For the hardcore music enthusiast, there’s sometimes nothing as strangely sad as the death of a format. And for a lot of blues lovers, AM has reluctantly gone the way of vinyl and the 8-track, obsolete yet irrevocably tied to a million treasured memories. It now exists (in this nation, anyway) mostly as a talk medium, and aside from gospel and Latin sounds, most of the amplified modulation going on out there is the sound of one man and his microphone.

So when urban contemporary powerhouse WQUE announced its plans to change its sister station, ‘QUE AM 1280, into an all-blues format called WODT (think: Who Dat), skepticism ran high. But now, just two years since their debut, they have the last laugh, trouncing the competition and carving up a healthy slice of the airwaves for themselves. They’re something almost unheard of at the end of the millenium: a successful commercial station dedicated to the blues. And as QUE/ODT Operations Manager Gerod Stevens knows, it wasn’t an easy trip.

The North Carolina native, who launched the station back on September 1, 1997, says the team knew what it wanted from the get-go. "Well, one of the first things we looked at is that this is a part of the country where blues is very important. Many people say this is where the blues started, and you also have a lot of Cajun blues here, and other types of blues, and you also have a section of blues that not a lot of radio stations are trying to play. I call it ‘Down-home Blues’," he says. The format isn’t all grits and greens, however. "We play a lot of contemporary artists like Denise La Salle, as well, but we also have some of New Orleans type of blues. We have the traditional stuff, like B.B. King, but there are some contemporary releases out there that actually have a more traditional sound. Like Marvin Sease, for example. He does ‘Candy Licker,’ ‘Is It Over,’ and a new one called ‘Hoochie Mama.’ It’s a NEW traditional sound."

It’s also a traditional way of doing business-find a hole, and fill it. "We were looking to put together a radio station that could offer that type of music to a demographic that was just not being catered to," Stevens recalls. And what sort of demographic was that, exactly? "We play what I call ‘Grown Folks’ music. It’s not a younger demographic. We were actually looking for a target audience of 35-64, but we’re finding our target is actually between 50-64."

This might sound like bad news for a genre that the mainstream is constantly pronouncing dead as is, but Stevens isn’t worried. "The response has been pretty good! I was really surprised. When you talk today about frequencies, not a lot of folks are looking at AM necessarily. When you look at a small AM station, you normally don’t expect much, but when you look at what ‘ODT has accomplished in the past year or so, you realize there is an audience for this music."

Not to mention that the New Orleans’ blues scene itself is staging a comeback. Gerod heartily agrees. "Something that I’m really interested in is there are a lot of blues artists that live in the city! Chris Thomas King, he lives in the city. We didn’t even know that. He just walked into the station one day and gave us some of his albums!" The WODT fan base is so large, actually, that the station can afford to massage the scene a bit: "We throw what we call ‘The Private Party’ once a month down at the ILA hall, you know, on Claiborne? [The full address is 2700 S. Claiborne Ave. Call (504) 895-5779 for details.] It’s not necessarily a performance, more like a jam; people like Sherry Richard, Arthur Foy, Larry Hamilton the guys that are working the local scene and need the exposure."

So, in effect, the struggle’s been rewarding? "It’s rewarding NOW," Stevens admits. "Of course, when you start something, you have pretty high expectations. But you can’t put all your eggs in one basket, ’cause they WILL get broken," he laughs. "Of course you’d love for it to grow and be a big powerful station but you have to say this is a growing process. And if you would be true to it, you have to watch it grow. And let it grow."

Speaking of growing Her Tallness herself, pianist Marcia Ball, kicks off a month chock-full of live visits from mainly Texas-bred blues performers with her Sept. 4 gig at the House Of Blues. Fellow Tejas alumni The Fabulous Thunderbirds spread their wings at Bally’s Casino on the 17 and 18. Be sure and catch the first show, because on the 18 you’ll want to be free for Walter "Wolfman" Washington & The Roadmasters appearing at the Maple Leaf. It’s a special gig: The Wolfman is about to drop his latest CD, Blue Moon Risin’, onto these shores, and all reports are it’s a killer. Probably the most high-profile gig will be the always-satisfying Keb’ Mo’ at the House Of Blues on the 28. And it’s worth mentioning that Joe Krown is back in town, resuming his Monday night solo piano stint at the Maple Leaf and gigging with his Organ Combo as well.

The rest of the month is a real double shot of blues heaven, as no less than three acts split up into two distinct sets around town. If you’re still craving Texas twang by the 24, dig Sam Myers at the Rock ‘n’ Bowl and then stick around to see him whoop it up with the guitar demolition of Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets. Stay in bed all day and recover, because the next night brings the dynamic vocals of B’nois King at the Maple Leaf, followed by his performance with the Smokin’ Joe Kubek Band. But my money is on Tip’s Uptown on the 23, featuring Fat Possum artist Robert Cage opening up for Gen X’s own adopted bluesman, the phenomenally gritty R.L. Burnside. Question: Is he gonna try to reproduce the blues/hip-hop fusion of last year’s "Come On In" on stage? We’ll find out, won’t we?

That musical savior of local cable, "Louisiana Jukebox," is just about to start offering up all-new shows for our entertainment (on Sept. 23), but until then, console yourself with Tab Benoit’s performance on the Sept. 2 show and Kenny Neal’s on the 16. You Red Stick natives should know that the show can now be seen in Baton Rouge on KTTE, Channel 11, every Saturday night at 7. For more information you can call the Jukebox at (504) 304-7345, ext. 2378, or surf to www.louisianajukebox.com.

Finally, in the everything-old-is-new-again department, a major comeback’s poised for September’s shelves: the first Wilson Pickett album in over a decade, It’s Harder Now. The buzz is especially high on the all-new CD, since the Wicked Pickett has been collaborating with longtime co-writer Dan Penn. Anyone who saw him perform at the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony knows he’s still got the goods. It hits the stores on September 14.