Yet another whos no longer here... While not a musician, Tawn Mastrey was an important part of the burgeoning Heavy Metal movement in the 80s... She broadcasted in the mid-to-late 80s in Los Angeles at stations like KQLZ (Pirate Radio, a top 40/hard rock hybrid at the time - these days that frequency is occupied by classic rocker, The Sound) & KNAC (the original all-Heavy Metal station, which eventually transferred to an internet-only streaming station) where she was first dubbed, The Leather Nun, which stuck with her the rest of her life. But prior to those, she was on KSJO in San Jose, CA, in the late 70s, and was one of the first DJs in America to play AC/DC. She would later champion some of the early punk & new wave bands, such as The Ramones, The Clash, The Police and Devo, and give them airplay when mainstream AOR (Album-oriented Rock) would not. Her last DJ gig (and at which she was arguably most well-known, on a national basis) was on SiriusXMs Hair Nation. Im unclear when she started there, but she worked right on up until she was too ill in June 2007. She was suffering from Hepatitis-C, which she had contracted as a child, and passed away in October of that year. Happy Belated Birthday to Tawn Mastrey, who wouldve been 60 yesterday.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 09:49:11 +0000