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Country Artist of the Week: WYRL Top Radio Station In CMA's Annual Contest NASHVILLE - WYRL-FM, Mel- Country Crossroads. bourne, Florida, was cited for being WLKE Radio, Waupon, Wisconsin the#1 station participating in the (last year's first place winner) also annual radio contest sponsored by the received a Special Merit Award for Country Music Association. Norm their sustained efforts in 1971. Don Keller, manager of the station, and Sabatke, manager of the relatively Chris Randell, program director, were new country station, accepted. on hand at the Country Music Hall of Another special award went to Tex- Fame to accept the award in special as Kitty Prine of BRT Radio in Bel- ceremonies Jan. 21. gium for her untiring efforts in pro- Hubert Long, chairman of the moting Country Music Month. Mary board of CMA, made the presenta- Reeves Davis accepted on her behalf. tion. The second place winner was Dick Kinney of the Nashville Area WESC, Greenville, South Carolina, Chamber of Commerce presented the with p.d. Bob Hooper accepting the representatives of the stations with award. certificates stating that they were Dave Donahue of WITL, Lansing, officially members of the "Red Car- Michigan accepted the station's award pet" group selected by the Chamber for tying in third place. The other of Commerce. In making the presen- third place winner was WYWY, Bar- tations, Kinney pointed out the sig- bourville, Kentucky, and receiving the nificant role country music has played award was Bill Carson, owner of the in making the city of Nashville fa- station. mous. Country Crossroads, a syndicated Each year the Country Music Asso- radio program sponsored by the ciation engages in an all-out cam- Southern Baptist Convention, taped paign to call special attention to the entire program for airing on their country music during the month of network at a later date. WSIX Radio, October. of the Peer - Nashville, assisted in the taping, and Southern Organization, New York is Bill Gerson of that station accepted a chairman of the Country Music Special Merit Award on behalf of Month committee. Owepar Pub. Buys Grand Ole Gospel Starday Townhouse At Opry House NASHVILLE - Purchase of the NASHVILLE - The Starday Townhouse, on this city's House, which began as a religious record row by Owepar Publishing Co. center in 1891, will once again serve has been announced. The change in as a place of worship, according to an ownership becomes effective immedi- announcement by E. W. "Bud" Wen- ately for an undisclosed sum of mon- dell, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, ey. and Rev. Jimmy Snow, pastor of the Making the announcement jointly Evangel Temple. were the two principles involved in Beginning Feb. 11, WSM Radio the transaction; Louis Owens, general will broadcast Rev. Snow's church manager and secretary/treasurer of services live from the stage of the Owepar; and Hal Neely, president and Grand Ole Opry Hluse. The program, chief executive officer of the to be called "Grand Ole Gospel Starday/King complex. Time", can be heard following the Located on 813 -18th Avenue, Friday Night Opry, from 11:05-11:30 South, the Starday building (which P.M. The regular Friday night Opry will undergo a name change later) crowd will be encouraged to remain will house all business activities of and the will be public admitted free THEN AND NOW-During the 1971 Grand Ole Opry Birthday Celebration, Owepar Publishing Co., Dolly Parton for the church service within the ca- Enterprises, and En- proclaimed Hank Thompson Month for a very special reason. terprises. pacity of the Opry House. Officially known as "Hank Thompson's 25th Anniversary," Dot Records honored Owepar Publishing Co. was formed and June Carter, him for completing a quarter of a century as a recording artist. four years ago and has grown sub- members of Rev. Snow's parish, will For 13 years Hank Thompson and his Brazos Valley Boys held the un- stantially since its inception. Exclu- appear on the first show. , disputed title as "America's #1 Western Band." Following 18 years with sive writers for the music enterprise Connie Smith, Peggy Little, and other , where his reported sales exceeded the 30 million mark, Hank include Dolly Parton and Porter well-known signed with Dot Records where he is still making hit records, his current artists are scheduled for being "I've Come Awful Close," produced by producer Wagoner, among others. future programs. In addition, each indie . Included in the Owepar catalogue Touring every state and averaging 240 appearances annually, Hank, with show will include the 28 -voice Temple his band, has hosted his own network TV and radio shows, guested on every are such award -winning hits as Choir, a seven piece "Joshua", "Coat of Many Colors", band, and Rev. major show and received many honors along the way. "My Blue Tears", "Daddy Was An Snow. Exclusive management and booking is handled by The Company. Old Time Preacher Man", "The Right Numerous country music per- Combination", "Burning the Midnight formers, publishers, , and Oil", and "Be A Little Quieter". others related to the music industry Scruggs Set With Artists who have recorded Owepar are members of the Evangel Temple, songs, in addition to Miss Parton and whose congregation totals approx- At Wembley KMFA Orchestra Mr. Wagoner, include , imately 300. Rev. Snow is the son of HOLLYWOOD Anne Murray , Nat Stucky, Nancy Sina- Grand Ole Opry star, Hank Snow. - has MADISON, TENN. - Earl Scruggs been set to headline at the Fourth has been signed to perform with the tra and Lee Hazlewood, Conway KMFA Classical Music Orchestra in Twitty, Goldie Hawn and Skeeter Da- International Festival of Country Music at Wembley, England, April Austin, on Feb. 2. Scruggs vis. KSON Presents will join previously announced big - Primary purpose for the move, ac- 1-2, with the appearance following band leader Les Elgart, mas- completion of another her concert cording to Owens, was to acquire `Country Star' in series of ter Leopold LaFosse & The LaFosse room for expansion because of the specials for the Canadian Broadcast- Bach Ensemble, and movie -tv -ar- company's rapid growth. SAN DIEGO - KSON Radio is set ing Company. ranger -conductor Frank DeVol of to present Country Star, a program The singer is joining a bill that in- Hollywood, who will lead the KMFA of amateur country music, in the cludes Conway Twitty, Loretta' Lynn, 35 -piece orchestra. Tom T. Hall, Hank Among the selections Scruggs has T. Texas Tyler convention center of the Town And Williams Jr. and been requested to perform are "T For Country Hotel on March 3. This will other major Country music entertain- Texas" and "Foggy Mountain Break- Dies In Mo., 55 be a first for the station, which hopes ers. down." A music score is being written to make the affair an annual event. Miss Murray, presently at home in for the orchestra, who will accompany SPRINGFIELD, MO. - T. Texas Ty- The winner of Country Star has Toronto preparing for the CBC spe- Scruggs on the latter tune. ler, c&w singer-, died at been promised an interview with a cial, appears regularly on the Glen Following the Austin concert, the age 55 in a hospital here, Jan. 23. major record company, a chance to Campbell Show for CBS -TV. A re- Earl Scruggs Revue is set for Hous- Born in Arkansas as David Luke perform at KSON's Country Music cent Capitol album features duets ton, Feb. 5; Dillon, Colorado, Feb. 9 Myrick, he began his career in & 10; Missoula, Montana (U. of Mon- the Spectacular on March 24 and a broad- with Campbell, while the current sin- tana), Feb. 11 and the NEC College 1930's. He is best known for his song, cast of his performance over KSON gle, "Cotton Jenny," is from her Conference Showcase, Kansas City on "Deck Of Cards." Radio. "Talk It Over in the Morning" LP. Feb. 15.

Cash Box - February 5, 1972 39 www.americanradiohistory.com