He grew up listening to one of the industry’s legendary voices, John Records Landecker, on the night shift at WLS-AM in Chicago.

Isley turned to radio after what he calls short careers in the oil business (pumping gas) and movie business (running the film projector at the theater) in his hometown of Graham. Posted by The John Boy & Billy Big Show on Monday, April 9, 2012 Isley credits Executive Producer/General Manager Randy Brazell, who he says came up with a plan to keep the studio as clean as possible, so the crew could keep producing live shows for their legion of fans. While the current coronavirus pandemic has forced many shows to work remotely, the crew on The Big Show have continued to gather in their Charlotte studios, where the program is syndicated to nearly 50 stations in 16 states( according to the show’s website). We’ve just had a great relationship and I’ve really been blessed to get together with that partner.” We don’t spend too much time together out of the studio. “We’re totally opposite, I think that helps. But Billy and I have been on the same page since the get-go,” Isley said while on vacation in Wrightsville Beach. “Usually with teams, you know, like Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, they usually end bad for some reason. They are still together today, syndicated on radio stations across the country and waking people up with their own special brand of fun and games. Isley and James, who grew up about two hours apart in North Carolina, met professionally in 1980 and a year later, launched the John Boy & Billy Big Show on WBCY-FM in Charlotte. Longer than Abbott and Costello, Lucy and Ricky, even Homer and Bart. (WECT) - John Isley and Bill James have been partners longer than nearly every team that has worked in radio or television. John Isley, from the 'John Boy & Billy Big Show', is on this week's '1on1 with Jon Evans' podcast, talking about his 40-year partnership with Billy James.

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