Sirius XM “Outlaw Channel” Chief Jeremy Tepper Passes
As a musician, journalist, label owner, and one of the most important people involved in connecting independent country fans with the music they want to hear, it’s going to be hard for the music community to get over the sudden and tragic loss of Jeremy Tepper. It will be even harder to fill his shoes.
Jeremy Tepper was the Program Director behind Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country channel since 2004, not to mention Willie’s Roadhouse and the Road Dog Trucking channel. For 20 years, Tepper was critical to giving a national format to many artists in independent country and Americana that otherwise might not have one. Tepper wasn’t just a figurehead. He was a hands-on curator who also helped book and organize the annual Outlaw Country Cruise.
Jeremy Tepper wore many hats, and lived many lives in the music realm throughout his career. What was a constant was his commitment to try and get cool music to the people.
Jeremy Tepper’s original passion was truck driving country music, or what he liked to call “rig-rock.” He fronted a band called the World Famous Blue Jays, and in 1990, founded the record label Diesel Only Records in Brooklyn, New York. The impetus behind the label was to revitalize and maintain a vital legacy in country music by producing 45’s for truck stop juke boxes, compilations of truck driving songs, and giving a label home to artists that specialized in this country subgenre, or that were overlooked in the New York area.
The label worked mostly in obscurity until they released a compilation in 1996 called Big Rock Deluxe that included songs by Marty Stuart, Buck Owens, and Steve Earle that became popular in underground and alt-country circles. Dale Watson, Ween, and Amy Allison all released albums on the label, as did Laura Cantrell, who Tepper would marry in 1997.
During this time, Jeremy Tepper also worked as a journalist, including as the managing editor of Vending Times, and later the jukebox trade journal Street Beat. It was understanding the business of juke boxes that allowed Diesel Only Records to work. He also worked as an editor for the Journal of Country Music and a country writer for Pulse!, which was published by Tower Records. As the internet emerged, he also worked with eMusic.com, which was an early MP3 distributor.
When E Street Band member and actor Steven Van Zandt started the XM Outlaw Country Channel in 2001, bringing Tepper on as a host made sense. As “DJ RigRocker,” Tepper hosted the 6 a.m. to noon shift. When Van Zandt transitioned to executive producer of the channel in 2004, Tepper officially took over as the format manager.
Tepper continued to live in Queens County, New York. He’d spent most of his life in the New York area. He was a graduate of New York University, and his father had been a lawyer in Poughkeepsie, New York.
On June 14th, wife Laura Cantell posted on social media, “I am heartbroken to share the news of the passing of my husband, Jeremy Tepper, who died suddenly today of a heart attack here in Jackson Heights. Jeremy was an amazing, unique person, a loving father, son, brother, and friend who was close with so many of you, especially his many friends in the music world. We will share more soon about plans to celebrate his life, but we are devastated by this unimaginable loss and ask for privacy and time to grieve.”
Jeremy Tepper is also survived by his daughter Bella. He was 60 years old.
“Lost my good friend Jeremy Tepper last night,” Steven Van Zandt said. “An incredibly tragic loss so young. He ran my Outlaw Country station on SiriusXM brilliantly. It is actually quite a complicated format and he made it look easy. Our deepest love and condolences to Laura and his family and friends.”
The loss of Jeremy Tepper comes just a few months after Sirius XM personality Mojo Nixon also passed away.
This story has been updated.
June 15, 2024 @ 9:58 am
Oh no! What a sad shock… 🙁 RIP Jeremy — my heart goes out to Laura & Bella.
June 15, 2024 @ 10:04 am
He was one of the driving forces behind me forming the Franklin County Trucking Company, and we became good friends fast. I’m beyond blessed to have gotten to meet him and have him as a part of my life. Hammer down, Rig Rocker.
June 15, 2024 @ 10:27 am
“Rig Rock Deluxe” is the name of that CD.
This is such a sad loss and he leaves humongous shoes to fill.
June 15, 2024 @ 12:24 pm
Thanks.
June 15, 2024 @ 10:45 am
Like Mojo, seeing a lot of the artists I love post tributes of how awesome and instrumental Tepper was to their success still shows how important Sirius is.
June 15, 2024 @ 11:05 am
An absolute mensch, this is so sad.
June 15, 2024 @ 1:34 pm
RIP Jeremy. I love the outlaw country channel. I listen to it all the time.
The new program director will have big shoes to fill but I hope the format retains its high quality going forward. Does anyone know of a radio format that has Americana programming as good as outlaw country? Between the Buddy & Jim show, Apron Strings, Electric Rodeo, and the Hardcore Troubadour show, I’d imagine their content is hard to beat (which is probably a real testament to Jeremy). I also find their regularly scheduled playlist better than anything else I’ve found, since they seem to play anything as old as Hank Williams or Bob Wills as well as some of the newer stuff from people like Tyler Childers or Kelsey Waldon.
June 16, 2024 @ 5:49 pm
Americana Roundup is a bit similar to Outlaw Country
June 15, 2024 @ 3:30 pm
Jeremy Tepper, Alamo Jones, and Mojo Nixon. It’s been a tough last nine months for Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country and its listeners.
Glad there is a new generation of musicians, advocate, and fans ready to take the baton. Let the music live on!
June 15, 2024 @ 4:55 pm
I’ve only been listening to Outlaw Country for a couple of years now, so while I’ve heard Jeremy’s name mentioned here and there, I didn’t know who he was. Sad to hear this and praying for the Outlaw Country family as well as Jeremy’s actual family and friends.
June 15, 2024 @ 6:19 pm
To be honest, I never heard of him. But the album Rig Rock Deluxe was formative to my musical tastes. The bottle rockets, Son volt, the yahoos, BR5-49; it was my introduction to all of them. I’m not sure that I wouldn’t still be listening to Classic Rock had I not stumbled upon that disc back in 96.
June 16, 2024 @ 5:42 am
Jeremy was a good friend in our pre and early teens. This hits hard. Lots of memories of afternoons at his house, KISS and BOC concerts, performing dumb skits at school, drinking his dad’s wine in “Paradise” across the street from his house. I admired how he followed his passion and radiated joy in everything he did. He was good energy and I think he left a mark on everyone he met. Be at Peace old friend.
June 17, 2024 @ 1:04 pm
This is terrible news that has obviously left the outlaw country family very shaken based on the on-air statements they have made. I am sorry for their loss and I hope this doesn’t affect the outstanding programming on the station. It is my primary source for music and I don’t think anything in the radio universe equals it (testament itself to the talents of Mr. Tepper).