Lorianne Crook Birthdate: February 19
Hometown: Wichita, Kansas. Moved to Nashville with family at age 5.
Family: Father is a chemist, mother is an elementary school teacher. One older sister and one younger brother. Married television producer Jim Owens in 1985. No children, but they have three beautiful cats!
Education: McGavock High School, Nashville. Magna cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University, Nashville. Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian and Chinese languages. Graduate of Indiana University, Slavic Language School.
Previous Jobs: In junior high and high school: babysitting, taking in neighbor's laundry. During college: waitressing, Hawaiian dance team, cheerleader for Nashville Sounds Baseball Team (she says 'don't laugh'...it helped put her through college!)
Extracurricular Activities: High School: Class President, Cheerleading Captain, Homecoming Queen, Russian Club, Gymnastics Team. College: Top Ten Finalist, Miss Nashville Pageant (country star, Lorrie Morgan was 1st runner up!), Dobro Slovo Russian Language Club.
Most Unusual College Experience: On the day of a difficult and scary Russian exam, only three students showed up in class...Lorianne and two other female language majors. The professor, Dr. Richard Porter, was so disappointed in the rest of the class that he automatically gave Lorianne and the other two ladies an A, then took them to a fancy lunch at the professor's club instead of giving them the test. During that lunch, he dubbed them "Dickie's Angels" for being brave enough to show up and face his most difficult exam.
Crook & Chase: Lorianne and Charlie first teamed up in 1983 to host the nationally syndicated This Week In Country Music. It was later seen every weekend on TNN, The Nashville Network . Soon, Lorianne and Charlie were hosting the daily Crook & Chase show, which was named Best Entertainment News Program by Cable Guide magazine, in 1988. In 1992, that same magazine named Lorianne one of the "Ten Most Beautiful Women on Cable Television". Crook & Chase later hosted TNN's flagship prime time live show, Music City Tonight. In 1996 and 1997, Crook & Chase again went into national syndication, doing their unique daily show for Universal Studios in Los Angeles, while continuing to host two shows a week for TNN. Crook & Chase remained with TNN until its demise as a country network in 2000.
Radio: Lorianne and Charlie host a long-running weekly radio show called "The Crook and Chase Countdown", as well as the weekday country news features "Crook and Chase Updates".
Books: In 1995, Lorianne and Charlie published their first literary work, "Crook and Chase: Our Lives, the Music, and the Stars". The book shares their insider's view of the industry, its stars, and themselves.
Hobbies: Lorianne is a big fan of Martha Stewart, and now spends her free time cooking, gardening, and decorating the house. In recent years, Lorianne has returned to college to study nutrition. She is also an avid reader, favoring autobiographies and inspirational books of all kinds. She and her husband also make time to relax at their 4-story chalet in the Smoky Mountains with a spectacular view of Mount LeConte.
Charlie Chase
Birthdate: October 19
Hometown: Rogersville, Tennessee. Moved to Nashville in 1974.
Family: Wife, Karen (married in December, 1971). One daughter, Rachael. One son, Dave. Three dogs and two grand-dogs.
Broadcast Career: Forty years and counting! Began radio career at age 13 in Rogersville, TN, working parttime. Later worked on-air jobs while serving as Program and Music Director in Kingsport, Knoxville, and, later, Nashville, landing at the world famous WSM Radio--replacing Pat Sajak when he decided to pursue television.
Path to TV: While working at WSM Radio, began doing music reports for Channel 4 in Nashville. This lead to being offered the host position for the station's long-running midday magazine program in 1982. It was during that stint that television producer Jim Owens connected with Charlie to begin This Week in Country Music, which debuted in 1983.
Other Television Credits: Hosted and produced the highly-rated series of specials: Funny Business with Charlie Chase. Served as host of local Easter Seals Telethon in Nashville for 18 years. Also served as a national host with Pat Boone in Hollywood for four years in addition to serving on the Easter Seals Board of Directors.
Hobbies: Golf. Plays regularly in tournaments that benefit a number of charities. Past playing partners include John Daly, Fuzzy Zoeller, Bob Murphy, Troy Aikman, former Vice President Dan Quayle, and other sports and music figures who also look at golf as a way to get out of the house. Also enjoys visiting historic sites and searching for antiques.
Check out the Crook & Chase webpage!
