Shadoe Stevens - Early Life

Early Life

Stevens was born in Jamestown, North Dakota. He first came to fame in 1957, when a Life magazine article about him, entitled "America's Youngest D.J." featured a photo of Stevens broadcasting live over radio station KEYJ (now called KQDJ) in his hometown of Jamestown. The accompanying article extolled the fact that he had built his own working transmitter in the attic of his home the year before, using a "souped-up" wireless broadcasting kit with a hundred foot antenna, however it omitted the additional information that the equipment and advice needed to build the transmitter, had both been furnished by the staff engineers at KEYJ, which happened to be owned by his father and uncle. He was later "discovered" as personally in a "man on the street" interview by the station and was soon broadcasting a weekly rock show called "Spin with Terry." During his high school years, he maintained a full-time shift at the station, developing his now-famous "slow 'n low" style of speaking, as a host of the "Mister Midnight" program.