W-L-S RADIO STATION
Chicago,
Illinois
Origin
Of The National Barn Dance
(circa)
1924
Its
Call Letters stood for “Worlds Largest Store” a.k.a. (Sears & Roebucks)
WLS
formal dedication was set for April 12, 1924 (According to the Prairie Farmer
and WLS), Sears originally did a farm program beginning March 21, l924 with its
first assigned call letters, WBBX. From the studios of WMAQ its first test
program from the Tower Studio was broadcast on April 9, 1924 using the call
letters WES (World’s Economy Store) The next two evenings (April 10 & 11,)
1924 they aired more test programs. On the evening of the formal dedication
Sears changed the call letters to WLS “Worlds Largest Store”
To
Edgar L. Bill goes the credit for arranging to have a program of “down-home”
tunes broadcast from the station WLS, of which Bill was then director. Having
lived on a farm, he knew how people loved the familiar music and informal spirit
of good old-fashioned “down-home”
barn dance music. The first broadcast was an impromptu sustaining program. An
avalanche of telephone calls and letters indicated a definite demand from the
public for this type of broadcast, thus “down-home” (Old-Time) Country Music
and the National Barn Dance was born.
During the years that followed Mr. Bill kept on building a bigger and better show until it included a cast of over 100 people, musicians, singers, entertainers and became one of the most popular radio programs all over the country.
At
this point in the history of broadcasting, advertisers still looked at radio
more as a question of “how much time” rather than “how much audience”.
But Joe Maland then commercial manager of WLS saw in the Barn Dance and
“down-home” (Old-Time) Country Music, an opportunity for some important
advertisers to perform a real service for listeners and secure a tremendous
audience for his advertising message.
Maland
found one sales executive who appreciated the possibilities of the Barn Dance
and “down-home” (old-Time) Country Music as constituting the ideal radio
program. At a time when lack of a sponsor might have crowded the Barn Dance off
WLS schedule, this man kept the show on the air by becoming the first commercial
sponsor of the Barn Dance and “down-home”
(old-Time) Country Music. That man was Ed A. Fellers of the Aladdin Lamp
organization and ever since was the important figure in giving the Barn Dance
and “down-home” Country Music type of programming an established place in
radio.
George
D. Hay a.k.a. (The Solemn Ole Judge) has always claimed that he started the WLS
Barn Dance when he worked for them as an announcer, but research is showing that
this was a falsehood of documented history and that his claim was to help him
get a job as the first director of WSM Radio (circa) 1925 Nashville, TN.
On November 28, 1925 at 8 o’clock George D. Hay presented himself as
“The Solemn Ole Judge” (though he was only 30 years old) and launched the
WSM Barn Dance, which later became the Grand Ole Opry.
His first and only artist was a bearded 80 year old gentleman named Uncle
Jimmy Thompson who played old time fiddle and boasted “he knew a thousand
tunes and could fiddle “the bugs off a sweet tater vine”.
If George D. Hay claim was true, how come he could only find one musician
to play on his show when he launched the WSM Barn Dance? At that time WLS had
over 100 singers, musicians and entertainers already broadcasting!
Is WSM Radio, The Grand Ole Opry and Nashville, TN. really the birthplace of the “Live” on Stage Barn Dance
radio programming concept and “down-home” (old-time) Country music that
WSM, Grand Ole Opry have claimed origin
to all these years? You
the public and the fans of country music today decide. Harry Truman once coined
this phrase: “There is nothing new in the world today, except the
history you do not know”
There
were many singers, musicians, and entertainers, from the Midwest Area that had
the honor of being a regular on the WLS National Barn Dance. (circa) 1922 to
1939.
(1917-1997) Paul P. Hayes a.k.a. “Slim” Hayes a professional singer and fiddler at the young age of 15, from Des Moines, Iowa was a regular on WLS National Barn Dance cast (circa1932 to 1939) Learn more about “Slim” Hayes (click Here) for his memorial “Hall Of Fame” Page.
(1908-1996)
Ruby Blevins a.k.a. Patsy Montana,
Cowgirl Singer was another, who rose to prominence as a cast member of WLS
National Barn Dance (circa1930’s) She worked there on records with a famous
string band, the Prairie Ramblers. With the Ramblers she recorded “I Want To
Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart”. The 1935 hit was believed to be the first
million-seller by a female country artist. Learn more about Patsy (click here)
to go to her memorial “Hall Of Fame Page.
“W-H-O
Radio Barn Dance Frolic” (circa) 1931-1953. Click on this
“Link” to learn more about the history of W-H-O and this “live”
on stage Barn Dance radio show and down-home (Old-Time) Country Music Radio
program that aired nationwide on 50,000 watts of power, at clear channel 1040 on
your radio dial a.k.a. “the voice of the Middlewest”, Des Moines, Iowa. Its
call letters stood for “We Help Others” First use of call letters on the air
was April 10, 1924.
For writing, editing, researching, documentation of history: Harold L. Luick, CEO, of CMSI, Historian, Curator for the Iowa/Midwest Museum, Library and Hall Of Fame. Music Industry reference books used for research/documentation: The Chronology AM Radio Broadcasting (1923-1960), from Harold L. Luick personal library collection. W-L-S and W-H-O Radio History, from Janet Weaver, private, personal history memory collection (circa) 1959-2003. Slim Hayes personal info from: PMECI Echo Chamber Newsletter, Betty Scovel, Editor (circa) August 1977. Ruby Blevins a.k.a. Patsy Montana mini bio info from: “Keep It Country”, Bob Timmers, site mgr. P.O. Box 70 Kimberly, Wi. 54136
Copyright
© 1984 Harold L. Luick, Author, Historian, Writer, Curator, CEO of CMSI. All
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