WGLB The Pre-Game
“There is not a gospel reggae scene in Milwaukee.”
Drum Major, the man making the above claim, holds a position that should allow him to authoritatively speak to that question. He hosts a weekly two-hour show dedicated to such music, “The Pre-Game,” on Milwaukee soul gospel specialty outlet WGLB (1560 AM/96.1 FM) Saturdays at 6 p.m.
“The Pre-Game,”which may be the only program of its kind on terrestrial U.S. radio, was a concept Major had in mind for a while before its February 2021 debut, but how it came to the airwaves is nothing he really planned.
“Years ago I had a vision to play gospel reggae, and I figured that it would be something that I would pursue later on in life,” Major remembers. “I wasn’t looking for it. WGLB was not looking for it. It just happened.” As to how, he recalls, “I stopped in WGLB’s studios to set up a commercial for something that I was doing at the time, and I ran into someone I knew. I spoke to him in Jamaican patois.”
Major, who was born in the island nation whose music he promotes, adds, “That led to a conversation with administration that witnessed the conversation. One thing led to another, and here we are!”—hosting a show of which the only thing similar may be Prince Mydas’ “Reggae Vibes” on Great Britain’s online Premier Gospel. “The U.K. really embraces reggae,” Major notes.
The U.K. also has a show by which its listeners can easily tell what kind of music it will feature by its name. But “The Pre-Game”? To explain a title, which might be as well suited something on ESPN Radio, Major explains. “It popped in my head as I did rideshare driving for Lyft and dropped people off to different parties.
“In party culture, pre-gaming is the warm up for the big party. It’s the bar hop before the club. Well, just because someone chooses to live for Jesus, it does not mean that they have a dry life. I wanted to start a culture whereby people pre-game for the big event. church, by listening to some cool music and having a Bible study or discussion about current issues and what the biblical perspective on current world issues is,” Major states as to the warm-up to Sunday morning congregational activity his listeners get.
|
|
And, especially for a man with two jobs and twice as many children with his wife of 13 years, he puts substantial work into the lessons he shares along lengthy sets of tunes. “When it comes to the teaching and preaching, approximately nine hours of biblical research and prep, not to mention the prayer outside of those hours” informs any particular week’s episode. “I take it very serious. I am just a regular dude that loves God, loves people, and is doing all I know to do in an attempt to help my community. I think we can all agree that Milwaukee could benefit from something different.”
Sourcing all that gospel reggae isn't exactly a breeze either. “Much digging and searching,” is what he emphasizes it takes to arrive at “The Pre-Game’s” sonic variety.
“The Pre-Game is as underground as it gets,” Major says. “It is truly an underground experience birthed through generations of music lovers in my family that came before me.”
