I
really miss old time radio. From
the years of the 40’s when Mom and Dad
and I would sit in the living room of our farm house in the Ozark
mountains,
logs blazing and popping in the fireplace, wind howling outside on a
cold
winters night and the big
old console radio bringing the world into our
home. Fibber McGee
and Molly, Lum and
Abner, Abbott and Costello, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, The Shadow, Suspense,
Lux
Theater, The Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, Superman and , of course, The
Grand Ole
Opry, Midwestern Hayride, WLS Barndance and Renfro Valley Barndance. Now these weren’t just
passing programs,
these were part of the family lifestyle that we lived.
In the late 40’s early 50’s our local
radio station, KWTO, Springfield,
Missouri, 560 on
your radio dial,
started really bringing in top country talent for their live broadcasts. We had Mother Maybelle
Carter and the Carter
Sisters, Helen, Anita and June, with Chet Atkins playing guitar, we had
Shorty
and Sue Thompson, Slim Wilson, Goodwill Trio, Porter Wagoner, LeRoy Van
Dyke,
Tommy Sosbee, and a host of others.
Stations all over the country were doing the same, live
shows, live
country talent in the daytime and network shows at night. I was glued to the radio,
either in the
living room or upstairs with the little radio next to my bed.
Country DJ’s were born during the 40’s and
50’s and exploded
in the 60’s and 70’s with Eddie Hill creating all night country radio
on WSM,
Jimmy Skinner on WCKY, Cincinnatti, Charlie Douglas down in New
Orleans, Ralph
Emery taking over for Eddie Hill on WSM, Mike Hoyer on WHO Des Moines,
Bill
Mack down in Fort Worth, King Edward IV spinning country in Roanoke,
Billy
Parker all night on KVOO Tulsa.
When I came out of the Navy in 1958 and
made my way home to
Springfield I had been faithful to country radio all over the country
in my
travels. In 1959 I landed a late night radio spot on KWTO called
Hillbilly
Heaven, taking the place of Fred Lynn who had started the show several
years
before. I was
playing 33 1/3 albums and
78’s with a few 45’s just starting to trickle in.
I loved it.
Country radio was really a great thing in those
days.
In 1962 I moved to Nashville with my
country music dream, a
recording contract with Columbia Records, a J45 guitar, a pretty good
pair of
Tony Llama boots, three pair of Levi’s and not a heck of a lot else. Hungry to sing, eager to
hit the road, songs
running through my head and a belief that I could make a life out of
this
music….I got here and never looked back.
Country Radio was the vehicle that allowed me to pursue my
dream. Playing my
records, getting the name out
there, letting people know what and who you were, so when you came to
their
town folks would welcome you and come out to see the show. Country Radio and Country
DJ’s that we
developed friendships with were the marketing tools of our music and to
them
all we, the artists of the 50’s-60’s-70’s, owe a deep
appreciation.
One of my long time friends, and famous Country DJ from the 60’s-70’s, Chuck Lowe, who was the voice of Country in Salina, Kansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, Orlando, Florida, St. Louis, Missouri and back to his home town of Nashville, Tennessee, came to spend some time with me last week. Chuck retired from radio in the 80’s and now lives in the Smoky Mountains in a beautiful log house, with his wife Nancy. Chuck’s real name is Chuck Lowrance, but all Country Radio knew him as Chuck Lowe and every radio station that he moved to would be number one in that market.
Chuck took my music with him every where
he moved and always
pushed my music and promoted my shows in every town he worked. You just can’t say enough
about that kind of
loyalty. Chuck is
still looking and
sounding great, as he came to our BlueHighways studio and recorded a
commercial
for our new book, “At The Corner Of Music Row, And Memory Lane”, and
even
brought Denise and I a care package of great country ham, jams and
jellies and
sourwood honey from his company, Hassell Creek food products. It just reminded me of the
impact Chuck and
the other Country DJ’s have had on my life in music.
To them all, but especially to Chuck and
Nancy Lowrance, thanks for the lifetime of friendship and the helping
hands
along the way.
Write to me, my friends, and tell me your
old country dj’s
that you grew up with in your hometown.
We’ll mention them in next months newsletter.
God Bless Us All,
Stan