Rape Charge Against TX DJ Justin Frazell Leaves Scene in Shock

Maybe you heard the news, or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you recognize the name, or if you’re not dialed into the country radio scene in Dallas/Fort Worth, likely you don’t. But most anyone who considers themselves a fan of Texas and Red Dirt music, or country music in general, will likely recognize the famous names that if it wasn’t for radio personality Justin Frazell, you may have never heard of at all.
As writer Kelly Dearmore of The Dallas Observer said in February of 2020, “Many fans of Texas country and red dirt music will recognize some key figures who give life to the music they love so dearly. The unmistakable voices of Jack Ingram, Robert Earl Keen and Randy Rogers are universally revered, and they’ve soundtracked our lives for over two decades now. But there’s another key voice out there who’s been ever-present in the musical lives of discerning Texas country fans, through the same two decades: Justin Frazell.”
And if it wasn’t for Justin Frazell, the Texas regional radio market would likely not be the only regional radio market that enjoys its own charts published weekly in Billboard, or the only regional country scene that enjoys it’s own touring and festival circuit, which allows artists and bands in the region to launch sustainable careers without having to press their luck with the Music Row system in Nashville.
“Justin Frazell was one of the first, if not the first, to play my stuff,” Ryan Bingham once said. “When all I had were demo recordings, he would play my stuff on his Sunday night show, and then he would invite me to come play on the show. He was supportive from the very start.”
Cody Jinks and others will confirm that 95.9 The Ranch where Justin Frazell hosted the morning show for the last nearly dozen years was seminal to his meteoric rise. Most any artist in the Texas/Red Dirt scene will testify just how much the radio support from Frazell meant to their career, and they’ll all do it irrespective of the fact that he’s now out on bail after being charged with 2nd degree sexual assault stemming from the allegations of a teenage girl who stayed over at his how last New Year’s Eve, and says she was raped by the 47-year-old.
You’re not seeing much of any chatter over this matter in the Texoma scene. Artists aren’t taking to social media to share their shock or disgust at the news, or to publicly distance from Frazell, who so many have interacted with and been interviewed by over the years. Fellow DJ’s and media personalities are mum on the subject. In fact, nobody’s talking about the matter at all.
Part of the reason for the radio silence is due likely to the abominable shock everyone is experiencing at the news. Justin Frazell was not some boisterous, handsy, boozy personality that you just knew it was a matter of time that their name was tweeted out beside a #metoo hashtag. By all accounts, he was a kind and generous family man, mild mannered, community-oriented, and the very last person you would suspect to have rape allegations levied against him.
The other reason for silence is because everyone is worried where Texas regional radio and the greater music scene goes from here after it’s lost one of its founding fathers, and most ardent supporters.
Justin Frazell is originally from Lancaster, TX, and went to Lamar College in Beaumont, known for its baseball program. A pitching prospect with big league ability and aspirations, a torn rotator cuff put those dreams on ice, and he poured himself into his second passion, which was sharing his love of Texas music, and specifically on the radio.
After graduating from Lamar with a Communications degree, Frazell moved to Dallas to work at AM station KLIF as a producer, where he remained for two years. But during this time, in November of 1996, he launched a Sunday evening radio show on the country station KPLX focusing deep on the Texas and Red Dirt scene that was starting to explode in the region. Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Stoney LaRue, and later The Randy Rogers Band and Wade Bowen, these were the big names coming up at the time, and Justin Frazell’s “Live from the Front Porch” is where you could hear about them on the radio, and on a major 100,000-watt station. Before the permeation of social media, this is where you discovered your favorite Texas and Red Dirt artists.
In 1998, KPLX (“Flex Your Plex!”) rebranded to 99.5 “The Wolf” owned by Susquehanna Broadcasting. Unlike the other corporate-owned country stations in the market, The Wolf actually worked in many of these regional bands into their playlist, along with the major national acts. But “Live from the Front Porch” is where you could hear them exclusively, and the newer artists coming up that nobody else would give airtime to. As many of the Texas and Red Dirt artists of the time will tell you, their careers were launched by Justin Frazell and “Live from the Front Porch.” Frazell also became part of the station’s morning radio show. From behind the KPLX microphone, Justin Frazell was named the Texas Music Personality of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
But as usually happens in the radio world, when Cumulus Media acquired the station in 2005, the culture began to shift away from the regional focus. While mainstream country fans likely noticed little difference in the programming, the local and regional fans were left in a lurch. After nearly 12 years at the station, Frazell was let go in November of 2008.
The line formed to the left of radio stations willing to pick up Justin Frazell. But like so many of the artists he championed on the radio, Frazell was only willing to work on his own terms. So he took a job at Home Depot for about six months until something ideal opened up. Over in Fort Worth, and after years of flirting with different country radio formats, radio station KWFR finally switched to 100% Texas country music in May of 2008. 95.9 The Ranch seemed like the perfect fit, and that’s where Frazell eventually landed. Already a fixture of the scene, Frazell was ready to take Texas music to the next level on a station exclusively dedicated to regional artists, and that’s exactly what he would do, and where he would remain for nearly another dozen years.
It wasn’t just the over two decades Justin Frazell dedicated to Texas regional radio that made him such a gargantuan contributor to the music. Throughout his entire career, Frazell was pulling double shifts, and weekend duty. Though the corporate grinches at Cumulus would not allow Frazell to take his “Live from the Front Porch” brand with him when he left 99.5 The Wolf, he started Texas Red Dirt Roads, which was a 3-hour live program featuring acoustic performances and interviews from artists throughout Texas and Red Dirt, along with occasional Top 40 guests as well.
Texas Red Dirt Roads was so well-received, Lone Star Roads TV was a lunched from 2013 to 2015, which brought the music to an entirely new medium and audience in 43 total episodes. And one of the premier charitable events annually in the Texas/Red Dirt scene was Justin Frazell’s Pickin’ For Preemies concerts at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth benefiting Cook’s Children Hospital. This was not an event Justin would have to beg for artists to participate in. It was one of the most sought-after events for artists and fans alike, and raised some $2 million total at last count over the many years of the event.
Justin Frazell’s emcee’d all sorts of events, worked as an awards presenter, and a behind-the-scenes booster and organizer for the music. But the morning drive radio show on 95.9 The Ranch remained the flagship. Hosting it with performer Charla Corn for many years, and most recently with Heather Anderson beginning in 2019, it was the stalwart of regional radio programming. The show now soldiers on with Heather Anderson, while a worthy replacement for Frazell is sought.
But you just can’t turn over a rock, and find a contributor like Justin Frazell with all that knowledge and history. Justin Frazell was the rock of Texas music on the radio. This is why so many—from fellow radio and media personalities, to many of the artists who spent hours with him on stage, or were interviewed by him, or had their big break through him, or accepted awards from him—are in such dismay they’re not even sure what to say.
It is worth pointing out that even in the face of what the arrest warrant says is witness testimony and DNA evidence singling Justin Frazell out as the perpetrator, he is still innocent until proven guilty. Frazell will either reach a plea deal with prosecutors, or go on trial in front of a jury of his own peers to have his fate and guilt decided.
But in an era when radio is already struggling, when local radio specifically is under siege like never before, it leaves many wondering where the Texas/Red Dirt scene and its superior and singular radio system to support the music goes from here. Justin Frazell was the guy that bucked the system to not just survive the downsizing and corporatizing, but to thrive and prosper, and offer a different alternative to the mainstream. Locally, he was part of many people’s lives through the medium of radio every morning, and most Sunday evenings.
Now, many sit in shock and fear of who and what Justin Frazell really may be.
April 1, 2021 @ 9:17 am
And he really maybe while we thought he always was. With the media it’s always guilty even if proven innocent. Even if that girl comes forward and says she lied about it all, his career is gone.
April 1, 2021 @ 9:34 am
As it says in the article,
“It is worth pointing out that even in the face of what the arrest warrant says is witness testimony and DNA evidence singling Justin Frazell out as the perpetrator, he is still innocent until proven guilty. Frazell will either reach a plea deal with prosecutors, or go on trial in front of a jury of his own peers to have his fate and guilt decided.”
As much as some in the media may be quick to assign guilt these days, some in the public these days are quick to look sideways at any allegation and just assume it’s a political play or an effort to garner attention by a victim.
The point of this article was to illustrate why these charges against Justin Frazell are so shocking and grave. It’s up to all of us to presume innocence until guilt is proven.
April 1, 2021 @ 9:47 am
Anyone who blames “the media” for everything is usually kinda thick and consumes horrible media.
April 1, 2021 @ 10:26 am
Anyone who doesn’t give someone due process before canceling them is an absolute danger to our society.
April 1, 2021 @ 10:47 am
“Cancellation” is not the right word here. Someone didn’t dig up an old tweet from Justin Frazell that was racially insensitive, and he didn’t get caught on a hot mic saying the wrong thing. He’s been charged with sexual assault. I agree we must presume innocence. But if The Ranch put him back on the air before his name was cleared, the backlash would be so demonstrative, it would bankrupt the station. We should all let this process play out. But taking him off-the-air for now was the only move.
April 1, 2021 @ 6:04 pm
He is getting his full due process rights.
Everyone else is acting and speaking within their protected freedoms. This is how it works.
November 5, 2021 @ 5:30 am
I need someone to tell justin frizzel that Tina Marie James will always love him & He’s my BEST FRIEND …IM SO SAD
April 1, 2021 @ 9:17 am
Just FYI – i think the show was called live from the Front Porch. Not the Back Porch.
April 1, 2021 @ 9:21 am
I recently moved to Fort Worth and discovered 95.9 by accident the other day. They literally played Roger Creager, Jason Isbell, Cody Kinks, and William Clark Greene in a row. I was beside myself to hear such good tunes on the radio. Crazy to think just a few days later this story would break.
April 2, 2021 @ 8:40 am
That stretch makes me want to move to DFW, haha.
April 2, 2021 @ 2:43 pm
Do it bro. Then we can hangout and shit 🙂
April 27, 2021 @ 5:53 am
There’s a 95.9 app. 95.9 The Ranch
April 4, 2021 @ 8:29 am
ahahah, Cody Kinks maybe be the best (un)intentional mash up of two great acts i ever read!!
April 1, 2021 @ 9:39 am
Thank you for writing this article from the human side. It’s a sad time and as a friend/fan I am in shock and pray for the victim and the Frazell family. Too many have judged and that is not our place.
April 1, 2021 @ 9:54 am
Small world. I also graduated from Lamar University with a communication degree, although it was some time later.
April 1, 2021 @ 10:02 am
Kyle/Trigger- I noticed no thumbs up to your article- I rectified that!
Why is it you don’t get recognition for the most honest *journalist* in the journalistc world is beyond me.
April 1, 2021 @ 11:46 am
Hi DJ,
In your years of being on the road, did you ever run into a driver named Richard Barnett?
Great guy, & hilarious.
He used to run radioisotopes up, from the hot lab in Amarillo.
He is from Denton.
Miss the ol’ fart. His dry wit, smile, & professionalism.
His good ol’ Texas boy swagger.
April 1, 2021 @ 1:27 pm
No ma’am, can’t say as I did- but the persona fits many- I think it has to do with the environment we were raised in- it also leads to singing songs like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr55OIqA2Gc
at least in my case, although I don’t have as smooth a voice- 😉
April 1, 2021 @ 2:33 pm
Thanks for posting that link DJ. Love Waylon!
We almost lost Richard a few years back.
5 horses had broken fence, it was early a.m. (still dark out) and Richard had no time to avoid them. Was real touch & go for several weeks.
All of us who loved him were praying hard & sweating bullets, until it looked like he was going to make it.
His woman, Patti (whom according to Richard sings like an angel) and has big hair like Ms. Piggy, well, i have no doubt, played a big part in his recovery.
Richard and i had a unique relationship in that we have a huge work ethic. Both professional, & i don’t do no, as in i don’t give 2 *hits, that hot lab sits 2 hours and 10 minutes away in Amarillo and you are down a driver.
You get those isotopes to me post haste, everyday.
Richard and i were a well oiled machine.
If had a study at 1:30 a.m. because we were trying to get a gall bladder patient into surgery as soon as possible, called the hot lab on call person, called Richard, called the surgeon, ran down on the floor to talk to the patient.
Every time this happened, it cost me homemade Texas sheetcakes.
(Should own stock in Hershey’s Cocoa.)
But we got her done, every single time.
Because when you have someone like Richard on the team, you have it all.
And DJ, bet you a dollar you are just like him
April 2, 2021 @ 4:19 am
I hope someone has fond memories of me that way- I try to do what’s right.
November 5, 2021 @ 5:57 am
It won’t let me listen to the song
November 5, 2021 @ 7:33 am
Look up Waylon “Alone” on you tube- but the link worked for me
April 1, 2021 @ 10:03 am
Also, yeah, damn. I remember hearing Justin on 99.5 back when he was doing the Front Porch show on Sunday nights there, all the way back to when he was their airborne traffic guy too. I was glad to see him get on at the Ranch when 99.5 let him go.
(To be clear, THAT was part of a larger thing at the Wolf where several deejays and others were let go back in 2008.)
April 1, 2021 @ 10:22 am
How about Jan. 1 , 1997 Brett Dillon & Bruce Kidder started it all when KHYI 95.3 fm 1st went live 24/7, Texas/Red Dirt/Americana
April 1, 2021 @ 10:49 am
No disrespect is meant to KHYI, or KOKE, or any of the other stations or DJs that cater to this music and have also been critically-important to supporting Texas and Red Dirt. I thought about mentioning some others, but I didn’t want to get into the weeds of diagramming Texas radio, especially through such an unsavory topic.
April 1, 2021 @ 11:35 am
Who cares what he’s done for red dirt if he raped a girl?
And if the Texas radio scene is that reliant on one individual, it has deep systemic issues that need to be addressed regardless. Maybe though they can hire some women, preferably someone that will actually play women on Texas country radio.
Also “cancel” he’s literally accused of raping a minor?! .
April 1, 2021 @ 12:22 pm
The effort here was not to lionize an alleged rapist, but to set into context why the allegations are so significant and shocking.
April 1, 2021 @ 1:45 pm
I’m just not entirely sure how else to read an entire essay explaining how much he has done, and how important he has been to the Texas country scene. It’s just inconsequential to the current situation (and I get that you’re covering it bc he’s an influential dj…but that’s different then explaining all the “good” things he’s done)
April 1, 2021 @ 3:03 pm
Seak: “I’m just not entirely sure how else to read an entire essay explaining how much he has done.”
Trigger: “To set into context why the allegations are so significant and shocking.”
Seak: “I’m just not entirely sure how else to read an entire essay explaining how much he has done.”
April 1, 2021 @ 5:21 pm
Because being good at his job in radio isn’t context for raping a girl. Being a radio dj who happens to have good taste in music, doesn’t make rape shocking. And rape isn’t more significant based on the alleged perpetrator’s job.
April 1, 2021 @ 5:43 pm
“Because being good at his job in radio isn’t context for raping a girl.”
The title of this article is “Rape Charge Against TX DJ Justin Frazell Leaves Scene in Shock.” Not, “Justin Frazell’s radio career, a Retrospective.”
As set up by both the title and opening paragraph of the article, the point is to explain why this news has left the Texas and Red Dirt music scene in shock, and to set the context for that if you have never heard of this guy.
Of course rape is bad. You aren’t going to find anyone who disagrees with that. That is the foundational context for this article.
April 1, 2021 @ 6:03 pm
@ seak – it’s not that what what you’re saying shouldn’t be taken into consideration, and I think more people do than you realize – it’s that you constantly comment and hone in on the worst possible angle and bad faith take on someone’s intentions. All to make the same tired, sanctimonious and whiny comments. If you think Trigger is doing what you are implying…why are you platforming him?
April 1, 2021 @ 1:33 pm
Seak: IF he raped a girl- Accused- guilty until proven innocent- correct?
Cancelling is arbitrary virtue signalling with pretentious over tones- pretentious being key.
Hiring more women or playing more songs by women won’t change that.
April 1, 2021 @ 1:48 pm
If he’s found guilty, he will go to jail. It’s not arbitrary, and it’s not pretentious.
Now of course so much of what conservatives label “cancelling” is actually consequences and/or market forces at work. In the same way as burning Kapernick jersey’s…actually “cancelling” is when something systemic happens for an actually arbitrary reason aka what happened to the Chicks.
However, absolutely none of that applies here. He’s been charged with a crime, he’ll get his day in court. And because he is rich, and white, he will get to wait for his day in court from his house, rather then in jail.
April 1, 2021 @ 3:04 pm
We know you still listen to your Ryan Adams albums.
April 1, 2021 @ 1:43 pm
Never heard of this dude…but BOY, have a lot of big names been accused (perhaps rightly) of sexual assault.
April 1, 2021 @ 4:34 pm
As a fairly regular listener of the Ranch, I am saddened by the news. Prayers to all involved.
April 3, 2021 @ 6:07 am
I have to agree with seak on this one. I generally agree with and appreciate your journalistic direction Trig but this feels like an inappropriate time for a puff piece on the guy. I don’t see how highlighting his many accomplishments in the music scene puts anything into context.
April 3, 2021 @ 7:21 am
Look, I appreciate this feedback. Again, I think this perspective fails to see the bigger picture of what is set out in both the title and introduction of the article, and that “rape is bad” is such an obvious platitude, that it didn’t need to be iterated and underscored over and over here. This article was written for people who had never heard of Justin Frazell, to explain why many of their favorite artists and others in Texas/Red Dirt were left in such shock over this news. In no way is it a “puff piece” on anyone.
Let me put this another way: If I was looking to attempt to run interference for Justin Frazell or play Devil’s Advocate for him, I wouldn’t have written anything. That would have been the most advantageous move for his reputation and public standing, was to let this thing get swept under the rug, which trust me, some are attempting to do. Again, the context here is NOBODY is talking about this publicly, not artists, not fellow media members, radio folks, fans, nobody. Not only am I the only one who has reported on this beyond local news stations in DFW—NOBODY else in country or Texas/Red Dirt has, or even really addressed it—I am trying to explain WHY this is.
April 3, 2021 @ 9:50 am
I appreciate the feedback. As a daily reader I never thought you were trying to prop the guy up. Although I fear if I had stumbled onto this site through this article I might have felt different. This blog is as close as I come to social media so I rarely know if other outlets are reporting on these things. Maybe I need a little context. When I read the title I guess I thought I’d get some contrast between his accomplishes and what the scene may look like now that he may no longer be a part of it.
Anyway I surely appreciate what you do here. Just wanted to give my two cents. Keep up the good work
April 7, 2021 @ 11:30 am
Trigger, it’s a slap in the face to assault survivors to have to endure the guy’s “best of” reel in conjunction with his alleged crime. This happens CONSTANTLY. Remember the college kid who raped a girl next to a dumpster a few years back? There wasn’t one headline that didn’t refer to him as “a rising star athlete” or noted how he had SUCH a bright future until that one, fateful night.
These types of articles are exactly why a huge majority of women/girls don’t come forward after being assaulted. I get that your intent was to highlight the shocking nature of his crime amongst his fans, but all it actually did was provide him a sympathetic angle amidst a horrific allegation.
April 7, 2021 @ 12:13 pm
Hayley,
I appreciate the feedback and promise it has been taken to heart. I’ll say again obviously it wasn’t my intent to canonize an alleged rapist, but to set in context why the the allegations are so shocking. If I felt this article somehow crossed a significant line I would strike it or edit it, and I don’t feel it does. But I do recognize and respect the opinions of people who say perhaps this subject matter could have been handled better or differently, and I promise this will be considered in future coverage.
Thanks!
April 7, 2021 @ 4:42 pm
I appreciate your response, Trigger. And I agree that this article doesn’t “cross a significant line”, not specifically anyways. But the fact that your original point was so deeply lost in translation to several of your long time readers, myself included, might be evidence enough that you missed the intended mark.
April 11, 2021 @ 8:04 am
This is so sad on behalf of that young girl, and all of us just like her. Not “shocked” to read this perspective.
Another long winded example highlighting how great of a man he was, and how “unbelievable” it is that he could do something so terrible. If she googled his name right now.. this is one of the first things she would see!?
People in the “scene” aren’t saying anything because they are chicken sh!t, hoping it’s not true so if he comes back they aren’t the ones who said it. No one should ever hold a Texas Country radio DJ so high on their pedestal..
Let’s not start on the innocent until proven guilty thing either!
*trigger warning*
When one is sexually assaulted and brave enough to report, as she did that morning.. You go to a hospital or medical center after talking to police, the nurse has you remove all of your clothing standing on a sheet, while they examine your entire body and collect any and all evidence. You are swabbed in every place the perpetrator touched you. All different individual swabs for each major area. They can differentiate if he just casually brushed against her that evening outside of her clothes VS. putting his hands and mouth on her skin. They waited almost 4 months to arrest him while building this case and gathering evidence against him and his DNA.
No one should be defending this, or waiting for his name to be cleared. && do not be surprised if any other young girls come forward. Him being arrested could spark a real and true cloudy memory from a past survivor, or unlock trauma that person was blocking from their (real and actual) shock.
April 12, 2021 @ 1:03 pm
Hopefully this is the Lynch pin that puts this whole Texas Radio music payola scheme to rest. It’s propped up more entitled frat boys than any one can count. Sexual charges this severe don’t just happen to an innocent man. He better hope he doesn’t go to jail because a lot of people on the inside will know what he did and want to keep teaching him lessons about it. FUCK OFF to anyone who still supports this douche.
April 22, 2021 @ 6:16 am
Just found out today about this and in shock! Prayers to this young lady, her Family! Prayers for Justin and his family, I hope that something different comes out in this, but the evidence is there. If he is found guilty then he needs to pay the price just as everyone else. Either way he is done for radio in DFW! Still support 95.9 The Ranch and the great DJ’s they have on their, we have to listened from Florida now though!