Tawn Mastery – 1954-2007
Legendary Rock/Metal KNAC DJ Tawn Mastrey died on the evening of October 2nd after a nearly life long battle with Hepatitis C which she contracted as a child. Tawn was 53 years old and she left behind a legacy.
Back in the 80’s, Tawn was the host of a syndicated radio show called Metal Shop that aired every Sunday night. I remember going “to sleep” on Sunday nights only to turn the radio on around 11pm and listen for an hour of some of the best classic and upcoming Metal. This was before the internet so of course, back then the only way to hear of new bands was through shows like this, word of mouth, and magazines. Tawn had this really sexy, sultry voice but at the same time sounded like the kinda girl you could take to a show and high five whenever “the song” was played.
I was a fan of hers for years. Even sending a letter to her in 1992 asking her to be my date to the senior prom. Obviously, she didn’t make it! I actually got in contact w/ her via e-mail about two years ago because I had heard her on Sirius Radio’s “Hair Nation”. It was so great to hear her after so many years and she still had it. I e-mailed her to let her know I was a fan and we actually corresponded back and forth for a year and it was really cool. She encouraged me in my music and actually showed an interest. She thought it was really cool that an old fan of hers had grown and changed yet still remembered and appreciated the “old days”! Al of the sudden our correspondences got less and less and then none at all. That’s when I heard that she had fallen ill and was really having a hard time with her Hep C battle.
Tawn was a lover of music and she loved her Metal! She was the kinda person that ALL the bands loved because not only was she a DJ but she was a fan. Tawn left quite a huge footprint in the music world and she will be seriously missed.
R.I.P Tawn!
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