Alabama Hayloft Jamboree

Birmingham News March 3, 1956

The Alabama Hayloft Jamboree was another barn dance type show that entertained rural audiences across the United States. It was aired over WAPI out of Birmingham, Alabama, and featured Ralph Rogers as its emcee and local country music acts for the entertainment. One of these acts were Happy Wilson and the Golden River Boys, a group that was quite popular in the 1940s and 1950s in the Alabama areas. One of the members was Hardrock Gunter, who later found historical acclaim with his significant recordings in the country and rockabilly music genres.

The Alabama Hayloft Jamboree was on air as early as January 1940 but it back then, it was a 30-minutes afternoon show. By December that year, the show had moved to an early morning slot with Clint Blakely as the emcee. Such artists as J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers, the Delmore Brothers, and Fiddlin' Arthur Smith appeared during this time regularly on the show. It stayed on the air throughout World War II but was taken over at some point by Joe Rumore, developing into an afternoon DJ show. By 1946, the show was hosted by Ralph Rogers (with Joe Rumore filling in sometimes in 1948) and included "cowboy favorites and hillbilly tunes".  

Happy Wilson in 1948

Around 1951, the show transformed into a live stage show, broadcasting from different locations on WAPI. A year later, the show was centered Happy Wilson and his band, the Golden River Boys. However, the Alabama Hayloft Jamboree was not the only live stage show that aired on WAPI. During 1954, there was also the Alabama Jamboree from the Bessemer City Auditorium featuring a cast of various performers.
We find last mention of the show in 1956. In the 1950s, WAPI turned to a popular music programming, probably ending the show at that time. The station features a talk radio format today.

If someone out there knows more about the Alabama Hayloft Jamboree, feel free to leave a comment or contact me via the contact form.

Sources
• Hillbilly-Music.com
• Andre Millard: "Magic City Nights: Birmingham's Rock'n'Roll Years" (2017), Wesleyan University Press, page 36
• The Decatur Daily, December 15, 1952
• The Birmingham News, November 14, 1953