WLAC NASHVILLE
(A Mini Series)
Don Boner has written a great screen play about WLAC Nashville in the
glory days when John Richbourg, Hoss Allen, Gene Nobles and Harold Grizzard were
DJ's there. WLAC had 50,000 thousand watts of clear channel that boomed out
across the USA. The four Kings of WLAC came on the air from 10:15pm up into the
late hours of the morning.They sold hair creme records and all sorts of
interesting things to customers all across the nation.
Young and old black and white tuned in to hear their favorite artist
latest recording and to buy the records and products advertised on the programs
by the four Kings of the midnite air.
This was the 50's and radio was the top dog of entertainment
television was a few years away from taking the crown. WLAC 1510 on the AM
dial was getting the job done after 10:15pm that's when things really got
exciting because that's when Gene Nobles brought his masterful sales pitch to
the airwaves with loads of goodies from Randy's Record Shop in Gallatin,
Tennessee.
What you heard was not Pat Boone's cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That
A Shame" it was Fats himself singing the song. Along with Chuck Berry, Nervous
Norvous doing Ape Call and a bunch of other Rhythm & Blues recordings. Gene
Nobles played them all.
In one night you could hear Lazy Lester, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy
Williamson, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Slim Harpo, Guitar Gable, Johnny Watson,
Muddy Waters, Junior Parker, Matt Lucas and Howling Wolf. What more could you
ask for with the twist of your friendly radio dial to 1510 AM, six nights a week
then tune in to the show at 11:pm on Sunday night. Put your small beat up tube
powered radio under the covers turn the thing way down low so your mother can't
hear it and listen to the "Blue Eyed White Wonder" Matt Lucas singing a real
belly to the ground tail dragging foot stomping grinding it out shake your tail
feathers blistering blues song. That ole white boy could and still can sing the
blues with the of them. If you can't find any of Matt's blues songs in Wal-Mart
just high tail it on down to McAlpin, Florida, take interstate 10 east to route
129 south stop in at the McAlpin post office and ask for directions to the Lucas
Ranch. Matt will be glad to sell you a CD or two.
John "R" was the host of Ernie's Record Mart that came on the air
Monday thru Friday at 9:pm till 10:pm and was broadcast on Saturday 8pm until
9pm. Everyone thought John "R" was a black man because of his deep voice he was
always messing around and talking jive John "R" was a white man but he has
thousands of his listeners thinking he was black. John "R" was at WLAC from 1942
until 1973.
Herman Grizzard was sponsored by Buckley's Record Shop and came on at
midnite. Grizzard called his show "After Hours" and had been with WLAC since the
1930's. Herman had a tremendous audience and sold thousands of records by mail
for Buckley's. All the while the four DJ's were playing and selling blues
records by black artist by the hundreds of thousands. This is not the thing that
made white mothers and fathers happy in the 40's and 50's white America did not
want their sons and daughters listening to race music. And they did try to stop
it, however they didn't stop it as a matter of fact WLAC brought Blues to the
forefront of the American youth with four DJ's broadcasting late at night with
50,000 watts of clear channel and race was never mentioned what did it was good
songs, good broadcasting,and advertising products that blacks and whites wanted.
Bill "Hoss" Allen rounded out the foursome. Hoss filled in where he
was needed for several years and when Gene Nobles retired Bill "Hoss" Allen took
over Randy's Record Shop and the clock never stopped ticking and drums never
missed a beat. All of the DJ's at WLAC sounded black and the strange thing about
WLAC was that Don Whitehead the only black announcer at WLAC who did the
news sounded white. John Richbourg, Hoss Allen, Gene Nobles, Herman Grizzard and
Don Whitehead were all close friends.
WLAC Nashville the screen play written by Don Boner is a fictitious
story about WLAC and John "R" , Hoss Allen, Gene Nobles, and Herman Grizzard and
the staff at the radio station and all the trouble they get into involving
playing race music, drinking on the job, ticking off the station manager by
taking women into the studio and fooling around while they are on the air.
Betting on race horse's drinking whiskey and saying nutty things on the air
while they are doing their show. The movie opens with James Brown driving to
John "R's" grave site to tell a young 22 yr old college student taking a writing
course what when on in the 40's and 50's at WLAC and how these four DJ's brought
black blues to the American public and the trouble and hell they went through to
do it. White America did not want race music played on any radio station. WLAC
Nashville is based on a true story about how black rhythm & blues and blues was
played on WLAC and what went on at WLAC to try and stop the four DJ's from
playing race music to America and it's youth. James Brown Tells the young
reporter had it not been for John Richbourg, Hoss Allen, Gene Nobles and Herman
Grizzard there would have been no blues or rhythm & blues and he would have
never heard about James Brown.
(This will be a mini series about WLAC Nashville.)
-Widmarc Clark
For More Information Contact:
THE SOUTHERN LEGENDS ENTERTAINMENT and PERFORMING ARTS HALL of FAME
P.O. Box 428 Portland, Tennessee. 37148-0428
Email: sjmorris850@aol.com