All-In [38592]
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Post of back when
Jul 25, 2021, 3:57 PM
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by onetiredtiger (and some beer) got my brain unclogged ---
No one need be bored with this post, so move along.
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How was the music in this CLEMSON area when most here were not even an egg?
Here in the South we had the great Arthur Smith --> back "when".
Early on the only TV channel in my area was from Charlotte - WBTV, channel 3.
'Carolina Calling' came on every morning at 7 as we got ready for school.
There was also a Thursday night show.
Arthur had long been a staple on WBT radio (50,000 watts could be heard over the entire South).
His radio program, 'Top of the Morning', was syndicated for an unbroken span of 29 years.
He began one of the first ever TV shows. TV was mostly live back then. Local talent contest were held as the 'Cracker Jacks' traveled to the local towns. Each week the winner was on TV. It was a big deal, a huge deal.
Make no mistake, Authur was an "ace" beyond most anyone then or today with any string instrument. He surounded himself with talent. He was the real deal with a guitar, many experts came in to duet with him and to learn.
He built the the first commercial recording studio in the Southeast. Stars would fly in under the radar to record there. Some were Tommy Faile, Lester Flatt, James Brown, Earl Scruggs, Pat Boone, Ronnie Milsap, George Beverly Shea, the Statler Brothers, and many others. The studio musicians were top level. In this facility, Smith also created and produced nationally syndicated radio programs hosted by Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Richard Petty, James Brown, and George Beverly Shea. Billy Graham's Hour of Decision radio program was produced in Smith's studio.
One of his early tunes was "Feudin' Banjos" (1955), which was recorded as a hit by Lester Flatt. When the fun 'Deliverance' movie stole it by changing the title, he went to court and collected a bundle. He also made Warner Bros include his name on the official soundtrack listing, but asked to be omitted from the film credits because he found the film offensive.
Every show he ever did (thousands) always included a prayer and a religious tune.
As a composer, Smith had nearly 500 copyrights and a few million sellers. Folks are still recording them.
"Arthur" collaborated on 12 major motion picture soundtracks. (I was with him many times as a body guard at events, and he told me to call him call him "Arthur").
Arthur Smith is a true "Son Of The South" as to radio, TV, business, and just being a "good man" from South Carolina --> a real pioneer. He was a textile mill worker, and a soldier in WW11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDlZLsJJkVA
As Paul Harvey might not have said, "Now yall know some more of the story".
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