Radio Station in the 60's DJ (Johnny Fever )
Radio Station in the 70's KOOL DJ (Johnny Fever)
DOT RECORDS — THE TRUE ORIGINS (1950–1953)
Dot Records didn’t start as a national pop label. It began as a tiny Gallatin, Tennessee operation founded by:
🎙️ Randy Wood
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A radio engineer and record-store owner
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Ran the “Record Shop” in Gallatin
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Took listener requests from WLAC’s 50,000‑watt nighttime R&B broadcasts
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Noticed that many of the songs listeners wanted were not available on records
So he did what any great early‑50s entrepreneur did: He started a label to fill the gaps.
THE EARLY DOT SOUND (1950–1953)
Dot’s first years were not Pat Boone, Gale Storm, or the big pop hits. The early catalog is a mix of:
1. Southern gospel
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The LeFevres
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The Statesmen Quartet
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The Oak Ridge Quartet (pre–Oak Ridge Boys)
2. Hillbilly & country boogie
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Billy Vaughn (before he became Dot’s arranger)
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Jimmie & Johnny
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The Willis Brothers
3. Regional R&B and teen novelties
This is the part you’ll appreciate most — Dot issued local Tennessee and Kentucky R&B that bigger labels ignored.
Happy Birthday to the RCA 45 Record
The RCA 45 record — introduced in 1949 — revolutionized music consumption, offering a compact, affordable, and high-quality format that shaped pop culture for decades.
Origins and Release
RCA Victor announced the new 7-inch, 45 RPM single in January 1949 as a response to Columbia’s new 33 1/3 RPM long-playing records 102.9 WMGK+1. The first RCA 45 was released on March 31, 1949, with Texarkana Baby b/w Bouquet of Roses by Eddy Arnold Eyes Of A Generation. The “45” speed came from subtracting Columbia’s 33 RPM from the old 78 RPM standard
Sunrise Broadcast Bulletin (Daily Updates)
Sunrise Steaming Directories
Legends Remembered & Celebrated — Sunrise Concerts and Tributes
The History of Sunrise Radio and it's Mission
Birthdays Singers and Song Writers
1937 - Don Everly
American singer, songwriter Don Everly, from The Everly Brothers who had the 1958 UK & US No.1 single 'All I Have To Do Is Dream'. Other hits include: 'Wake Up Little Susie,' 'Bird Dog,' 'Cathy's Clown,' 'Walk Right Back' and 'Crying in the Rain'. The music of the Everly Brothers influenced The Beatles who based the vocal arrangement of 'Please Please Me' on 'Cathy's Clown. Everly, the surviving member of the rock 'n' roll duo died on 21 August 2021 at the age of 84.
1934 - Bob Shane
Bob Shane from The Kingston Trio who had the 1958 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'Tom Dooley' plus nine other US Top 40 hits. He died on January 26, 2020.
On This Day With the Beatles Group or Individuals
1964 - The Beatles
The Beatles started a seven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with I Want to Hold Your Hand, the first US No.1 by a UK act since The Tornadoes 'Telstar' in 1962 and the first of three consecutive No.1's from the group.
1967 - The Beatles
At Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles started work on a new song 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. It wasn't until The Beatles had recorded the song that Paul McCartney had the idea to make the song the thematic pivot for their forthcoming album.
Music News For The Week
.January 30, 1961 — The Shirelles become the first black female group to reach #1 in the USA with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"
1969 — The Beatles make their final public appearance, an unannounced performance on the roof of the five-story Apple Records headquarters in London. Police shut it down after 42 minutes when a large lunchtime crowd gathers and neighboring businesses complain about the clamor.
January 31, 1958 — Little Richard announces his retirement from music at the peak of his career to become an evangelist.
February 1, 1947 — Legendary blues musician and mouth harpist Sonny Boy Williamson appears on the precursor to Billboard magazine's R&B music chart with "Shake The Boogie," eventually reaching #4. It is a rollicking performance that foreshadows rock 'n' roll.
1949 — RCA introduces the 45 r.p.m. record, a lightweight, cheap-to-produce, unbreakable vinyl disc. It would outsell 78 r.p.m records by early 1955 and allow small independent labels to compete with major record companies, helping propel the rock 'n' roll revolution. Among RCA's first seven releases this day is a reissue of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's 1946 R&B disc "That's All Right Mama," a tune Elvis Presley would cover for the Sun label in Memphis, Tennessee, on his first record in 1954.
February 2, 1956 — The Coasters sign to Atco Records and have 19 hits in 15 years.
1963 — The Beatles begin their first British tour in Bradford, England, listed last on the bill.
February 3, 1959 — Known as "The Day the Music Died," Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper perish in a light airplane crash (right) near a cornfield north of Mason City, Iowa, during a snowstorm following their Winter Dance Party appearance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.
February 4, 1956 — James Brown records his first single, "Please, Please, Please," for King Records subsidiary Federal in Cincinnati, Ohio. Label owner Syd Nathan hates the song and blames his producer for hiring him, but the record launches Brown's career by selling one million copies and winds up #143 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2010 edition).
February 5, 1975 — Louis Jordan ("Caldonia," "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"), the acknowledged father of rhythm and blues and grandfather of rock 'n' roll, dies of a heart attack at age 66 at his Los Angeles, California, home. A transition artist between the big band swing era and rock 'n' roll, he is among the first 1940s black performers to achieve crossover popularity with a white audience. An influence on Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, James Brown and others, his music inspires the long-running musical Five Guys Named Moe, named for a 1942 Jordan record.
Sources:
Eight Days a Week (Ron Smith)
On This Day in Black Music History (Jay Warner)
Chronology of American Popular Music, 1900-2000 (Frank Hoffman)
calendar.songfacts.com
onthisday.com/music
The History of Sunrise Radio
As Told in the Tradition of Classic AM Broadcasting
In the early days of the station, before the sun rose on its true identity, the signal carried the call letters KVRA — Keep Vinyl Records Alive. It was a small station with a big idea: to preserve the sound, the spirit, and the craftsmanship of the records that built American radio.
KVRA operated with the same pride as the powerhouse AM stations of the era. Real call letters. Real curation. Real radio.
But as the station grew, something became clear. While other online broadcasters used simple titles and playlists, KVRA carried the weight of a heritage operation — a station with a mission, a memory, and a curator who understood the value of a 45 spinning under a warm stylus.
And so, in the finest tradition of AM evolution, the station stepped into a new identity. The call letters remained part of its foundation, but the broadcast name changed to reflect its purpose.
Today, that station is known as Sunrise Radio.
A place where forgotten singles, regional teeners, R&B promos, and rare artifacts are given a home once more. A station built on the belief that some music isn’t just entertainment — it’s history.
Sunrise Radio proudly carries the motto: “You Can’t Find This Anymore.”
But every sunrise has a beginning. And for this station, that beginning was KVRA — the call letters that lit the first spark and set the tone for everything that followed.
Vault Vinyl and Stories behind the songs
1949 - RCA Records
RCA Records issued the first ever 45rpm single, the invention of this size record made jukeboxes possible.
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Eddy Arnold & the First 45 rpm Record
RCA Victor launched the brand‑new 7‑inch 45 rpm format on March 31, 1949, and they chose Eddy Arnold as the flagship artist for the debut country series. His record “Texarkana Baby” / “Bouquet of Roses” was issued as RCA 48‑0001, making it the first 45 rpm record in the country series and one of the first 45s ever pressed.
Why Eddy Arnold?
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RCA wanted a major, reliable seller to introduce the new format.
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Arnold was already one of their biggest stars, dominating the late 1940s country charts.
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His 48‑0001 release is historically recognized as the first commercially issued 45 in the color‑coded series (light green for country).
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POP SERIES (Black Label): Perry Como – “’A’ You’re Adorable”
The pop series launched with catalog number 47‑0001, and RCA chose Perry Como as the anchor artist.
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