Comedian Jessie Taylor on the ‘Dee Lee Morning Show’
By Bill Beene
Of the St. Louis American
Mention his name, and I start laughing. Sometimes I “joan” on him, just so he counters with something that cracks me up.
Instead of rolling up on him at a local comedy venue for a few good laughs fans can catch him weekday mornings on the radio.
That’s because the professional jokester known as Jessie Taylor or JT has taken his wit back to Clear Channel.
This time, instead of Majic 104.9 FM, where he joked around with radio vets Tony Scott and Deneen Busby back in the day, he’s now holding down hip-hop station 100.3 The Beat.
Every morning from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. he joins Dee Lee and Ebony on the Dee Lee Morning Show.
Taylor first was a guest on Fridays, but his comedic skills and experience landed him the gig.
While you won’t ever catch JT short of self-confidence, he does give credit wherever it’s due.
For his radio skills, he points to radio vet Tony Scott, who now runs the New Breakfast Crew with comedian-actor Guy Torry and Tammy Holland.
“Tony is a smart man. He reads and works constantly and that’s what I do now,” Taylor said. “He should be the next Tom Joyner.”
Taylor also gives it up to Operations Manager Chuck Akins, who pushed him toward gelling well with his co-hosts.
Taylor isn’t the only experienced personality with jokes for the radio folks, Dee Lee, who hails from Philly, has been a standup comedian for 17 years.
He said having two loquacious comedians rattling off on the same show is a blast.
“We’re having a ball,” Dee Lee said. “I compare it to basketball: I throw the ally hoop and he’ll slam it home and vice versa. Or he throws a no-look and I catch it.”
While Dee Lee says there’s no fighting for jokes, both he and Taylor like to push the envelope, but says Ebony keeps them from taking their wit too far.
She is also her sisters’ keeper. No one – listener or co-host – can “dis” sisters while Ebony is on mic.
“I just keep it real and don’t bite my tongue because I rep for the sisters,” she said.
They play their roles, but Dee Lee, the show’s namesake said the show belongs to each of them.
“We might call it the Dee Lee Morning Show, but everyone fits a piece of the puzzle,” Dee Lee said.
They all agree that a good radio morning show takes preparation, consistency and good rapport, which they have these days.
And not just on air.
“We have fun on and off air and we share personal problems and happiness,” said Ebony, who also is no stranger to radio. She put in work in Gospel 1600 before crossing over to the Beat.
When the subject of ratings and competition came up, the trio all at once agreed: “You’re only as good as your last break.” The Beat Program Director Dwight Stone said, “You shouldn’t get wrapped up in the books.”
They did say they’re doing well and their goal is to get better. In the Winter 2006 Book they’re one point below their chief competition, but in the (monthly) trends they’re winning.
“It’s interesting, because I couldn’t have told you when they first got here they were going to do what they’re doing now,” D. Stone said.
“It’s like one of those basketball teams where people get thrown together and do well. Props to Chuck Atkins for assembling a good team.”
The new team came on the heels of former and popular morning show host Kaos unjustly losing his gig when he and co-host Silli Azs joked about how to defeat a cop who challenges one to a brawl.
Philly transplant Dee Lee said it’s never easy stepping into someone else’s shoes, but he has respect for Kaos’ craft.
“It was just introducing St. Louis to my type of show. Plus you have to make new friends. They have to see how you are and you have to see how they are,” he said.
