Global InformationOzark Jubilee information
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| Ozark Jubilee | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Country Music Jubilee Jubilee USA |
| Created by | Ralph D. Foster |
| Directed by | Bryan T. Bisney |
| Starring | Red Foley |
| Voices of | Joe Slattery |
| Theme music composer | Hank Garland/Jack Yellen |
| Opening theme | "Sugar-Foot Rag" |
| Ending theme | "Alabama Jubilee" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 297 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Si Siman John B. Mahaffey |
| Producer | Bryan T. Bisney |
| Production locations | Springfield, Missouri, USA |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes; also 90 and 30 minutes |
| Production companies | RadiOzark Enterprises (1953-54) Crossroads TV Productions (1955-60) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC-TV ABC Radio (1954-61) |
| Release | January 22, 1955 – September 24, 1960 |
| Related | |
| Five Star Jubilee Talent Varieties | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Ozark Jubilee is a 1950s American television program that featured country music's top stars of the day. It was produced in Springfield, Missouri.[1] The weekly live stage show premiered on ABC-TV on January 22, 1955, was renamed Country Music Jubilee on July 6, 1957, and was finally named Jubilee USA on August 2, 1958.[2] Originating "from the heart of the Ozarks", the Saturday night[3] variety series helped popularize country music in America's cities and suburbs,[4] drawing more than nine million viewers. The ABC Radio version was heard by millions more starting in August 1954.
A typical program included a mix of vocal and instrumental performances, comedy routines, square dancing and an occasional novelty act. The host was Red Foley, one of the nation's top country music personalities having been ranked by Billboard as the #5 Top Country Artist for the 1940s and #5 in the 1950s.[5] Big names such as Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash and Faron Young were interspersed with a regular cast, including a group of young talent the Jubilee brought to national fame: 11-year-old Brenda Lee, Porter Wagoner, Wanda Jackson, Sonny James, Jean Shepard and The Browns. Other featured cast members were Webb Pierce, Bobby Lord, Leroy Van Dyke, Norma Jean and Carl Smith.
Carl Perkins, singing "Blue Suede Shoes", made his TV debut on the series, which showcased hundreds of popular artists performing everything from rockabilly, country and western, bluegrass and honky tonk to the Nashville sound, gospel and folk. Several now-legendary[citation needed] session musicians provided accompaniment at times during the show's run, including Grady Martin, Hank Garland, Bob Moore, Charlie Haden, Cecil Brower, Tommy Jackson and Bud Isaacs. The genial Foley closed each show from the Jewell Theatre in downtown Springfield with a "song of inspiration" or a recitation from his Keepsake Album;[6] and his sign-off was "Goodnight mama, goodnight papa", before walking into the audience to shake hands as the credits rolled.
The Jubilee was canceled after almost six years as rock and roll grew in popularity, and in part because of publicity surrounding tax evasion charges against Foley,[7] who was later acquitted. On September 24, 1960, the final telecast, like the first in 1955, opened with Foley's singing of "Hearts of Stone". The program concluded with his performance of "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You". The series was voted Best Country Music Show by Fame magazine's annual TV critics poll in 1957 and 1960. In 1961, NBC-TV carried a spin-off, Five Star Jubilee.
- ^ "Hillbilly TV Show Hits the Big Time" (March 10, 1956), Business Week, p. 30: "...Springfield has gone a long way toward replacing Nashville as the recognized center of the country music world."
- ^ Program listing (August 2, 1958), TV Guide, Vol. 6, No. 31, p. A-12
- ^ Except for brief runs on Thursday and Monday
- ^ Shulman, Art "Dynamo–Country Style" (July 7, 1956), TV Guide, p. 28
- ^ "Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs 1944-2017"
- ^ A small softbound booklet offered to viewers containing inspirational anecdotes and poetry Foley had collected. WSM sold a similar booklet when he was with the Grand Ole Opry titled, Red Foley's Sacred Album.
- ^ "This Day in Country Music: April 23". AP NEWS. 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2020-10-02.