Page 54 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2022

DJs Bill “Hossman” Allen and John R. of WLAC radio.
WLAC: Blues, Baby Chicks and Stim-U-Aid

By Reverend Billy C. Wirtz Life and Casualty
“Now these are the finest baby chicks you ever saw, all What was this portal to another reality? It was a radio
guaranteed for only two dollars. Send no money, just your station broadcasting from outside of Nashville, TN. WLAC
(named after the Life and Casualty Insurance Company) took
address, here’s one by Slim Harpo, he’s got an itch and it to the air in 1926. In 1941, it would become one of the first
needs scratchin’ baby, right here on the John R. Show.” — stations in the U.S. with a 50,000-watt signal. This Class 1-B
John R., WLAC, Summer 1967 “Clear Channel” signal enabled the station to reach five states
What I heard that night changed my life, introducing during the daytime in a circular pattern. At night, however,
me to Southern soul and swamp blues. Accompanied by this signal would go “directional” and boom in the direction
a whining harmonica, Slim implored his lady, “Come here of 28 eastern U.S. states and several countries to the north
baby, scratch my back, I know you can do it, so baby get and south. Along with the power increase came a dramatic
to it.” change in format.
The year – 1967. I was 12, almost a teenager, living Beginning in 1946, a former carnival barker named Gene
in Rockville, MD. I was dialing my transistor radio to Nobles began producing a music show aimed at the “discerning
station WTOP at 1600 on the AM band, hoping to catch Negro listener.” Black culture was still very marginalized,
the Washington Senators baseball game at eight o’clock. especially in the South, and this would be the first place on
As the dial moved from left to right, it crossed into another the dial where Black folks who lived outside of urban areas
dimension at 1510. could hear the latest blues, rhythm and blues and (on Sunday
I forgot all about baseball, and tuned in to music from nights) gospel, every night from eight to midnight. However,
Garnett Mimms & The Enchanters, The Vontastics, Carla it wasn’t long before young white kids began to discover the
Thomas and non-stop jive talk from the disk jockeys (DJs). ‘LAC, and began to tune in, regardless of the “consequences”
Much like my first cigarette, I was hooked on WLAC from meted out in many homes for listening to this forbidden music.
the first “hit.” What began as a simple programming change became an

52 Blues Festival Guide 2022