By Ruby Durham
She might not be shooting literal shots in the gym like her nephews Stephen and Seth, but Jackie Curry is helping write the winning playbook at the John Boy & Billy Big Show, a Charlotte-based syndicated radio show.
Curry is the Executive Producer for the show with a classic rock format which airs on 99.7 The Fox WRFX, Monday through Saturday mornings. The Big Show is frequently ranked #1 on Arbitron with over 50 affiliates in the Charlotte market among their demographics.
“I tell people I’m a Black woman stuck in a white man’s world and love it, and they love that about me,” Curry said. “I’m also the mama. I’m easy to talk to, and I love making sure they can do their job exceptionally well.”
This year marks 30 years at the Big Show for Curry. She works behind the scenes making sure John Boy and Billy, the main on-air talents, know the run of the show and takes calls from listeners who want to be a part of live games. Over the last 20 years, Curry has written all the Saturday and vacation shows.
Jackie recalled one of her favorite moments being able to travel with the Big Show to air live from places like Japan and at the Daytona races at Disney World.
“I’m a guy’s girl and it’s been that way since I was younger,” Curry said. “I think it comes from my brother Dell and I being close growing up. We were both athletes and shared a lot of the same friends.”
Curry said her radio career has brought a lot of diversity in her life and experiences she loves to share with her son Eric Lynch.
“I tell everybody I have one son that is one of my best accomplishments, but I also work at a daycare and have two children,” Curry said.
“Billy’s quiet but very smart, funny and like the perfect child. And John Boy is spoiled rotten but makes you feel like you’re the most important person,” she said.
Curry initially started as a receptionist at WRFX before being promoted to the Big Show. Prior to that, Curry had moved to Charlotte from Grottoes, Virginia, after her job shut down and father passed away. The plan was to help her brother, Dell Curry, and his then-wife Sonya Curry, with their two sons Stephen and Seth Curry. At the time, Dell played for the Charlotte Hornets.
“Growing up, I went to a predominantly white school in Fort Defiance, Virginia, and listened to Led Zeppelin, The Police, Aerosmith and Kiss. We didn’t have urban stations — not even a stoplight, and could not get Dominos to deliver pizza,” Curry said. “I loved helping my brother, so I accepted the job and would often bring Seth and Steph with me. Everybody embraced them and called them the ‘Big Show’ kids.”
Curry said she never wanted to be on the frontlines of the show but can tell you about every song being played. Some of her repeat songs are John Boy’s song, “I Need a Vehicle,” “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker and anything by Santana, and The Marshall Tucker Band, to name a few.
“My significant other tells me I know more redneck music than Black music,” Curry said. “Besides that, I have a potty mouth — so my mom says, ‘Do not get on that microphone.’ ”
Curry’s advice to other women taking leaps into jobs that may be different from what people expect is to be authentic, and find a community of people who embrace that as well.