Art Fulks and the Echo Valley Folks

About The Artist This group, Art Fulks and the Echo Valley Folks, had their origins in the hills of Ohio and West Virginia. They were said to have done their shows in the "Grand Ole Opry" style. They featured gospel, sacred and heart songs. In late 1956, it was reported that they were recording with the Krisler Recording Co. out of Columbus, Ohio. Art Fulks was their leader and was from Scottown, Ohio and had been in the entertainment business for over 20 years by the time 1956 rolled around. At one time, the group featured Homer Bailes, a member of the Bailes Brothers group who were at the WSM Grand Ole Opry. The group was formed around the 1948 or 1949 time frame. The daughter of one of the band members, Marshall Looney, writes and says her dad said the group had not been together for very long when he joined them sometime in 1949. The band featured gospel, sacred and heart songs. They recorded for the Krisler Recoring Company in Columbus, Ohio at the Coronet Recording Studio on East Broad Street. The group also had a daily TV show on WTVN-TV in 1951-1952 called "The Echo Valley Folks". The group disbanded around 1953 as several band members had decided to go in different directions. Marshall Looney and another fellow from the group, Frank Gornall, started their own radio program at WHOK in Lancaster, Ohio called simply "Frank and Marshall". Timeline and Trivia Notes Group members included: Art Fulks Merl Hoaf, Pennsylvania native Jackie Wooten, from Columbus, Ohio Roy Barker, vocals and guitar Marshall Looney, from Coopersville, Ohio Credits & Sources Country Song Roundup No. 46, October 1956, American Folk Publications, Inc. Derby, Ct.

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