CKNX Barn Dance
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| Radio show from Wingham, Ontario (Canada) | |
| publication | 1937–1963 or until today |
| production | CKNX |
| Contributors | |
| Moderation | Doc Cruickshack, Jim Swan |
The CKNX Barn Dance is a Canadian country show broadcast by CKNX of Wingham , Ontario .
history
Emergence
On a Saturday night in 1937, a presenter on CKNX was playing records of hillbilly music , the early form of country, while he was on the air. He called the show "CKNX Barn Dance". WT "Doc" Cruickshank, owner of the station, liked this type of show. However, he didn't have the financial means to keep buying new records, so he invited local hillbilly musicians to play in the studio. Cruickshack organized the show as a weekly Saturday evening program and the show quickly became a popular program on CKNX. Since the station's studio could be seen through a pane of glass in the street, more and more people came to watch the show live. Early musicians on these programs were George Wade and his Cornhuskers and the Gully Jumpers .
Ascent
The station's management therefore decided to turn the studio program into a live show. From then on, the CKNX Barn Dance was performed among the public in various auditoriums. The Barn Dances company has toured Canada and performed all over the country. The show was wired back to Wingham and then broadcast on CKNX. The show quickly developed into the most successful and popular radio show of this type in Canada and also achieved international fame as "Canada's Largest Traveling Barn Dance".
The Barn Dances ensemble consisted primarily of local and regional artists. Some of them were Reg Bitton, Al Cherny, Earl Heywood, Ernie King, Bill Mankiss, Mel Lavigne, Ross Man, and Cactus Mac. The show's backing band was the CKNX Barn Dance Gang , which also included Earl Heywood. Other bands were the CKNX Ranch Boys and the Golden Prairie Cowboys . Canadian country stars like Ward Allen, Tommy Hunter and Maurice Bolyer also made guest appearances on the show; now and then US country musicians also performed.
The CKNX Barn Dance was broadcast for over 25 years but lost popularity due to rock and roll and pop music and was discontinued in 1963.
The CKNX Barn Dance today
In the present the Barn Dance is being held again, but the radio no longer broadcasts it. The Barn Dance Historical Society manages the Barn Dance and tries to preserve the memories of the original CKNX Barn Dance. She organizes the concerts, sells CDs of recorded shows and presents the Barn Dance. The current director of the show is Wayne Otterbein. The show can now be booked for concerts. In addition to new artists, there are also some original musicians such as Ernie King and Earl Heywood. The show is hosted by Jim Swan.
Guests and members
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Web links
- Official website
- The CKNX Barn Dance on Hillbilly-Music.com
- CKNX Barn Dance ( English, French ) In: Encyclopedia of Music in Canada . published by The Canadian Encyclopedia .