Lisa Christian started performing when she was a little girl, and she hasn't stopped since.

“I started playing guitar when I was 11,” says the Orange Beach DJ and singer/songwriter. “My whole family is super musical. And my favorite toy was a tape recorder. When I was a kid, I would make DJ tapes with my dad's records. I've always wanted to play music.”

Christian, who is originally from Philadelphia, moved to Atlanta in 1995, where she formed the duo Christian/Durand with fellow musician Lisa Durand. The pair recorded an album with EMI Nashville and opened for musicians like Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan, Queen Latifah, Tony Joe White, America and Marty Stuart.

But trying to make a living as a performer in Nashville is difficult, Christian says.

“Nashville is really songwriter focused, and that's not my focus,” she says.” I like performing. I like singing and playing guitar for people. And you can't make a living playing music up there unless you're Faith Hill.”

Christian came to the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival in the early 2000s and discovered the plethora of live performance opportunities on Alabama's Gulf Coast.

“When I came down here, I found out you can make a living playing guitar,” she says. “And the locals love their live music and their musicians. They really do support the music scene; it's not just entertainment to them.”

Christian moved to the Island in 2003 and began playing her bluesy, soulful music at local bars and restaurants full time.

In 2008, Christian started hosting a local music radio show on Sunny 105.7, which soon turned into another gig — Christian is now on the radio daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Her witty remarks between songs and first hand knowledge of the music industry make her a listener favorite. She calls her listeners her “radio rangers” and feels she has built a relationship with them. She signs off daily by telling listeners, “I'll see you back here tomorrow. Wear something cute, because you know what I like.”

Christian says radio is not unlike performing live — even though there is no audience right in front of her cheering her on, she imagines what her listeners are doing and talks to them, just like she would on stage.

“I think if it amuses me, it might amuse them too,” she says. “My listeners are people who like some good quality stuff. We don't serve margarine; we serve butter.”

Because Sunny 105 is an independently-owned radio station, Christian says she has more freedom to play a wider variety of music and focus on local musicians and events.

“Our program director does a great job with our mix of music,” she says. “We get great phone calls, and everything is totally local, even the advertisers. I also like to use this as a platform to complain about things — I'll call people out on the air and get to talk about what's going on in the area.”

Although Christian has moved around a bit in the past, she says she's not planning on leaving the Gulf Coast anytime soon.

“I love this area,” she says. It's been so good to me. I've lived all over the country, and this place is pretty special.”

People profile

NAME: Lisa Christian

OCCUPATION: Performer, daytime radio DJ for Sunny 105.7

HOMETOWN: Philadelphia, Pa.

MUSICAL STYLE: Blues, jazz, soul

WEBSITE: LisaChristianNation.com

See Lisa Live

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY: Sunset Corkroom, Gulf Shores

WEDNESDAY: Cosmo's, Orange Beach

FRIDAY: Big Daddy's, Fairhope

SUNDAY: Brunch at the Fairhope Inn, Fairhope

Call her on the radio: 251-923-0125