READY FOR TAKEOFF A&R pros looking for a road-tested singer-songwriter might want to take a close look at Will Hoge, who currently has three songs being played at two formats. Alternative WRAX/Birmingham last week added "Let Me Be Lonely" and spun it eight times for the week ending March 4. Most of the exposure came during drive times and in middays. Adult Alternatives WRLAT/Nashville and WMPS/Memphis have been playing Ms. Williams for over a month, while WXPN/Philadelphia added "She Don't Care" two weeks ago. All three songs appear on Hoge's album Carousel which was released Jan. 30. WRAX PD Dave Rossi says he's having a lot of success with softer rock, but that Hoge adds an element to the music he spins. "He has spirit that I believe is missing in music these days," Rossi explains. He also says he's already got a lot of requests from fans in the area. "He's been coming to town on a regular basis, and now people kind of expect us to be playing his music," he says. Manager Jerrod Wilkins says he plans to keep Hoge, who is signed to Warner/Chappell Publishing, on the road while talking to the many majors that have expressed interest in him. "Right now we have some great stations on the record, which had allowed us to create retail and press awareness in those markets,' Wilkins says. "But right now, our main focus is keeping him on the road. We want to continue building and cultivating that fan base. Fortunately, the labels we've been talking to have expressed an interest in doing that same thing and giving us the tour support needed to do that."

RADIO & RECORDS March 9 '01 By Steve Wonsiewicz