The Steel Guitar Forum

You guys from down south got all the musical breaks! We didn't get much in the way of
radio skips.....but did get WSM quite often. My mom used to crank it in on a little desk top radio. I was hooked for life. Then of course, we were on the main line for Del Rio Texas and their all night country music. Seattle's KIRO used to play the hot current tunes by Hank Williams, Sr., Red Foley, Eddie Arnold, etc. The "101 Ranch Boys" with Leonard T Zinn on steel guitar was an occasional visitor over the radio waves. We used to pick up Billy Jack Wills and his band from Los Angeles when the air was right.
And wasn't that "world's longest yodeler" named ELTON BRITT? On RCA? He did about a half hour note in one of his tunes. Also got to hear Jerry Byrd with his "talking guitar" from WLW Cincinnati. Those were the days; and our La Salle ran great! Thanx for stirring up the fond memories of my musical background. Ahmen...

I too recall and loved Millie Annis from Grand Rapids, Mich. I was Secretary of the JBFC at that time. What a fan club it was. How about Steel Guitar Echos monthly journal?
And what about all the dj's that would play requests for their listeners and always name the tunes they played so you could dash down to the local record shoppe and buy a copy. I used to pump in hundreds of requests per month for Jerry Byrd and won many JBFC contests. Great fun! Willy Nelson and Ann Jones used to have dj shows over then local KVAN Radio, Vancouver, WA. Live radio shows with local bands were common place then as well.

Ray; You know, I think you are right about Elton Britt and that long yodel. Jody Carver is sending me some more info on Elton.
I was wondering if you ever heard XEG just across the border in lower California? It was
on the same freq as KING in Seattle and you could hear the country in the background of their regular programming.

I'd hate to say how many postcards I sent in those days requesting Jerry Byrd songs but it was a lot. I was stationed at McChord AFB and Paine Field in the West of
Washington and Larsen AFB and Othello AFS in the East before they sent me to the ROK. I lost track of all my personal things when I went overseas and all the letters and all the issues of Echoes from Millie went to I know not where. Big loss there becasue I treasured all of it. But Jerry was my Hero and I'd do it again today !!

Thanks for the Memories ! BTW I saw Bob Hope in Wash and I see today that he has reached 98. Happy Birthday Bob ! Us old GIs still remember when you were there for us !

Thanks again Ray. Regards, Paul

Interesting e-mail from Marty Martel that I got today. Thought I would pass it along.


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL> One of the pioneers in country music radio has passed on, and once again we lose another piece of history. The following comments are from Bill Mack.
PAUL KALLINGER "YOUR GOOD NEIGHBOR ALONG THE WAY - FROM DEL RIO, TEXAS..!!"


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Posted by BILL MACK on May 31, 2001 Paul Kallinger
(“Your Good Neighbor Along The Way … From Del Rio, Texas!”)

When I received the news a few minutes ago that Paul Kallinger had passed away last night (Wednesday, May 30th), it immediately came to mind that I had lost a combination of both, friend and hero.
Oh, so many nights I dialed in XERF, Del Rio, Texas during the time I was dreaming I could make it in radio some day. And I hoped I might make it close to being another Paul Kallinger, realizing I could never be as great as the man himself.
I didn’t dial in the giant Mexican border radio station to hear the country music, although I enjoyed listening to the numerous Hanks (Williams, Snow and Thompson). Most of my enjoyment was in hearing the deep voice of Paul as he shouted out the good news about how you could order baby chicks by mail or garden seeds that were “guaranteed to produce the healthiest vegetables and rose bushes to be found on the planet earth!”
Everything ordered was shipped by mail. Nothing advertised on XERF and exploited via the magic voice of Paul Kallinger was available on the shelves at your favorite store. But everything was “guaranteed” to be the best that money could buy … and the cost was always so “very, very little!”
One rumor that circulated heavily stated Paul also shouted the news over 200,000 watts that you could order “autographed pictures of Jesus Christ for only one-dollar each!”
This was, indeed, a rumor. Paul laughed and said, “We had some preachers on XERF that came close to making similar claims, but I never sold autographed pictures of Jesus.”
Paul had been sidelined with health problems for the past several years but was still hoping to get back into radio. He told me he would like to hook up with me on-the-air when he got to feeling better. “Wouldn’t we make a team?” He laughed.
Paul visited my radio show many times, always making me feel a bit inferior when I heard his blessed tones in action behind the microphone.
It was only a few weeks ago that he telephoned me after hearing I was working on my book for Rutledge-Hill. He informed me that he wanted to put his memoirs into print.
Had a publication on the radio life of Paul Kallinger been completed, it would have been a best-selling work of art. It would also have served as a guidebook for the country disk jockeys of tomorrow.
-Bill Mack </SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This has been a long and colorful thread. It's sad to see it close on such a great loss to all of us Oldtime Radio Buffs. If there was some way I could dedicate the whole story to Paul, I would do that !!

Maybe just saying it would do as well !!

So as Johnny Cox once said to Curly Chalker:

This ones for you Paul !! Thanks for all you have done for all of us !! We can't forget...

Sincerest Regards to all his family and those thousands of fans and listeners, Paul.

I grew up listening to XERF,WWVA,WRVA,WCKY,and especially WSM,Carl, I think Randy Blake was on CKY into the '50s I remember WKBW,as I grew up in Buffalo,I think Foster Brooks was a D.J.there at that time,much later I worked the wheeling show at WWVA with Jimmy Dickens,and one time we worked Williams Grove in Mechanicsburg Pa.,I think E.T.was on the show with us.....

Hello Forum Folks, hows that? what was the station broadcasting out of DEL RIO Texas with the antenna in Mexico. They did a lot of late night stuff for the "Gear Jammers"
also advertized "Wayne Rainey Harmonica Course" Test you memories folks.
Take cars. Frank.

Frank: Go back three posts from yours for one by David Weaver. I think this would answer your questions. Regards, Paul<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 07 June 2001 at 12:38 PM.]</p></FONT>