WSM Grand Ole Opry — WSM went on the air on October 5, 1925 to much fanfare. A fellow from WLS in Chicago,George D. Hay, came to Nashville to be a part of that first broadcast. What wouldbecome the Grand Ole Opry went on the air November 28, 1925 with nothing morethan announcer Mr. Hay and Uncle Jimmy Thompson on the fiddle; he was accompanied by his niece, Eva Thompson Jones on piano. Our update of this program takes the Opry from its beginningsto about the 1950's. The radio logs in the Nashville papers were used to show readers whowas appearing each week, though those logs did not show the 'guests' during a segment. Click awayand take a look back at some of the names of the early Opry.
Betty Amos — Betty came from a musical family. She was about done with high school in 1952 when her brother suggested to Bill Carlislethat she might be a good fit for his show; she became part of The Carlisles and found herself at KWKH's Louisiana Hayride.She was the female voice on Bill's hit, "No Help Wanted" and "Is Zat You Myrtle?" She went on her own with a band calledthe Lump Boys. She did however still record with the Carlisles until about September 1954. Later she signed with Stardaywhere she recorded with Judy and Jean (Jean was Betty's sister). We were able to meet her along with Judy and Jean atan International Country Music Conference in Nashville.
Bonnie Baldwin — Bonnie Baldwin was a native of Coolville, OH. She joined WWVA in Wheeling, WV as part of Joe Barker's Chuckwagon Gang.She started doing duets with Millie Wayne (sister / half-sister of Curley Miller). She was with WWVA from about 1943 through 1960. She later did disc jockey work at WMOD in Moundsville, WV. Shealso hosed a children's television program in Steubenville, OH and would do songs between the cartoonsthat were shown.
Billy Barton — He was born John Ralph Grimes in London, KY. He performed and recorded under the names Billy Barton,Hillbilly Barton and Laurel London. He first recorded for the Grande Record Co. out of Bakersfield, CA. Laterhe was on the Abbott record label. He married "Wanda Wayne" in December 1954. Later, he did promotionalwork for Fabor Robison's Radio record label. He wrote the hit "A Dear John Letter" that became a big hit and country standard for Ferlin Husky and Jean Shepard.
Kathy Dee — Kathleen Potts was the name her parents gave her. She became known as Kathy Dee. She was on the LandmarkJamboree show in Cleveland for a time and appeared with future Grand Ole Opry star Dottie West.She joined the cast of the WWVA Jamboree in the mid-1950's. She married George Dearth and her stage namewas in effect a shortened version of her last name. Her early recordings include a song she wrotewhen she was just 14 years old. She earned a "Knights of the Blue Nose" certificate for her three month tour entertaining the troops in Thule, Greenland near the Arctic Circle. She lost her sightlater in life due to a diabetic condition.
Frank Dudgeon — Frank was known as the "West Virginia Mountain Boy." He was influenced early on in his career by BradleyKincaid, who was on WLS at the time. Frank tried his luck; started in Zanesville, OH then moved on to Columbus, OHand WWVA in Wheeling, WV.
Tony Fiore — The accordion was a popular instrument in early country music, but like the steel guitar, seems to havefallen out of favor. Tony Fiore was a 'prodigy' on the accordion and began touring at a very youngage with the likes of Cal Shrum who was trusted by his parents to watch over him as the band toured.He appeared in several movies with stars such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Later, he left the 'Hollywood' scene and settled into a life teaching music in Fresno, CA and later northern California.
Ray Guyce — A Hoosier state native, the research of Ray's career took a bit as his last name was seen spelleddifferent ways. His professional name most often seen was Ray Guyce. He formed a band called theLonesome Valley Cowboys back in 1945. He opened a recording studio in Smithville, IL. He was on the first "live" television show broadcast from Evansville. "The Ole Coon Hunter" as he was sometimes calledsigned a high school singer Glenna Dene to his Brite Star label. His appearances seemed limitedto the Evansville area and surrounding region. He continued doing appearances u to 1981.
Brenda Holly — Brenda Holly was from Evansville, IN and her singing got her noticed at an early age. When she wasjust 11 years old, in the fifth grade, she was signed to the Brite Star record label and recordedwith Ray Guyce and his Lonesome Valley Boys. She later recorded for Eunice Records of Evansville also.But her career seemed limited to her younger years. Her adult life was a bit on the tragic side withpoor health and a marriage that did not last. Her later life was documented in the local newspaper.
Shot Jackson — As a fan of the steel guitar, this site likes to feature some of the great names associatedwith the instrument. Shot Jackson was known as an expert on the steel guitar and dobro. He even developed and manufactured several models of the instruments. He was also a backup musicianfor such folks as Roy Acuff, the Bailes Brothers, Johnnie and Jack and Kitty Wells. His career spannedover 40 years. He played on the KWKH Louisiana Hayride for a time. Then went to Nashville withJohnnie and Jack and played on the WSM Grand Ole Opry. He later joined forces with steel guitaristBuddy Emmons to form the Sho-Bud company.
Molly O'Day — Molly O'Day's musical career perhaps lasted only about a decade, but she left an impact. She began in 1939 as Lois Williamson.While with Ervin Staggs and his Radio Ramblers, she had a new stage nickname - Dixie Lee Williamson. She next wroteto Lynn Davis (who later became her husband) at WHIS in Bluefield, WV trying to convince him to let her be a part of the group. Their career together took them to various venues and radio stations. But Molly was uncomfortable with all the attention perhaps.She came down with tuberculosis which slowed her down considerably. She became friends with Hank Williams. In her obituary, it was said that Dolly Parton was "profoundly influenced" by Molly.
Roni Stoneman — She was a member of the second generation of the famed Stoneman Family. She was quite an entertainer to say the least.Your webmaster got to meet her at a past International Country Music Conference in Nashville. While playing my dobroat an informal picking session with others at RCA's Studio B, Roni stepped up to provide the rhythm to the song thatthe others seemed to not know - a memory that lasts a lifetime. She was on the Hee! Haw! show for many years. One canonly imagine her on stage singing the comedy song "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog" while the Stonemans were doing a showat the Black Poodle in Nashville. When she visited the conference, she always had stories and advice that heldher audience's attention.
Olaf Sveen — Olaf gained fame in Canada as an accordion player. But, he was actually born in Norway! He immigratedto Saskatchewan to help his brother on his farm. But he also came with a love for music. He became a memberof Eddie Mehler and his Southern Playboys in the early 1950's. They got a program on CKRM in Regina. But the pickings were lean in terms of income and the life he led showed it. Read his description of whathe found in the "rowdy dance halls." In a 1975 interview, he said he had sold over 200,000 records in the 21years prior. Needless to say, not your everyday story, but in a sense, very similar to those who struggledearly on and kept at it to become successful.
Mary Lou Turner — She was born in Hazard, KY. Her parents later moved to Dayton, OH. As a teen-ager, she was a guest onthe WLW Midwestern Hayride show. She became a part of WWVA's Jamboree U S A as it was called thenand stayed nearly eight years. When Jan Howard left the Bill Anderson show, Mary Lou became her replacement in January of 1973.She left Bill's show in 1980, formed her own band and went on tour. Later, she and her husband found a home in Branson, MO.
Millie Wayne — Millie was from McKeesport, PA and a featured vocalist with Curley Miller's Plowboys. Curley oftenreferred to her as his sister. While at WWVA, she started to do duets with Bonnie Baldwin. Heronly known recording was on the Cozy label in the early 1950's. After she left WWVA, she wentto her home town where she became a disc jockey on weekdays and a 'live' show on Saturdays.
Wanda Wayne — Betty Lou Parvin was born in Jasper, AL. But her stage or professional name was Wanda Wayne. She married a hillbilly singer / songwriter by the name of Billy Barton (real name John Ralph Grimes)in December 1954 when she was 18 and he was 25. She did her first recording for King recordsin 1953 in Hollywood, CA. Later on, she and Billy lived and worked in Idaho and Washington.
Da Costa Woltz and his Southern Broadcasters — Author Ivan Tribe wrote an article for our site about Da Costa Woltz which we did some additional research for. Mr. Woltz was born in 1892. He was from the Galax area of Virginia. The four piece band he led only did four recordings for the Gennett recordlabel in 1927. In our research, we found some other sources for old newspaper articles from Mr. Woltz' home area thathelped provide more details about his life - mainly his political career and not so much his musical career. His group was one of the earliest to make records.
Dortha Wright — Dortha Wright is seen on a popular youtube video, introduced by Tex Ritter as she sang"Just a Closer Walk With Thee" on the Town Hall Party television show - when she was just a teen-ager.She later did a couple of recordings. But her career seemed to dissolve and she settled into a domesticlife, perhaps occassionally singing at church or other local events.
Or let our Hillbilly AI technology pick a couple of biographies for you to read.(Hillbilly AI is actual intelligence for generating random biograhies.) Keep clicking around - there's always something newspopping up on Hillbilly-Music.com.
Ernie (Sunflower Wrangler) Margheim
Evelyn Overstake
Frankie Wallace Over At The Old Barn Dance |
Lenora Ross Lonely Together |
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