EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/865962
129 EW IN OTHER NEWS September 2017 by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer Dr. Williamson has a country and blues radio show in Baton Rouge B lake Williamson, MD, MPH, MS, Williamson Eye Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has always been interested in music, so when he began his ophthalmology work in Louisiana, he tried to find a way to continue his hobby in his free time. This resulted in a weekly radio show. "Music has always been my biggest hobby," Dr. Williamson said. In college, he started on the recording side, earning extra money making CDs for bands by recording their live concerts and preparing them for distribution. Additionally, Dr. Williamson said he has always been a collector of audiophile sound systems and vinyl LPs. Dr. Williamson completed his residency at Tulane University, New Orleans, where he noted there's a large jazz culture. When one attending physician, Peter Kastl, MD, heard that he collected vinyl records, he asked if Dr. Williamson wanted to try his hand at DJing. Dr. Kastl had a long-standing jazz show at WWOZ 90.7 FM in New Orleans and invited Dr. Williamson as a guest. "He was pleased with what I did and the songs I chose, which resulted in it becoming a semi-reg- ular gig every other weekend," Dr. Williamson said. Once he graduated residency and moved to Baton Rouge to join Williamson Eye, Dr. Williamson made a point to see if there were any radio stations in town that were looking for DJs. He found an open position at WHYR 96.9 FM, which already had a jazz DJ but was looking for a country and blues DJ, which was an even bigger love of his. Having attended college in north Mississippi and frequently visiting the Mississippi Delta, blues music and culture were ingrained in him from the age of 18. Dr. Williamson's show is called High Cotton and Hill Country, hosted by himself ("Zulu Doc") and his co-host "Sunrise Sam." The radio show is broadcast live every Wednes- day at 6:00 p.m. CST on 96.9 FM, and it can also be streamed around Louisiana ophthalmologist hosts weekly radio show Dr. Williamson hosts a local radio show in Baton Rouge on Wednesday nights. continued on page 130