The grand ol opry was not the only show

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 2 Mar 2000 7:43 pm

Chip asked about the Louisiana hayride. Nashville was not the only city with a nationel roster of artests.
You had WLS barndance Chicago, the Wheeling
Jamboree and the Big d opry from Dallas.
however the Hayride was second only to the grand old opry in performer status. Elvis Presley did a number of shows there around 1955.

By the way I have on order a 2 cd set of performences from the Big D.

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Gregg Galbraith · Post by **Gregg Galbraith** » 2 Mar 2000 9:54 pm

Janice,
I'll add to your list: Midwestern Hayride, from Cincinnati;Old Dominion Barn-Dance,from Richmond(I think), and Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round, from Knoxville.

Next?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 3 Mar 2000 4:39 am

Gregg, You're correct on the Old Dominion Barn Dance, from Richmond, Va. The ones I remember from there are Shorty and Sally Fincher, as they left the show and bought Valley View Park in Hellam (York) Pa.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 3 Mar 2000 4:41 am

Hey,Don't Forget "Town Hall party" From LA.

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cjc

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 3 Mar 2000 5:17 am

Thanks Janice, and others as well. I'm getting the picture now, I think. Sort of 'country's' version of Woodstock.
Well, maybe with just beer and moonshine.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 3 Mar 2000 8:35 pm

Town Hall Party! What a Show! My Dad used to take me there when I was a kid. Joe Maphis was the band leader. Some of the regulars were: Merle Travis, Johnny Bond, Les "Carrot Top" Anderson, Fiddlin' Kate, Quincey Snodgrass, Skeets MacDonald, Gee Nee Sterling (Mrs.Bobby Bare), Larry & Lorrie Collins, Rose Lee Maphis, T Texas Tyler, the great Billy Mize on steel guitar just to name a few. I saw Jerry Lee Lewis there in the 50's along with Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two. To bad though, it sure ain't safe to go into Compton, California after dark anymore. I have a CD of live Town Hall performances. It sure brings back some good old memories of KTTV Channel 11 in Los Angeles.
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Have a good one! JH U-12<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 03 March 2000 at 08:38 PM.]</p></FONT>

billchav · Post by **billchav** » 4 Mar 2000 6:33 am

Those are some great old memories. I also remember listening to Hawaii Calls on the short wave bands in the late 30's.www.billchaviers.com ICQ 36667112

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 4 Mar 2000 8:36 am

FWIW, Joe and Rose Lee Maphis were on the WRVA Old Dominion Barn Dance from Richmond, Va. during the 40s before relocating to California. Joe Maphis was born in Suffolk, Va. about a 20 minute drive from where I live. Another piece of trivia, Joe was the writer of "Dim LIghts, Thick Smoke and Loud Loud Music."(one of my favorite country songs)

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Garryharris · Post by **Garryharris** » 9 Mar 2000 7:52 pm

I always loved the Renfro Valley shows.

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 9 Mar 2000 8:11 pm

This 2 vol set from the Big d in dallas is fasinating. The Hillbilly disk has a couple lesser known songs from Hank Lochlan and Cowboy Coupus among numbers by their regulers and an apperarence from Johnny Cash.
The rockabilly disk has sets from Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent. What is sad to read is how many of the local acts died so young.

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Walter Jones · Post by **Walter Jones** » 10 Mar 2000 2:39 am

I remember most of the shows listed except from the West coast. I used to listen to Renfro Valley on the radio, never knowing then that I would have a son, Greg, that would end up as their steel guitarist. Renfro Valley just celebrated their 60th anniversary last November with a special show. Greg is starting his 3rd season with Renfro Valley and was at the Old Dominion Opry in Williamsburg, Va for 2 years before he came to Kentucky. I asked one time when I was down there but I don't think it had any connection to the Old Dominion Barn Dance. Pete Stamper has written a book about Renfro Valley and it sure has a lot of history, Red Foley, Merle Travis got started there and a very young Jerry Byrd was their first steel guitarist. He is the only living member of the orginal band and there are some great pictures in the book. Greg gave me one of them for Christmas. Its too bad that those old radio shows are long gone but thats life. Renfro Valley still has 1/2 hour radio shows , they are taped and sent to any radio station that wants them free of charge. The show is called " The Gathering" and Greg said they did 70 new shows in the studio this winter. The tapes cover many years from the past as well as the present. You can check out their site at www.renfrovalley.com for all the info.

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 10 Mar 2000 9:06 am

When I was a kid in Ontario,Canada, I listoned to the Wheeling Jamboree on WWVA. Those bluegrass harmonies hooked me for life.
All the best,-Andy

Walter Jones · Post by **Walter Jones** » 10 Mar 2000 6:57 pm

Andy, I used to listen to WWVA every Saturday night. Somewhere I have a picture of the cast form the 50's and Jimmy Crawford was the steel player for Wilmalee & Stoney Cooper. I asked him about it one time and I think that he said he was 18 at the time. It is one of those postcard pictures that radio stations gave out if you would send in your name and address, I think that was how they surveyed their listening coverage.

Gregg Galbraith · Post by **Gregg Galbraith** » 10 Mar 2000 7:08 pm

Ozark Jubilee ----Springfield,Missouri

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 11 Mar 2000 6:07 am

Hey Greg, I'd forgotten about that one. I remember it was on national TV though. That's where I first saw Porter Waggoner. Wasn't Grady Martin the guitar player on this show too?

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Have a good one! JH U-12