Town & Country Time Jamboree
The legendary promotoer, Connie B. Gay, a elected to the Country
Music Hall of Fame in 1980, started the Town & Country Time
Jamboree show on October 1, 1956. Fans will remember that it was
held at the Turner's Arena at 14th and W Streets.
The premier show presented a cross section of country music in that era.
One was Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, who opened the show and were
making their first appearance in the DC area. Marvin Rainwater, with
the Ozark Jubilee at the time, also appeared. And from the WSM Grand
Ole Opry, Autry Inman.
The regular stars of the show were to be Jimmy Dean and the Texas Wildcats.
That included Joe Wheeler, Miss Dale Turner, Luke Gordon, Dub Howington,
Jimmy Case and Tiny Jenkins (if one can be called Tiny, weighing a reportede
441 pounds.)
The show aired over WMAL-TV on a late Saturday night - from 10:00pm to 1:00am.
With such talent on that first show, one could only wish to have been able to
watch this show back then. They wrote in the 1956 article we found that
over 3,000 fans attended the debut of this show and was getting a "...tremendous
amount of mail" to get the show off to a rousing start.
Credits & Sources
- Cowboy Songs No. 45; March 1956; American Folk Publications, Inc.; Derby, CT
