Jeremy Tepper, who helped develop so-called “outlaw” nation music into an trade power, died Friday night time of a coronary heart assault in Jackson Heights, New York. He was 60.
“I’m heartbroken to share the information of the passing of my husband, Jeremy Tepper, who died immediately immediately of a coronary heart assault right here in Jackson Heights,” stated a publish from his spouse, Laura Cantrell, on Fb. “Jeremy was an incredible, distinctive individual, a loving father, son, brother, and pal who was shut with so a lot of you, particularly his many associates within the music world. We’ll share extra quickly about plans to rejoice his life, however we’re devastated by this unimaginable loss and ask for privateness and time to grieve.
Tepper was this system director for SiriusXM’s Outlaw Nation channel since 2004, and likewise helmed the Willie Nelson-centric “Willie’s Roadhouse” and the “Street Canine Trucking” channel, dedicated to that trade.
Tepper was a key outlet for a lot of artists in impartial nation and Americana. As a part of that, he was the curator who additionally helped ebook and manage the annual Outlaw Nation Cruise.
He fronted a band known as the World Well-known Blue Jays, and in 1990, based the file label Diesel Solely Data in Brooklyn, New York. The label sought to was to revitalize and keep 45’s for truck cease juke bins, compilations of truck driving songs, and giving a label dwelling to the nation subgenre.
The label is thought a 1996 compilation Massive Rig Deluxe, that included songs by Marty Stuart, Buck Owens, and Steve Earle. Dale Watson, Ween, and Amy Allison additionally launched albums on the label, as did Laura Cantrell, who Tepper would marry in 1997.
Throughout this time, Jeremy Tepper additionally labored as a journalist, working because the managing editor of Merchandising Instances, and later the jukebox commerce journal Road Beat. He additionally labored as an editor for the Journal of Nation Music and a rustic author for Pulse! and eMusic.com, which was an early MP3 distributor.
He was dropped at SiriusXM by actor/musician Steven Van Zandt, who began the XM Outlaw Nation Channel in 2001. As “DJ RigRocker,” Tepper hosted the 6 a.m. to midday shift, then took over the channel in 2004.
Apart from his spouse, Tepper can also be survived by his daughter, Bella.