From Music Journalism to Community Radio: Simon Husbands and the Long-Term Promotion of British Popular Music in the United States
The field of music journalism and specialist radio has a long history of helping preserve the history of music outside the realm of popular music charts. Mainstream media organizations tend to focus on new music, but independent music media and community radio have offered a platform for many musicians and musical forms that would not get much exposure otherwise. This holds true in the UK and the US. Within that tradition, Simon Husbands has spent decades working as both a journalist and broadcaster, combining firsthand experience as a musician with an ongoing effort to present British popular music to American audiences through print and radio.
Simon Husbands’ involvement in music journalism began in Nottingham during the late 1970s. Between 1976 and 1981, he wrote for Way Ahead, a regional music publication that covered concerts, record releases, and artist interviews. His contributions included album reviews, live performance coverage, and conversations with musicians who would become leading figures in British rock and pop. Among those interviewed were Sting, Peter Gabriel, Supertramp, and Judas Priest, artists whose careers expanded significantly during that period. The experience placed Husbands within the local music press at a time when independent magazines were an important source of information for audiences following Britain’s changing rock and new wave scenes.
Writing for Way Ahead coincided with Husbands’ own activity as a performer in Nottingham bands including Mensch, Gwaihir, Zero-iD, and The Galactic Symposium. That combination of journalism and performance provided him with perspectives from both sides of the music industry. While documenting concerts and interviewing established artists, he also experienced the challenges faced by emerging groups seeking audiences through local venues and radio exposure. The Galactic Symposium later received support from BBC Radio presenter John Peel, whose broadcasts introduced many independent British artists to wider audiences. A copy of the band’s 1979 single Money/Y.M.C.A. was later identified among the records preserved in John Peel’s well-known Record Box, further linking the group to one of British broadcasting’s most influential music figures.
After relocating to Minnesota during the 1990s, Husbands eventually returned to broadcasting through community radio rather than commercial media. In 2010, he began hosting True Brit! on KFAI in Minneapolis, a listener-supported station known for locally produced programming and diverse musical content. Broadcast weekly, the program presents British popular music from different decades, covering artists from the British Invasion, glam rock, punk, new wave, Britpop, and contemporary independent releases. The format reflects Husbands’ long-standing interest in presenting music through historical context as well as individual recordings, offering listeners material that extends beyond mainstream commercial playlists.
Over time, True Brit! has become one of KFAI’s established specialist music programs. Community radio stations such as KFAI depend largely on volunteer presenters and public support, allowing programs to focus on subjects that receive limited attention from commercial broadcasters. Husbands’ program follows that model by introducing lesser-known artists alongside internationally recognized names, while also marking anniversaries, new releases, and important events in British music history. The station streams its programming online in addition to serving the Minneapolis and Saint Paul area through FM broadcasting, giving True Brit! access to listeners beyond its traditional local audience.
Regional media have documented Husbands’ broadcasting work alongside his recording career. The Star Tribune profiled his return to recording with the release of POP in 2020 while also describing his long-running role as host of True Brit! and his continued involvement in the Twin Cities music community. MinnPost has recognized True Brit! among notable specialty music programs available to local audiences, reflecting the continuing place of community broadcasting within Minnesota’s media landscape. MPR News has also featured the program in coverage connected with British cultural events, demonstrating that the show continues to serve as a local reference point for discussion of British music and related topics.
Husbands’ work as both a journalist and broadcaster has remained closely connected to his experience as a musician. Rather than approaching British popular music solely from a historical perspective, he has drawn upon decades spent performing, recording, interviewing artists, and working within independent music communities in both Britain and the United States. That combination has shaped the way True Brit! presents its material, connecting recordings with broader musical developments while introducing audiences to artists who may receive little exposure through commercial formats. His career has therefore combined documentation, presentation, and participation within the same field, rather than treating journalism and broadcasting as activities separate from music itself.
Simon Husbands’ professional career demonstrates how specialist broadcasting and music journalism can contribute to preserving musical heritage outside mainstream commercial media. Beginning with Way Ahead magazine in Nottingham and continuing through KFAI’s True Brit! in Minneapolis, his work has centered on documenting, presenting, and discussing British popular music across multiple generations. Apart from his work as an artist and producer, these positions have also brought audiences into contact with music beyond just commercial charts. Taken as a whole, his journalism and broadcasting have become an important component of a career that has bridged Britain’s musical heritage to American listeners while remaining within the independent media and community radio tradition.
