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A resolution honoring the life of Connie Denell Cato Dickerson.
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WHEREAS, Connie Denell Cato Dickerson was born on December 30, 1955 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Dorsey and radio legend Evelyn Cato; and
WHEREAS, Denell was a graduate of Riverside High School (Class of 1973) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and attended Morris-Brown College and Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia; and
WHEREAS, Denell's radio career started in Chattanooga where she worked for two local radio stations, WNOO AM and WNTP, hosting the "Quiet Storm" shows; and
WHEREAS, while attending Georgia State University, Denell worked at local Atlanta radio station WAOK FM on the campus of Clark-Atlanta University; and
WHEREAS, after college, Connie married her husband James Dickerson and relocated to Nashville, Tennessee where her career took off; and
WHEREAS, after brief news radio work, Denell joined the Nashville-based television network TNN and became the first Black talent coordinator to book country music artists on the nationally televised show Music City Tonight; and
WHEREAS, Denell went on to work with the Charlie Chase and Lorraine Crook Show, and worked with Dick Clark Productions and Rac Clark on the popular show, Prime Time Country, hosted by Gary Chapman; and
WHEREAS, later, Connie was hired as the Morning Show host for 92.1 WQQK FM and news reporter for WVOL AM in Nashville and by 2000, made the shift from R&B to Gospel, launching 92Q's hugely popular radio show, Gospel Inspirations; and
WHEREAS, Gospel Inspirations aired on Sunday mornings, quickly becoming one of the most listened to radio shows in Music City and earning Denell the beloved title of "The Gospel Diva"; and
WHEREAS, Denell worked for 92Q for 37 years before retiring from radio in December 2017, and subsequently joined the legendary Dr. Bobby Jones as a co-host on Dr. Bobby Jones Presents television show; and
WHEREAS, Connie Denell is credited with laying the blueprint for Black Gospel in Nashville, an...
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