Episodes
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Grady Cole and the Johnson Family Singers - April 23, 1951
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Following up on our previous post, here's a complete network broadcast of "Grady Cole and the Johnson Family Singers" heard April 23, 1951.
The first song on the show is “Give the World a Song”. The program is sponsored by Quaker Corn Meal and Quaker Grits. The CBS network “pip” is heard at the beginning and a CBS ID from a network announcer at the end.
Grady Cole was a legend in North Carolina broadcasting. As a young newspaper reporter, he started doing a program on WBT in Charlotte in 1930. The following year, he accepted a job at the station and was on the air for 30 years, retiring in 1961. Cole was on the air in the mornings for a couple of hours for WBT, and did the farm report and other programming throughout the day. In the 1980s, a popular public venue was named after him.
By the way, you can hear Grady Cole's hilarious 1950s "manure spreader" blooper at the BT Memories site.
The Johnson Family Singers were a popular and gospel singing group from Randolph County, North Carolina. (The Southern Folklife Center at UNC has several of their recordings, scripts, and other materials.). They were on WBT with regular shows starting in the early 1940s. This program was broadcast just a few months before their contract with Quaker Oats ended, along with their regular series on WBT. You can read a tribute to Grady Cole by one of the Johnson Family Singers in a book about the group.
Our program was transferred direct to digital from an original line check 16” lacquer from WDNC in Durham, NC.
It's too bad more of these don't survive - they're fascinating examples of local and regional Southern radio during the classic Old Time Radio era.
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Grady Cole and the Johnson Family Singers - Dec 25, 1950 excerpt
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
Saturday Dec 22, 2018
In this holiday post, a (very) short glimpse into holiday programming as heard on local and regional radio.
This is an excerpt from a 15 minute transcribed program originating at WBT in Charlotte, NC on December 25, 1950 and carried on a regional segment of the CBS Radio Network.
The excerpt starts of with a brief introduction from announcer Grady Cole before the Johnson Family sings “Silent Night”. We have more remarks from Grady before the Johnson Family does the theme song of the show as Grady puts in a pitch for the sponsor, Quaker Corn Meal.
Grady Cole was a legend in North Carolina broadcasting. As a young newspaper reporter, he started doing a program on WBT in Charlotte in 1930. The following year, he accepted a job at the station and was on the air for 30 years, retiring in 1961. Cole was on the air in the mornings for a couple of hours for WBT, and did the farm report and other programming throughout the day. In the 1980s, a popular public venue was named after him.
By the way, you can hear Grady Cole's hilarious 1950s "manure spreader" blooper at the BT Memories site.
The Johnson Family Singers were a popular and gospel singing group from Randolph County, North Carolina. (The Southern Folklife Center at UNC has several of their recordings, scripts, and other materials.). They were on WBT with regular shows starting in the early 1940s. This program was broadcast just a few months before their contract with Quaker Oats ended, along with their regular series on WBT. You can read a tribute to Grady Cole by one of the Johnson Family Singers in a book about the group.
Our little bit of local Christmas radio was transferred from an original one-sided 12” lacquer. The other two parts of the broadcast don’t survive.
Saturday May 06, 2017
WATG-FM aircheck - “Music Fair” circa May 1947
Saturday May 06, 2017
Saturday May 06, 2017
And now, the second side of the disc heard in our previous post. From the same group of discarded lacquers that originated at WHBC in Canton, Ohio, comes this air check of WATG-FM, probably from its first days on the air in May 1947.
This side of the disc, titled “Music Fair” starts off with some light music performed by solo violin and later an organ with harp and strings. The sound is overmodulated and I’m not sure if that’s because of the recording or the way the program was broadcast. Finally near the end of the recording, we hear a station ID for WATG, “North Central Ohio’s first frequency modulation station”; an ad for Ashland Jewelry, congratulating the station; and a time check. Then we hear an announcer just start a mid-day news broadcast.
Our mp3 was transferred from a ten inch Audiodisc lacquer cut at 33 1/3 rpm.
This is the final disc that I have from the group of WHBC, Akron, Ohio lacquers.
Saturday May 06, 2017
WATG-FM aircheck - May 13, 1947
Saturday May 06, 2017
Saturday May 06, 2017
Finally this week, we have an unusual aircheck that came from the same group of “throw away” lacquers that originated from WHBC in Canton, Ohio.
This disc includes two excerpts from FM station WATG-FM in Ashland, Ohio. This side of the disc is dated May 13, 1947. According to Wikipedia, WATG-FM went on the air on May 18, 1947, so perhaps this is a recording of some kind of test broadcast from the station or the date on the article is incorrect.
The aircheck starts off with an upbeat boogie boogie-style number from a small combo. An announcer introduces a request for Omar Moore of Orville, Ohio, who says “everything is coming in fine”, Joe Mooney and his Quartet performing “Tea for Two”. In the middle of the record, the announcer notes that Moore is receiving the signal without an antenna. Another request for a Charlie Spivak number and Perry Como. The recording ends with another unidentified boogie boogie recording.
Our mp3 was transferred from a ten inch Audiodisc lacquer cut at 33 1/3 rpm. Our next post features the other side of the disc.
Saturday Apr 22, 2017
Burkhardt’s Request Roundup - Jan 20, 1950
Saturday Apr 22, 2017
Saturday Apr 22, 2017
Finally on the blog this week, the next-to-last in a series of programs from a collection of discarded working lacquers originating at WHBC in Canton, Ohio, I’ve been posting over the past few weeks.
“Burkhardt’s Request Roundup” was a country music series sponsored by the Burkhardt Brewing Company of Akron, Ohio. The first tune is “Roamin’ in Wyoming” Other songs include “Anticipation Blues” and “A Calico Apron and a Gingham Gown”. The music is from transcriptions. Performers include Andy Parker and the Plainsmen, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and T. Texas Tyler. (They must have subscribed to the Capitol transcription library.)
A listener to the blog helpfully provided this scan of an advertising item from the series - I’d love to credit you for the scan, but I lost your message on Facebook!
Our show was transferred from a single-sided sixteen inch Audiodisc lacquer transcription from WHBC.
Saturday Apr 15, 2017
The Ohio State Band - March 28,1950
Saturday Apr 15, 2017
Saturday Apr 15, 2017
Kicking off our posts this week, here’s another show from a collection of “throwaway” working lacquers from WHBC in Canton, Ohio, I’ve been posting over the past few weeks.
This transcribed program, originally heard March 28, 1950, features the Ohio State University Symphonic Band. The first song played is “The Fairest of the Fair” composed by John Philip Sousa. Mary Bingham, a student at Ohio State and member of the band, is interviewed about her interest in music and introduced the next work, the “Summer Day Suite”, by Prokofiev.
Our mp3 was transferred from a single-sided sixteen inch Audiodisc lacquer.
If you would like to learn more about the history of Ohio State’s band program, you can read a master’s thesis on the subject from 2010.
Next week - the last in our series of previously lost local WHBC programs.
Saturday Apr 08, 2017
WHKK Aircheck - Unknown Program
Saturday Apr 08, 2017
Saturday Apr 08, 2017
We have a little mystery for our listeners to figure out on the blog this week.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been posting a collection of sixteen inch lacquers that originated from WHBC in Canton, Ohio. These included a few network shows recorded for time-shifting, but many local programs from the station dating from the 40s and early 50s.
This disc came in the same collection, but is different from the rest. It’s a single-sided twelve inch disc with a WHKK label and sounds like it was recorded off the air using a microphone in front of a radio. There’s no writing on the label to identify the contents.
The program on the disc is some type of afternoon call-in show, where people call in with advice and household problems. The host of the show talks about leaving WHKK in Canton and moving to a station in Akron. The callers tell the host how much they’ll miss him and give him best wishes on his new job - one refers to him as “Gary”. The host reads commercials for Yeager’s department store and Sparkle supermarkets. He refers to the program as “The Answer Line” show and “The Question Line”, but the actual title of the show isn’t clear. The host and callers also mention the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season.
WHKK was a leader in the Canton market in the 1950s with rock and roll and the station changed its call sign to WHLO in 1960, according to Wikipedia. So this excerpt would date from sometime in that decade. I don’t hear any internal topical references in the program that would help narrow down a year, but perhaps someone would recognize the host of the show and that might help determine when it was broadcast and what the proper title of the show would be.
Our little mystery show was transferred direct from a single-sided twelve inch 33 1/3 rpm lacquer with a blank WHKK label. It sounds as though the program was recorded with a microphone in front of a radio. However, the disc is cut quite well and doesn’t resemble something usually done on a home machine.
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
Hymns and Their Romance - April 2, 1950
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
We pick up this week with another in our series of previously lost radio programs from WHBC in Canton, Ohio, transferred from a small collection of “throwaway” working lacquers from the station.
This is the last of the episodes in the collection of “Hymns and Their Romance”, a series featuring Major Charles McCray of the Salvation Army, with organist Martin Alexander, telling the stories behind famous hymns. The program for April 2, 1950 focuses on the story behind “Ride On, Ride On, In Majesty”.
Our mp3 was transferred from an original 16” Audiodisc lacquer.
Saturday Mar 25, 2017
Hymns and Their Romance - January 21, 1950
Saturday Mar 25, 2017
Saturday Mar 25, 2017
And here’s another lost local show from WHBC in Canton, Ohio.
“Hymns and Their Romance” features Major Charles McCray of the Salvation Army telling the story behind famous hymns with organist Martin Alexander playing the songs. The program of January 21, 1950 tells the story of “Savior, Thy Dying Love”.
Oddly, the transcription starts out with a bit of a recorded or broadcast opera before the start of the program. Since the show was pre-recorded, the engineer would have just kept this part off the air.
Our mp3 was transferred from an original 16” Audiodisc lacquer.
Saturday Mar 25, 2017
For Your Consideration - Pgm 4 - November 26, 1941
Saturday Mar 25, 2017
Saturday Mar 25, 2017
I’ve been posting some previously lost local programming that came from a group of “throwaway” working lacquers from WHBC in Canton, Ohio over the past few weeks.
We continue our look at these unusual discs with another episode of “For Your Consideration” sponsored by the Timken Company. The show was heard Sundays at 1:00 pm.
Program four in the series, heard November 26, 1941, is the usual mix of light music by a small group playing live in the studio and talk by an unidentified commentator. The talk is about how you perceive different things in life based on your experience and point of view. The show includes an id at the end for the Ohio Broadcasting Company.
The show was transferred from an original 16” Audiodisc lacquer.
It’s odd to hear a little show like this that was broadcast just a couple of weeks before Pearl Harbor.