This is Headline Country
Once a week, all the viewers of Great American Country (GAC) hear the words, “This week on Headline Country…” Storme Warren, the host of Headline Country has become a popular face among television personalities in country music and especially in Nashville but all the fame did not come overnight; it came with hard work and dedication to his love of country music.
As a child, Warren lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up with the storytelling songs of Charlie Daniels. In junior high, Warren took a creativity class and suggested to the teacher that the class should go to the radio station in town, so to fulfill the field trip requirement the class went to KELi. “It was like pulling the curtain back on Oz,” said Warren, “to actually see it (radio production) happening was unbelievable.”
After seeing “the curtain pulled back,” Warren returned to the radio station, just to observe and not long after, KELi offered him the opportunity to answer request lines (Warren, personal communication, October 9, 2009), at the time he was only 13. Warren (said he) would leave demo tapes on the station manager’s chair everyday and after his third week, he found a piece of paper attached to one of his tapes telling him what to work on. Six months later, after he turned 14, Warren was offered the chance of having his own radio show on the weekends and he continued to have a show for two years.
In high school, Warren moved to Ventura, California, with his family and continued working in radio. Warren worked part-time at KCAQ/Oxnard, later at KCZN/Ventura and KQLZ/Hollywood. After high school, Warren enrolled at California State University Northridge with the intent to major in TV/Radio/Film. At the time he was still working part time at radio stations and was a freelancer for CNN, so he decided to change his major to Leisure Studies and Recreation. “I didn’t want to burn out on it (radio) and wanted to keep my fire for it,” Warren said about changing his major.
Warren’s stint at CNN started when his brother called to ask him to fill in for a cameraman. Soon enough he became a full-time cameraman at CNN Los Angeles and quickly became a segment producer for Showbiz Today. While working at Showbiz Today, he was given one shot, one interview, so he chose to interview his childhood idol, Charlie Daniels. “Two years later, he pulled me aside (Daniels) and told me to move to Nashville,” said Warren after another meeting with his idol. Warren followed Daniels’ advice and moved to the Music City in 1993.
After Warren relocated to Tennessee, he landed a job with Jim Owens and Associates. Owens is a long time producer of country music television for The Nashville Network (TNN). During a meeting with Owens, Warren was told that Charlie Daniels had written a letter of recommendation to Owens. Warren’s first job at TNN was an on-air reporter for Crook and Chase, a country music oriented television program and after that he found himself working for whatever show Owens had to offer.
In 2002, along with country artist managers, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Hartley and television producer, Greg Travis, formed Different Drummer Production, LLC. The result of Different Drummer and in partnership with GAC came Country Music Across America. The point of the show was to bring country news back to television and the first guest was none other than, Charlie Daniels.
Country Music Across America brought Warren back to his favorite part of country music, “Being close to the creative force of music and watching a new artist grow.” Warren mentioned that in the country media world, once an artist gets big and hits mainstream media, country media won’t see him or her again, “Our job is to be the foundation for the artist on the way up and on the way down.”
Interviewing the legends is an experience all on its own but getting to be the last interview for a legend is something that Warren takes great pride in. Some of the interviews that impacted Warren were Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, and Buck Owens. “I did an interview with Chet Atkins, and he said goodbye to the camera,” Warren said, “Not long after that he passed away.” The one interview that he will never forget was with Buck Owens. In March of 2006, he flew out to Bakersfield, California, to meet with
the legend and was greeted with these words, “Storme, I hope you have some good questions.” That was the last interview for Owens and within nine months he passed away (Warren, personal communication, October 9, 2009). In 2007, Warren was honored with a red, white and blue guitar and was inducted into the Owens Family Ring of Honor. Then, he joined with only two other non-performers, Dick Clark and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
On January 15, 2009, Country Music Across America changed its name to Headline Country. Warren is still the host and has found himself traveling a lot over the past year. Through his job, Warren has been able to fly with the Blue Angels and attend music festivals all over the world, leaving his wife, Allison and two sons, Jackson and Evan, at home in Nashville. “I try my best to balance my job with family,” said Warren, “they have a constant understanding.” In Nashville, he is an active part in the community with foundations such as, TJ Martel Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS research.
From a little boy in Oklahoma with a dream to a man in a Nashville with his reality, Warren has accomplished more so far than some in a lifetime. From interviewing legends to flying with the Blue Angels to raising money for children, Warren is definitely a true role model for younger people to look up to.
Alright so as some of you may know, I have a “To Do” List when it comes to going to certain sporting events in certain cities and on November 21, I finally checked off the part about watching a UCLA football game at the Rose Bowl. I have been a UCLA fan for almost all of my life and even though I go to ASU, I’m still a Bruin at heart. 
So it is August 19, 2009, and I have officially moved away from the wonderful (ha) Hendersonville. I am sitting on an airplane right now somewhere over Texas or New Mexico, I think, just thinking logically because I only have an hour left before I land in Phoenix. 
