Radio and the Birth of Country Music
Radio and the record industry were the commercial forces that began the country music “revolution” in the 1920s. One of the first radio stations to feature the emerging music was WSB in Atlanta, which began broadcasting March 16, 1922. Much of the programming on early country stations centered on live performances. There were no DJs and Country Top 40 back then. Chicago’s WLS Barn Dance (later called the National Barn Dance) began in 1924. The Grand Ole Opry, a Nashville offshoot, started broadcasting in 1925. Country musicians would travel to play at dances, fairs and fiddle contests and promote their performances on local radio shows that were popping up all over the South.
Radio dominated commercial Country Music during the depression, most people didn’t have money for records but they could listen to the radio. Radio remained and still remains a vital influence in Country music. When TV became popular in the early 1950s the radio era (1922-1950) was essentially over.