Crazy Journey (And Finding My True Identity)) (eBook)

INTRODUCTION

“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

William Frederick Turner Jr. (Doak) was born July 5th, 1959 in South Charleston, WV. Early years spent with mother, Betty, Mawmaw Odessa Kerns, Aunt Barb and Uncle Butch. We moved to St. Albans, WV in 1967 (3rd grade) and remained in St Albans until 1987, when I moved to Charlotte, NC in the radio sales business with Beasley Broadcast Group.

I have always loved reading books about famous athletes and entertainment professionals, from those paperback books I ordered from Scholastic Books, later in “Circus Magazine” and other music magazines. I loved watch sports and entertainment on television through the years, the “Game of the Week” to the music, “Don Kershner’s Rock Concerts”, “The Midnight Special”, Tom Jones weekly TV show and other music icons on television.

There was always something special about seeing performers of all types on TV and on stage. My first concert was in the mid 60’s, The Four Seasons as I begged mom to take me to that concert, to later attending hundreds of concerts, award shows and special events through the years.

Early memories include watching the Cincinnati Reds on local television and listening to them games on the radio. It was a thrill for me to meet Pete Rose in Charleston, WV and WV native son, Jerry West, “The LOGO” when he played with the LA Lakers were a couple of the first famous people I met at a young age in Charleston, WV.

Meeting some of the AAA Baseball Charleston Charlies (WV) minor league team and later seeing them on TV with the Pittsburgh Pirates, such as Art Howe, Dave Parker, Richie Zisk and other players was always a thrill to this 12-year-old kid.

I met Coach Bobby Bowden, head football coach at WVU at the time at a Billy Graham Crusade and got his autograph and hearing him speak, along with some of Billy’s guest at the revival were big thrills to me in about 1970.

Little did I know that years later I would meet and work with some of the greatest names in music, sports in the NFL, NBA, MLB, pro wrestling, tennis, NASCAR, motivational speakers, authors and entrepreneurs.

Over the years I was blessed to attend pro baseball games Riverfront Stadium and Atlanta, the 1991 NBA All-Star weekend and several pro basketball games in three different arenas in Charlotte, NC and to see the Lakers play twice in The Staples Center in LA including six rows from the floor (met Magic Johnson at one of those LA games), pro football games in Charlotte and Nashville and the 1994 Super Bowl in Atlanta.

I attended a couple NHL hockey games in Nashville and Los Angeles (in the suite for the King’s game) and minor league hockey in Atlanta, college football games in Morgantown, WV, the Yale Bowl in New Haven, CT, WVU games in Charlotte, NC and “Between the Hedges” in Georgia. I was blessed with college basketball games in Charleston, WV, NC State and UNC in Raleigh, NC and the ACC Basketball Tournament and NCAA regional games in Charlotte, NC.

I became a tennis fan and attended pro tennis matches including Davis Cup Matches in Cincinnati and Charlotte, (sold tickets to the Charlotte Davis Cup event) and met the pros at the events. I was on ESPN a couple times watching the Davis Cup in Cincinnati in 1981 and met the players and got their autographs at the hotel during the weekend

I asked for and received media passes in the late 80’s and early 90’s for the Family Circle Magazine professional women’s tennis tournament on Hilton Head Island. The tennis events over the years also included a media pass for the women’s Federation Cup tennis matches in Charlotte. NC.

NASCAR memories include events sitting in the suites, access to the pits and garages and on top of the media center in Charlotte with the “spotters” watching every team and a grand view of the track along with races at tracks including Talladega, Bakersfield, Atlanta, Dover and attending the Daytona 500.

I attended PGA golf tournaments in Winston Salem and Charlotte and a practice round at The Master’s. Great times were spent on Hilton Head Island with all-access passes and events at a celebrity golf tournament weekend and also for the MCI Heritage Tournament on Hilton Head Island thanks to my friend, Bill Scott.

The opportunity to work with basketball legend Carl Scheer and meeting and getting to know David Thompson, one of my favorite basketball players of all time and having him taking me to a Charlotte Hornet’s game in the early 90’s.

In Nashville, I was blessed to work with Audco, with the team coordinating seat-fillers, working events such as the CMA and CMT Awards rehearsals and in charge of seat fillers that were assigned to sit with the artists and celebrities at the events.

For the CMT Awards we were handing out thousands of wristbands to get fans into the shows, along with tickets to fill up sections of the arena and help with the events on TV and even appeared on TV a couple of times at the events.

Several years of working in the sports and entertainment business, my career became my Identity to myself. I was hanging out with some of the greatest names in the world at times and I got caught up in it with my stories and what I talked about with friends and family were all about people I met, got to see perform. Sometimes, I was working behind the scenes and a couple times, on stage in the spotlight. It was part of the job and “MY IDENTITY” to myself.

I worked to be the best salesperson I could, being the top sales person at my station in Charleston, WV every month from September 1982- January 1987 and success in Charlotte, NC 1987- 1991 and in 195 with NASCAR Country Radio Network. It was fun, yet time demanding and when you get to the top, you think you are really set, have it all figured out, and believe it will always be that way.

“The only thing Consistent is Change” is what my General Manager of several years, David Chadler often said about life. I had no idea what he was talking about in those fun 80’s, just living to be #1 and keeping that IDENTITY, in my mind. I would learn that lesson of change can happen many times in life over A Crazy Journey.

“There are three constants in life: change, choice and principles.” Stephen R. Covey

Some of the greatest times were when I was working in radio sales 1982-1991, ring announcer for NWA Wrestling 1985 and 1986 while working in radio sales, Arena Football NASCAR Country Radio, owning businesses that were a GPS in the Music Community in Nashville, hosting 120+ events at my home in Nashville.

While living in Nashville 2002-2017 I was writing songs with songwriters in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and other hit songwriters along with my peers as all of us were trying to get that big hit song. I was blessed to be working and hanging out with famous people as it was my life at times on A Crazy Journey. That was My IDENTITY.

Highest of highs at times, and when jobs changed, challenges came, the lowest of lows. I lost my IDENTITY for a while at times. I thought of myself as a failure at times, especially at the end of 2017 after I moved back to North Carolina away from the music community in Nashville.

I lost My IDENTITY several times in life, with job changes, career changes, dreams and goals falling short. Yet, for some reason, God kept me going in life. When you feel you are on top of the mountain, then change happens and you do not know which mountain to climb next, so you are at the bottom, you may feel like a failure as I did at times in life. I learned to keep going and praying on A Crazy Journey.

The Testimony section tells what led me to finally finding that TRUE IDENTITY is included with the stories in the book.

The Stories behind the Stories and just how did this kid from St. Albans, WV end up with A Crazy Journey is in the book.

I have included the takeaways discussing the work, effort, taking chances, helping others on their journey, sacrificing relationships, building relationships, working for years at times without vacations. I was learning about life and the industry that I lived and worked, listening to motivation tapes and reading positive books, taking tough times with the challenges to learn how to become a better person and staying positive during tough times to never giving up.

I turned an idea or two into the two successful businesses that had never been done in the Nashville music community to be great resources that made differences in 1,000’s of lives. That was My IDENTITY for 15+ years of life living in the Nashville Music World.

I have also included some of my favorite quotes to go along with the stories from well known people and some quotes that I will take credit for the quote.

One of the Takeaways you can quote me, “God Sends People on Our Journey to Keep Us On The Journey”. I am the poster child for the statement.

I hope you enjoy the stories, become inspired and most of all, learn to go for your dreams, yet keep life in perspective as your job/career is What You Do, Not Who You Are in life.

Let me know if...