Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City

Notes

251 Notes Introduction WSM’s central role in building Nashville is asserted in Brown,Les,“WSM Stretched ‘Opry’a Country Mile,Catapulted Nashville as C&W Centre,”Variety, Oct.29,1969. The Peter Taylor quote about Nashville comes from the novelASummonsToMemphis. Historical facts about Nashville come from Doyle. Chapter 1: On the Very Air We Breathe Jack DeWitt’s interaction with Ward-Belmont School was recorded in the Ward-­ Belmont Hyphen, Apr.1,1920,and Apr.21,1922,Belmont University library,Nashville. DeWitt’s biographical details are drawn from an interview with Chuck McDonald and an unpublished autobiography,both in the collection of Gaylord Entertainment; a DeWitt family diary; and a Country Music Foundation (CMF) oral history interview with John Rumble, July 1986. Early radio history comes from Barnouw and Douglas . The origins of National Life are covered in Stamper; the origins of WSM and opening night are covered in the Tennessean, the Nashville Banner, and Broadcast News, Nov. 12, 1932. also cited: DeWitt, John H., Jr., “Early Radio Broadcasting in Middle Tennessee.” Tennessee Historical Quarterly. Spring 1972. Johnson, Dixon, “Let Jack Alone.” The Nashville Tennessean Magazine, May 12, 1946. Davis, Louise Littleton, “From Chicken House to the Moon.” Nashville Tennessean Magazine, June 2, 1963. “WSM, at Nashville, ‘We Shield Millions.’” Radio Digest, Nov. 7, 1925. i-xx_1-286_Havi.indd 251 7/17/07 10:28:25 AM The Shield: Mar. 11, 1924; Apr. 28, 1925; Aug. 11, 1925; Sept. 22, 1925; Sept. 29, 1925; Oct. 6, 1925; Oct. 20, 1925. Nashville Banner: Oct. 4–6, 1925. Author interviews: Ward DeWitt, Elizabeth Proctor, Neil Craig, Margaret Ann Robinson . CMF oral history with David Stone. Chapter 2: The Ears Are Eyes The baseball anecdote comes largely from the Banner, Oct.5,1925.Jack Keefe’s biography comes from his obituaries in the Banner and Tennessean on Oct.15,1954.Early programming and personality details are drawn from The Shield, which was renamed Our Shield in 1926.Many early WSM performers and shows are described in the Nov. 12,1932,issue of Broadcast News. Edwin Craig’s struggles with interference come from correspondence in WSM station files at the National Archives.Station budget figures come from WSM testimony before the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), Docket No. 887, Sept. 1930. The riverfront story is from Shelton’s memoir. The chapter also relies on Wolfe’s Good Natured Riot for the origins of the Opry, and Ikard’s Near You on Francis Craig, as well as Jack Hurst’s Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, Morton and Wolfe’s DeFord Bailey, Hawkins and Escott’s Shot in the Dark, Foust’s Big Voices of the Air, and Peterson’s Creating Country Music. also cited: Davis, Louise, “He Raised a Rookus.” Nashville Tennessean Magazine, Aug. 17, 1952. Garvey,Daniel E,“Secretary Hoover and the Quest for Broadcast Regulation.”Journalism History 3:3. Autumn 1976. “WSM’s Fourth Birthday.” Radio Digest, Oct. 1929. The Shield or Our Shield: Sept. 22, 1925; Oct. 27, 1925; Nov. 24, 1925; Jan. 19, 1926; Mar.16,1926; May 25,1926; June 15,1926; Oct.5,1926; Oct.12,1926; Nov.2,1926; Dec. 7, 1926; Jan. 4, 1927; Jan. 3, 1928; Jan. 11, 1927; Feb. 21, 1928; Mar. 20, 1928; Mar. 27, 1928; Apr. 14, 1928; June 19, 1928; July 3, 1928; Nov. 8, 1928. Author interviews: Donia Craig Dickerson, Elizabeth Proctor. CMF oral histories: David Stone, Vito Pellettieri. Chapter 3: A Pleasing Spectacle TheinternationalfanmailtoWSMwasrecordedinalittle-knownNationalLifepublicationforpolicyholderscalledShieldedHomes (fourthquarter1931)fromthecollectionof Leroy Troy.The full-power hearings and related documents come from the archives of the FRC,National Archives,Docket No.887.Details of George Hay’s wage garnishing of DeFord Bailey can be found in Morton and Wolfe,p.84.Francis Craig and Beasley Smith details come from Ikard and from Broome and Tucker’s The Other Music City, 252—notes to chapters 1–3 i-xx_1-286_Havi.indd 252 7/17/07 10:28:26 AM plusa NashvilleBanner story(“SmithtoConduct 25–PieceJubileeOrchestra,”March 21,1951).MinniePearl’s story comes from herautobiography.Alton Delmore’s observation of the tower comes from his autobiography. Day-to-day details of the station and programs come from Our Shield, the Tennessean and the Banner. also cited: “Nine Stations Given Maximum Power.” Broadcasting, Oct. 15, 1931. “WABC Half-Wave Antenna Promising.” Broadcasting, Oct. 15, 1931. Broadcast News: Mar. 19, 1932; Apr. 30, 1932; June 4, 1932; July 9, 1932; July 23, 1932; Our Shield: Feb.5,1929...