Country Music · 1927

DeFord Bailey, the Harmonica Wizard Who Opened the First Grand Ole Opry

A Black harmonica player from Smith County, Tennessee, was one of the early Opry's biggest stars. In 1941 he was let go, and it took decades for country music to honor him again.

Read the story
Country Music · 1947

How Ernest Tubb's Record Shop and Midnite Jamboree Gave Newcomers a Place on Nashville Radio

In May 1947 Ernest Tubb opened a country record store in Nashville. The late-night radio show that came out of it gave young singers, Loretta Lynn among them, an early hearing.

Read the story
Country Music · 1960

How Loretta and Doolittle Lynn Drove 'I'm a Honky Tonk Girl' to Radio Stations and Reached the Opry

In 1960 an unknown housewife from Washington state and her husband took her first record from one radio station to the next. By fall she was singing at the Grand Ole Opry.

Read the story
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True stories from the golden age of American music, film and television

Latest stories

DeFord Bailey, the Harmonica Wizard Who Opened the First Grand Ole Opry
Country Music · 1927

DeFord Bailey, the Harmonica Wizard Who Opened the First Grand Ole Opry

A Black harmonica player from Smith County, Tennessee, was one of the early Opry's biggest stars. In 1941 he was let go, and it took decades for country music to honor him again.

4 min read
How Ernest Tubb's Record Shop and Midnite Jamboree Gave Newcomers a Place on Nashville Radio
Country Music · 1947

How Ernest Tubb's Record Shop and Midnite Jamboree Gave Newcomers a Place on Nashville Radio

In May 1947 Ernest Tubb opened a country record store in Nashville. The late-night radio show that came out of it gave young singers, Loretta Lynn among them, an early hearing.

4 min read
How Loretta and Doolittle Lynn Drove 'I'm a Honky Tonk Girl' to Radio Stations and Reached the Opry
Country Music · 1960

How Loretta and Doolittle Lynn Drove 'I'm a Honky Tonk Girl' to Radio Stations and Reached the Opry

In 1960 an unknown housewife from Washington state and her husband took her first record from one radio station to the next. By fall she was singing at the Grand Ole Opry.

4 min read
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Golden Age Legends tells true stories from the golden age of American music, film and television: the singers, the shows and the moments people still remember. Every article is researched from published sources and lists them. About this site.