Memories from the Homestead: RadiOzark Enterprises recorded big names in Springfield

In past visits I've taken the opportunity to discuss the importance musically of Springfield, Missouri, and how their music scene even turned heads in Nashville. All of that began thanks to Ralph Foster and his KWTO radio station that began in late 1933. I have discussed much of this in past columns. 

During the mid-1940s, a number of nationally known artists and bands called Springfield home for a spell, and this continued into the 1950s with Red Foley's weekly Ozark Jubilee television broadcasts, which I've also previously discussed. 

What is also quite remarkable in this topic, is the amount of transcribed broadcasts that aired nationwide, all produced through Foster's company, RadiOzark Enterprises.

So what is a radio transcription broadcast you may ask? Well, let me explain. In a large number of markets in the U.S. (1940s) when "live" performance wasn't available, a radio station would play a pre-recorded broadcast, a fifteen-minute show, and the listeners often believed that the performance they were hearing was right there at their hometown radio station, when in reality it was a pre-recorded show, likely produced in Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York. The shows were played on a 16-inch LP record.  

This, of course, required a specific type of record player. Back then radio stations used an official broadcast turntable, built only for this type of use; these record players were not available to the general public. A broadcast turntable featured a larger platter and longer tone-arm with a direct drive motor, and most models came equipped with adjustable pitch control. Today these players have a high appraisal value and older models are hard to find.

Ralph Foster's transcription company, RadiOzark Productions jumped in on the action of producing these radio broadcasts and distributing them. They were quite successful, especially in the decade of the 1950s. Several major name acts were involved with their own series. And fortunately over the years, I've been able to get my hands on these shows as old-time radio collectors have placed them onto audio CD.

One of the early performers recorded by RadiOzark was Tennessee Ernie Ford. He did a total of 260 fifteen-minute shows. Red Foley was included too. His number of shows totaled 156, filling up seventy-eight 16-inch discs. One of my favorites in the RadiOzark collection featured Smiley Burnette around 1951. I've been listening to these lately in my spare time. KWTO announcer Joe Slattery, along with Smiley and the sounds of the Whippoorwills were featured on these broadcasts.

The Whipps, as I often call them, were the group led by guitarist Roy Lanham. They began as a Cincinnati based group before relocating to the West Coast. Lanham and the Whippoorwills spent about a year on KWTO in Springfield in 1948. They were ahead of their time, known for impressive jazz and swing based instrumentals with guitar and mandolin as the lead instruments. They sang most of their vocal selections in a brilliant five-part harmony with two singers doing the melody and octave apart. Their high voice was their lady vocalist Juanita Vastine. On the Burnette shows she was always introduced as Sweet Georgia Brown. Roy Lanham would retire the Whippoorwills in 1958 and join the Sons of the Pioneers in 1961, by the way.

Burnette would record a total of 292 broadcasts, the most for a RadiOzark performer, which took up an impressive 146 sixteen-inch discs. I have obtained half of these and am still hunting for the rest.

Also involved in the RadiOzark line-up was Springfield based performer and KWTO personality Bill Ring. His fifteen-minute shows occurred during 1954, and I'm honored to have all of these in my collection; it's one of my favorites. Featuring the Tall Timber Band—Slim Wilson, Speedy Haworth, Bob White and Zed Tennis, Bill hosted a total of 78 episodes that were produced on 39 discs.

Many of you still remember Bill Ring, and his famous quote: "If you're re too busy to go fishin', you're too busy!" Known for his tall tales, he was often featured on Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee television series, did a daily KWTO fishing report for years, and was still active doing local television commercials in the early 1980s. He passed in Springfield in September 1991. 

The challenge to all this? Well, I've only got a handful of friends—historical collectors and archivists in the radio industry—who have a working 16-inch transcription disc player. One of my friends in Austin, Texas, spent almost fifty years dumping his collection of radio transcriptions to cassette and later CD. I am now the caretaker of all of that. I personally do not have a 16-inch player, but I have stacks of 16-inch records all over the place! The Sons of the Pioneers did all their transcription broadcasts in the 16-inch format from 1940 to 1962. I've been collecting those for 32 years and have nearly every one except for part of an ABC series in 1952-53. Someone is sitting on them somewhere, likely in Planters Peanuts warehouse as they were the show sponsor!

So, it's worth mentioning that Ralph Foster's RadiOzark Enterprises output is archived at the Missouri State Historical Society in Columbia. They received a massive donation in 2021 of 321 sixteen-inch RadiOzark discs plus 106 discs pressed in the normal 12-inch commercial size. Seven acts are a part of this—Tennessee Ernie Ford; Strangest of All with Frank Edwards; the Bill Ring Show; the Red Foley Show; Shorty Thompson; the Shorty, Sue and Sally Show (Saddle Rockin' Rhythm); and the Smiley Burnette Show.

Want to hear one of these shows? Go to YouTube. In the search, type the following: "Smiley Burnette Show 001" and you can hear the first Smiley Burnette broadcast. Turn up the volume and enjoy a look back at the golden age of radio!

And on a final note: I will gladly accept a working 16-inch record player if you know where I can find one.  Good luck with that. It will be a difficult and a very costly task!

Happy trails, everyone!