Joel Najman, host of the rock and roll music and history program My Place on Vermont Public Radio, has been honored in a resolution by the Vermont Legislature.
The Legislature congratulated him on 30 years as “Vermont Public Radio’s rock and roll impresario.”
The resolution was read in the House Chamber on Wednesday, April 24, in a surprise event for Najman. Rep. Leigh Dakin of Chester, who introduced the resolution, said she and her husband have been listening to My Place for many years.
My Place weaves musicology, anthropology, sociology, and even psychology among the music of the '50s and '60s, creating a snapshot of life at that time. For listeners, the experience is like having a conversation with their own personal musicologist who has thousands of 45-rpm records on hand.
Joel Najman has been a part of Vermont's radio scene since 1964 and began hosting and producing My Place on Vermont Public Radio in 1982. The program is broadcast on VPR on Saturdays at 8 p.m.Najman was inducted into the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004.
"Joel continues to entertain thousands of listeners by creating playlist after playlist from his encyclopedic mind, and that has made his program uniquely compelling," said John Van Hoesen, VPR’s senior vice president and chief content officer. "His contribution to our collective understanding of the meaning of this music distinguishes Joel and distinguishes the show. My Place is a remarkable narrative of music history as it relates to our times."
The resolution comes at the close of the second annual Public Radio Music Month, which celebrates public radio stations’ important role in America’s music culture and connects local public radio stations, artists, and audiences in communities across the United States. VPR has been featuring exclusive interviews, performances, and more throughout the month of April.
