University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College (Campus History)

Arts & Photography

Bapst, Jacob L.

Tribe, Ivan M.

PHD.

Photography & Video

Arcadia Publishing

Beginning in the mid-1920s, radio stations that catered to rural audiences sponsored programs featuring country music, generically termed "barn dances." Ranking second in terms of longevity and perhaps in significance to the Grand Ole Opry from WSM Nashville came the Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia. It became the springboard for such country stars as Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, Hawkshaw Hawkins, the Osborne Brothers, Doc and Chickie Williams, Lee Moore, Big Slim the Lone Cowboy, and most recently, Brad Paisley. Under slightly varying names, the Jamboree flourished from 1933 through 2005 over the airwaves of 50,000-watt WWVA 1170 AM and now airs on WWOV 101.1 FM.

The Jamboree in Wheeling (Images of America)

Music

On September 13, 1876, the bell on Atwood Hall rang, students assembled, and Rio Grande College began its 140-year search for identity and its struggle for existence. Ira Haning, a Freewill Baptist minister, conveyed the idea of a college to a prominent couple, Nehemiah and Permelia Atwood. Nehemiah passed away in 1869, and supposedly, his last words were "Permelia, build the college." Permelia deeded 10 acres and financed Atwood Hall and the Boarding Hall, and Rio Grande College became a reality. Upon Permelia's death in 1885, Rio Grande faced the first of many financial pitfalls. Her estate was willed to the college, but the heirs of her second husband contested it in an action that would be resolved by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1896. As a college, junior college, community college, and currently, as a university, Rio Grande continues to seek a definitive identity.

Born in rural Ohio in 1897, Beryl Halley was educated at a strict Freewill Baptist school. After briefly teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, she joined the navy in 1918 before her unlikely path led her to Broadway, then to the Ziegfeld Follies (1923-1925). She also appeared in Earl Carroll's Vanities and other revues, as well as in films, and had a widely publicized brush with the law (over alleged nudity) in 1926. 
 She retired from show business in 1930, married an insurance executive and had a family, later reappearing in the public eye as an officer in the Ziegfeld Girls' Club. Making her home in Houston in the 1950s, she worked as legal secretary for a large law firm. Her death at age 90 was unpublicized. Her story is told here for the first time.

Beryl Halley: The Life and Follies of a Ziegfeld Beauty, 1897-1988

Humor & Entertainment

McFarland

West Virginia has been known for a century as a rich repository of traditional country music and musicians. Beginning in the mid-1920s, phonograph recordings and radios brought this music to a wider audience. With the passing of time and the influence of commercialization, this music developed into what became first known as "hillbilly" and then into the more refined "country" because of its long appeal to those of rural background. Although modernization has caused the traditional element to recede considerably, much still remains. Many folk still cling to the older sounds exemplified by the "raw" traditionalists and the neo-traditional bluegrass style that emerged in the 1940s. From the earliest recording artists, such as the Tweedy Brothers and David Miller, who was blind, to contemporary stars like Kathy Mattea and Brad Paisley, West Virginians and others have held their musicians in high esteem.

West Virginia's Traditional Country Music

History

Americas

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

On September 13, 1876, the bell on Atwood Hall rang, students assembled, and Rio Grande College began its 140-year search for identity and its struggle for existence. Ira Haning, a Freewill Baptist minister, conveyed the idea of a college to a prominent couple, Nehemiah and Permelia Atwood. Nehemiah passed away in 1869, and supposedly, his last words were Permelia, build the college. Permelia deeded 10 acres and financed Atwood Hall and the Boarding Hall, and Rio Grande College became a reality. Upon Permelia s death in 1885, Rio Grande faced the first of many financial pitfalls. Her estate was willed to the college, but the heirs of her second husband contested it in an action that would be resolved by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1896. As a college, junior college, community college, and currently, as a university, Rio Grande continues to seek a definitive identity."

University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College

Beginning in the mid-1920s, radio stations that catered to rural audiences sponsored programs featuring country music, generically termed barn dances. Ranking second in terms of longevity and perhaps in significance to the Grand Ole Opry from WSM Nashville came the Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia. It became the springboard for such country stars as Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, Hawkshaw Hawkins, the Osborne Brothers, Doc and Chickie Williams, Lee Moore, Big Slim the Lone Cowboy, and most recently, Brad Paisley. Under slightly varying names, the Jamboree flourished from 1933 through 2005 over the airwaves of 50,000-watt WWVA 1170 AM and now airs on WWOV 101.1 FM.

Jamboree in Wheeling (Images of America)

Arcadia Pub (Sc)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bapst, Jacob L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bapst, Jacob L.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bapst, Jacob L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College (Campus History)

The Jamboree in Wheeling (Images of America)

University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College (Campus History)

Beryl Halley: The Life and Follies of a Ziegfeld Beauty, 1897-1988

West Virginia's Traditional Country Music

University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College

Jamboree in Wheeling (Images of America)