce in the “Virtual True Tunes Interview Suite” for a wide-ranging conversation about his life, his work, his passions, and the four-decade friendship behind this podcast.

The conversation comes on the first anniversary of the Big Beautiful Bruce Brown Benefit, a two-hour streaming event held after Bruce's cancer diagnosis, where a slew of artists contributed home-recorded songs and testimonials. Together with Bruce's GoFundMe, the benefit raised roughly $20,000 toward the treatment costs insurance doesn't cover. Woven throughout this episode are clips of music from artists who benefit from friends, including Michael Roe, Terry Scott Taylor, Bill Mallonee, Bill Campbell, Dave Perkins, Glenn Kaiser, Phil Keaggy, Jimmy Abegg, The Choir, Chris Taylor, and others. There’s a lot more music, too!

SUPPORT BRUCE

Bruce's fundraiser remains open — costs have continued to mount in the year since the benefit. If this episode moved you, please consider putting a few bucks in the jar HERE.

If you want to support the show more broadly, please join our Patreon community or drop us a one-time tip via PayPal, and check out our MERCH!

And thank you for doing all the other stuff — leaving us ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts, signing up for the email list, and subscribing to the weekly Spotify Mixtape. Spotify and Apple are great places to discover new music, but once you discover an artist you love, please support them with your dollars and your attention.

(NOTE: Our friend and long-time supporter, David Bunker, is also in need of help as he is battling Lewy Body Disease. We are helping to host a special tribute event in Nashville on September 12th, and encourage you to give to his GoFundMe Campaign as well. More info can be found HERE.)

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE

This episode features numerous exclusive musical clips from the “BBBBB” livestream, including:

Jimmy Abegg; Phil Keaggy; Terry Scott Taylor; Michael Roe & Bruce Spencer; Kevin Max; The Choir; Bill Campbell; Phil Madeira Trio; Glenn Kaiser; Dave Perkins; Bill Mallonee

(And a few words from Amy Grant & Steve Taylor)