Note:  This program contains racial stereotyping themes that may be offensive to some listeners.

A listener to the blog emailed me to let me know of his interest in the history of the "Grand Ol' Opry" and his delight in hearing "Southland Echoes", which features Opry performers Jam-up and Honey.

So, let's give another episode a spin from the series.  Program 49-19, probably syndicated in 1949, includes "Right Will Always Win" and "I've Changed My Mind", sung by the Homeland Harmony Quartet and "My Little Yoho Lady" and "At the Old Barn Dance" performed by the Jones Sisters.  Jam-up and Honey do a comedy routine about a horse that one sold to the other.

The show, originally sponsored by Black Draught Laxative and Cardui for Women, was transferred from an original red vinyl transcription from the Nelson Chesman Company, Chattanooga.

Note: This program may be offensive to some listeners due to racial stereotyping themes.

Our surreal quarter hour of gospel music, yodeling, Blackface comedy and laxative commercials returns with another episode of "Southland Echoes". The series was syndicated circa 1949 by the Nelson Chesman Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee and sponsored by Black Draught Laxative and Cardui for Women.

In program 49-18, the Homeland Harmony Quartet sing "Wayside Wells" and "I'm Gonna Cling to the Cross 'Till I Die" and the Jones Sisters give us "I Hate to See You Go" and "My Mother's Watlz". Blackface comedians Jam-up and Honey perform a routine that compares math to marriage.

Note: This program may be offensive to some listeners due to racial stereotyping themes.

Another episode of "Southland Echoes", a weekly quarter hour program of music and comedy syndicated to stations serving hillbilly audiences circa 1949. The program was syndicated by the Nelson Chesman Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee and sponsored by Black Draught Laxative and Cardui for Women.

The Homeland Harmony Quartet performs "I Love My Savior, Don't You?" and "Lord Lead Me on". The Jones Sisters do a nice yodeling tune, "Down at the General Store", and "Two Little Overall Girls". Jam-Up and Honey contribute a routine about buying a car.

Some shows in this series have an odd technical problem in the form of a brief drop out that is in the transcription disc; in this show, the drop out is heard in the opening theme song. This isn't a problem with the MP3 file.

Note: Listeners may find this program offensive due to racial stereotyping themes.

Another circa 1949 episode of "Southland Echoes", sponsored by Black Draught Laxative and syndicated by the Nelson Chesman Company of Chatanooga, Tennessee.

Episode 49-6 features the Homeland Harmony Quartet singing "He Bore It All" and "When the Saints Go Marching In".  The Jones Sisters perform some yodeling in "Liza Jane" and the ballad "They Took the Stars Out of Heaven".  Blackface comedians Jam-Up and Honey talk about farms.

This program was transferred from an original vinyl transcription disc.  Unfortunately, there's a bad scratch that runs through the first five minutes or so of the program.  Also, this show has an unusual technical problem seen in some of the programs from the series - there's a strange "drop out" in the sound near the end of the number "They Took the Stars Out of Heaven", so this isn't a problem with your MP3 player or the MP3 file.

I'll be posting a couple of shows from this series about once a month.

Note: Listeners may find this program offensive due to racial stereotyping themes.

We continue our look at an uncirculated country music and comedy show from circa 1949, with a couple more episodes of "Southland Echoes", produced by the Nelson Chesman Company in Chattanooga.

Sponsored by Black Draught Laxative and Cardui for Women, episode 49-5 features the influential Southern Gospel group, the Homeland Harmony Quartet, singing "Living on the Sunny Side" and "After the Sunrise". West Virginia performers the Jones Sisters sing "My Adobe Hacienda" and "The Echoes from the Hills". Blackface comedians Jam-Up and Honey do a routine on how love is like sea sickness.

Note: The contents of the program may be offensive to some listeners due to racial stereotyping themes.

Continuing from our previous post, here's another episode of "Southland Echoes", program 49-30, sponsored by Black Draught Laxative and Cardui.

In this episode, the Homeland Harmony Quartette sing "A Little More" and "He Keeps My Soul"; the Jones Sisters perform "Tulee Oolee Doolee" (a cute Swiss yodeling tune) and "Cactus Bill". Jam-Up and Honey do sketches about dogs and wives.

Note: The contents of the program may be offensive to some listeners due to racial stereotyping themes.

Here's an oddity I can't find much information on. "Southland Echoes" was a syndicated 15 minute program of music and comic routines, probably dating from the late 1940s, that was produced by the Nelson Chesman Company, Chattanooga. The show is sponsored by the Chattanooga Medicine Company and includes ads for the patent medicines Black Draught, a laxative, and Cardui, a tonic for women. Likely, it had limited distribution and is a typical example of the many regional country music shows of the period. The program features the Homeland Harmony Quartette, performing Southern Gospel songs with piano, the Jones Sisters and blackface comics Jam-Up and Honey.

I couldn't turn up any info on the Jones Sisters, but the Homeland Harmony Quartet, formed in the 1935, was a major influence on Southern Gospel with many "firsts" to their name, creating the more modern gospel quartet sound that used more complex harmonies and rhythms influenced by jazz and blues. (Read more about them here).

Honey Wilds, half of the comedy team of Jam-Up and Honey, was a major figure in the history of the Grand Old Opry, signing up as an act with the organization in 1932 and staying with them for over two decades. He was the main driver behind the highly successful touring Opry tent shows of the 1940s and was close friends with Opry figures like Hank Williams, Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb. Wilds is mostly forgotten today, spending most of his efforts on live performances and leaving very few recordings. You can find out more about Wilds in an interesting interview with his son located here.

"Southland Echoes" appears to have been recorded at the studios of WGST in Atlanta (at least that's a handwritten notation etched into the wax on each disc). WGST had a rather odd history, operating as a commercial station and owned by Georgia Tech for much of its history, btw. The school has a brief history of the station that highlights their archival collection from WGST.

In this program in the series, the Homeland Harmony Quartette perform "Do Your Best, Then Wear a Smile" and "At Peace with Jesus Now"; the Jones Sisters sing "My Happiness" and "The Man on the Carousel". Jam-Up and Honey do a routine about a men's club and another about a job with a carnival.

Updated 5/17/08: Corrected the name of the Jones Sisters.