Commander began his life and career in Huntsville, Alabama. In his own words, he “grew up in a bubble in Alabama. There is Huntsville and then there is Alabama”. The town is infamously known for its connection to the NASA program and the space shuttle. It was from this bubble in Huntsville, that WEUP Radio, the first black owned American radio outlet, was launched into radio wavelengths by his family on March 20, 1958.