Hot Mic with Houston and Hogan
Hot Mic with Houston and Hogan features two radio professionals with over a hundred years of broadcasting experience between them. Dave Hogan and Randy Houston are both native Western North Carolinian’s – whose rich voices have been heard in every glade, cove and holler of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee during the last century – primarily on AM Radio and between the two of them – they’ve worked in just about every radio format. Classic rock ‘n roll - country - news talk - pop and big band - gospel and bluegrass. As you can imagine – these guys have tons of stories about the day to day of live radio.
Hot Mic with Houston and Hogan
Episode 55 The Musical Legacy of Oak Ridge: Reflecting on the Oak Ridge Boys, Historical Roots, and Modern Country Icons
Ever wondered how the Oak Ridge Boys got their name, or how their legacy intertwines with the history of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the Manhattan Project? Join us as we take a nostalgic journey through the lives and careers of these country music legends. We share heartfelt memories and personal interactions, while also reflecting on the recent losses of Joe Bonsall, Dwayne Allen's wife, and William Lee Golden's son. Dave shares his eye-opening tour of Oak Ridge, offering a goldmine of history for fans of the Oppenheimer movie. You’ll get an inside look at the pivotal moments that shaped the Oak Ridge Boys and the broader landscape of country music, including the landmark recording sessions in Bristol and the genre's revival in the 1960s.
What does the future hold for Major League Baseball and NASCAR in Nashville? We discuss predictions and the potential impact on the city, alongside celebrating the monumental achievements of country music icons Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton. From Garth’s electrifying stage presence to Dolly's inspiring journey from early touring challenges to becoming a beloved cultural figure, we leave no stone unturned. And for a touch of fun, we wrap up with a playful endorsement of Dolly Parton for president. Tune in for an episode filled with heartwarming anecdotes, insightful reflections, and a dash of humor.
Hello everyone and welcome back to Hot Mike with Houston and Hogan. I'm the Randy Houston part of this thing.
Speaker 2:And this is Dave Hogan, Glad to be back with our listeners on Hot Mike, with Houston and Hogan. You know, Randy, last time we talked on our last podcast, we talked about the Oak Ridge Boys. We talked about the death of Joe Bonsall Boys. I talked about the death of Joe Bonsall and the tragedy that has struck the Oak Ridge Boys during this summer, with Dwayne Allen's wife passing away and also the son of William Lee Golden. I had the opportunity to tour Oak Ridge since we last talked. Well, tell us about it and if you're interested in that sort of thing, that's where the Oak Ridge boys got their name.
Speaker 2:By the way, as most people probably know, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was one of the locations for the development of the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan to end World War II. It's known as the secret city, just outside of Knoxville, and at that time early 1940s, mid-1940s it was a very rural area out there where they built a complex. Oak Ridge was just a small community with a handful of people who had to sell out their homes and leave. The government bought up their property because this was the location, part of the development of the atomic bomb and that's Wally Fowler, was the location part of the development of the atomic bomb and Wally Fowler was the name of the leader of the Oak Ridge Boys and it was a closed city. A lot of the people never got to leave the complex to go out and see a movie or any kind of entertainment show out and see a movie or any kind of entertainment show and so the Oak Ridge Boys, Wally Fowler and the Oak Ridge Boys, were allowed to come in and sing occasionally. So that's the name, the Oak Ridge Boys.
Speaker 2:But on that tour that our listeners might be interested in taking, just contact the people at Oak Ridge. You can Google Oak Ridge and inquire, but it's a bus tour that takes you behind the scenes and explains a lot of the development of the atomic bomb and the uranium enrichment that went on there in Oak Ridge. Just thought I'd throw that in in case we have listeners who love to travel and particularly if you're a history buff maybe you saw the Oppenheimer movie that was popular recently you might want to take that tour of Oak Ridge. It's a bus tour behind the scenes.
Speaker 1:Well, we've both played Oak Ridge Boys music for years, both done business with and known Dwayne Allen, and I met Richard Sturbin several times, one of the. You know a lot of the sympathies that are being extended to the Oak Ridge Boys family comes from the fact that these were some of the nicest people. Oh man, these uh, the Oak Ridge Boys, just some of the most top shelf people. You in an industry uh of uh music promoters and lawyers and all you know, these guys always stood out top shelf people.
Speaker 2:I'll never forget Dwayne Allen visiting me at the radio station WSKY in what was then the Northwestern Bank building in downtown Asheville. It's a hotel now.
Speaker 2:Right, that building's been converted to a hotel, but the Oak Ridge Boys had a song out. Who was it baptized in Cedar Creek? They baptized Jesse Taylor. Jesse Taylor, the Oak Ridge Boys had that song out and a lot of the non-gospel radio stations, country music stations, started playing that. They baptized Jesse Taylor in Cedar Creek. This morning and Dwight Allen was visiting radio stations promoting music, their music and that song, and he asked me if I thought the Oak Ridge Boys would have a future in country music if they decided, based on the success of this record on country music radio stations and I've always felt kind of honored that Dwayne Allen would seek out my opinion- on whether they would be successful as country music artists.
Speaker 2:And of course I said yes and I'm sure that my opinion did not influence their decision, but I felt honored to be asked.
Speaker 1:Absolutely I. You know I was thinking about that a lot. Uh, actually, this morning, it'd been a while since we've recorded and and talking about the history of country music and and, uh, we're going to continue our conversation about the top 10 wealthiest people in the industry. But well, one of the things, dave hogan is a couple of years older than I am and was there at really the birth of this, this uh thing we call country music. You were there before you were. Country before. Country was cool, weren't you?
Speaker 2:Well, country music had two big bangs. They call the big bang of country music the recording sessions in Bristol with Jimmy Rogers and the Carter family Right. When Ralph Peer came down to Bristol and set up that recording studio back in the 1920s. Well, there was a second big bang in country music, in my opinion, and that was in the 1960s.
Speaker 2:You know the 1950s you had Elvis Presley and rock and roll. A lot of stations stopped playing country music and started playing the rock and roll. Then the Beatles came along and further buried country music.
Speaker 1:But then the country music audience.
Speaker 2:There was still an audience for country music. The bass was there. The bass was still there and they were pleading and begging for country music. And when we went and started playing country music on WSKY, our popularity just boomed. Yeah, and what would be considered today a very small radio station of 1,000 watts 250 watts at night didn't cover a large area but became immensely popular. You know, people would tell me they wrapped chords around their radio and their telephone. Try to get the station to come in from out in, you know, over in Maggie Valley.
Speaker 2:I remember a fellow telling me that story. But anyway, there was an explosion of country music in the 1960s and that's when I entered the business of country music as as a disc jockey and a promoter of concerts in the ashville area, the old city auditorium.
Speaker 1:The country shindig concerts is where I got to know dave hogan, and so you were there at that second big bang. Well, uh, let's continue our conversation about our conversation about the net worth of some of these people.
Speaker 2:Well, I didn't make $200 million like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. How much Faith Hill, or rather Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They lumped them together Number five on our list of country music artists with the greatest net worth 200 and 200 million dollars.
Speaker 1:That's amazing, man the uh. Are you a fan of the uh taylor sheridan western tv series like yellowstone and 1813.?
Speaker 2:I watched Yellowstone, but I haven't seen 1813.
Speaker 1:It's kind of the prequel to Yellowstone and that's the one that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill really star in.
Speaker 2:And I've heard good things about their acting abilities.
Speaker 1:With Sam Elliott and Tim talks about how they became such good friends with Sam Elliott. You know Sam Elliott, you know beef, it's what's for dinner. But they did a fantastic job acting in that TV series 1813. And I think there's more of those scheduled to be filmed too.
Speaker 2:Well, tim had some previous experience in doing movies. Before the shows you're talking about, he was in Friday night lights, yeah yeah, and also the highly successful music movie called the blind side. Uh, he played a strong role in that and, of course, his father uh McGraw, right that.
Speaker 1:And of course his father, Tug McGraw, right yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know, tim did not know his father Tug, until he was well into high school Teenager, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And the story is that he was rummaging through a closet looking for something that he needed for a school project, and he ran into his birth certificate, which had the name of his father his last name, I think I have it written down somewhere, but he found out that Tug McGraw the baseball player.
Speaker 2:Major League Baseball player yeah, he was a pitcher, a relief pitcher, very popular, very successful as a baseball player, but meantime Tim was very successful as an athlete in high school successful as an athlete in high school. So he got his sports abilities inherited from his father but he and his father connected and became very close in Tim's adulthood. Chug unfortunately has passed away Tim's father, but they're worth $200 million. Faith did the NBC Sunday Night Football theme prior to Carrie Underwood getting the gig, as they say.
Speaker 1:Well, we're going to move on to the next one, the fourth highest on the list of net worth. The next one the fourth highest on the list of net worth and that's a guy that recently I think at like age 70, sold 110,000 tickets to one of his concerts.
Speaker 2:I'm going to correct you it was 110,905. George Strait Almost 11,000 tickets 111,000. Almost 111,000.
Speaker 1:Tickets the largest concert Sold anywhere. I think Bob Dylan had the previous record and George Strait In Texas, of course, just sold 111,000 tickets.
Speaker 2:The way it's written here. He set the record for the largest ticketed concert for a single act in US history, with 110,905 people at Kyle Field in College Station, texas, and that is the home of the Aggies Texas A&M and that is the home of the Aggies Texas A&M. And we talked about stadium people, country music artists who are able to fill the big, huge stadiums, and George Strait is right there in front. I mean he is a singer that can fill one of those huge, huge stadiums.
Speaker 2:And I like the fact that in show business you see a lot of divorces, marriages that don't last, and George Strait and his wife Norma, high school sweethearts, have now been married 53 years. Wow, and George and Norma eloped right after they graduated from high school in 1971. George joined the US Army and, as we talked from the when we started talking about net worth on our previous podcast, we mentioned that the artists not only have made money singing and writing songs, but endorsements have been a big part of the income of a lot of these artists and and George Strait has had a lifelong relationship with Wrangler Um has been their spokesman and I understand that it's a lifetime contract.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So he has been able to capitalize on that. You know he graduated from college with a degree in agriculture. I didn't know that. So if this gig doesn't work, out in music he can fall back on raising hogs or something you know, but there was tragedy in George Strait's life.
Speaker 1:Yes, george, and.
Speaker 2:Norma's life when their 13-year-old daughter, jennifer, was killed in an automobile accident back in 1986. And just prior to this I had met well, I'd known him for years, actually Carlton Haney, a promoter of country music, and he was a promoter of George Strait early on, before George became the big.
Speaker 2:Megastar the megastar, and he was visiting me at the radio station in Johnson City, wjcw, and I asked him then George had a hit record and I said and he was talking about promoting George and knowing George Strait and I said, could you arrange an interview for me with George Strait? And he said I'd like to do it, but since George lost his daughter he says he's backed away from doing any interviews. And I won't say that George became a recluse, but if you stop and think about it, you haven't seen George Strait do many television interviews.
Speaker 2:Very true, very, very, very few. Very true, and he's very modest. From what I understand, I've never met George Strait, very modest individual, and he's an actual cowboy too. He was raised on a 2,000-acre cattle ranch in Texas, of course, so he's a real cowboy.
Speaker 1:One of the records that he holds kind of near and dear to your heart and mine. By 2009, he broke Conway Twitty's previous record for the most number one hits on Billboard. When he had 44 number one singles, conway had 40. Both of them giants in the industry.
Speaker 2:And let's move to the number three artist in net worth. I see I mentioned George is worth approximately $300 million. And the third artist on the list. Ranking number three might be a little controversial amongst our listeners, who are purists when it comes to country music, but number three on the list is Shania Twain, a Canadian. We were talking about artists who come from modest backgrounds. She did. She's a real rag to riches story.
Speaker 2:A Canadian born in Windsor, ontario in 1965, and she has sold over 100 million records and I guess you would call her music country pop, her first recording that I remember and I guess the first song that she had on the country music charts was a song called Whose Bed have your Boots.
Speaker 1:Been. Under Whose bed have your boots been under? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:She went on to record a lot of music and, particularly in her home country of Canada, a lot of music that became very popular and sold a lot of records. She is worth $375 million. Shania Twain.
Speaker 1:Shania Twain tapped into that economy of a world star, like playing to packed stadiums in London and Tokyo. Yeah, she's big stuff, big stuff. What's next? I think I know what's next.
Speaker 2:Well, shania Twain, I guess a comparison would be Taylor Swift. You know, taylor Swift is one of those artists that is, you know, australia, all over Europe, all over the world actually Japan hacking in people to big concerts. Shania Twain in the height of her stardom, was doing kind of the same thing that Taylor Swift is doing now. Agreed, Agreed. Okay, number two Garth Brooks. Wow, just wow $430 million estimated net worth. Wow, and I'm I think tricia yearwood probably kicked in a buck or two when it comes to their net worth.
Speaker 2:You mentioned on one of our previous podcasts the artists who have and I think you mentioned the Garth Brooks, trisha, yearwood restaurant, bar, bar and restaurant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Down on Broadway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's open now it's open now, and I saw an interview, I think, on Good Morning America or one of the TV shows on Good Morning. America or one of the TV shows. Interview with Garth and Tricia in their new place down on Broadway in Nashville. You know Nashville. We talked about how it's become Las Vegas of the East, or yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm hearing that yeah.
Speaker 2:I predict mark my word on this this they're going to have a major league baseball team in nashville soon uh and and in this case soon would be maybe in the next five years I love it.
Speaker 1:Uh, you know, nascar recently revived the NASCAR. Speedway on their circuit now and the people of Nashville loved it. Sold out, crowds loved it.
Speaker 2:Major League Baseball wants to expand and they want a team in the western part of the United States and San Antonio has pretty well, I think from what I read, sewed up that western location.
Speaker 1:Makes sense.
Speaker 2:In the east Nashville, which, in my opinion, is going to be the winner of a franchise. But there are two locations in North Carolina in the running, Really. One is Charlotte and one is the triad, Raleigh-Durham.
Speaker 1:Chapel Hill area Right right.
Speaker 2:And then I think the other one that's in the running is Norfolk, virginia, that area, but I think Nashville will be the winner and get the Major League Baseball team in the Major League Baseball expansion, in the major league baseball expansion. Garth Brooks, what an athlete. He was a good athlete, garth, born in Tulsa, oklahoma, and he has sold a hundred and well, now, this is these. These figures are probably larger today. Don't know how old this information is probably larger today. Don't know how old this information is 162 million records.
Speaker 1:Second only worldwide to the Beatles. Garth Brooks is some kind of major, major talent. His family knew of this talent. His family knew of this talent. His brother wrote. I saw an interview with one of his brothers recently where Garth had did this bar tour. You know he played a lot of honky tonks and that's why one of the major reasons he wanted to build a bar is because he spent so much time playing Got friends in low places.
Speaker 1:Exactly reasons he wanted to build the bars because he spent so much time, got friends in low places and exactly. And his brother talked about how when he graduated out of the bar scene into an auditorium and sold 5 000 seats at a concert, his brother uh said he called his. One of their sisters comes from a large family and said you know, at christmas when we get in the living room and garth gets his guitar and and he mesmerizes the whole family at every holiday. I just saw him do that to 5 000 people. Wow, he's magic on stage yeah, his, his record sales.
Speaker 2:A lot of record sales, I think stemmed from his magnetism that he has on stage and in these concerts and you know how many records albums we're talking albums now how many that you have to sell before it's designated as a diamond album.
Speaker 1:Oh, I've always been confused. Platinum is $500,000 and gold is a million. And what's diamond?
Speaker 2:Diamond is $10 million. Woo Garth has the record for the most diamond albums. He has sold seven. He has seven diamond albums. That's incredible. Seven times 10 million is a bunch Garth Brooks worth an estimated $430,000. Do we have time to talk about our number one artist?
Speaker 1:I promise you we have time. I promise you we will make time to talk about the number one.
Speaker 2:Can we make room for Dolly Of?
Speaker 1:course we can.
Speaker 2:When it comes to country music artists with the greatest net worth. Dolly Parton checks in with an estimated net worth of $650 million.
Speaker 1:Oh, 650 million Amazing.
Speaker 2:And how did Dolly make all of her money? I think most of Dolly's money came from songwriting songwriting as well as concerts, as well as acting, as well as business. She's a businesswoman On and on, and on, on and on and on and on, and she's one of the most, in my opinion, she is. I'm going out on a limb here. You might not agree with me, but I think dolly's the most beloved american alive I, uh, I won't argue with you at all, brother who would be more beloved who than dolly parton?
Speaker 2:yeah, everybody loves dolly. Oh, I'm sure there are a few people maybe jealous of of her success. Interesting story about Dolly's first national tour she was on the bill with Willie Nelson and she said it was an awful, awful experience because she was virtually unknown at the time. Of course people knew her People who watched the Porter Wagoner show but she was nowhere near the star Right. And you know how it is when I book shows you would have your main star, yeah, headliner, the headliner for the show, and then you'd have another act or two, that's a notch or two below that would open the show.
Speaker 2:Well, that's the the the situation with Dolly and said a lot of the you know music people there didn't didn't think that, uh, he fit on that show that she could open for Willie and she could open for Willie, that she could open for Willie. Wow, she was not strong enough an opener for Willie Nelson.
Speaker 1:That's amazing to think about. That's mind-blowing to think about.
Speaker 2:And she said even some of Willie's musicians at the time didn't associate with him on the tour very much.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And just kind of, you know these secondary people over here, you know, get them on and off, Get them on and off the stage Dolly. I mean, what can you say about Dolly, that's not already been said?
Speaker 1:Except for Dolly Parton for president. Doy parton for president.
Speaker 2:Dolly parton for president I think now would be a good time for her to throw her hat in the ring I've already seen that.
Speaker 1:You know they're right in dolly parton for president gosh dave, thank you so much for coming up with this uh uh discovery of yours the top 10 net worths in country music. That's very interesting and uh all.
Speaker 2:but you know, when we had, uh, these music charts I still have I'm not in the business anymore as a dj but we had these charts of the top 10, and then you had bubbling under yeah.
Speaker 1:With a bullet, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and Blake Shelton almost made it. He's almost in the top 10. Oh really, yeah.
Speaker 1:So he's wealthy too. He's one of the runners.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, he's very wealthy. And I guess, if it hadn't have been for what Miranda Lambert got in the divorce, he would be there. That's another podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for joining us on Hot Mike with Houston and Hogan. Be sure to press that subscribe button. We'd love to have you downloading every week our shows on Hot Mike with Houston and Hogan Randy Houston and Dave Hogan. Be sure to click the subscribe button for another episode of Hot Mike with Randy Houston and Dave Hogan.