The History of Cincinnati Music: Green, Green Grass of Home

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At roughly the same time Blacks were migrating to Cincinnati from across the South, there was also a massive influx of White migrants from Appalachia, who also brought with them their musical influences and tastes. And while King Records churned out scores of “hillbilly” hits, there were a handful of other local studios that were capturing the sounds of budding country and bluegrass artists. Among them, Herzog Studios was by far the most important. Moreover, according to The Encyclopedia of Country Music, Herzog was “one of the first commercial studios to record country music.” Between 1945 and 1955, artists such as Hank Williams, Flatt and Scruggs, Patti Page, Rosemary Clooney, Bullmoose Jackson, Grandpa Jones, and the Delmore Brothers recorded at Herzog. In 1949, Flatt & Scruggs cut “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” a track that won two Grammy Awards, and is now considered to be one of the legendary bluegrass duo’s top songs. Undoubtedly, the most famous artist to record at Herzog was Hank Williams Sr., who cut some of his biggest hits there. During his first session, just before Christmas in 1948, the country music icon recorded “Lovesick Blues,” which became the most popular release of his career. The song became an overnight success, and spent 42 weeks on the Billboard charts, including 16 weeks at the top spot. It would also become Billboard’s top country and western record of the year, while Cashbox named it the “Best Hillbilly Record of the Year.” Eight months later, Williams recorded “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” at Herzog, which was actually the B-side to “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It.” While the A-side reached No.2 on Billboard that year, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” became one of his most lasting tunes. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 111 on its original list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

The founder of the studio, Bucky Herzog, was a radio engineer at WLW, then known as “The Nation’s Station.” By the mid-1940s, seeing that his employer was attracting some of the biggest names in country music, namely through the Midwestern Hayride, he realized he could make a few extra bucks on the side by recording them.

The Midwestern Hayride, an early variety show, featured live country and western music, square dancing, and comedy skits, which at that time was referred to as “hayseed” comedy. The show became the dominant Saturday night attraction in the region, and is considered to be a precursor to Hee Haw. Originally known as the Boone County Jamboree, the show debuted around 1936 or 1937. Regardless of the exact date, by 1937 it was already being broadcast on local radio powerhouse WLW, which at that time was blasting out across the country at 500,000 watts. To this day, it remains the only commercial AM radio station in U.S. history to receive a license to transmit at that level. As is the case now, 50K watts was the maximum power allowed for radio channels back then, with only a couple dozen stations receiving that authorization. These were known as “clear channels.” As a result of their special experimental arrangement with the Federal Radio Commission, WLW became known as “the Nation’s Station.” The power was so intense that:

People living near the transmitter site often got better reception than they wanted; some lights would not turn off until WLW engineers helped rewire houses. Gutters rattled loose from buildings. A neon hotel sign near the transmitter never went dark. Farmers reported hearing WLW through their barbed-wire fences.

Although the Grand Ole Opry was likely more popular throughout much of this period, the Midwestern Hayride began a simulcast program on local TV, and then subsequently across a regional network known as Avco Broadcasting Corporation in 1948. During the 1950s, it was broadcast nationally at various points in time on NBC and ABC. Among the nationally-known artists to perform on the weekly program include Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Price, Tex Ritter, Merle Travis, Porter Wagoner, Chet Atkins, Little Jimmy Dickens, Red Foley, Homer and Jethro, Grandpa Jones, Bonnie Lou, Cowboy Copas, and The Delmore Brothers. As musical tastes began to shift in the early 1960s, however, traditional radio barn dance programs began to wane. By 1972, the Midwestern Hayride had run its course. Here’s a short montage of clips to give you a little flavor for the show:

Beyond the Midwestern Hayride, WLW broadcast several other musical programs, most notably An Evening At Crosley Square, Ruth Lyons’ 50-50 Club, and Moon River. In addition to the artists that performed on the Midwestern Hayride, or recorded at King Records and Herzog Studios, these programs attracted many other top entertainers from the day. This included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Mel Torme, Robert Goulet, Sam Cooke, Sammy Davis Jr., Doc Severinsen, Johnny Mathis, Gene Krupa, Paul Anka, and Wayne Newton. Known as the “Cradle of Stars” in the 1930s and 40s, the radio station also helped launch the careers of the Mills Brothers, Ink Spots, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, and Fats Waller, as well as local artists Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams and Doris Day. To illustrate how important WLW was during this era, Dick Perry, author of Not Just a Sound: The Story of WLW, asserted that “WLW may have been the only station that regularly sent scouts to New York, to see if any of Manhattan’s offerings were good enough for Cincinnati.”

The Greater Cincinnati area has also produced a wealth of homegrown talent that became nationwide success stories. This includes the aforementioned Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams and Doris Day, as well as Roy Rogers, The Casinos, Bootsy Collins, H-Bomb Ferguson, Lonnie Mack, and Kenny Price. Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane (and Jefferson Starship) was born in Cincinnati. Hailing from nearby Miami University, the Lemmon Pipers scored a number one hit with “Green Tambourine” in 1968, which now has the distinction of being the first bubblegum song to top the charts. Over the course of his long career, Covington, KY native Adrian Belew has been a member of King Crimson, Tom Tom Club, and two Cincinnati-based bands, The Raisons and The Bears. In more recent years, the “Nati” has produced Drew and Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees, Blessed Union of Souls, The National, Ass Ponys, Wussy, The Deele, Over the Rhine, Walk The Moon, and the Afghan Whigs, which formed in 1986. Their fourth album, Gentlemen, proved to be their biggest commercial success. At least two songs from that album received regular airplay on MTV. Another track, “Fountain and Fairfax,” appeared on the television series My So-Called Life in 1994. I had the pleasure of working with the original drummer of the band, Steve Earle, at a local restaurant (Skyline Chili) while we were in high school. Even at that early date, you could tell he had major talent. At that time he was playing in a band that covered a lot of Rush songs, including the entire 2112 suite. As classic rock enthusiasts are well aware, Neil Peart was no slouch on the drums. The fact that Earle could play his work at that age is quite remarkable.

Here are a couple of other Cincinnati bands, arguably among those that have seen the most success:

Though obviously a novelty song, we have to mention “Bus Full of Nuns Holding Babies” by Dan Barr. This was a bit of a regional hit, and was featured on The Dr. Demento Show. The official video for the track is so bad that it’s actually pretty good! Older Cincinnatians will likely recognize several local media faces in the video. Warning: the chorus will likely live in your head the rest of the day:

Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods had five Billboard Top 100 hits between 1972 and 1975, including “Who Do You Think You Are,” which reached number 15, and “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero,” which topped the charts for 2 weeks in 1974. Though it sold more than three and a half million copies, and received a gold disc from the R.I.A.A., the song was apparently quite polarizing among radio listeners. In 2011, it was voted #8 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s poll of the “10 Worst Songs of the 1970s.”

The Isley Brothers are arguably the most successful band of all-time to hail from Cincinnati. Combining R&B, rock, funk and soul, the Isley Brothers are the only band in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with new music in six consecutive decades! They had their first major hit in 1959 with “Shout,” while “Contagious,” released in 2001, would be their last. In between those releases they had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won 2 Grammies, and had 16 albums that charted in the Top 40, including thirteen that have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum. In 1969, they released “It’s Your Thing,” which reached #2 on the charts, and in 1973, they reached #6 with “That Lady.” “Shout,” their first hit, is consider to be the most iconic and popular wedding reception dance song ever. In early 1964, the Isleys hired a young 21-year-old guitarist to join their backing band. However, bored with playing the same set list each night, Jimi Hendrix bolted to join Little Richard’s band several months later.

Originally released as an R&B single in 1964 (with an amazing sound that was clearly ahead of its time), the band transformed “That Lady” into a funk anthem in 1973:

With roots in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Waverly, Ohio, the Pure Prairie League formed in 1970, and is considered to be a pioneering band in the country rock genre. Between 1975 and 1981, they had eight singles that charted on Billboard, as well as five straight Top 40 albums. In 1980, “Let Me Love You Tonight” reached #10 on the charts. By that point, Vince Gill had become the band’s lead singer. Though it was their highest charting single, Pure Prairie League is best known for “Amie.” Originally released in 1972 on their sophomore LP, Bustin’ Out, the song was re-released in 1975 and became a surprise hit, while peaking at #27 on the charts. Here’s the band playing the song on Austin City Limits in October of 1978, just one month after 21-year-old Vince Gill took over as lead singer:

Part three in this four-part series dives into Cincinnati’s vibrant live music scene, as well as some of its most famous concerts during “the golden age of rock.”

Part 1: Embryonic Journey
Part 2: Green, Green Grass of Home
Part 3: The Kids Are Alright
Part 4: Live and Dangerous

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What are the chances that one of the most beloved movies of all time is artistically linked to one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded?

For the uninitiated, the “Dark Side of the Rainbow” theory asserts that Pink Floyd purposely synchronized The Dark Side of the Moon to The Wizard of Oz. For those who have seen it, the mashup produces dozens of striking coincidences between the film and the album, where actions on the screen seemingly correspond to the lyrics, chords and musical moods of the Dark Side tracks.

So, is it real, a cosmic coincidence, an ingenious marketing ploy, or just another conspiracy theory? In addition to a complete viewing guide for the synchronicities, The Dark Side of the Rainbow explores a possible explanation for their existence. The book is now available in both paperback and eBook!

Source: http://hikinginglacier.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-history-of-cincinnati-music-green.html