East Tennessee State University
Archives of Appalachia
Box 70295
Johnson City, Tennessee 37614
E-mail: archives@etsu.edu
Telephone: (423) 439-4338
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Title: |
The WCYB Radio Tapes |
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Collection Number: |
Accession No. 356 |
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Physical Description: |
Seven 7-inch Reel-to-Reel Audio Tapes |
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Creator: |
WCYB Radio |
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Repository: |
Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University |
Provenance: The WCYB Radio Tapes were donated to the archives in 1990 by Richard Blaustein, director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services, East Tennessee State University. In 1979 Blaustein and Middle Tennessee State University professor Charles Wolfe obtained the permission of Don Campbell, Johnson City, Tennessee, owner of several WCYB transcription discs, to make audio tape copies of the discs.
ACCESS RESTRICTION: PERMISSION TO COPY TAPES FOR COMMERCIAL BROADCAST MAY BE GRANTED BY THE ARCHIVES OF APPALACHIA. TAPES MAY BE COPIED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Otherwise, the tapes are open for research.
Processing Information: Processing of the collection was completed in 1992 by Marie Tedesco.
HISTORICAL NOTE
WCYB Radio in Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia was among the many new post-World War II stations which broadcast country music. The station, which went on the air in December 1946, had a clear broadcasting channel which gave it coverage in five states: Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
Prior to going on the air, WCYB auditioned 35 "rustic string bands," as Billboard Magazine called them in 1947. Bands hired included Curly King and the Tennessee Hilltoppers, the Stanley Brothers, and the Clinch Mountain Boys. These groups performed on such daily programs as the noontime "Farm and Fun Time Show" and the late afternoon "Thrift Supply Company Show." These shows were fifteen-minute programs of country music, which featured fiddle music, hymns, "heart songs," and early bluegrass tunes. The "Farm and Fun Time Show" and the "Thrift Supply Company Show" reached the height of their popularity in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The shows continued, however, until the early 1960s.
The focus of six of these tapes is the regional group Curly King and the Tennessee Hilltoppers. The group usually included four members at any given time. Members included King (vocals and guitar); Don Campbell (vocals and electric Hawaiian guitar); Leslie Keith (fiddle); Roy Russell (fiddle); "Cousin Zeke" Leonard (bass); and Shorty Morris (vocals). Keith joined the group in the summer of 1948 after almost a year-long stint with the Stanley Brothers, whom he had joined in 1947 as a replacement for Bobby Summer.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The WCYB Radio Tapes include country music performed on the WCYB programs "Farm and Fun Time" and the "Thrift Supply Company Show," 1947-49. The featured group on six of the tapes, the Tennessee Hilltoppers, played country music which featured electric guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass, and vocals. One of the tapes contains WOPI Radio (Bristol, Tennessee) transcriptions. Included on this tape is a segment of the "Tennessee Ernie Ford Show."
Campbell, Don
Country music
Farm and Fun Time (Radio program)
Fiddle tunes
Ford, Tennessee Ernie, 1919-
Hymns
Kelsey, V. V.
King, Curly
Leonard, Cousin Zeke
Morris, Shorty
Russell, Roy
Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (Radio program)
Tennessee Hilltoppers (Musical group)
Thrift Supply Company show (Radio program)
WCYB (Radio station : Bristol, Va.)
WOPI (Radio station : Bristol, Tenn.)
This series contains the seven audio reel-to-reel tapes which make up the collection and seven 60-minute audio cassette user copies of the reel-to-reel tapes. Six of the tapes consist of WCYB Radio transcriptions of the 15-minute shows, "Farm and Fun Time" and "Thrift Supply Company." The featured performers were Curly King and the Tennessee Hilltoppers. One tape contains WOPI Radio transcriptions of music, news, and a segment of the "Tennessee Ernie Ford Show." The tapes were recorded in 1979 by Richard Blaustein, East Tennessee State University and Charles Wolfe, Middle Tennessee State University, from original discs owned by Don Campbell of Johnson City. The tapes are numbered according to numbers already assigned to the tapes. The user cassette numbers match those on the reel-to-reel tapes.
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Tape Number
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Description/Date |
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1
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Program 1: "Thrift Supply Company Show" (Fisk
tire the featured product). Curly King and the Tennessee Hilltoppers (Leslie
Keith, Don Campbell, Cousin Zeke Leonard), June 21, 1949.
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Songs: a. Hilltoppers, "Chained to a Memory"
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b. Don Campbell and Curly King, "You're Breaking
My Heart" c. Leslie Keith, "Cindy" d. Hilltoppers, "Something Got Hold of Me" e. Hilltoppers, "Petal From a Faded Rose" |
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Program 2: "Thrift Supply Company Show" (Westinghouse,
featured manufacturer), ND.
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Songs: f. Hilltoppers, "We Live in Two Different
Worlds"
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| g. Hilltoppers, "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" h. Leslie Keith, "Pretty Little Widows" i. Hilltoppers, "Do You Expect a Reward From God?" j. Hilltoppers, "Corinna, Corinna" |
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2
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Program 1: "Thrift Supply Company Show" (Westinghouse,
featured manufacturer), ND.
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Songs: a. King, "These Tears Are Not For You"
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| b. Campbell and King, "Along a Dark River" c. Leslie Keith featured on fiddle, with the Hilltoppers, "Going to Georgia" d. Campbell and King, "My Heart Understands" e. Keith, "Ida Red" |
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Program 2: "Thrift Supply Company Show" (Fisk
tires, featured product), ND.
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Songs: f. King, "It's a Sin"
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| g. Campbell and King, "In the Pines, In the Pines, Where the Sun
Never Shines" h. Roy Russell, "Old Joe Clark" i. Hilltoppers Trio (Curly King, Shorty Morris and Don Campbell), "A Mansion Now Empty" j. Shorty Morris, "We Live in Two Different Worlds" |
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3
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Program 1: "Farm and Fun Time" (sponsor: W.
I. Boling Motor Company, Bristol, Virginia), December 15, 1948. NOTE:
Quality of tape is poor.
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Songs: a. King, "My Sweet Love Ain't Around"
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| b. Morris, lead, with Hilltoppers, "Teardrops in My Heart" c. Keith, "Down in Union County" d. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Morris, and Campbell), "Here Comes Santa Claus" |
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Program 2: "Farm and Fun Time" (sponsor: W.
I. Boling Motor Company, Bristol, Virginia), December 25, 1948.
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Songs: e. Curly King, "I'm Sending You a Big Bouquet
of Roses"
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| f. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Morris, and Campbell), "White Christmas" g. Leslie Keith, "Running Indian Rag" h. King and Morris, "A Little Boy's Prayer" |
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4
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WOPI Radio Transcriptions, ND. Includes news report on
July 4 parade in Bristol, commercials, music, and a segment of the "Tennessee
Ernie Ford Show" with Bill Ring, announcer and director; Ernie Ford
and Lou Denning, vocalists. NOTE: Tape ends abruptly during the Ford show.
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5
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Program 1: "Thrift Supply Company Show" (featured
product, Fisk tires), ND.
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Songs: a. King, "I'm Throwing Rice at the Girl That
I Love"
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| b. Campbell and King, "Angel Mother" c. Russell, "Skip to My Lou" d. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Morris, and Campbell), "The Old Rugged Cross" e. Morris, "Old Chimney Stack" |
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Program 2: "Thrift Supply Company Show" (featured
product, Fisk tires), ND.
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Songs: f. King, "Rocking Alone in an Old Rocking
Chair"
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g. Keith, "Peacock Rag"
h. King and Campbell, "Romans 6:23" i. Campbell, "Red-Hot Polka" j. King, "I Talked to Myself About You" k. Keith, "Fire on the Mountain, Run, Boy, Run" |
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6
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Program 1: "Thrift Supply Company Show," ND.
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Songs: a. King and Russell, "Mother, Dear"
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| b. King, "Sundown and Sorrow" c. Roy Webb, "Soldier's Joy" d. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Campbell, and Morris), "As Long as I Live" e. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Campbell, and Morris), "Shake My Mother's Hand For Me" |
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Program 2: "Thrift Supply Company Show," ND.
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Songs: f. King, "Can't Hide the Tears in My Eyes"
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| g. King and Campbell, "A Garden in the Sky" h. Keith, "Running Indian Rag" i. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Campbell, and Morris), "No One to Cry To" j. Campbell and King, "Come to the Savior Today" |
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7
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"Farm and Fun Time," ND.
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Songs: a. King, "Lost on the River of Life"
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| b. Morris, "Don't That Moon Look Lonesome?" c. King, "The Tragic Romance" d. King, "Just Don't Like This Way of Living" e. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Campbell, and Morris), "Who's Going to Kiss You When I'm Gone?" f. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Campbell, and Morris), "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" g. King, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" h. King, "Broomstick Buckaroo" i. Hilltoppers Trio (King, Campbell, and Morris), (Shorty Morris, lead), "Teardrops in My Heart" j. Campbell and King, "The Pale Horse and His Rider" k. Campbell and King, "Mama's Dying Tonight" |
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*Tape reference refers to tape number and song selection. The letter refers to the song. Thus, 7-f refers to Tape 7, song "f."
Along a Dark River: Tape 2-b.
Angel Mother: Tape 5-b.
As Long as I Live: Tape 6-d.
Broomstick Buckaroo: Tape 7-h.
Can't Hide the Tears in My Eyes: Tape 6-f.Chained to a Memory: Tape 1-a.
Cindy: Tape 1-c.
Come to the Savior Today: Tape 6-j.
Corinna, Corinna: Tape 1-j.
Do You Expect a Reward From God?: Tape 1-i.Don't That Moon Look Lonesome?: Tape 7-b.
Down in Union County: Tape 3-c.
Fire on the Mountain, Run, Boy, Run: Tape 5-k.
Garden in the Sky, A: Tape 6-g.
Going to Georgia: Tape 2-c.Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?: Tape 1-g.
Here Comes Santa Claus: Tape 3-d.
I Talked to Myself About You: Tape 5-j.
I'm Sending You a Big Bouquet of Roses: Tape 3-e.
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry: Tape 7-g.I'm Throwing Rice at the Girl That I Love: Tape 5-a.
Ida Red: Tape 2-e.
In the Pines, In the Pines, Where the Sun Never Shines: Tape 2-g.
It's a Sin: 2-f.
Just a Closer Walk With Thee: Tape 7-f.Little Boy's Prayer, A: Tape 3-h.
Lost on the River of Life: Tape 7-a.
Mama's Dying Tonight: Tape 7-k.
Mansion Now Empty, A: Tape 2-i.
Mother Dear: Tape 6-a.My Sweet Love Ain't Around: Tape 3-a
My Heart Understands: Tape 2-d.
No One to Cry to: Tape 6-i.
Old Joe Clark: Tape 2-h.
Old Chimney Stack: Tape 5-e.Old Rugged Cross, The: Tape 5-d.
Pale Horse and His Rider, The: Tape 7-j.
Peacock Rag: Tape 5-g.
Petal From a Faded Rose: Tape 1-e.
Pretty Little Widows: Tape 1-h.Red-Hot Polka: Tape 5-i.
Rocking Alone in an Old Rocking Chair: Tape 5-f.
Romans 6:23: Tape 5-h.
Running Indian Rag: Tape 3-g; 6-h.
Shake My Mother's Hand For Me: Tape 6-e.Skip to My Lou: Tape 5-c.
Soldiers Joy: Tape 6-c.
Something Got Hold of Me: Tape 1-d.
Sundown and Sorrow: Tape 6-b.
Teardrops in My Heart: Tape 3-b; 7-i.These Tears Are Not For You: Tape 2-a.
Tragic Romance, The: Tape 7-c.
We Live in Two Different Worlds: Tape 1-f; 2-j.
White Christmas: Tape 3-f.
Who's Going to Kiss You When I'm Gone?: Tape 7-e.You're Breaking My Heart: Tape 1-b.
MTC 06/01 - modified GKY 03/01/02