Remember Early Country Radio AM ?

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 24 May 2001 11:27 am

Some of my earliest musical experiences were
associated with AM radio. I was wondering if others shared these listening moments with me. It was before TV and before FM. The 30s and early forties mainly but some thereafter as well. Everyone has heard the legend of folks glued to the radio to hear the Grand Ole Opry. Most of these people were considerable distances away from Nashville and received the programs via the ionospheric skip mode. The signal would fade in and out and it added a special sensation to the music.

In the 60s there was a pop record that sent
the singers voice to England to capture that effect and there was a very haunting flow to that record. This is how we heard the country music of those times. There was a whole culture of faraway radio stations that were listened to.

Some famous ones I used to watch for were: WJJD in Chicago; KMOX in St Louis; WOAI in San Antonio; WWVA in Wheeling and WRVA in Richmond; WCKY in Cincinatti and of course, WSM in Nashville. Once I was leaving Nashville for St Louis and as the Opry started to fade out, I tweeked my radio tuning. I heard a strange echoed version of the program and it took awhile to figure out what was going on. WSM is on 650kHz and WMAQ Chicago was on 670kHz. I had fined tuned onto 660 and since WMAQ was taking an NBC feed to the show and transmitting it as well, I was receiving a blend of both stations. Since the distance traveled in each case was different, I had my first experience with echo/reverb.

Early one morning on the way to work, I heard Ralph Emory bidding farewell to a fellow DJ in Dallas, Charlie and I've forgotten his last name. I tuned to the Dallas Ft Worth station and heard Charlie and then back to 650 and listended to Ralph. You could do that with AM but not nowadays with FM. It just seemed like a more personable time with the music and DJs on the AM stations of those times.

You got a good sense of personal identity from this listening method. You could feel the geography as well as the music. You got a little of history as well because the first station was KDKA Pittsburg, east of the Mississippi which later became the line for asssigning call letters to the new radio stations. East were Ws and west were Ks. But
there are still a few exceptions to this such as KYW in Philadelphia and WOAI in San Antonio.

And who can forget those monster stations across the border in Mexico that blasted the music into Canada and some say, around the world. XERF and XEG come to mind. Country
music was the format so I guess it was in demand. The things they sold are another complete discussion. Regards, Paul

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 24 May 2001 1:05 pm

Ah,yes.....

I do remember tunning into WSM early in the wee hours of the morning. I was in the service,stationed many miles and countrys from my hometown of Nashville. It was a part of my way of staying in touch with home,the wife(as she would often dedicate a song to me) and Country Music.

Many of you proberly don't remember that station WLAC (at that time-frame) also was a very strong Country Music station. It,like WSM was a "Clear Channel" station. Could be heard all over the world.

Thankx for the memories.....

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 24 May 2001 1:11 pm

Yes, Paul, I share your feelings for those stations and programs. I grew up in Georgia and Alabama listening to those stations, plus WWL in New Orleans and WSB in Atlanta.
It was a sad day when our government broke up the clear channel stations and provided us with the congested mess that is AM radio today. However, in a few years even that will be gone when the government mandated digital radio goes into effect. That could happen as early as 2006. It's still a bit of a political football so I'm not sure exactly when it will happen.
Blake

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 24 May 2001 1:19 pm

"Some famous ones I used to watch for were: WJJD in Chicago;"

OH Paul my dear man, you just made 50 yrs of my life go back. Wow. I listend to WJJD in Chicago with Randy Blake (and "The Supper Time Frolic"), the DJ for 4 years from '46 thru '49. Wow! What memories.

Randy was one of radio's pioneer "hard selling" type of DJ's. And NO recordings at all, except for the records which were mighty scarce

. He did it all by himself! I used to get so frustrated with his doing a commercial I could scream.

One time I actually timed him doing a commercial for 27 minutes between to 3 minute records. Never wanted to choke someone to death as a kid as him. Course it was not him. But I did not know it at the time

He was an Eddy Arnold feind and I was a Little Roy Wiggins feind, so I would sit for hours thru those abominable commercials to here Little Roy Wiggins with Eddy's accompanyment

I would try my best to figure out how Roy did all he did.

Gee Paul I have not thought about that in years and years.

Thank you man. I too could not get the Grand Ole Opry in Chicago because of WMAQ. But I had listened to it in the early 40's when we lived in Tampa. Nowadays, there is a powerful Cuban station that just about wipes it out down there, I understand. Cuba does not honor the US "clear channel" laws I am told.

Speaking of "skip" in the ionosphere. It is indeed remarkable how one can hear a radio signal 1000's of miles away so LOUD and CLEAR when the skip is just right. And when it's not right you could not pull it in if you had all the tea in china

God bless ya Paul,

carl

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 24 May 2001 2:08 pm

This is an interesting thread, but it belongs in the Music section.

(I too go back to WCKY and WJJD, along with WWVA Wheeling Jamboree and the WRVA Richmond Jamboree. WSM is still going but it's not the same since, as Blake noted, they did away with the clear channels.

I'm moving this to the Music section.

Antolina · Post by **Antolina** » 24 May 2001 3:02 pm

Ah sweet sweet memories. Catching the Grand Ole Opry via the skip way up in N.Y.& WWVA out of Wheeling among others. How my young heart would break when the radio fade happened in the middle of "There stands a glass". DJs played the songs they liked and not some contrived top 40. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and that little bit of nostalgia.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 24 May 2001 3:56 pm

Jack: At first I thought; Jack will say it's too musical....

Then I thought; Janice will say it's too technical....

Then I thought: What would Bobbe do ??

Regards, Paul

(Paul judging by other threads in this area, this is the most appropriate place - Jack)[This message was edited by Jack Stoner on 25 May 2001 at 03:37 AM.]

Bob Schorell · Post by **Bob Schorell** » 24 May 2001 4:01 pm

Jack or RC, speaking of WWVA, do either of you remember Lee Moore. He was called the "Coffee drinkin cookie eatin Nighthawk. I used to listen to him back in the 60's in New York. Thanks to the skips the station used to come in pretty clear on my radio at 3 or 4 in the morning. I remember his theme song was the Wildwood Flower that he played on his guitar. (The good times).

Antolina · Post by **Antolina** » 24 May 2001 4:43 pm

Bob....How could I forget? I was driving 18 wheels for a super mkt. out of Bflo. at the time. The late night produce run through the mountains. Wouldn't it be great if we could go back?

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 24 May 2001 5:44 pm

RC: If Bflo is Buffalo, do you remember WKBW ? Not country but a lot of good listening in those wee hours of the morning.
Regards, Paul.

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 24 May 2001 6:41 pm

Paul,

Gotta agree with you on which category to initiate certain threads.

Now for you "clear channel buffs". Here is a trivia question for you.

When the FCC setup the "clear channel AM stations back in the 30's, HOW many did they allocate and how many can you name?

Of course the greatest of all was WSM. But what about the rest?

Anybody?

carl

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 24 May 2001 7:13 pm

Yo WKBW. Daffay Dan Nevrith, also the hot jock star who nailed his shoes to the door upon being fired with a note saying ok baby, fill these. His name was Joey ?

One other jock whose name escapes me. He always gave the time of day strangely, such as 20 minutes ago it was 1:34, or in 12 minutes from now it will be 2:21.

I worked a bar gig across from WKBW on Main St. called the Mansion House. Fun times, those.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 24 May 2001 8:24 pm

Carl; What an excellent trivia for this thread, wish I had thought of that...BTW: did I leave my White's Radio Catalog at your house or Jody Carver's ?

I'm shy on what constitutes a clear channel. At one time it was no other station on that frequency and then it became no other station on the frequency at night. Like WJJD had to sign off in the early evening because there was another 50kw station located in Salt Lake City, Utah also on 1160kHz. Even 650kHz (WSM) had a small 500 watt, daytime only located near Houston.

Based on what I can recall there were only a hand full of single station Clear Channels but I will have to defer to your expertise on this one unless I can find that little book I bought at the Technical Book Store, Scott Air Force Base, IL in 1950.

Best Regards, Paul

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 24 May 2001 8:32 pm

Ken: Wasn't it at WKBW where a DJ locked himself in the station and played Shh-Boom,Shh-Boom by the Four Freshmen until the police took the door down the next morning ?
Definately a station to remember! Regards, Paul

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 25 May 2001 2:36 am

Bob, I remember Lee Moore and also Hawkshaw Hawkins on the jamboree, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, etc. They all use to play at Valley View Park in Hellam Pa (near York, Pa). The Wheeling people seemed to have a big following in Pa, NY, New England and Canada areas. When they would announce their road appearances it always seemed it was in those areas.

I've worked, down here, with Billy Tarr, who was on the staff band at Wheeling and was Hawkshaw's road fiddle player and used to winter down here in Leesburg. He's been having health problems and didn't make it down this winter. I've also worked with a lead player down here (don't remember his name, just "Skeets" - C.R.S.) that was on the staff band at Wheeling for about 3 years.

Speaking of Hawkshaw, his old steel player from Wheeling - Jiggs Lemley (Spelling?) lives in Ft Myers, Fl. Last I heard he's not in too good health - old age catches up with us all.

Then there was WSBA in York, Pa, where the "101 Ranch Boys" Show originated. Leonard Zinn played steel for that group.

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 25 May 2001 5:10 am

Talking about clear channel stations, don't forget WBAP in Fort Worth with Bill Mack. Coming home from gigs we used to bounce from WSM to WBAP and back depending on who was featured. Bill used to play Bob Wills at night and that was about the only way to hear Bob on the radio for me in the early 70's.

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

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 25 May 2001 6:30 am

Craig: In my opening for this thread, I mentioned a conversation between Ralph Emery and a DJ in Texas. Now you've got me thinking that it may have been Bill Mack. It's not that clear anymore but I did that jumping back and forth as you describe too.
Didn't WBAP use a different call sign during daylight operations ?

Jack: Those parks in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania; were they only in that area or did they have places like that throughout the country ? If memory serves me correctly, I recall one just across the border (?) in Maryland.

Closer to home, Robesonia PA, we had a park
called Himmelreiches (spelling?) Grove. The band there was called Uncle Jack and Mary Lou. And near Reading PA there was a park run by Shorty Long who had a sort of hit one time with a song called Crying Steel Guitar Waltz. Had Herby Johnson on steel back then.

At Carl's Atlanta show, I went up to talk to Leonard T Zinn because there was something
familiar about him. When he mentioned York PA and the 101 Ranchboys, it all came back to me. I'd seen him when I was kid going around to weekend carnivals and these parks.
I also remember seeing Bill Haley and His Comets in that circuit as well. He had a steel guitar with him and I thought, at the time, that his music was, shall I say more upbeat that the other groups I was familiar with ?

I should have put an LOL in that Forum Location comment. Wouldn't want to be known as an SA. Best Regards, Paul[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 25 May 2001 at 07:31 AM.][This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 28 May 2001 at 08:19 PM.]

David Weaver · Post by **David Weaver** » 25 May 2001 6:45 am

With internet access you can know everything you want to know about the steel guitar, how long the average monkey's tail is, or a six part history of clear channel radio. Here is where you find the 6 part history of clear channel radio.
www.oldradio.com

I can remember the blowtorch out of Del Rio Texas with transmitters in Mexico. Wolfman Jack was the DJ, but I was young and his voice actually scared me a bit. I didn't like to listen to the station. Can't remember the call letters.

What I remember most about the Opry broadcast was Minnie Pearl and the 'Duke of Paducah'.

Oklahoma City had a clear channel station and it had a poetic promo they would do at nightfall. Something like "as the sun fades in the west, we stretch our sound across the nation...blah blah." Something like that.
[This message was edited by David Weaver on 25 May 2001 at 07:49 AM.]

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 25 May 2001 7:05 am

Carl, I count 39 clear channels assigned for class I or II stations in the USA. A few of these are shared with Canada, Mexico, and Cuba.
Cuba has 13 clear channels assigned, a couple shared with the USA.
I pulled this from the "NAB Engineering Handbook" 5th edition.(1960) Which also has reprints of the FCC "Part 3 Radio Broadcast Services."
As you are aware, the AM rules were then and are now quite complex with different combinations of stations allowed on different frequencies.
One odd combination which was mentioned in this thread is the WOAI/WBAP shared frequencies of 570 and 820 they would alternaate on each frequency during the day.
640 is a Cuban Clear Channel by International treaty. USA and Canada also have some limited use of 640. Cuba uses, I think a 500,000 watt transmitter on that frequency.
I live in a Tampa suburb and with a good quality portable radio,can still get WSM when conditions are right. In fact I have a bedside radio permanently tuned to WSM.
Atlanta's 640 Kc station was created when the government wanted to create more minority ownership of AM stations so they opened several frequencies for minority grants only. What the minority owner did was to build the station as cheaply as possible and then sell it to a large broadcasting company for a multi-million dollar profit.
I spent over 30 years in Broadcasting, 11 of that managing small A.M. stations and 12 years on the engineering staff of WSB-Tv.
Part of the fun of being with WSB-TV is that I got to meet and work with many of the radio and television pioneers who put that station on the air.
Oops...this post is too long.
Sorry,
Blake

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 25 May 2001 8:50 am

The www.oldradio.com site is a gold mind !!
I've just spent the last two hours in there
recharging all my old memories. For those of you who like this sort of information it is exactly the place to go, complete with maps and dates and all the old issues. Thank You David !! Sooner or later with the help of guys like David, and Jack, and bOb,
I'll master this new Compaq. Best Regards Paul

[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 25 May 2001 at 09:51 AM.]

Bob Kagy · Post by **Bob Kagy** » 25 May 2001 10:56 am

I grew up in New Orleans, Nooawlins that is. There was a good country AM station there in the late 40's, early 50's, WBOK I think it was.

They played Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant's stuff as theme songs for the various segments. And would play lots of instrumentals - Tommy Jackson, new Speedy West releases, Chet Atkins. Most of the DJ's knew the musicians on each record they played.

They played lots of Eddy Arnold with Roy Wiggins at the time. Hank was just making his mark, Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, all those good cats.

What seems funny now is that I used to listen to this station on a radio that had what was probably a 3" cardboard speaker and couldn't believe the tone Jerry Byrd, Roy Wiggins and Speedy West was getting. Seems to defy the laws of physics.

They had live, local country bands on Saturday mornings. Once I rode the streetcar downtown with my double-neck National, walked to the studio, and the band let me sit in live that Saturday morning. What a thrill.

Good listening (not my playing) from all those good records, bands and DJ's. Nice time. Plus I think they were actually playing what the listeners wanted to hear

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 25 May 2001 11:13 am

Thanks David, the 6 part article pretty well puts "the plug in the jug" on the clear channels. It is model of research and presentation.
Blake

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 25 May 2001 11:23 am

Paul, there were probably many outdoor parks like Valley View and Himmelreich (Sp?) Grove. Those are two I remember as being close by - I'm originally from Mechanicsburg, Pa.

I've played at both of those parks back in the mid 60's. They would hire one or two local bands and then bring in either a Nashville or Wheeling act. They didn't call it "opening for ....", just the local band(s) went on first.

Williams Grove Park and Speedway (Mechanicsburg) used to have a lot of Nashville and local acts. That was the first place I saw Ernest Tubb and Webb Pierce. The 101 Ranch Boys played there quite a bit.

Antolina · Post by **Antolina** » 25 May 2001 1:28 pm

Paul and Ken....let's see where our memories go...It was WWOL where the DJ did the lock up thing and I believe it was "Rock around the Clock" that he played for 24hrs. WKBW the 50,000W clear channel. Remember The Hound aka Geprge Lorenz (rockin' and dockin'). He had a request line and I can still remember his refusal to play 16 tons cause it wasn't movin' and groovin'. In my heart I'll always believe Wolfman Jack's whole routine including the gravel voice was a take off of The Hound. Daffy Dan Neavrith. What a hoot. His shoes never were filled. A DJ's DJ along with Sandy Beach and others. On the C&W side how about ole Ramblin' Lou Shriver out of Niagra Falls before he bought WXRL and created the first full time real country station. He had his own band along with Accordian Zeke. His music was horrid and his writing was even worse but a better guy more dedicated to country music you couldn't find! I believe his wife is still alive and well. How 'bou it guys. REMEMBER WHEN?.....Hey Ken it all just kicked in...of course the Mansion House!! Boy you must be OLD. Yes those were the days when DJs played the music they wanted to instead of the pre programmed crap they have to play today. When upcomers could take their recordings to the staions, shmooze the DJs and grab some air time. If the public likes it the were stars. Today.....ah the heck with today. Yesterday's memories are enough for me today.....RC[This message was edited by RC Antolina on 25 May 2001 at 02:37 PM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 25 May 2001 7:14 pm