Last week, I took a look at the available jazz old time radio out there. Now, for old time country and Western fans, this post is for you.<\/p>\n
1) Hank Williams<\/p>\n
Hank Williams, Sr.\u00a0had two seperate radio shows. The first was his “Health and Happiness Show<\/a>” from 1949, of which there are four episodes available on the Internet Archive, and his Mother’s Best Flour <\/a>Show which ran in 1950-51,\u00a0which the Old Time Radio Researchers has released as a certified set with 67 episodes.<\/p>\n 2) Gene Autry<\/p>\n The singing cowboy has a wide variety of his Melody Ranch Recordings available at the Internet Archive<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3) Johnny Cash<\/p>\n The one recording<\/a> of the Johnny Cash show\u00a0available provides an interesting glimpse of an American legend in the making. The recording comes from 1954, the year before Cash’s first record hit the market. A 22-year old Cash was hosting his very broadcast and sounded quite a bit nervous. It’s a very different Johnny Cash who would sing songs like “Ring of Fire” and “Boy Named Sue” with such gusto and confidence. Worth a listen for a different look at the man in Black.<\/p>\n 4) Grand Ole Opry<\/p>\n If you think of country music, the first place you think of is the Grand Ole Opry.\u00a0 The archive<\/a> has 30 recordings with such stars as Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, and Red Foley. Speaking of Foley, eight episodes of his show are available as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5) Pat O’Daniel and His Hillbilly Boys<\/p>\n The OTRR has a good collection <\/a>this\u00a0interesting 1930s radio show from Texas. It also includes a fascinating story of\u00a0how Pat O’Daniel used the radio show to build a political career that include\u00a0 stints as Governor of Texas and U.S. Senator.<\/p>\n 6) Pinto Pete and His Ranch Hands:<\/p>\n Anothers 1930s show<\/a>\u00a0featuring 15 minutes of Cowboy music.<\/p>\n 7) Armed Forces Radio Programs<\/p>\n Just like with jazz, Soldiers who loved country music were entertained with some of their favorites. First was Melody Roundup<\/a>\u00a0which was hosted by many stars that would be fans of country and cowboy and music such as Lum and Abner, Roy Rogers, and Bill Boyd (best known for playing Hopalong Cassidy on the radio). A later show sponsored by the Navy and Airforce was Country Music Time<\/a>.<\/p>\n 8) 10-2-4 Ranch<\/p>\n