Remember Early Country Radio AM ?

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 25 May 2001 7:44 pm

Anyone remember Rosalie Allen and her radio show "Prairie Stars" ?? know Dave Miller on WAAT ,,,NJ Don Larkin WVNJ??

Zeb Carver WOR Mutual coast to coast,,Zeke Manners,,?? some old cat asked me to ask,,I never heard of them,,,,, MOVING THIS THREAD TO THE SENIORS GROUP,,,,Grrrrr

Bob Schorell · Post by **Bob Schorell** » 25 May 2001 9:38 pm

Jody, I remember Don Larkin from back in the 50's and 60's. My mother used to listen to him all the time. She was a great country music fan. When I started to get into music myself in the early 60's I rember Don Larkin having country shows around our area. Some that I rember were Wanda Jackson, Johnny Paycheck. Used to play in a place called the Coral Bar in Pattrson, New Jersey. They used to have shows there. That's where I met Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Roy Clark, Louvin Brothers, to name a few. That's back when it was good country music.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 26 May 2001 2:42 am

Jody, was that Bud Messner and the Skyliners???

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 26 May 2001 4:18 am

* [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 01 May 2002 at 05:35 PM.]

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 26 May 2001 7:21 am

Jody; Jody; Jody !! It is so good to see old friends on the Forum. It's like walking outside into some fresh new air....

Yes I recall Bud Messner but what has happened now is you have mentioned Rosalie Allen and if I'm correct in my memory banks, she used to yodel, right ? You do recall what yodeling is, don't you ? They don't do that anymore either, do they ?

There was a guy who had a record of the longest yodel in the world and I think his name was Kenny Roberts. I feel like I know more about him but I can't seem to focus on it. Seems to me they all were in the same neighborhood and I'll bet a used Seymore Hat that you know about them.

Gene was talking about KOMA and I remember that one as well as WKY in OK City because it was one of those exceptions to the east- west rule. Also it was an inversion of one Jim Cohen's stations in Philly, KYW. I hope that is "acceptable" as well !! These little compliments, including your Hat thing, add a lot of color and inside smiling to these discussions.

And don't forget; it was you who reminded us: "The Cat (Ydoj) Came Back !"

Regards, Paul

[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 26 May 2001 at 08:22 AM.]

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 26 May 2001 7:43 am

This is strange because,just recently,I heard a station break on WSM,& the announcer, clearly,said,"WSM,Clear Channel 650". Anybody got anything on that?

P.S.
Paul,hope this helps. www.getmusic.com/artists/amg/Artist/681/191681.html
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[This message was edited by Smiley Roberts on 26 May 2001 at 08:55 AM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 26 May 2001 8:45 am

Hey Jack,,,yes it was Bud Messner and the "skyliners" good memory.....did a park date years ago when I first met him.He drove me in his car around the mountain at break neck speed had his left foot on the gas pedal
and his right foot resting on the dash board
I was "stuck to the seat" and he thought he was really a riot,,,,my pants were stuck,,& he was driving a stick shift,,,a wild and crazy guy....

Paul: yes Rosalie did yodel and really a talented gal as well as a looker,,,here I go "braggin again" did 5 nites aweek with her on live TV on WPIX in NY back in the 50's
& played steel on most of Rosalie's and Elton
Britt's RCA records. As for Kenny Roberts his biggie was "Il never see Maggie alone"

And yes Don Larkin was the big DJ back then ,,,,called himself "Barkin with Larkin"

As Gene Jones & Smiley told me ,,,if I dont brag on myself ,,,,,who will??? right guys?

But there are many out there in Forumland that dont beleive me,,,,thats not my problem
It is theirs....Jack No more "meatballs" they are all gone,,,next time I will get ya some.... Bob ,,,didn't mean to ignore you ,,Don Larkin was popular back then,,,he was also getting into to publishing etc was co writer on a few tunes,,,,like "Goodbye Maria Im Off To Korea" recorded by Jimmy Dale & his prides of the prairie

Also if memory serves me ,,,co wrote "SideTracked" recorded by Tex Williams
Western Caravan I lost track of him ,,,I got sidetracked too,,,,all you guys ,,,be well.....Like that old tune that Red Foley ^& Ernie Tubb did on Decca "Dont Be Ashamed Of Your Age" ...so keep em coming,,,,Im movin
this to the "Old Guys Topic" "the only people with a memory" Grrrrrrrrr woof woof[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 26 May 2001 at 09:53 AM.]

David Weaver · Post by **David Weaver** » 26 May 2001 9:23 am

Gene....

That's the station that I was trying to think of .... KOMA Oklahoma City. They had a promo that I wish I remembered the words to. "As the sun fades in the western sky the voice of KOMA spreads across the land..." or some such promotion.

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 26 May 2001 10:18 am

Paul ,,,what did you start here...?????all these guys are showing their age...ya know Im not supposed to be on here anymore,,,I have been "banned" for long winded posts,,,,gotta run.....Grrrrrrrr

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 26 May 2001 10:37 am

Jody: I can't believe that little idea of mine would reach out and touch so many people and in so many ways. Someone askes in another post: "What Have You Learned On The Forum ?" Now I can truthfully say; A Lot !!

I used to think I was just a dumb ole country boy who fell into the steel guitar world. Now look at where I am. Friends from everywhere that I never knew I had. It seems as if all of them have shared the same joys in growing up and living life in the USA, that I once did. I think that is really great. Sitting on top of that mountain in Korea, I felt pretty alone when I heard Hank Williams had just died. Now I know there were literally hundreds of us. But I didn't feel that way back then. I suppose it is something we get to help us bear the burden of growing old.

Well isn't that what families are all about ?
I've got a brand new family here on the Forum and I think we were all born in those Oldtime Radio Days.

Smiley: Jody answered my question about a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere. Elton Britt ?

Best Regards, Paul

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 26 May 2001 11:25 am

Paul,,,,do you like Elton?? I can make copies of many of his recordings for you if you would like,,,,

Let me know,,,,who said you were a plain ole "country boy" Jimmie Dickens beat you to that one.....you really started soemthing here...Wonder how many realize how you did those Fretts articles for Fender all those years??....for ,,,dont underestimate yourself
many on the Forum "overestimate" themselves
but it gets them "nowhere" you have the material to back it up,,,,

This is a fun thing to be invloved with but sometimes ,,,,Mmmmmm I dont really know.....
why dont they do a suggestion topic,,, I have a few suggestions......Star Spangled Banner of course Elton,,,who else....on steel
Andy Sanella,,,Tony Gottuso on guitar, Roy Horton on bass,,,Bill Horan on trumpet....no I wasn't on that one...I was only a baby then[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 26 May 2001 at 12:27 PM.]

Al Johnson · Post by **Al Johnson** » 26 May 2001 7:28 pm

Yes, Jody and Paul, I remember it well. My
kinda music, my era. I was stationed on Long
Island at Fort Totten. Listened to Rosalie
Allen, she made a lot of great recordings
and she was also a fine dj. Don Larkin used
to say "this is Larkin Barkin'".Bacl om the
1940's and early 50's there was country, yes
and western coast to coast not jus Nashville
and Chicago and LA area. I also listened to
WCKY,WJJD,WLS, and WSM drifting away and then
coming on strong. When I was home in Illinois. I also remember when I was in Kansas. Listening to the Lousiana Hayride and Elvis was there-The announcer said let's have a song from Elvis and Elvis said no,
Scotty and Bill, my band aren't here yet.
Yes, that's when everybody had their own band

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 27 May 2001 5:39 am

Not country ... but David mentioned Wolfman Jack ....

Back when we were criss-crossing the nation via Route 66, East Coast to West Coast in '52 Plymouths, trying to figure out what we wanted to be when we grew up .... we knew we were in the Fabled West when we heard the Wolfman's howl long about sundown, when the radio waves really started traveling.

Not country, but mighty fine blues came out of XERB, transmitted, I believe, from Mexicali.

Later, in the early 70s, I finally met the Wolfman--Bob Smith--when I was doing a folk music festival in Ketchum Idaho. Nice guy.

Thanks for the memories, y'all.

Chris

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from the oasis ....

Danny Hullihen · Post by **Danny Hullihen** » 27 May 2001 5:47 am

Paul. Back in the 50's and 60's we had an AM country station here in the Detroit area that went by the call letters WEXL. They opened up each DJ's segment of the show with "Steel Guitar Rag," and kept it playing in the back ground while the announcer was talking. I was just a kid then, but I remember my dad's alarm clock going off every morning at 6:00 a.m., and the Steel Guitar Rag was the first thing I would hear every day of the week.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 27 May 2001 6:20 am

Danny: I will always have Michigan in my steel guitar mind because my first efforts at describing my steel guitar passion went to a lady from MI by name of Millie Annis. I hope I have recalled the spelling correctly. She ran the Jerry Byrd Fan Club and I do not know if she is still with us but she owns a piece of my heart for her ground breaking efforts in getting Jerry the recognition he so richly deserved.

WJR was on my listen to list as was a search for WWJ which was among the very first to be
granted a license. I never got the station you cited but I like the idea of Steel Guitar Rag for a background theme. That must have been a novel approach and steel guitar music was the theme music for a lot of shows, maybe even the majority and that also says volumes about our instrument.

I recall "Oklahoma Stomp" being used on several stations but can't recall which. In fact I may even be a little fuzzy on the title as well.

Best Regards, Paul

Sam Marshall · Post by **Sam Marshall** » 27 May 2001 7:48 am

Bill Mack just recently left WBAP in Fort Worth. He is going to do something on satellite radio.

I heard WBAP would not let him take his handle of "the Midnight Cowboy" or "the Midnight Trucker." I can't remember what it was exactly.

My dad used to stay up listening to Bill Mack when he had insomnia.

Sam[This message was edited by Sam Marshall on 27 May 2001 at 08:50 AM.]

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 27 May 2001 9:43 am

* [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 01 May 2002 at 05:36 PM.]

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 27 May 2001 11:51 am

I thought of another station. It was KXEL-1540 in Waterloo Iowa. Used to play country all the time. There was also one in Shannondoa Iowa the Everly Brothers used to be on but the letters slip my mind. Oh and one more would be WHO-1040 out of Des Moines Iowa. A guy by the name of Mike Hoyer used to DJ there. He was pretty well known at that time.

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1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 27 May 2001 1:27 pm

I've been picking with Bernie Waldon, a Singer and Bass player that is an ex DJ from Indianapolis. Fred Myers help me out, but I think he was a DJ on WIRE in Indianapolis and at one time also worked at a station in Cincinatti.

WJJD used the Spade Cooley version of Steel Guitar Rag as their theme song in the evening.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 27 May 2001 4:22 pm

Yes, I sure do! That's back when the very few FM stations that were on the air played classical music only. Seems they thought classical music was the only music that required "high fidelity"!!!

Actually, I had a crystal set that I used to run through a Sherwood amp...sounded great to me! AM was more limited by the gear than it was by the freq. (bandwidth).

P.S. Paul, that record you were talking about (where they sent the singer's voice to England) might have been a song called "The Big Hurt", by Toni Fisher.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 27 May 2001 at 05:25 PM.]

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 27 May 2001 4:32 pm

Right on Donny ! That was the one I was trying to remember. Thanks for the Answer !
Regards Paul

jlsmith48 · Post by **jlsmith48** » 28 May 2001 10:44 am

Was'nt there a staion XERF Del Rio Texas. I remember baby chickens for sale!!!!

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 28 May 2001 6:05 pm

I mentioned two of the Mexican Stations in my opener but now I'm wondering if there were any others..... Baby Chicks? I wonder if they sold more Motor Cure and Harmonicas
than Baby Chickens? If they'd have had UPS and FedEx in those days, there would be a lot more Billionaires now. Regards, Paul

[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 28 May 2001 at 07:06 PM.]

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 29 May 2001 4:40 am

Oops..this was a duplicate, sorry.
Blake[This message was edited by Blake Hawkins on 29 May 2001 at 05:54 AM.]

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 29 May 2001 4:48 am

Jody and Jack, I also remember Bud Messner.
I lived in Chambersburg, PA in 1948-49. He did a show on the local radio station and promoted his dances with Grand Old Opry acts.
At that time, his steel player was Jack Throckmorton. I still have a 78 rpm record of "Skyliner's Boogie" featuring Jack.
Later I worked with a show promoter in Baltimore, Carl Brenner. He an Bud were good friends.
Blake