![]() |
| The Star Press August 6, 952 |
From the state of Indiana, a lot of country live stage shows originated. Some of them were bigger and reached out to more distant locations, others were small shows on a local level. One of those smaller shows was the Hoosierland Barn Dance, which was broadcast by WLBC out of Muncie, Indiana.
WLBC went on the air in 1926 and its sister station, WLBC-FM, in 1947. I first found mention of the Hoosierland Barn Dance in August 1952, when the local Star Press newspaper carried advertisements for the show. The show took place on Saturday evenings at the Gibson Arena, a roller skating rink that first opened in 1940, and the show was broadcast on WLBC from 10 pm to midnight. The Hoosierland Barn Dance was centered around Tex White and his band, the Tennessee Ramblers, but also included other artists, including at one time or another Jesse Stone, Earl Hoover, George Riddle (who would go on to be a member of George Jones' Jones Boys band), Dick Morgan, the Rhythm Serenaders, the Midwestern Trailriders, Chuck Smith, and others.
White had been born in Texas and spent some time on WCYB in Bristol, Tennessee, before relocating to Indiana. He had a morning program on WLBC when he started the Hoosierland Barn Dance. The show was still running in April 1953 but I could not find any info on how long it ran.
If anyone out there has more knowledge or recollections about the Hoosierland Barn Dance, feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail!

No comments:
Post a Comment