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William Orten "Ort" Carlton

July 26, 1949 - January 21, 2023

 

"Wholeheartedly!" - Ort

 

Dictionary Lookups and Definitions:

 

ORT - Noun: A morsel left at a meal.

 

WHOLEHEARTEDLY - Adverb: Completely and sincerely devoted, determined or enthusiastic.

 

WORT - Noun: A sweet liquid drained from mash and fermented to make beer and whiskey.

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

You know, when you eat a really good sandwich, and that last bite is just the best bite? Ort was the last bite, the morsel left on the plate, the best!

 

Ort usually ended communications with the word, "Wholeheartedly" and he genuinely meant it. He was sincerely devoted, determined and enthusiastic with anyone he met.

 

Ort was a sweet man and he loved beer! It's interesting that the word, "Wort" is a sweet liquid used to make beer.

 

With that in mind, radio stations east of the Mississippi River typically start with a W in their four letter identification code. w.O.R.T. seemed to be just perfect for the radio station that Ort, my son and I planned together as his final Athens music project.

 

My name is Frank Russell. In the mix with countless other people, my son, Franklin Russell, and I, spent several hours with Ort in the weeks before he passed away. We talked a lot about the Athens music scene, band names, post offices, zip codes and beer.

 

We talked about how proud he was of Franklin's musical journey over the years as a teenager. During our last few days together, we talked a lot about a bucket list item that I wanted to do, to start a radio station. Because of the start-up costs, Ort suggested an online radio station to start out.

 

This website and radio station is the result of those conversations and our plans to fulfill bucket list items and to keep the memory of Ort alive in the form of music. The "w" in w.O.R.T. represents "Wholeheartedly!" I hope you enjoy it and I hope it makes Ort proud. We Love You, Ort!

 

Franklin J. Russell, Sr.

Athens Georgia Live

January 1, 2024

 

 

 

From: Flagpole Magazine

 

Athens fixture William Orten Carlton died on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 21 at the age of 73. Ort spent his final days at St. Mary's hospital and in hospice, where he was surrounded by love through a near-endless parade of visiting friends and admirers.

 

A lover of obscure music, an enthusiast of craft beer and a walking encyclopedia of arcane facts, he could often be found holding court in bars, sharing deep cuts of historical and cultural moments with anyone who would listen. A lifelong supporter of alternative radio, he got his start as a DJ at WUOG 90.5 FM, and continued to make many guest appearances over the airwaves. Through his oral histories and decades of written contributions to Flagpole, his curiosity and excitement for Athens culture has led to the town's deeper understanding of itself.

 

Jessica Smith

Flagpole Magazine

January 21, 2023

 

About Us

 

Who are we?

We are w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio on www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com and www.AthensGALive.com

 

What is our purpose?

Our purpose is to give people with an appreciation of the Athens Georgia music scene, an alternate source to enjoy music from local artists as well as music from artists who visit Athens and play in the local clubs.

 

Why is the radio station called w.O.R.T.?

Radio stations east of the Mississippi River typically start their four letter station identification with a W. William Orten Carlton, also known as, Ort, was very important to the Athens music scene. Ort thought it would be fulfilling to have a radio station named after him, so that is why the radio station is called, w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio.

 

What is our mission?

Our mission is to help new and independent local and visiting artists gain more exposure to their music and support from the people who appreciate their work.

 

What is our vision?

Our vision is to grow the station while supporting the artists and causes that matter the most to them.

 

Athens Georgia Live News

The most recent news is at the top.

To read it as a timeline, scroll to the bottom to read up in date order.

Current News

 

09/01/24 - Today, we will begin a new segment called "Elephant 6" and it will run for a full hour at 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. each day. "Elephant 6" at 6 (o'clock) will celebrate the artists who have a history with The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Thanks to Robert Schneider and Will Cullen Hart for your praises and approval of this segment on the station. Ort would be very pleased that this came to be.

 

09/01/24 - We received five donations last month in the sum $80. We will be re-donating half of it to Nuci's Space in Athens Georgia which will be $40. We currently have $11 in the Nuci's Donation Jar and now with the addition of the $40 will bring the total up to $51 in the jar. Once we get to $100 in the jar, we will make our 2nd donation to Nuci's from "The Listeners of w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio on www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com". Thanks to those of you who donated to two great causes!

 

Last Month's News

 

08/28/24 - Today is the 23rd anniversary of the beginning of Cloud Recordings. Today, we will begin a new segment called "Cloud 9" and it will run for a full hour at 9:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. each day. "Cloud 9" at 9 (o'clock) will celebrate the artists who have a history with Cloud Recordings. Thanks to John Kiran Fernandes and Will Cullen Hart for your praises and approval of this segment on the station. Ort would be so happy that this came into fruition.

 

08/01/24 - BREAKING NEWS!!! WE WILL BE MAKING OUR FIRST DONATION TO NUCI'S SPACE THIS WEEKEND... $100!!! We received four donations last month and we will be re-donating half of it on Saturday to Nuci's Space as we have now reached our Nuci's donation goal of $100!!! After the donation, we currently have $11 left in the Nuci's Donation Jar for the next donation when the jar reaches $100 again. I promised from the beginning that I would be crystal clear and open about where every dollar that you donate will go. That's why I update the News here every month at the first of the month to let you know that your donation is making a difference. As you can see, we have $100 ready to go to Nuci's and $11 in the jar for a total of $111. Double that and it will be $222. WOW! Ort would be proud at how those numbers came together. So, we took in $222 in donations since February 29th, 2024. 50% of the GROSS dollar amount is what goes to Nuci's, not 50% of the NET! PayPal charges a fee to process the donations and I wanted you to know that those fees do NOT take away from the donation to Nuci's. The fees are absorbed by the Athens Georgia Live portion of the donation. Thank you so much for the support and love for the station, for helping to keep the memory of Ort alive and for giving to a great cause for local artists at Nuci's Space and supporting their music here on the station! Some of you donate what you can afford and I really appreciate your donation but if you are ever in a situation where you can't afford it, please don't worry about it. You can still enjoy the music and I still love you the same. To those of you who have sent in $5 donations with an apology for a small amount, don't ever apologize because your donation helped us to get the jar full. Remember, a snowman always starts with a snowball! So, in closing, the donation will be "From the Listeners of w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio on AthensGeorgiaLive.com!" Thank you all so much!!!

 

Archived News

 

07/26/24 - NEW - Ort's Oldies was a success! It will be a weekly show on Saturday at High Noon. Since some will miss it, we will replay the Saturday noon show every day for the next week at noon, starting in August and then each new episode will start every Saturday at 12:00 EST.

 

07/26/24 - Happy Heavenly Birthday, Ort!

 

07/20/24 - NEW - Added the Venues link to the website. Please support your local venues and the artists who play in the clubs.

 

07/13/24 - NEW - Added the addresses to the Record Stores link on the website. Please support your local record stores and the artists who have their music in the stores.

 

07/06/24 - To cut down on double work to mirror two sites, www.AthensGALive.com now redirects to wwwAthensGeorgiaLive.com. Either one will direct you to the same place. This allows for more time to add more features to the website and upload more tracks to the station.

 

07/05/24 - NEW - Added the Last Played window to show the last 5 tracks played on the station. If the track is available on Apple Music, there will be a shopping cart to the right of the track information to buy the track on Apple Music. Another great way to support the Athens music scene and the artists who make it happen.

 

07/04/24 - Happy Independence Day! Today, we added something NEW to the website. Check out the Record Stores section. There you'll find Wuxtry and Low Yo Yo Stuff in Athens, Rock Nobster in Watkinsville and Depot Records at the other end of Highway 316 in Lawrenceville. We'll add more as they come our way. Please support your local record stores!

 

07/01/24 - Coming Soon... The Ort's Oldies Radio Show. Today, we started curating a very special playlist of tracks that were some of Ort's favorite oldies. The debut of The Ort's Oldies Radio Show will be at High Noon EST on Ort's birthday, July 26, 2024.

 

07/01/24 - We got one donation last month and we will be re-donating half of it to Nuci's Space as soon as we reach our Nuci's donation goal of $100. We currently have $83 in the Nuci's Donation Jar.

 

07/01/24 - At 12:00 A.M. EST., w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio, ended a month long journey through the music of AthFest2024! Only the artists performing at AthFest were played on the station throughout the month of June. At the same time, www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com and www.AthensGALive.com were both uploaded together and mirrored each other. They both replaced the original website with multiple pages and tabs, to a more user friendly and simpler one page interactive website. The foundation has been set and more will be added to the AGL website over the coming year. Be on the lookout for NEW links as they are updated.

 

06/30/24 - Over the last day, both AGL websites have gone through extensive testing to ensure that they are working correctly. The w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio station is working flawlessly on both sites as well as the PayPal donation buttons and all other links and information. The release of both redesigned websites will go live at Midnight to close out the month of June with AthFest performing artists and bring in the month of July, in celebration of Ort's birthday month.

 

06/29/24 - After two weeks of website redesigning, www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com and www.AthensGALive.com are mirrored to each other. This is a deep sigh after a year long battle with having to explain why someone must not go to one of them because of inappropriate content. Now, it's either one... Georgia spelled out or GA abbreviated!!!

 

06/24/24 - It's Monday and AthFest2024 is history. To help preserve that history, our weeklong task of reviewing, editing, naming, saving, uploading, and converting videos of all the artists who we filmed during AthFest begins.

 

06/23/24 - It's Sunday, the last day of AthFest2024!

 

06/22/24 - It's Saturday, the second day of AthFest2024 and the last day of Club Crawl!

 

06/21/24 - It's Friday, the first day of AthFest2024!

 

06/15/24 - Redesigning of the AGL website begins utilizing the feedback given by those who submitted concerns or suggestions. Now that we have both AGL's, Georgia and GA, a redesign is well deserved!

 

06/10/24 - Today we acquired and registered the www.AthensGALive.com website and it will mirror the current www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com website!!! Now, if someone asks if its Georgia spelled out or GA abbreviated, we can simply say, YES TO BOTH!!! 

 

06/01/24 - We got two donations last month and we will be re-donating half of it to Nuci's Space as soon as we reach our Nuci's donation goal of $100. We currently have $73 in the Nuci's Donation Jar.

 

06/01/24 - At midnight, w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio, began a month long journey through the music of AthFest2024! Only the artists performing at AthFest will be on the station throughout the month of June.

 

05/29/24 - AthFest announces that Gregory Frederick and Athens GA Live Music will be the official videographers for yet another awesome year for AthFest2024!!! Gregory's philosophy is that "History is being made every night!" It's an honor to help him document the very rich Athens music scene.

 

05/15/24 - The categorizing of tracks begins to identify only the artists who will be performing at AthFest2024. These tracks will take over the radio station beginning June 1st and running throughout the entire month of June. No B-52's! No R.E.M.! No Pylon! But, Pylon Reenactment Society... Yes, Yes and Yes!!!

 

05/11/24 - The website parking service did not pay for the AthensGALive website in time. This will be monitored daily to attempt to acquire it as soon as it is available.

 

05/10/24 - After weekly releases over the past few weeks, AthFest shared the full lineup for AthFest2024. 

 

05/01/24 - We got four donations last month and we will be re-donating half of it to Nuci's Space as soon as we reach our Nuci's donation goal of $100. We currently have $63 in the Nuci's Donation Jar!

 

04/10/24 - After waiting for nearly a year, the AthensGALive website is past due by the website parking service with inappropriate content on it, making it very uncomfortable when giving out the AthensGeorgiaLive website to people and explaining that they must spell out Georgia and not abbreviate GA to get to the correct website. This will be monitored weekly to see if they pay their webhosting bill.

 

04/02/24 - AthFest Music & Arts Festival begins releasing the names of the artists who will be performing at AthFest2024.

 

04/01/24 - We got two donations last month and we will be re-donating half of it to Nuci's Space as soon as we reach our Nuci's donation goal of $100. We currently have $36 in the Nuci's Donation Jar!

 

03/01/24 - We got our first donation on the website yesterday! You know who you are and thank you very much! Half of your donation will be given to Nuci's Space when the station makes its first donation to them! Thanks for your support!

 

02/29/24 - www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com and w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio goes Live and On Air at 12:00 P.M. EST! The feed was also broadcast in Athens, GA, 30603, on Channel 89.9 FM on a very low power transmitter with a field strength of 250 microvolts per meter, measured at a distance of 3 meters. 

 

02/28/24 - www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com and w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio prepares to go silent starting at midnight for 12 hours to remember William Orten "Ort" Carlton and then return to the air at High Noon on the 29th of February, 2024. (High Noon on a Leap Year... Ort's idea!)

 

02/27/24 - AGL link sent out to local photographers and live streamers.

 

02/26/24 - AGL link sent out to local producers and promoters of the Athens music scene.

 

02/25/24 - AGL link sent out to local media contacts, event organizers, record collectors and close friends of Ort, all of whom he recommended to reach out to by name. These were very special people to Ort!

 

02/24/24 - www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com link sent out to a short and exclusive list of musicians and friends for user beta testing and reporting feedback.

 

02/19/24 - AGL begins internal beta testing of the website and radio station.

 

02/09/24 - AGL begins live testing the w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio station.

 

02/01/24 - AGL registers the w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio station with the Live365 internet radio company. This is the most secure internet radio company to ensure that the artists get paid royalties for airplay on the station.

 

01/21/24 - On the 1 year anniversary of Ort's passing, AGL begins cataloging artists, music tracks and organization categories for the radio station.

 

01/01/24 - AGL website begins internet testing.

 

10/26/23 - Construction of the AGL website begins.

 

07/26/23 - On Ort's birthday, planning for the Athens Georgia Live (AGL) website begins.

 

04/26/23 - www.AthensGeorgiaLive.com domain is registered. Unfortunately, AthensGALive is in use by a website parking service with inappropriate content on the site. This will be monitored monthly to see if it becomes available.

 

02/04/23 - A celebration of Ort's life held at the 40 Watt Club in Athens Georgia, to a packed house.

 

01/21/23 - William Orten "Ort" Carlton passed away in Athens Georgia at the age of 73.

 

01/16/23 - Ort helped to come up with the idea and concept of the Athens Georgia Live website and the w.O.R.T. - Ort Internet Radio station.

 

01/15/23 - Ort "passed the baton" to my son, Franklin Russell, and to everyone willing to take it and run with it, keeping his memory and the Athens music scene alive. Another person he mentioned by name on numerous occasions was Oliver Domingo. Ort was very proud of the young talent in Athens.

 

07/26/49 - William Orten "Ort" Carlton was born in Athens Georgia.