Roanoke Country Radio Reunion

By Blue Ridge Institute - Ferrum College

Issue: May, 1988

Texas Troubadours, circa 1939. Paul Byrd, tenor banjo; Ed Newman, fiddle; Glen Howell, bass; Lawrence Sink, guitar.The Texas Troubadours, the Dixie Playboys, the Wanderers of the Wasteland, Roy Hall and the Blue Ridge Entertainers - these were just a few of the string bands that carried live Roanoke Radio from its infancy into the age of television. Through daily, fifteen and thirty minute broadcasts, the Valley's country radio musicians became regional "stars" and shaped local musical traditions. Now after more than thirty years, the Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College brings back and recognizes the Valley's early country radio celebrities as important contributors to the region's rich cultural heritage.

1. Roanoke Country Radio Reunion Concerts, May 28, 1988. Festival in the Park, Roanoke, Virginia.

Water Front Stage - 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This three hour concert will feature appearances by the Texas Troubadours; Wanderers of the Wasteland; The Dixie Playboys; The Shenandoah Pals; The Little Hillbillies; Virginia Hillbillies plus guests from other Roanoke Country Radio groups who performed during the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's.

Dixie Playboys, circa 1948. Glen Howell, Roy Lemmon, Mel Linkous, Virgil Simmons, Gordon Reid.Amphitheater - 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Live radio re-enactment by the original groups and announcers as they broadcast over local radio.

Texas Troubadours - WDBJ 1935-1942
Announcer - Irving Sharp
Wanderers of the Wasteland - WSLS 1943-1948
Announcer - Mel Linkous
Dixie Playboys - WSLS 1947-1952
Announcer - Mel Linkous

These concerts are being produced by the Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College and sponsored by Festival in the Park, Dominion Bank and the National Endowment for the Arts/Folk Arts.

2. Record Album
"Roanoke Country Radio 1924-1954" (BRI-011) contains over fifty minutes of historical recordings by important artists such as the Roanoke Jug Band, the Texas Troubadours, Roy Hall and the Blue Ridge entertainers, and Tommy Magness. The album includes a booklet that is lavishly illustrated with vintage photographs and contains a lengthy introductory essay as well as group and radio station histories. This album is being produced by the Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College and Wanderers of the Wasteland, circa 1946. Roy Lemmon, Bob Pauley, Glen Howell, Woody Mashburn.sponsored by WDBJ Television of Roanoke, Virginia.

The album will be available as of June 1, 1988. For more information or to order the album contact:

The Blue Ridge Institute
Ferrum College
Ferrum, Va 24088-9013