Updates

• Added info on Jimmy Ford, thanks to Volker Houghton. • Extended and corrected the post on Happy Harold Thaxton (long overdue), thanks to everyone who sent in memories and information! • Added information to the Jim Murray post, provided by Mike Doyle, Dennis Rogers, and Marty Scarbrough. • Expanded the information on Charlie Dial found in the Little Shoe post.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Story of Jack Rivers

Western Swing, Texas Tornadoes, and Rainier Beer - The Story of Jack Rivers

A steady performer from the 1930s until the 1960s, Jack Rivers is not exactly a household name in country music history. Although he left behind a wealth of recordings - solo and as part of background bands - he never found much acclaim outside western swing lovers and historians.

Born Rivers Lewis on December 16, 1917, he was the half-brother of James "Texas Jim" Lewis. Their father, James Augusta Lewis (born 1888 in Ochlocknee, Georgia; died 1978 in Tampa, Florida) first married Elizabeth Malissa "Betty" Lisenby, who gave birth to Jim in 1909. When his first wife died in 1916, James Augusta wed an unknown woman, who was the mother of Rivers and Madelyn Jo Lewis. The couple, however, divorced again and James Augusta married a third time, Lillian Baines May.

James Augusta Lewis was a US Marshal and an old-time fiddler, so the Lewis family was musically inclined. In 1919, when Rivers Lewis was about two years old, his father moved the family to Fort Myers, Florida. Given that Rivers was born in 1917, it seems probable he was born still in Georgia. By 1928, his falf-brother Jim had left Florida for Texas, where he began his career as a singer and soon earned his nickname "Texas Jim." In the meantime, the Lewis family had moved to Detroit, where Rivers began his professional career as a musician. The exact point when he started out his unclear, however. Rivers stated that he began appearing in Detroit with a mouth harp player named Bob Richardson. He claimed it was 1932, when he was twelve years old, which must be incorrect. Since Rivers was born in 1917, he either began his career in 1929 or he was already around 14 years old. Rivers later remembered this time: "[...] we were making $ 5.00 each night we played. The places would be raided and the police would get me out the back door with 'don't ever let me catch you here again!'"

Around 1930, his brother Jim had also moved to Detroit and both joined forces and began singing together around Detroit. They founded a band with Kenneth Mills on fiddle and Eugene "Smokey" Rogers (with whom Rivers had performed earlier) on banjo with Rivers, nicknamed "Jack," on guitar and Lewis probably on guitar and vocals. The quartet played rough bars and clubs around Detroit and also had a 15 minutes radio show on WMBC. 

Rivers' father moved the family to Toledo, Ohio, eventually, where Rivers didn't found as much work in clubs as before in Detroit. He took a job with a local Hawaiian group and gave some music lessons at the Honolulu Conservatory of Music. At the age of 16, Rivers moved to Middletown, Ohio, where he worked as a truck driver. However, his employment there didn't last too long as his parents had earned him a spot at local Toledo radio station WSPD as a member of Roy Smith's band. The group also worked at a local club at night.

Brother Jim had stayed in Detroit but was living in New York City by 1936. He had founded his first own band, Texas Jim Lewis and the Lone Star Cowboys, and recorded his first session for the American Record Corporation that same year. On this first session, Rivers was not part of that group. As band mate Smokey Rogers seeked for a more solid and quiet living, Rivers replaced him in the group and moved to New York. There, he performed steadily with his brothers group over radio and such places as the Village Barn.

He changed his name legally to "Jack Rivers" but it is unknown at which point this ocurred. The popularity of the Lone Star Cowboys increased and through their appeatances, the group eventually ended up in California. On August 23, 1940, Lewis and his band were back in the studio, this time in Los Angeles for Decca Records. Part of the line-up was also Rivers as a guitarist - it was his first recording session.

Rivers recorded with the Lone Star Cowboys well into 1942. Their last session took place on July 23 in Los Angeles. Texas Jim Lewis was then drafted into the military. Rivers also joined the troops and on his account, he served three years in the military. However, he found enought time to continue his work as a musician and that year, he took part in the filming of "Laugh Your Blues Away," which premiered on November 12, 1942. In the movie, he played the role of a musician named "Jack Rivers Lewis."

Rivers had joined Jimmy Wakely's Oklahoma Cowboys by 1944 and appeared in the movie "Montana Plains" that year as part of Wakely's band. Up to 1948, Rivers would appear in seven more B western movies with Wakely. Again, it is unclear if Rivers already recorded with Wakely at that time or if he took up recording with him at a later point (it is assured that Rivers recorded with Wakely by 1947). Wakely recorded for Coral and Decca at that time and even cut a session with Texas Jim Lewis for Decca on December 10, 1945, in Hollywood.

By mid 1946, Rivers was back in the studio. First as a part of Tex Russell's Hollywood Cowboys, a band that recorded one single for the Aladdin label ("Texas Tornado" b/w "What It Means to Be Blue", Aladdin #508), and then with his own group for Trilon Records. Trilon had been started that same year by Renee LaMarre in Oakland, California, and is today better known for its jazz and blues output. Rivers cut a session in Hollywood that produced four titles: his version of Jimmy Wakely's "Texas Tornado" and "If I Knew What It Meant to Be Lonesome" (Trilon #124) as well as "Playing Games with Me" and "Blue Blue Eyes" (Trilon #125).  The unknown backing group was mentioned as "The Texas Tornadoes." Either this very same session or a second one for Trilon produced another two fine singles, the first of them being River's rendition of the big hit "Detour" and "At Least a Million Tears" (Trilon #18575). The second coupled "I've Found Somebody New" and "Sargent's Stomp" (Trilon #18576), the latter showcasing Tommy Sargent's abilities on the steel guitar. This time, the background music was credited to the "Muddy Creek Cowboys."

On November 25, 1946, Rivers was part of Johnny Bond's Red River Valley Boys that backed up Bond on a Columbia session at radio KNX. Rivers can be heard as a guitarist and duet vocalist on "Rainbow at Midnight." Rivers also worked with Stuart Hamblen and Gene Autry during this time on radio and in the recording studio. At some point between 1945 and 1950, Rivers also cut a session with an unknown band for C.P. "Chip" MacGregor's own MacGregor label. MacGregor's business was popular for its radio transcriptions but also released numerous 78rpm discs through the 1940s by western swing artists. Credited to "Jack Rivers Boys," Rivers and the band cut "Varsovienna," "Rye Waltz," "Schottische," and "Heel and Toe Polka." Rivers also cut several transcriptions for MacGregor that have been reissued by the British Archive of Country Music on CD.

Rivers, known as a talented guitarist back in the day, is sometimes also remembered today by guitar enthusiasts. He could have been the first guitarist to own a custom built Spanish guitar by Paul Bigsby, predating Merle Travis' exemplar by one year. Shaped as a lap steel guitar, the unusual looking guitar has several features it was built in 1947, either specifically made for Rivers or simply bought by Rivers from Bisgby. However, no photos of Rivers with this guitar have surfaced so far. The first known photo of it was taken in 1951, when guitarist Neil LeVang rented the guitar from Rivers as he went on tour with Texas Jim Lewis.  Rivers charged him $30 for the guitar, "an obscene amount of money at the time," as Neil LeVang was quoted by Deke Dickerson.

In 1948, Rivers recorded a couple of sides in Hollywood that were later leased to Capitol, which resulted in two singles on the label in 1948. They were followed by a string of singles for the Coral label, beginning in 1949 and ending in 1951. More or less simultaneously, Rivers also recorded several singles for the Hollywood based ABC-Eagle Records, another label that released several fine western swing and country singles.

Although blessed with musical talent and a master on the guitar, Rivers never went to stardom. He recorded for major labels but in some cases, the cause of failure in the music business can't be determined. It also requires to be at the right time at the right place, which Rivers apperently not was. Maybe due to this situation, he was looking for greener pastures and turned his back on California, relocating with his brother to Seattle, Washington, in 1950.

Moving to Seattle also meant leaving the metropolis of Los Angeles with its many clubs, movie studios, and record labels. Rivers simply founded a variety of his own labels, which included JR Ranch, Ranch, Lariat, Rivers, and others. Possibly the first disc from this era was, however, issued on Oliver Runchie's Listen label in 1952. Runchie operated the Electricraft Studio in Seattle, which was used frequently by Rivers for his recordings. The disc coupled "Navy Hot Rod" and "One Woman Man" (Listen #1441). Packed full of tremendous guitar licks by Rivers, "Navy Hot Rod" was only one of many "hot rod" saga songs back in the early to mid 1950s. Arkie Shibley had started this trend in country music in 1950, when his "Hot Rod Race" became a moderate hit and soon found imitators. Apart from Shibley himself, who cut a couple of follow-ups, also Paul Westmoreland and T. Texas Tyler ("Hot Rod Rag"), Johnny Tyler ("The Devil's Hot Rod"), and Charlie Ryan ("Hot Rod Lincoln") jumped on that train.

Rivers kept on recording extensively throughout the 1950s for small scale labels. While his brother Texas Jim Lewis became a regional star on KING-TV with his children show "Sheriff Tex's Safety Junction," Rivers decided upon performing at rough-and-ready roadhouses in the area, such as the Circle Tavern and Coe's Country Club. He also hosted his own local TV show, the alcohol-fueled "Ranier Ranch," which later became the "Raging Ranch Show" in KIRO-TV. On many of his gigs at the local dancehalls, Rivers was accompanied by his brother Jim. He even owned his own dancehall, the "JR Ranch," south of Seattle in Des Moines.

Jack and Randy Rivers on KTNT-TV, 1960s
from the collection of Deke Dickerson
Rivers performed with great success in the Seattle area until the mid 1960s. After he unsuccessfully candidated for the Washington House of Representives (he lost due to the League of Women Voters according to his own words). During the next years, Rivers lived at different places in the United States. 

In 1964, he moved to Riverview, Florida, where his parents also had settled but relocated to California again after the death of his mother in 1966. There, he resumed work with Jimmy Wakely for some time but also lived and worked in Buffalo, New York, and Wenatchee, Washington, in subsequent years. Music played an inferior role during this time in Rivers' life. In the 1980s, Rivers settled with his wife in Arizona, where he worked at the Grand Hotel in Apache Junction near Phoenix, where he would spent his last years.

Jack Rivers died on February 11, 1989, in Apache Junction at the age of 71 years. He was not the most prominent western swing musician but an integral part of the Texas Jim Lewis and Jimmy Wakely bands. He immortalized his guitar style on countless recordings as part of a group or on his own records.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

WIBC Jamboree

The Daily Banner,
December 1942
Indiana had many local live stage shows broadcasting from various places in the state. This particular show aired on WIBC, Indianapolis, and proved to be extremely popular with the station's listeners. The Jamboree was one of the earlier shows of its type.

WIBC started its Jamboree program in the early 1940s, possibly in 1940 or 1941. It was at least on the air as early as December 1942. The show's cast included mostly singers and musicians who were working at WIBC plus country music stars of the day added as guests to the line-up frequently. For example, in February 1944 Ernest Tubb and Pee Wee King appeared on the Jamboree. By 1944, famous radio and recording artist Hugh Cross was the emcee of the show.

The Jamboree did not only had its regular Saturday night stint in Indianapolis but also staged shows during the week from different places around the city. The show was held from such places at the Tomlinson Hall, the Armory, and the Keith Theatre (all Indianapolis) or the Cloverdale High School in Cloverdale, Indiana. 

The show was on air at least until the summer of 1945.

The list of the cast members of the WIBC Jamboree is long and surely, there are names on it that many will recognize. Many of the singers also appeared on several other stations and stage shows.


The Daily Banner, Greencastle, Ind.
November 13, 1944
• Hugh Cross, emcee
• Judy Perkins
• Linda Lou Martin
• Rufe Davis
• The Utah Trailors
• Vern Morgan
• Cal Fortune
• Casey Clarke
• Curly Baker
• Blue Mountain Girls
• Quarantine, comedy character
• Chick Holstine
• Emmy Lou
• Lazy Ranch Boys
• Byron Taggart
• Bud Bailey and his Down Easters
• Harpo and Tiny
• Marion Martin
• The Haymakers
• Prairie Pioneers
• Curly Miller, emcee
• Bill Haley and the Saddlemen
• Bobby Cook and his Texas Saddle Pals
• Fiddlin' Red Herron

Monday, October 2, 2017

KTAN live show

In 1958, radio station KTAN of Sherman, Texas, aired a Saturday afternoon live country music show. Billboard mentions this program in a February 3, 1958, article but mentions not the name of the show. Tiny Colbert, popular band leader in West Texas, hosted the show from the KTAN studios. The cast was made up mainly of local singers and musicians.

Colbert, described by Billboard as a "barefooted tap dancer heard on Warrior Records," had been around in Texas for some time. He fronted a band already in 1954 that performed in the Odessa and Lamesa areas and at one time also inlcuded Eddie Miller and Durwood Haddock. Colbert and his band also recorded several discs for Bluebonnet Records.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Frank Gilreath on Torino

Frank Gilreath and the Southern Swingsters - Homesick for Home (Torino 45-1052, 1969)

There are a couple of Frank Gilreaths in the United States and a quick search did not turn up anything particular on this special Frank Gilreath here. Reading the name of his band, the Southern Swingsters, one may expect a western swing outfit, which it is not, of course. Both songs are straight mainstream country cuts.

Torino was one of the many custom labels operated by Style Wooten in Memphis.

Read more:
Torino Records Discography
The Ballad of Big Style Wooten

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Country Cavalcade

The WMNI Country Cavalcade 
special thanks to Matt Mnich and Bob O'Brien

WMNI, a powerful country music station in Columbus, Ohio, during the 1960s and 1970s, hosted a live stage show called the “Country Cavalcade.” Contrary to many other shows of its type, the Cavalcade began its history relatively late at the end of 1974. At that time, many of the old live stage shows had ended.


WMNI turned to a country music programming in late 1965. The station was owned by North American Broadcasting, headed by William R. “Bill” Mnich, who had founded the company in 1958. Both the Southern Theatre and the hotel next to the theatre, known as the Grand Southern Hotel, also belonged to North American Broadcasting. Shortly after WMNI became a country station, live stage shows were organized at the Southern Theatre and the much larger Veterans Memorial Auditorium, beginning in 1966 with great success. These shows, however, were not broadcasted over radio.

The idea of a regular Saturday night stage show came from Bill Mnich. The start for the “Country Cavalcade” finally came late in 1974. Mnich was the driving force behind the show, as he booked the acts, produced and managed the Cavalcade. Emcee of the show was Ron Barlow, DJ and program director of WMNI from 1970 until 1975 or early 1976. Barlow then left due to a disagreement with Mnich and was replaced by Carl Wendelken, who also shared managing /producing credits with Mnich. Rick Minerd, who helped Wendelken at times with the emcee work, recalled: “Our Country Cavalcade was a local version of WSM's Grand Ole Opry Show and like the grand daddy of them all we featured live acts on Saturday nights from a beautiful historic theatre.



The show was airing live over WMNI and taped for broadcasting over the Mutual Network, which included over 600 stations at that time and exposed the Country Cavalcade to a large audience across the United States. It was also tried to broadcast live over the network, which was stopped again shortly afterwards, however, since it caused too many problems (the show had to be broadcasted simultaneously in four different time zones). A book called “Historic Columbus: A Bicentennial History” devoted some space to WMNI and also the Cavalcade: „In the mid to late 1970s, nationally known entertainers appeared before packed houses at the Southern Theater. The shows were broadcast on WMNI and distributed to hundreds of other radio stations over the Mutual Radio Network.”At some point in 1976, the show was dropped from the network but continued to air over WMNI.

Many of the artists were local acts but some of them enjoyed some success, even nationally. Ott Stephens was an recording artist on Chart Records from Nashville during the 1960s and also partially owner of that label. He appeared regularly on the Country Cavalcade. Although he had sold his interests in Chart by the time the Cavalcade went on the air, a lot of the Chart recording artists nevertheless made regular performances on the show through him. The artists profited from the nationwide exposure of the show and some of them even reached the Billboard country charts.
Regulars of the show included:

• Kenny Slide, fiddler of the house band
• Ric Queen, drummer of the house band
• Audie Wykle, lead guitarist of the house band
• Deacon Morris, steel guitarist of the house band
• Dan Scarberry, banjo player of the house band
• Troy Herdman, rhythm guitarist of the house band
• Al Bonham
• Kenny Pugh
• Lionel Cartwright
• Patti Ramsey
• Rick Minerd, DJ at WMNI and at one time emcee of the show
• “Captain” John Gammell, began performing on the show in 1972
• Bill Jolliff
• Kevin Mabry and Liberty Street, local country and rock group – Kevin Mabry guitar/vocals; Bill Purk lead guitar/vocals; Gary Markin bass/vocals; Harold Fogle steel guitar; Victor Mabry drums – won a Country Cavalcade talent contest in 1976 as reported by the Marysville Journal-Tribute on October 8, 1976
• Debbie Fowler
• Mike O’Harra
• Patti Gaines
• Dick Shuey, Award recording artist in 1978
• Kenny Vernon, Chart recording artist
• LaWanda Lindsey, Chart recording artist
• Pat Zill
• Howard Writesel
• Tommy Hawk
• Walt Cochran and the Holly River Boys
• Chuck Howard
• Paul & Jeff Howard 
• Tex Wheeler

On March 6, 1979, the “Circleville Herald” referred to one of the regular Cavalcade Saturday shows as follows: “CAVALCADE PLANS CONCERT – The WMNI Country Cavalcade will present David Houston and the Persuaders live in concert on the Southern Theatre Stage, Columbus 8 p.m. Saturday. Also appearing will be some of the area’s finest entertainers. Newark's Debbie Fowler, Amanda’s Ken Pugh, Patti Gaines from Huntington, W. Va. and Mike O'Harra and syn¬chronizations from Columbus will round out this night of entertainment. The WMNI Country Cavalcade is presented every Saturday night.



Our friend Bob O’Brien, who put me on the track of the Country Cavalcade, was able to track down Matt Mnich, son of Bill Mnich. Matt was kind enough to give us an insight of the show’s history, for which we are very thankful. I also appreciate Bob’s great help in bringing light to one of the lesser known stage shows. A great portion of the information came from Matt and Bob.

In 1979, the Southern Theatre was closed down as it had fallen into disrepair at that point. The closing of the theatre also meant the end for the Country Cavalcade. WMNI continued to put on live stage shows in Columbus on an infrequent basis, which were not heard over radio, however. Nevertheless, these events proofed to be successful, too, well into the 1980s.


Accompaning this post is a 12 track compilation entitled "The WMNI Country Cavalcade" put together by Bob O'Brien. This compilation includes recordings by some of the Country Cavalcade members.

♫♪



Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Bill Harris

Marlon Grisham - Square Watermelon Seed (Cover 45-711)

This apparently Memphis based songwriter is some kind of a mystery to me. Bill Harris appeared as a songwriter on a couple of independent Memphis record labels by local artists, including Marlon Grisham, Eddie Cash, and Jim Climer.

BMI reveals that Harris' full name is William Alvan Harris, Jr. There was a William Alvin "Dubbye" Harris, born  on July 31, 1940, and passed away on March 30, 2005. At the time of his death, this William Alvin Harris was living in Waterford near Holly Springs, Mississippi (south of Memphis across the Tennessee-Mississippi state border). He was buried at the Hill Crest Cemetery in Holly Springs, the ceremony was led by Brother Frank Feathers (a cousin to Charlie Feathers). William Alvin Harris was a self-employed truck driver. I'm pretty sure this is our man.

Harris was not only a songwriter but also a musician and band manager in the 1950s. He became a member of Harold Jenkins' group in 1956 as a bass player and recorded several (unreleased) sessions at Sun with Jenkins. He shared the position with Jimmy Evans, another Sun musician. When Jenkins went to Nashville to record for Mercury and became "Conway Twitty," Harris was finally replaced by Evans (who, in turn, was replaced by Nashville studio musician Lightnin' Chance in 1958).  

At the same time Harris left the Jenkins band (late 1956/early 1957), he met up with another young singer, Memphis born Eddie Cash. Harris soon became Cash's manager and organized the Peak and Fernwood recording sessions for Cash. He also wrote one of his songs, "Thinkin' Man." Cash left Memphis for Chicago in 1960 but Harris remained in Memphis. It is possible Harris then became Marlon Grisham's manager.

Harris first appeared as a songwriter with "She's My Technicolor Baby" in 1954 (copyrighted on October 21 according to the Catalog of Copyright Entries). BMI has listed several more songs under different names by Harris.

Harris' compositions also included:

Jungle Love, recorded by Marlon Grisham on Clearpool
Square Watermelon Seed, recorded by Grisham on Cover
Tall Mac the Lumberjack, with Jim Climer, who recorded it on Fernwood
Tonight's the Night, published by Bill Black's Lyn-Lou publishing firm
Thinkin' Man, recorded by Eddie Cash at Fernwood studio and leased to Todd Records 

Thanks to Bob

Friday, September 1, 2017

Pee Dee Opry

The "Pee Dee Opry" was the creation of Charles Edward "Slim" Mims, a local entertainer in South Carolina. Mims was born in 1918 in Columbia, South Carolina. He began his musical career in 1935 and founded his band, the Dream Ranch Boys, in 1940. The boys became his background band for at least 20 years. His wife Patty Faye was also with the group as well as later famous Country musicians Glenn Sutton and Jimmy Capps.

Slim Mims and the Dream Ranch Boys on WBTW, ca. 1950s. Patty Faye Mims seated and
Slim Mims as "Uncle Ugly" behind the camera.

Mims hosted a stable of local shows during the 1950s. He entertained the audiences over WJMX with his "Dream Ranch Jamboree" in Florence, South Carolina, but also hosted a show on WBTW-TV and the "Silent Flame Jamboree" on WNCT-TV in Greenville, South Carolina.

The "Pee Dee Opry" was a later show of Mims', as we first found mention of this show in 1961 in a Billboard issue. The name of the show came from the name of northeastern region of South Carolina, which is called "Pee Dee." Mims was booking the ccts of the Opry and also produced it, while he and the Dream Ranch Boys led through the show. Mims also appeared as the comedy act of the Pee Dee Opry, known as "Uncle Ugly" (a character he already had developed much earlier).

Contrary to his other shows before, which were mainly TV or studio shows, the Pee Dee Opry was a live stage show held every Saturday night at the Ole Opry House in Darlington, South Carolina. The show in total lasted three hours with one of them airing on WJMC (Florence) and WBSC (Bennettsville, SC). It was also taped in order to broadcast it on other stations in the state. The stable of artists that appeared on the Opry is not known but it included up to 30 different acts.

While the Pee Dee Opry ended its run at some point, Slim Mims continued to entertain people personally and on TV. In the 1970s, he hosted the Slim Mims Show, of which you can see an excerpt below. Mims died in 1994. More on the Dream Ranch Jamboree and Slim Mims can be found at hillbilly-music.com.


Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Cees Klop R.I.P.

The founder of White Label/Collector Records, Dutchman Cees Klop, has passed away this weekend. Klop, who began collecting rock'n'roll records in the 1960s, released countless LPs and CDs on his labels, travelled more than once to the US to track down forgotten artists, ad unearthed recordings that would have sunk without into obscurity otherwise.

Klop was a controversial figure in the collector scene. He often edited recordings to present them as "alternate takes," gave at times wrong info on his LP back covers. Much has been said about him but without him, the world surely would miss a lot of great music.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Cornhuskers Jamboree

Continuing our journey through the old-fashioned Country & Western variety shows, today we feature a show that was a bit more famous than some of the others. The Cornhuskers Jamboree enjoyed a long running time on Cincinnati radio and television and featured also some of the big names in country music.

There was a Cornhusker Jamboree on KFAB in the late 1930s, which is a totally different show, however. The first mention of the Cornhuskers Jamboree (sometimes also spelled: Cornhuskers'), which was broadcasted over WKRC in Cincinnati, is in Billboard May 5, 1945. At that time, Bradley Kincaid and Cowboy Copas were the stars of the show plus a stable of lesser known artists. During the summer months of 1945, the Jamboree cast also hosted shows on Carthage Fairgrounds in Cincinnati each Sunday, which also aired over WKRC. These shows became known as "WKRC's Circle B Ranch" and also featured special guest artists in addition to the usual singers and musicians.

The Cornhuskers Jamboree was also touring the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky with a tent show. By May 1946, another veteran performer since the 1920s had taken over the Jamboree, Hugh Cross.

By 1954, the Jamboree had switched from WKRC to WCPO-TV and could now be seen on televison weekdays at 10:30 AM. 

Members of the Cornhuskers Jamboree cast included:
• Cowboy Copas
• Bradley Kincaid
• Hugh Cross
• Jean Hogan
• Colemar Brothers
• Shorty Hobbs
• Rusty Gabbard
• Judy Perkins
• Faye Dorning
• Happy Wilson and the Golden River Boys
• Lily May Ledford

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Silver Sage Round-Up

Another of the many country & western stage shows, the Silver Sage Round-Up was on the air as early as 1949 and was still broadcoasting in 1952. KFSB in Joplin, Missouri, broadcasted the show on Saturday nights, when it was held at different locations in the Joplin and surrounding areas. The show was held at such locations as the Municipal Auditorium in Neosho, Missouri, and the Carthage Memorial Hall. Connected with the show was a duo by the name of "Cookie and Ollie," who moved to WSIP in Paintsville, Kentucky, in 1952.

Part of the show:
Cookie and Ollie
Albert E. Brumley, Jr., son of Albert Brumley, famous gospel songwriter, incl. "I'll Fly Away"
Prairie Sweethearts
• Ozark Mountain Boys
• The Boys from Music Mountain