Radio Show Rick And Bubba Turns 20; And Will Go On A Road Tour

By Nathan Young on January 9, 2014

This week is a special week for the Syndicated Solutions Inc. morning radio show Rick and Bubba. On Wednesday January 8th, the show celebrated it’s 20th anniversary! Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey, or the “Two Sexiest Fat Men Alive,” began the 20 year radio partnership in 1994 in Gadsden, Alabama. Before that, they were both friends in Jacksonville State University and were working for the university radio station WLJS-FM. Rick began a morning show on 97.9 WVOK in 1993 before moving to WQEN-FM in Gadsden. In 1994, Rick and Bill began to host the show together in Gadsden, then moving to Birmingham, and the rest is history!

I remember watching the show on TV on Turner South, until FOX Sports bought the channel for sports programming. Boy, no one was happy to see Rick and Bubba going off TV, but it would not last forever! The show began to broadcast online, then The Nashville Network, now Heartland Network, broadcasts the entire show on TV. This is in addition to the over 60 radio stations that simulcasts the show. Other viewing options includes the U-Stream channel, the 24,7 Tunein channel, the Xtreme Club, and online streaming options. Plus the show is seen on over 50 TV stations across the country as well!

The show has produced numerous books, which some have made the New York Times best seller list, CD’s featuring their best and funniest segments, and the show now has a line of beef jerky! I think the best part of the show is their home in Vestavia Hills, Alabama at the Rick and Bubba Broadcast Plaza and Teleport. Every morning, they allow some people the opportunity to sit in the golden ticket seats. It’s a wonderful experience to go behind the scenes in radio and TV production, I have been once, here’s my picture with Rick and Bubba.

To celebrate their 20th anniversary, the Rick and Bubba show is going on the road with five special events for the Rick and Bubba 20th Anniversary Tour. Each show will feature Rick and Bubba, along with Calvin “Speedy” Wilburn, “The Real” Greg Burgess, Chris “Eddie Van” Adler, past and current interns, and other show staff. The road show will feature show favorites such as Good ‘ol Boys Theater, Willie & Wanda, The Giant Game of Rick & Bubba Knowledge, The Wacky World, Fact or Crap, and more. Plenty of prizes will be given away. And there will be video tributes, musical performances, Q&A sessions, and much more. Each show will be recorded so parts can be shared on the radio show and for a special DVD that will be released!

The five shows will be at Saenger Theatre in Hattiesburg, MS (May 30th); Davis Theatre in Montgomery, AL (June 20th); Wright Center in Birmingham, AL (July 11th); Saenger Theatre in Pensacola, FL (July 25th); and the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall in Huntsville, AL (August 1st). The shows are expected to sell out as the dates get closer. To purchase your tickets, go to: http://www.rickandbubba.com/anniversary-tour.php

Good luck to Rick and Bubba on their radio show and their upcoming road tour! To celebrate, Edgar’s Bakery made a special cake, and they forgot Greg. So a second cake was made! Here’s to 20 more years! This picture is from the Rick and Bubba Facebook page.

Learn more about Rick and Bubba at: http://www.rickandbubba.com