Our Roots

Pioneering Global Internet Radio (WJOC 1490 AM)

Before modern streaming apps and smart devices changed the world, Donna and James Daugherty spearheaded a major digital transformation out of Rossville, Georgia. Operating from the main studios on Chickamauga Avenue, they co-engineered the live-streaming launch for Radio Station WJOC 1490 AM.

This historic launch established WJOC as the very first radio station in the broader Chattanooga and North Georgia market to broadcast a live, continuous 24/7 audio stream to a global internet audience, proving that local Southern voices could reach a worldwide stage.

The Launchpad at Christian Recording Studio

Nestled in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, Donna and James established Christian Recording Studio. For years, the studio served as a vibrant local tracking environment for regional gospel groups, independent songwriters, and developing vocal prodigies looking to capture their craft.

A Decade of Music Ministry at Prater's Mill

Deeply committed to cultural preservation and local ministries, the duo spent ten years acting as the official coordinators for the renowned Gospel Music Stage at the historic Prater's Mill Country Fair in Varnell, Georgia.

Managing the massive live performance schedules at this landmark 1855 grist mill site, they curated continuous live showcases that provided a vital public platform for grassroots Southern Gospel ensembles, family choirs, and acoustic folk musicians across the region.

Defending Independent Creators at the Library of Congress

When federal regulators opened a review regarding "Orphan Works" (copyrighted materials whose authors cannot be found), corporate conglomerates pushed for strict rules that threatened to legally block small-scale local musicians. Donna stepped up, submitting an official expert brief (Comment OW0013) outlining the struggles of independent recording spaces.

Her grass-roots perspective first led to an invitation to Washington, D.C., where she sat as an expert panelist at the live Library of Congress Public Hearings on July 26, 2005. Her testimony was so impactful that the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation formally cited and backed her work to protect independent arts from corporate liability. This high-profile advocacy subsequently caught the attention of NPR News, which featured her in an investigative interview segment titled "Orphan Arty."

Happy Fish Gallery & PWPMall

Today, every bit of that history—the engineering, the musical touring, the storytelling, and the fierce protection of independent voices—flows directly into our creative work in Navarre, Florida.

Whether we are writing multi-genre books under our publishing house PWPMall, hand-building custom folk instruments for The Jimmy James Collection (Smoke Box Guitars), or painting whimsical cartoon canvas lines like Nurse Hazel and Sissy, we carry the legacy of our journey with us every single day. Come visit our physical studio storefront at The Market in Midway (4531 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL).