Charles Head gets a day

     Wednesday, Sept. 27,  was proclaimed Charles Head Day in the Georgia State Legislature.
    State Rep. Alan Powell from the 33rd district drafted the resolution.
    Head, of Toccoa,  was honored for his over half-decade of broadcasting, writing, and race announcing throughout the southeast.
     “It was a very humbling experience to have this presented at the state capitol,” said Head.  “I was quite blown away with the whole thing.”
     Head began his career in broadcasting and writing at an early age.  
     “When I was in tenth grade I had my mind set on becoming a band director,” Head said.
     “Music was my thing and I wanted to learn to play every instrument and teach others.  But, one morning we were asked by our English teacher, Mrs. Martha Vaughn, to read a paragraph,” he remembers.
    “Back in those days, every child read a paragraph each around the room.  So, I read my paragraph and Mrs. Vaughn said, ‘you read well, you should be on the radio.’”
     “So, that afternoon I went home and called WNEG and talked to Roy Gaines. I told him what Mrs. Vaughn had said and he replied, ‘great.  I have someone going off to college, can you start tomorrow?’ That was Oct. 9, 1970,” Head said.
      “So, at 16 years of age, Roy Gaines, to whom I am forever grateful, allowed me to be on the airwaves of his great radio station.  That set into motion my love of radio, announcing, writing, sales, electronic engineering, and all the other skills learned in the broadcasting industry,” Head said.
     “That one ‘off-the-cuff’ remark by Mrs. Vaughn set my whole career path in motion.  What a blessing to have a teacher recognize that there was something there to be fostered,” he said.
     “Had it not been for radio, I would not have gotten the announcing role at the local tracks.  Local race announcing then led me to larger southeastern regional tracks and then on to the pinnacle of racing announcing – NASCAR and Indy Car,” Head said.
    “It’s been a long run. And doing television and football and basketball along the way, has also helped to round out my announcing career.  Again, thanks to Roy Gaines for believing in me,” Head said.
     Head credits many along the way who have helped him in his radio and broadcasting career.  
    “Jimmy Mosteller was probably the first racing announcer that I ever heard.  He was the announcer at Toccoa Speedway when I was just a kid.  I later was tutored by Jimmy in the early ‘90’s when the Hav-A-Tampa Series was the big thing in racing.
     “Of course, Roy and Chuck Gaines taught me radio basics.  I was associated with Billy Dillworth for many years and learned so much from him as to how to be relatable to an audience.  Coach Mack Poss schooled me in football enough to make me sound as though I knew what I was talking about on TV,” Head said.
    “When it came to the higher announcing jobs in NASCAR, legendary CBS announcer Ken Squier took me under his wing and showed me the ropes.  Bud Lunsford at Lanier Raceway introduced me to the powers that be at NASCAR and made that connection for me.  I thank each of them so much for making this day and, actually, my whole career what it has become,” Head said.
     “And of course, above all, you can’t do any of this without the support of your wife.  Debbie has supported and encouraged me throughout the 30 years that we have been married.  It’s also easy for us to forget that God gave us all the talents that we have.  It’s up to us to hone them and make our mark with them,” he said.
    Head was also racing reporter for The Toccoa Record for nearly two decades.