Questions Downhill YearsI wrote a country music column for several newspapers in the past. Here are some of the questions that people would write in and want answers to. I will share some of them with you from time to time.
Q. How many musicians played on A Whole Lot of Shakin Goin On?
A. Three. Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, Roland James on guitar, Jimmy Vanton on drums.
Q. Who played lead guitar on Dale Hawkins La-Do-Da-Da?
A. Joe Osborne.
Q. How many records has "Rock Around The Clock sold?"
A. Two hundred million.
Q: What it the favorite sport of country singer Jerry Reed?
A: Jerry's favorite sport is fishing.
Q: Can you tell me where Steve Warner is from and what were some of his early influences?
A: Dottie West, Bob Luman, and Chet Atkins
Q: What is TG Sheppard's real name, and did he at one time record for Motown Records?
A: He real name is Bill Browder. He had a hit with the "Devil In The Bottle" on Motown records.
Q: Gene Sheppard was one of he early female singers in traditional country music to make it big can you tell me who discovered her and when did she become a regular on the Grand Ole Opry?
A: Hank Thompson got Gene a contract with Capitol Records in 1953. She became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry in l956.
Q: This question isn't exactly country, but since the Jolly Green Giant does seem SOMEWHAT country. Can you tell me who was the voice of the Jolly Green Giant?
A: The big HO! HO! HO! was the voice of Len Bresslar of Kansas City. He also did the voice of Kellogg's Tony The Tiger and Dig-um the frog for Sugar Smacks.
Q: What can you tell me about country singer Charlie Pride?
A: Charlie Pride was born in Sledge, Mississippi on March 8, l938, the same hometown of Harold Dorman. He played professional baseball for the Memphis Red Sox in l954 until he was injured, then he took up country music. He was discovered by Red Sovine, who was doing a show in Montana. Red brought Charlie to the attention of RCA Records the rest is history.
Q: Did Jerry Lee Lewis play piano on Carl Perkins recording of "Matchbox" and did he also play piano on Billy Lee Riley's recording of Red Hot, recorded at Sun Records in l957?
A: Yes to both questions.
Tom "Cat" Reeder
Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame 1997
Tom made friends with Jimmy Dean who was also stationed at Andrews Air Force Base. They both got out of the Air Force around the same time. Jimmy Dean formed the Texas Wild Cats and played around the Washington area and you know the rest of the story, sausage and all.
Tom went to work at WARL in Arlington, Virginia and became very good friends with Don Owens who had the biggest name in the Washington, Virginia, Maryland area. Matter-of fact Don Owens was known as Mr. Country Music until he was killed in a car accident. The crown was then passed to Tom Reeder, who moved to WDON to take over the early morning drive time Tom Reeder Show. Tom audiences was big thousand tuned in to hear the Tom Cat. They especially loved the closing of his show when he used a song called Tom Cattin recorded especially for him by Buck Owens. Tom closed his show everyday by saying: May the good Lord take a liking to you; May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live. Bye-bye darlin.
I met Tom while I was attending The National Academy of Broadcasting in Washington, DC. I would come by the station early in the morning many times before he began his show and talk with Tom. It was a thrill and a privilege to be able to watch the biggest name DJ in the Washington, area go about his work. The phone never stopped ringing. I remember a time the phone rang and Tom said, "Hi, Buck how's everything in Bakersfield?" Tom and Buck Owens were very good friends. Tom had a big sponsor, who was a big fan of Buck Owens and Buck did the advertisement for the car dealer. Tom was also good friends with Jerry Lee Lewis. Whenever Jerry Lee played in the DC area, Tom was always the MC. I recall a time when Jerry Lee Lewis was playing at a club called the Dairyland. I was still in broadcasting school and Tom had gotten me tickets to the show. Jerry Lee had played a set or two when Tom spotted me sitting at a table. He came over and asked me would I like to meet Jerry Lee Lewis? Naturally, I said I would. Tom took me up to Jerry's dressing room. There must have been fifty or sixty people in there; big money people from the DC area, hanger's on back stage sues, other DJs. What a mixed crowd! Tom spotted Jerry Lee standing and talking with a bunch of them and walked up to Jerry who I remember as having one of those small cigars in one hand and a glass of bourbon in the other. When he saw Tom, he put his arm around him and said, "How are you doing "Killer"?" Tom said, "I'd like for you to meet Bobby Morris."
He wants to be a disc jockey." Jerry Lee looked at me and said, "You gonna play the "Killer's"records?" I stuttered and said," Sure, I'll play everyone of them." They both laughed and we all sat down and I listen as they talked then it was time for Jerry Lee to do another set.
How was I to know that I was sitting with two future hall of famers. Jerry Lee to the rock-n-roll hall of fame and Tom "Cat" to the country music disc jockey hall of fame. Jerry Lee has also been inducted into the rock-a-billy hall of fame in Burns, Tennessee.
Tom Reeder was a very nice thoughtful kind man. He was always helping someone. On another occasion, I came by the radio station late one morning and Margaret Corburn who was the station secretary was in her office. You had to go by her office to get to the studio, as I passed by she asked where did I think I was going? I said to see Tom. She said not today your not. No one is allowed back there except people on official business. About that time, Tom came down the hallway and said come on back Bobby. Margaret did not like me for a long time after that. I believe Tom Reeder knew about every country music artist in Nashville. He had a hand in helping many of them with their career. When Tom was a DJ in Abbyville, he played Jerry Lee Lewis's records when nobody else would.
I remember Tom had a Ford dealership on the air "Big Henry Woodfield" in Damascus, Maryland. One day a car and trailer pulled up to the station. It had a race car on it. It was the race car of Elmo Langley. We all got to meet him. As you all know, Elmo later became the pace car driver for NASCAR. Tom also helped Rick Nelson when he decided he wanted to do country music. He came by the station one day and tied up all the traffic both ways on Georgia Avenue, to the point that the county police had to be called to straighten out the traffic jam. The door to the station had to be locked as Rick Nelson was stuck with us inside. He was a big draw long after his TV show was over. Tom helped me get my job at WDON and was always helpful to me while I worked there. Tom had his own record and publishing company and managed several country music artist in Nashville. Tom later became station manager at WKCW in Warrington, Virginia. No one deserves to be in the country music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame more than Tom "Cat" Reeder. Tom where ever you are, Bye-bye darlin.
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