Jim Diffey began life's journey at 4030 Olive Street in Saint Louis Missouri, just three blocks from Olive Street and Boyle Avenue, the heart of Gaslight Square, and eight or nine blocks from The Rosebud Café.

Jim's mom and dad worked in the defense industry in Saint Louis until World War II ended, and then moved to Arkansas where most of their family was located. Jim's dad went to work for the railroad; his mom became a telephone operator. Eventually, a job transfer brought the family to Northern California where Jim attended multiple schools: Stockton, Byron, Brentwood, Antioch, Pittsburg, and in 1956 graduated from Armijo High in Fairfield.

Jim spent the late 50's working for Pacific Bell during the day and at night enjoyed being bass man for a band playing the new "evil" music called "rock & roll."

During the 60's he served as a medical specialist in the US. Army. After his stint there he met and married the love of his life, Lessie.

Besides raising a family of five children, Jim and Lessie have spent over 38 years square/ folk dancing. They've taken dance groups to Russia, Belarus, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England and Hawaii.

Acting in their own friendly fashion as dancing ambassadors, Jim recalls, "It's been a wonderful experience. We've been able to interact with local dancers and have often been invited into their homes for visits."

Retiring after forty years in the telecommunications industry, Jim became a broadcaster at KVMR in 1993. With the help of fellow broadcasters Joseph Guida, Rick Snelson, Michael Keen and others, he went through his training with ease.

In 2002, Jim & Lessie moved to Vacaville California. They make the trip up the hill once a month to do their show "Corner of Time", playing Ragtime and Vintage Jazz music and conducting an occasional interview.

Jim says, "I have always loved music. My earliest memory of Saint Louis is hearing music, late at night, drifting through an open bedroom window".

In November 2000 Jim & Lessie stopped by the West Coast Ragtime Society's festival in Sacramento. Jim remembers listening to ragtime, and even playing it on the air many times, but was not familiar with its history. Ragtime developed into an art form in the Missouri Valley, especially around Saint Louis. Jim says "I have the feeling Ragtime and early Jazz have been in my blood from the very beginning and I just didn't know it".

"I was so taken with the music and the quality, skill and dedication of the musicians that Ragtime moved right up beside Vintage Jazz as my favorite music," recalls Jim. "Through a little research I discovered that when jazz drifted up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to Saint Louis, it fused with Ragtime and another style of jazz was born, Dixieland."

Tune to KVMR on Wednesdays, 2:00-4:00pm for "Corner of Time" with Jim and Lessie for some toe tappin' original American music.