Sunset Valley Barn Dance
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| Radio show from St. Paul, Minnesota | |
| publication | 1940 - min. 1957 |
| production | KSTP |
| Contributors | |
| Moderation | David Stone |
The Sunset Valley Barn Dance was an American country show broadcast by KSTP of St. Paul , Minnesota .
history
Beginnings
In 1940 the station KSTP started a number of new programs, including the Sunset Valley Barn Dance, which was broadcast on Saturday evenings. The aim of the station's management was to deliver “ true american folk music in its original form ” to the listeners. The first show was broadcast from St. Paul's Auditorium on October 26, 1940. The producer was David Stone, who had previously worked at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville . As early as 1943, the Sunset Valley Barn Dance was one of the most popular country programs in the Midwest and was also one of the most successful shows among the more than 600 different shows at the time.
Ascent
In addition to country musicians, comedians such as Quarantine from Illinois also appeared on the show . The producer continued to be David Stone, who hosted other shows such as Country Road 5 on KSTP in the late 1940s . In 1953, the transmitter expanded its transmission range when the 50,000 watt station was increased to 133,500 watts. Well-known members of the show included Fiddlin 'Hank, Kim Weston, Cactus Slim, Trapper Nash and Glenn Burklund . The Sunset Valley Barn Dance has served many local musicians to get into far more popular shows or to advance their careers. In 1948 Stone brought the show to KSTP-TV, the newly formed television station, and had the Sunset Valley Barn Dance broadcast on television. In addition, further tours were organized through the Midwest, but they were not broadcast on radio or television, as often in small towns one did not have the conditions for live shows, because the shows often had to be held in sports halls or barns.
But at the end of the 1950s, the "golden age" of country shows slowly passed and the Sunset Valley Barn Dance lost a lot of its popularity. Due to the low audience ratings, the show was later discontinued. Gerald Barfuss published the book David Stone in Sunset Valley in 1983 , which deals with Stone and the Sunset Valley Barn Dance. David Stone stayed with KSTP until 1986 and died in 1995.
Guests and members
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Individual evidence
- ↑ Favorite Songs of the KSTP Sunset Valley Barn Dance - Deluxe Edition , MM Cole Publishing; 1934 Chicago , Illinois