Part II

Did you read the part I to this series yet? If not, I recommend that you start there to get the story of the National Life Company and WSM's beginnings. 

Corrections and Notables 

One detail we left out of our first blog post—but is well worth highlighting—is the station's first program director, Bonnie Barnhardt. There has been some confusion about whether Charlie D. Hay held the title first, but multiple sources, including Craig Havighurst in Air Castle of the South, credit Barnhardt as WSM’s original director of policies and programs. She was affectionately known as "The Lady o' The Radio."

Barnhardt’s leadership made WSM one of the few stations in the country at the time to have a woman in such a prominent role. She was also a nationally recognized radio star and studio executive, having previously worked at WSB in Atlanta.

If I implied in the first blog post that George Hay was the first program director, consider this the correction. According to this Country Insider article from September of this year...

"As one of a handful of WSM staffers, Barnhardt would have helped organize the first WSM broadcast, which featured her old boss, WSB’s Lambdin Kay, and WSM-bound Hay, as well as Tennessee governor Austin Peay, Nashville mayor Hilary Howse, executives from the National Life and Accident Insurance Company, which owned the station, the Fisk Jubilee singers, and other musicians and dignitaries. She likely would have also helped book musicians like Dr. Humphrey Bate, fiddler Sidney Harkreader, and Uncle Dave Macon – all of whom appeared before Hay started as the station’s radio director on Nov. 9."

When Hay arrived, reports said he would work “in cooperation” with Ms. Barnhardt, but that arrangement didn’t last long. She kept her bedtime-story slot until late November and then quietly left WSM. Though some assumed she left radio entirely, she returned to Atlanta, performed on WSB, and founded the Bonnie Barnhardt Entertainment and Press Bureau, which supplied talent for everything from children’s parties to political conventions.

If you'd like to learn more about Ms. Barnhardt, the Country Insider article is pretty good. Click on this link to the article: "Bonnie Barnhardt: The Forgotten First Lady Of WSM"

And one more clarification: in the archives newsletter sent out on 11/14, I wrote that the Opry “began as a simple radio show on Life & Casualty’s WSM station.” That was incorrect. As noted in the first blog post, WSM was created by National Life, a competitor of L&C. Why the Robinson-Craig Collection contains various pieces of L&C ephemera remains a mystery—but an intriguing one.

An Evening at the Ryman

Picking up from the previous blog post—the unofficial start of the legendary program—before WSM launched its “hillbilly music” show (whose popularity was uncertain), the station primarily featured classical-style music.

They aired what was called “potted palm” music—light orchestral and operatic pieces performed by small, efficient ensembles (Havighurst). Even Edwin’s cousin, Francis, received significant airtime with his jazz-infused band, “Francis Craig and His Orchestra” (sometimes listed in newspapers as “Francis Craig’s Orchestra”).

Before Hay arrived in Nashville, an event that is said to be the precursor to the Grand Ole Opry took place at the Ryman Auditorium in early November 1925. A fundraising show for the Policeman’s Benefit Association featured several local musicians, including Dr. Humphrey Bate and other WSM regulars. When Bate took the stage, the program “took a hillbilly turn,” with performances by his band and Uncle Dave Macon—billed as “the struttinest strutter that ever strutted a strut.”

“When Uncle Dave took the stage, seated as if on a bouncing chair, with a banjo tilt-a-whirling in his lap, Sidney cut away on ‘Sugar Walks Down the Street’ and ‘Turkey in the Straw’ to enthusiastic whoops and applause.”  [Craig Havighurst]

WSM played a role as engineer Jack Montgomery set up the microphones and phone lines linking the studios to the Ryman, and Jack Keefe served as master of ceremonies. 

WSM Barn Dance

After the Grand Ole Opry’s unofficial first airing with fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson—considered its first guest and future regular—newspapers didn’t mention him or the Barn Dance. But George Hay was already envisioning the program, telling a local musician he wanted to start a similar show to his Chicago Barn Dance, believing Nashville audiences would embrace it because “the people were real and genuine… playing what they were raised on.” 

National Life executives liked the idea—especially Edwin Craig, who had played mandolin in prep school, so—pun intended—it struck a chord with him. In fact, Edwin’s support for folk music proved pivotal in the years that followed, especially as listener feedback grew polarized over whether WSM should keep its “hillbilly music” or return to more classical programming.

Havighurst quotes Neil Craig when noting another motivation behind the program: “the Grand Ole Opry was put on the air to try to get into the white [insurance] business.” Saturday evenings were ideal for reaching the working class, and the Tennessean reported in late December, 1925 that WSM would devote an hour or two each week to “old familiar tunes.” 

National Life agents soon used the show as an entry point with potential customers. As Margaret Ann Robinson, Edwin Craig’s daughter, recalled, “They’d say, ‘Hello, Ms. Jones. I’m from the Grand Ole Opry. Can I come in for a few minutes and talk to you about some insurance?’” Side note: This was likely a slight embellishment, since the name “Grand Ole Opry” didn’t appear until 1927—more on that below!

What's in a Name? 

So when did the program become the “Grand Ole Opry”? According to legend—likely with a bit of embellishment from Hay himself—it happened one Saturday evening in 1927 after WSM had aired a piped-in NBC program called the Music Appreciation Hour, which featured classical music. Havighurst recounts the full story, but the most famous (and history-making) line from Hay was:

“For the past hour we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera, but from now on, we will present the Grand Ole Opry.”

The artist behind that famous moment was DeFord Bailey, performing “Pan American Blues” on his harmonica. A WSM regular, Bailey became one of the show’s most beloved and highest-paid performers and is now recognized as country music’s first African American star.

Sadly, in 1941, WSM dismissed him during a dispute between the radio industry and ASCAP. The station faced heavy fines for broadcasting ASCAP-licensed songs and warned Bailey not to play his ASCAP numbers—several of which listeners loved. The conflict never resolved, and WSM ultimately fired him later that year.

A Little More History on DeFord Bailey

Want to learn more about DeFord Bailey and his legacy? The Country Music Hall of Fame offers a great biography on him!

Or you can check out David Morton’s book from the library, and the Special Collections Division also holds the David C. Morton DeFord Bailey Collection, which is normally open for patron access (though it’s unavailable during the Main Library closure). Be sure to look at the catalog links for both at the bottom of the page.

Popularity + More Wattage = Growth

I’ll wrap things up here—I’ve filled your brains with plenty for one post! As mentioned earlier, Edwin Craig’s support for folk music was a major reason the Saturday evening program survived, especially since listener feedback wasn’t always enthusiastic about the hometown sound. Hay even wrote, “the members of our radio audience who loved Dr. Damrosch and his Symphony Orchestra thought we should be shot at sunrise and did not hesitate to tell us so.” Thankfully, that wasn’t the case everywhere—or for long.

Over the next decade, WSM’s growth brought even more listeners to its Saturday evening program. Key developments included:

• The Radio Act of 1927 and the creation of the Federal Radio Commission, both of which benefited WSM thanks to its relationship with Congressman Ewin Davis.

• WSM’s assignment to 650 kilohertz—one of only 40 stations in the nation granted an exclusive frequency—giving it a national monopoly on the 650 signal.

• The addition of commercial broadcasting to its mission.

These and many other milestones laid the groundwork for the Grand Ole Opry’s monumental success today! I’ll conclude this post in the series with this quote from Havighurst’s introduction…

"...Historians have ably documented the Grand Ole Opry’s rise from a local, unpretentious Saturday night radio show to its pinnacle of star-making power. But the Grand Ole Opry may well have lived and died like so many on-air “barn dances” of the 1920s through the 1960s had WSM not been a remarkable broadcaster in its own right. WSM’s investment in talent discovery and development across many types of music built a sturdy foundation on which country music could build its permanent home in the otherwise inhospitable terrain of Nashville, Tennessee.” 

WSM’s history is extensive and an important precursor to the Grand Ole Opry (though not the main focus of this blog series), so I’ve condensed some additional highlights for those interested in how the station grew...

Other WSM History 

As the Barn Dance—and WSM—grew in popularity, they weren’t the only voices on Nashville radio. Stations like WCBQ, WDAD, and later WLAC (run by National Life’s rival, Life & Casualty) also shaped Nashville’s emerging “Music City” identity and amplified stars such as Dr. Bate, Beasley Smith, Bessie Smith, and DeFord Bailey.

By its first anniversary, WSM celebrated strong success thanks not only to the Barn Dance but to its broad programming and steady investment: Nashville Symphony concerts, Vanderbilt football, Sunday sermons from James I. Vance, local business features, concert hall openings, and a wide mix of musical styles.

A major early milestone came in December 1926 when Edwin Craig and Runcie Clements traveled to New York and secured an oral agreement with NBC, making WSM the first NBC affiliate in the South. The station aired its first NBC feed in early January 1927 and soon carried network programs daily.

 

There’s still plenty more history to cover, so stay tuned! I’ve also included a link to the library’s catalog for the book I’ve been using for research—I definitely recommend checking it out!

'Til next time, 

Sarah