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Go back, way back to the early 50's and if you turned your radio dial to 1510, maybe, just maybe you'd be able to catch what might have been the greatest group of DJs assembled at one station.
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Here they are in 1970,(from left to right) John "R" Richbourg, Gene Nobles, Bill "Hoss" Allen and Herman Grizzard. The gentleman in the back is news announcer Don Whitehead.
John "R" Richbourg John"R" is the man that is credited with launching James Brown's career, a man that most listeners thought was black, a man that could sell darn near anything and did. He came to WLAC in 1942 and stayed until 1973, like his fellow DJs at WLAC he played mostly black R&B on his show, and helped many black artists get airtime on a major station. Listen to John "R The first is part of an interview.
Gene Nobles Gene Nobles was a bingo caller at carnivals before becoming a DJ at WLAC he was the first DJ with a large mixed race audience to consistently play black R&B. He developed a style that was copied by DJ's across the country. Sometimes called the "Apeman" by his listeners, because of his use of a Tarzan ape call, Gene hosted "Randy's Record Hi-Lights". Listen to a couple of short clips. Bill "Hoss" Allen Bill Allen grew up in Gallatin Tennessee, raised by his grandmother and her black housekeeper, many of his childhood friends were black and he acquired an appreciation for black spiritual music and the blues. By 1948 he was hosting a program called "Harlem Hop" on WHIN in Gallatin, he then auditioned for WLAC and in 1949 he became their man-on-the-street interviewer but soon moved to the late night spot. Here are some short clips of the "Hossman"
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