Joyous Rhythms

Tabitha Ervin
Of Fort Wayne Ink Spot

DeLois McKinley-Eldridge is celebrating 47 years as a volunteer radio host bringing gospel music to people everywhere.

“Thank you for letting us in your homes, your cars, your workplace or wherever. But most of all thank you for letting me in your hearts on this yet another day that the Lord has made, we are rejoicing and so glad in it!” can be heard every Sunday morning from 4-8am WBOI 89.1FM and online at WBOI.org.

Over the years Dee has been on a variety of stations here in Fort Wayne including Cool Cable back in the 70s along with WJFX 98.1, WLYV 1450 AM and WQSW-LP 100.5.

Her love for gospel music started at a young age as she participated in choirs growing up and was always around gospel music in Birmingham, Alabama. During college she was an assistant at several gospel stations at that time in the studio helping pull music and learning what to play. She also got to know many gospel artists during this time.

When she moved to Fort Wayne, it was natural that she got connected to Cool Cable radio when it was first started by Louie Dinwiddie, a local black businessman who now lives in Atlanta. Since then, she has played gospel music on all of the stations listed above as a faithful volunteer gospel announcer coming into the homes and hearts of the Fort Wayne community and beyond with the online radio platform she is now a part of!

Even through the pandemic, when she had to pre-record she has continued to bring gospel music into people’s homes and lives even in nursing homes and to those who are incarcerated.

Dee has won many awards in the National Gospel Arena, including “Announcer of the Year” as part of the Gospel Music Workshop of America’s Gospel Announcer’s Guild under the late Rev. James Cleveland, and currently a nominee for Announcer of the Year for “Rhythm of Gospel Awards”.

The local community is celebrating her successful radio run on June 26 at 6pm and June 27 at 5pm both at Joshua’s Temple, 4202 Hessen Cassel Rd.