Popular Country DJ, James “Moby” Carney, Dies

A benefit bass tournament hosted by Moby was a huge event on Lake Allatoona in the 1990s, attracting more than 200 teams and a huge crowd of spectators, many who came to be entertained by Moby as he conducted the weigh-in.

James “Moby” Carney, a popular country music radio DJ with strong ties to the Georgia outdoor community, died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, at age 69. Moby had battled stage 4 stomach cancer.

The GON Community got to know Moby not just from his morning show on Kicks 101.5 from 1991 to 2012, but also through his benefit bass tournament on Lake Allatoona in the 1990s that became one of the largest tournament events in the southeast. More recently, Moby hosted the Truck-Buck Shoot-Out for several years.

Known for his quick wit, Moby was at his best when teasing and cutting up with his good friend Steve Burch, founder of GON.

“One of the more remarkable and little appreciated abilities Moby had was a steel-trap mind,” Steve said. “I could never start a joke that he could not finish. He was a great friend to me.”

Moby lived in Roswell. He had a 40-year career in radio and was an inductee into the Country Radio Hall of Fame and the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. Born and raised in Crossville, Tennessee, he got the nickname Moby when he was 12 and almost drowned in a lake, and someone said he looked like Moby Dick splashing around in the water. In 2004, Moby built a studio in Roswell and started his own syndicated show, which he ran until 2016. It aired on several country stations in Georgia and nearby states. His slogan for the syndicated show was: “The biggest small town in America!”

Moby hosting the 2015 GON Truck-Buck Shoot-Out.

7th Annual Lake Allatoona Moby In The Morning Bass Tournament