Meet Marie C

I have been broadcasting country music for the last 25 years, starting out at a local community radio station. I worked as a freelance BBC Presenter from 2005 until 2020 when the pandemic brought about significant changes to scheduling. Since then I have been presenting a 2 hour country music show each week on the multi-award winning radio station CMR Nashville which is broadcast four times (Sundays 8-10pm, Mondays 8-10am, Fridays 6-8pm and Saturday 6-8am). You can also listen back anytime on Mixcloud or Hearthis.

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My passion for country music started in the late 1990s when I discovered the voice of Wynonna Judd. I bought her debut LP for £1 in a record shop and it blew me away. Before long I was listening to artists like Reba, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss. As I became immersed in the genre I began exploring the history of country music and found classic artists like Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (who I was lucky enough to meet). My friend put the photo of Kenny and I on a mug as a special gift.

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When country went a bit poppy in the mid 2000s I found myself moving away from the mainstream and more towards bluegrass, rootsy Americana and singer songwriters. I enjoy seeking out talent and some of the finest music I have discovered is by independent artists. My favourite songs are female ballads with a good storyline, the sadder the better! I was one of the first presenters in the UK to play Kacey Musgraves, Ashley McBryde, Cam and Brandy Clark. More recently I have championed bluegrass artist Hannah Harper, spreading the word about her talent. Once I heard she was auditioning for American Idol Season 24 in 2026, I was confident she would win and she did!

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I have been lucky enough to interview many artists, my first being Crystal Gayle. There are too many to name but the list includes Josh Turner, Toby Keith, Lee Ann Womack, Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland), Pam Tillis, Gretchen Peters and Ashley McBryde just before she hit the big time. More recently I have had the pleasure of interviewing Randall King, The Castellows, Kaitlin Butts and Caylee Hammack.

I think country music is in a great place at the moment, offering a vast range of styles to cater for everyone. UK festivals like C2C, Buckle and Boots and Long Road have made the genre ‘cool’ and have propelled it to a scale I could never have dreamed of. Just last weekend I was one of 60,000 attendees at Hyde Park, London watching Garth Brooks' spectacular return to the UK after a 30 year absence.

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In my spare time I enjoy line dancing, attending gigs, festivals, theatre and cinema and I have a youtube channel at MC Videos where I share live videos. Other hobbies include mini breaks in the UK, charity shopping, playing a range of musical instruments and watching sad films.