(upbeat music) (projector clicking) - Have you ever wondered where the television signal you're watching is coming from?

♪ I love to go a wanderin' (projector clicking) ♪ along the mountain track - Welcome to True North.

(upbeat music) (mysterious music) - Good evening and welcome to Mainewatch (upbeat music) (projector clicking) Welcome to From The Vault, a celebration of 60 years of Maine Public Television.

It's all about country music tonight with three selections from the archives.

We have some great old performances from some Maine legends.

One of them known more for swimming than singing.

In the second half of the show, we will go to 2007 for a segment from the history program Maine Experience.

At one time, Bangor was known as the Nashville of the North.

And in the segment called Maine's Radio Cowboys, we will take a nostalgic look at the days when live country music was a mainstay of local radio and featured such singers as Hal Lone Pine, Gene Hooper, Betty Cody, Curly O'Brien, and many more.

Then we will travel to 2015 for a look at Maine's Country Music Hall of Fame in Mechanic Falls, where many of the performers we will have seen are honored.

But first we will go back to 1978 for the Dick Curless Summer Special.

Arguably one of Maine's most famous country singers, he was propelled onto the national stage with his 1965 hit "A Tombstone Every Mile" and had 22 top 40 hits in his career.

In this show Dick sings a few songs, tells some stories and presents a couple other performers, including a 16 year old Tina Welch, who performs her newly released single.

"Keep An Eye Out For Charlie", which Cashbox magazine called a "single to watch" in 1978.

And we will visit with a performer that many of you may have seen, if you took a trip to Rockport Harbor in the seventies and eighties.

It is of course Andre the Seal.

A reminder that you can watch this episode or previous episodes of From the Vault anytime you like by going to the From the Vault playlist at YouTube.com/Maine Public.

All right, the train is about to depart, so let's hop on and go back to 1978 for the Dick Curless Summer Special.

- [Announcer] The Maine Public Broadcasting Network proudly presents the Dick Curless Summer Special.

Dick's special guests are Tina Welch, Harry Goodridge, and Andre the Seal.

Now here's the Baron of Country Music, Dick Curless.

♪ Now Casey Jones he was a mighty man ♪ ♪ But now he's resting in the promised land ♪ ♪ Kind of music he could understand ♪ ♪ Was an eight wheel driver under his command ♪ ♪ He made freight train boogie, yee, all the time ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie ♪ ♪ As he rolled down the line ♪ Now when that fireman started ringing the bell ♪ ♪ Everybody along the line could tell ♪ ♪ Casey Jones he was a coming to town ♪ ♪ On the six-eight Wheeler that was burning the ground ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie, yee, all the time ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie ♪ ♪ As he rolled down the line (instrumental break) (train rolling) ♪ Now Casey Jones, he was a mighty man ♪ ♪ But now he's resting in the promised land ♪ ♪ Kind of music he could understand ♪ ♪ Was an eight wheel driver under his command ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie, yee, all the time ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie ♪ ♪ As he rolled down the line ♪ Now when that fireman started ringing the bell ♪ ♪ Everybody on the line could tell ♪ ♪ Casey Jones he was a coming to town ♪ ♪ On the six-eight wheeler that was burning the ground ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie, yee, all the time ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie ♪ ♪ As he rolled down the line, yeah ♪ (instrumental break) (train whistles) - Hi, I'm Dick Curless, and welcome to our summer special.

It's a beautiful day.

Hope that you're gonna enjoy the show.

I have some great guests as you heard.

And this is a treat for me especially to be here, in my own place in Bangor, Maine.

And as you can see, I gotta thing about trucks and trains.

And I have found out through my career, being so fortunate that life has some twists and turns that you can't anticipate.

And I'm awful glad that I can sit here and say that mine has changed drastically for the good and this song really states it really in a way.

And I know a lot of you will be familiar with this.

It's called "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad."

("Life Is Like Mountain Railroad") ♪ Life is like a mountain railroad ♪ ♪ With an engineer that's brave ♪ ♪ We must make the run successful ♪ ♪ From the cradle to the grave ♪ Watch the curves, look out for the tunnels ♪ ♪ Never falter, never fail ♪ Keep your hand upon the throttle ♪ ♪ And your eye upon the rail ♪ Blessed Savior, Thou shalt guide us ♪ ♪ Till we reach that blissful shore ♪ ♪ Where the angels wait to join us ♪ ♪ In Thy praise forevermore (instrumental break) ♪ Blessed Savior, Thou shalt guide us ♪ ♪ Till we reach that blissful shore ♪ ♪ Where the angels wait to join us ♪ ♪ In Thy praise forevermore ♪ Where the angels wait to join us ♪ ♪ In Thy praise forevermore - You notice the most important thing about that is the engineer.

Hope you liked it.

My very special guest coming up here is a lady I've known, you're not gonna believe this, for years, I've known her for years, since she was nine years old.

And I'm not gonna tell you how old she is, you'll have to just figure that out.

She's a very lovely, talented young lady that's in all of my shows, just about all of them.

She's doing so good now on Day Dan Records.

This record was produced by Danny Davis of Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass in Nashville, Tennessee.

I think you're gonna like it.

You're gonna love her, I know.

It's Tina Welch singing "Keep an Eye Out for Charlie."

("Keep an Eye Out for Charlie") ♪ Charlie used to be my lover ♪ I thought that he always would ♪ ♪ But it didn't take me long to find out ♪ ♪ That Charlie was just no good ♪ ♪ He was just a little too jealous ♪ ♪ So finally I called it quits ♪ And I know if he sees us together ♪ ♪ Charlie's going throw a fit ♪ So keep an eye out for Charlie ♪ ♪ I've got a feeling that he's out tonight ♪ ♪ Keep an eye out for Charlie ♪ Don't ever let him see you holding me tight ♪ (instrumental break) ♪ I'm always looking over my shoulder ♪ ♪ Cause Charlie thinks I'm still his ♪ ♪ I always keep one eye open ♪ Even in the middle of a kiss ♪ Cause Charlie's still crazy above me ♪ ♪ Though I told him we were through ♪ ♪ And I'm afraid of what might happen ♪ ♪ If Charlie catches me with you ♪ ♪ So keep an eye out for Charlie ♪ ♪ I got a feeling that he's out tonight ♪ ♪ Keep an eye out for Charlie ♪ Don't ever let him see you holding me tight ♪ ♪ Keep an eye out for Charlie ♪ I've got a feeling that he's out tonight ♪ ♪ Keep an eye out for Charlie ♪ Don't ever let him see you holding me tight ♪ ♪ Keep an eye out for Charlie ♪ I got a feeling that he's out tonight ♪ Wasn't that nice?

Pretty song, pretty girl, pretty setting.

Tina Welch and lucky Charlie.

You know, the next couple of guests that I have are dear friends of mine and they live down in a part of Maine that's very dear to my heart.

In fact, it was my first record.

Do you remember these 78s?

I put my first record out, I was about 18 years old on a 78 on the Standard Label.

And it was called "the Coast of Maine."

A lot of you folks might remember it.

I hope so.

Hal Lone Pine recorded the thing, a few other people since then, very dear to my heart.

So before we meet our special guests here, my dear friends Harry and Andre, I'd like to take a little ride and I'd like to ask you to come along with me.

And while we're going, we will see if we can get this old jewel to work here and play this record that started me in show business way back in 1950 and come ride with me by automobile down to the coast of Maine.

(record playing) ♪ There's a winding lane on the coast of Maine ♪ ♪ That is wound around my heart ♪ ♪ There's a sweetheart standing by an old boat landing ♪ ♪ Sighing cause we had to part ♪ But she'll cry no more when I reach that shore ♪ ♪ Hand in hand again we'll start ♪ ♪ Down the winding lane on the coast of Maine ♪ ♪ That is wound around my heart ♪ (whistling) ♪ But she'll cry no more when I reach that shore ♪ ♪ Hand in hand again we'll start ♪ ♪ Down the winding lane on the coast of Maine ♪ ♪ That is wound around my heart ♪ (wind blowing) Here we are at the home for our next very special guest, Harry Goodridge and the harder working part of that dynamic duo, Andre the Seal.

(guitar playing) ♪ Way down in those shanties long Maine's rocky shore ♪ ♪ Where fisherman gather with stories galore ♪ ♪ Those salty sailors have one that is real ♪ ♪ The heart warming story of Andre the Seal ♪ ♪ Found on the ledges of Robinson's Rock ♪ ♪ A poor little orphan as likely as not ♪ ♪ Harry took the pup from the swirling white foam ♪ ♪ Gave him his name and he gave him a home ♪ ♪ And we all love Andre the Seal ♪ ♪ We all love Andre the Seal ♪ He's the toast of the coast, and we all like to boast ♪ ♪ When we talk about Andre the seal ♪ - What do you think of flipper?

(Andre spitting) Yeah.

Okay.

♪ Nestled away in the green Camden Hills ♪ ♪ The harbor rat Rockport little Andre learned well ♪ ♪ Growing and leaps and in bounds every day ♪ ♪ Harry's best friend was the talk of the bay ♪ ♪ The men in the dories and windjammers too ♪ ♪ All knew that Andrea was nobody's fool ♪ ♪ He'd jumped in the dories, send them end over end ♪ ♪ Entangle their lines and the shouting began ♪ ♪ But we all love Andre the Seal ♪ ♪ We all love Andre the Seal ♪ He's the toast of the coast and we all like to boast ♪ ♪ When we talk about Andre the Seal ♪ You're acting now Andre.

Back!

♪ When winter time comes in the Northeasters below ♪ ♪ He's Boston bound and his hearts all aglow ♪ ♪ Of course folks are waiting with the biggest round eyes ♪ ♪ And the whole world is hoping for a little surprise ♪ ♪ Now it's the ragged old coast back to old Rockport town ♪ ♪ But Andre will swim it when spring rolls around ♪ ♪ Back to his Harbor to thrill all the crowd ♪ ♪ And to hear all the children singing out loud ♪ ♪ We all love Andre the Seal ♪ We all love Andre the Seal ♪ He's the toast of the coast, and we all like to boast ♪ ♪ When we talk about Andre the Seal ♪ ♪ We all love Andre the Seal ♪ We all love Andre to Seal ♪ He's the toast of he coast, who we all like to boast ♪ ♪ When we talk about Andre the Seal ♪ - Hi, as you can see we're down in Rockport, Maine, the home of Andre the Seal, and what a gorgeous day we have.

And I kind of gonna take this hat off in honor of Andre.

And because I am in these hometown area, I'll doff that old fisherman's hat here that I've carried with me because I have the owner and my good friend for many years Harry Goodridge with me down here in Rockport, Maine.

- That's a fisherman's hat?

- That's a fisherman's hat.

- Oh, I see.

Well, I'm glad to know that.

I guess I oughta fit in.

If you have some young ones, I'd like to have a couple, if you don't mind.

- Well, listen to him.

I'll have you know, this has a lot of sole, S-O-L-E. - Okay.

Sole, all right.

- Well, now that we're here, Harry and the reason we are here folks is because Harry and I were insulted about 15 years ago by Andre the Seal, when he said that we couldn't sing.

And he demonstrated this fact one time about 15 years ago when he went (blows raspberry).

Right?

- That's what he did.

- And he says, it'll take you guys about 15 years to get that song down.

So here we are, back again to see if we can try it.

And the name of the song is "Maggie Blues."

And maestro?

(mandolin playing) Now see, let's see if I can get across the speed.

That's good.

- Like that?

- Close enough to it.

(both laughing) ♪ You simply take a favorite, then you flavor it ♪ ♪ With just a note or two of blue harmony ♪ ♪ Tell the orchestra to play staccato ♪ ♪ And then you jazz a little obligato ♪ ♪ Now that Maggie tune is a raggie tune ♪ ♪ Pay no attention to the music that they play ♪ ♪ But just rock your blues away ♪ ♪ On the spot start to sway, gettin hot now ♪ ♪ Hear that broken time, if just spoke in time, ♪ ♪ All around I see harmony charmin' me, ♪ ♪ Every lovin' note is a lovin' boat ♪ ♪ Just full of music that you can't refuse ♪ ♪ Now you know the way, tell the band to play ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie, yee, all the time ♪ ♪ I've got those you and I were young Maggie blues ♪ - You gonna join me?

- Yes.

♪ The green grove is gone from the hills, Maggie ♪ ♪ Where once the lazy daisies sprung ♪ ♪ Now you know the way to teach the band to play ♪ ♪ And hear 'em say "Maggie" ♪ I got those back aggravatin', agitatin' blues ♪ ♪ I'm hatin', so much hatin' ♪ I'm only waiting, waiting to lose ♪ ♪ Those ever lovin', ever lovin' Maggie blues ♪ Boy.

My boy.

♪ Scooby dooby That is good.

- As well as this.

- Well it was a happy note.

Well Harry, this has been a great day.

Especially for us anyway.

- Hey, we got somebody applauding over there.

- Yeah.

- Thank you.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

- Yes, thank you very much.

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

- Right now, Harry, I have a very special guest that I gotta introduce here.

I really want to thank you for allowing us to come down and be part of your world.

- My pleasure - And part of my old world again, which I'm awful proud to say that I know Harry Goodridge and Andre the Seal and I've known him since he was a pup.

And I mean Andre.

(laughs) - Me?

Oh.

- Right now coming up on the show, we have a very lovely in talented young lady that's done a terrific job the first time on the show here.

And she's back again to give us an encore.

And this has nothing to do with you or I, Harry.

The name of the song is, "When You Gonna Take Me Home to Meet Your Mama," by Tina Welch.

("When You Gonna Take Me Home To Meet Your Mama") ♪ I bet you got head all right ♪ To do again tonight what we've done every night ♪ ♪ Since I've met you, yeah.

♪ I've been putting off telling you way too long ♪ ♪ You can turn off the thought of turning me on ♪ ♪ I won't let you, no ♪ I know it won't be easy ♪ But it's something I've got to do ♪ ♪ I'm not gonna let you see me ♪ If I don't see a change in you ♪ ♪ And I'm asking you ♪ When you gonna take me home to meet your mama ♪ ♪ When you gonna tell me to buy that wedding gown ♪ ♪ When you gonna take me home to meet your mama ♪ ♪ You got me high on loving you ♪ ♪ Now baby don't you let me down ♪ ♪ You know I'm going to give you everything that's mine ♪ ♪ You're what I've been need for a long long time ♪ ♪ And I like it, yeah ♪ I know you gave me everything that I needed before ♪ ♪ Now it's going take little bit more ♪ ♪ Than you gave me, yeah ♪ It's gonna take a ring on my finger ♪ ♪ and it's gonna take a preacher too ♪ ♪ If you wanna keep a good thing going ♪ ♪ Here's what you're going to have to do ♪ ♪ I'm asking you, oh baby ♪ When you gonna take me home to meet your mama ♪ ♪ When you gonna tell me to buy that wedding gown ♪ ♪ When you gonna take me home to meet your mama ♪ ♪ You got me high on loving you ♪ ♪ Now baby don't you let me down ♪ ♪ When you gonna take me home to meet your mama ♪ ♪ When you gonna tell me to buy that wedding gown ♪ ♪ When you gonna take me home to meet your mama ♪ ♪ You got me high on loving you ♪ ♪ Now baby don't you let me down ♪ - This lovely old church in Searsport, Maine is the perfect setting for me to thank my very special guests and to thank you.

And most especially to thank Him.

♪ Taking in all all His mountain air and sunshine ♪ ♪ Looking at all of God's creation from on high ♪ ♪ Smelling the sweet grass, swinging in the gentle wind ♪ ♪ Feeling a love in the beauty of His sky ♪ ♪ For some day on a white cloud he'll be coming back ♪ ♪ To pick up all His people of this world ♪ ♪ And I'll keep standing on this mountain rock ♪ ♪ He's built for me ♪ And pray He'll take me through His Father's gates of pearl ♪ ♪ Just a walk on any piece of high ground ♪ ♪ A place where you can see for miles and miles each way ♪ ♪ Think of all the big and little things that's out there ♪ ♪ And where Jesus on His mountain died that day ♪ ♪ Keep together if you can His loving teaching ♪ ♪ Be content with His holy Word of prayer ♪ ♪ Love thy neighbor as thyself and we'll all make it ♪ ♪ To His mountain in His city over there ♪ ♪ Taking in all his mountain air and sunshine ♪ ♪ Looking at all of God's creation from on high ♪ ♪ Smell of the sweet grass swaying in the gentle wind ♪ ♪ Feeling the love in the beauty of His sky ♪ ♪ For someday on a white cloud He'll be coming back ♪ ♪ To pick up all His people of this world ♪ ♪ And I'll keep standing on this mountain rock ♪ ♪ He's built for me ♪ And pray He'll take me through His Father's gates of pearl ♪ ♪ Taking in all His mountain air and sunshine ♪ ♪ Looking at all of God's creation from on high ♪ ♪ Smell the sweet grass swaying in the gentle wind ♪ ♪ Feeling the love in the beauty of His sky ♪ ♪ For on someday on a white cloud He'll be coming back ♪ ♪ To pick up all His people of this world ♪ ♪ And I'll be standing on this mountain rock ♪ ♪ He's built for me ♪ And pray He'll take me through His Father's gates of pearl ♪ ♪ And pray He'll take me through His Father's gates of pearl ♪ ♪ Now Casey Jones, he was a mighty man ♪ ♪ But now he's resting in the promised land ♪ ♪ Kind of music he could understand ♪ ♪ Was an eight wheel driver under his command ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie, yee, all the time ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie ♪ ♪ As he rolled down the line ♪ Now when that fireman started ringing the bell ♪ ♪ Everybody on the line could tell ♪ ♪ Casey Jones was a coming to town ♪ ♪ On a six-eight wheeler that was burning the ground ♪ ♪ He made the freight train boogie ♪ ♪ As he rolled down the line (instrumental break) - [Announcer] The following program is a production of the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

- [Female] Coming up next on Maine Experience: Maine has a fascinating tradition of country music makers who traveled the state and Canada beginning in the 1920s.

- [Male] 12:30 and 12:40, time for The Lone Pine Show.

Here's the boss of the outfit, Lone Pine in person.

- [Male] Well, hello there, everybody.

This is your old friend, Lone Pine, the noisiest gang in radio, kind of gathered around the old microphone here in Studio A entertaining you for the next half hour.

(slow music) - [Male] Production of Maine Experience, of Maine Public Broadcasting Network, is made possible in part by Elsie Viles to ensure that the stories of Maine history continue to be told, The Wayne Morong family of Camden and by the members and donors who contribute so generously to the annual operational costs of MPBN.

Thank you.

(upbeat music) - [Male] Maine in the 1930s, at 2000 miles from the nearest thing you could call a prairie, Maine cowboys were yodeling up a storm on the radio.

(male yodeling) - [Male] Well, hello everybody and today -- - [Male] That's Yodeling Ken MacKenzie broadcasting from Portland station WGAN.

Ken's daily radio broadcast ran continuously, except for two years away from home to serve in World War II, from 1939 to 1957.

(Ken yodeling) - [Male] Early radio signals traveled far and wide.

On Saturday nights, Mainers could pick up the powerful signal from WLS in Chicago broadcasting The National Barn Dance.

- [Male] Hello, hello, hello, everybody everywhere!

- [Male] Yes, indeed.

Hello everybody everywhere.

How's mom and dad and the whole family?

(laughter) Oh, shucks.

(laughing) Well, thanks, Jack but you ought to know this gang -- (male singing) - [Male] With the growing popularity of Hollywood westerns and horse opera featurettes, what was early on described as hillbilly soon became cowboy.

- ♪ The roving cowboy - [Male] Maine's fledgling radio stations picked up on the trend and by the 1930s were airing their own versions of homegrown cowboy music shows and although Portland may have been considered Maine's biggest market, Bangor was the Nashville of the north.

- [Male] ♪ On the lone prairie - [Male] 12:30 and 12:40, time for the Lone Pine Show.

Here's the boss of the outfit, Hal Lone Pine in person.

- [Hal] Well, hello there, everybody.

This is your old friend, Lone Pine, the noisiest gang in radio, kind of gathered around the old microphone here in Studio A, entertaining you for the next half hour.

(chuckles) So pull up the easy chair, the loud speakers and listen to the noisiest gang in radio.

- Bangor, Maine in the forties, between '40 and '52 when television came in, was a hot bed of live country music, on the radio every day except Sunday, but six days a week, they would broadcast on three and sometimes four stations with live bands and it was unbelievable.

There was Ray Little and the Radio Cowboy Show and there was the Gene Hooper Country Show and, of course, the Lone Pine Mountaineer and his group called The Noisiest Gang in Radio.

There was Curly Glen and the Haymakers before the war and then of course after the war and there was Curly O'Brien and the Top Hands.

Those were ones that I can remember that were, let's say, based in Bangor and broadcast over one of the Bangor stations every day.

- [Male] The live radio broadcast paid very little if anything at all.

They did, however, provide the opportunity to promote live appearances and Maine's radio cowboys were constantly on the go traveling throughout Maine and the Canadian Maritimes wherever the signals reached, appearing in person in theaters, dance halls, granges, and church basements, anywhere they could draw a crowd.

Regardless of where they broadcast from, the one thing they all had in common was a continuing fascination with cowboys, their songs and the clothes they wore.

It was essential to always look the part and to always look sharp.

- He was a very meticulous dresser.

One of the things that separated dad from some of the other performers that were in his era was the fact that he did dress so sharp.

It wasn't anything for him to go spend a thousand dollars on a new suit and a pair of boots and back in those days, that was a lot of money, you know?

- [Male] Hi friends, my name is Gene Hooper and I was in radio for 60 some odd years.

- [Male] Gene Hooper, come on out here, Gene!

(audience applauding) - [Gene] I started when I was 16, ended up when I was almost 80, in a month or so I'll be 84.

♪ My name is Jene Hooper ♪ I'm just here to sing ♪ Some old country songs ♪ And I hope they will bring ♪ Some sunshine and joy for the young and the old ♪ ♪ So huddle up closely 'round your radio ♪ - Gene Hooper and I talked at length and I said, "Gene, who was the first radio cowboy in the Bangor market?"

And he said, "There's no question.

"It was Hal Lone Pine," and I said, "How do you know that?"

He said, "Because I was 13 years old "and I used to hear him on the radio."

- [Male] Billed as the Lone Pine Mountaineer, his live daily show aired on WABI out of Bangor and was an instant hit.

Others were soon to follow.

- He came to Machias and my mother took me to a Saturday afternoon matinee.

There he was alone with a guitar I thought then, this is much better than clamming for 30 cents a bushel they got for them in those days, you know?

And after it was all over with, my mother went up to talk to him and she told him that I sang too, you know, and I got started that way and then when I was 16, my mother, let me go if I'd go with Lone Pine and that's who one I went with.

(country music) This is where we come out of the radio station.

You can see the call letters on the door there, WLBZ, and I would think that was 1942, I think, and there was three or four people that wanted the picture taken with us and on this picture is Betty Cody, Anne Little, Ray Cud-show, we called him Little Abner.

He was our lead guitarist and Hal Long Pine.

- [Female] ♪ When a cowboy's work is done ♪ - [Male] And no self-respecting cowboy radio show was complete without cowgirls.

- [Female] ♪ There's nothing more a cowboy likes ♪ ♪ than gaze at the sky so blue - Oh yeah, you had to have a female singer.

Yeah, always.

One or two, you know, sometimes it was duets, two girls or something, always had to have a girl on the shows, always, yeah.

- At 16, that's when I joined Curly and the Country Boys and I went on WCOU and I remember when I first started singing, (laughs) they, the engineer says, "Can you, can you kind of sing a little softer?"

I was blasting out.

I thought I had to blast.

(laughs) I really loved country music.

My mother had an old Victrola and old 78's and I'd turn it on, and crank it and listen and I'd sing with it 'til my mother would tell me to shut up!

(laughs) But then I got interested in the yodel.

So my brother Paul brought in this record of Patsy Montana and he says, "I bet you, you can't sing that Betty, "a yodel."

So I listened to it and everything and I got right into it.

(yodeling) You know, and it was easy for me.

(yodeling) - [Male] And where there were cowgirls, there was bound to be romance and in the case of the Lone Pine Show, it was the Cody sisters, Betty and Flo.

- I was 18 going on 19 when I married Pine.

(yodeling) - The first time I met Flo was before I went in the army.

- Before he left for the service, you know, I, he was, I was like 15.

- Lone Pine was broadcasting at the Lewiston at the time on this little station with the name of WCOU, the only station there, and Flo happened to come along with us.

I was 18 and she was 15.

- ♪ Like you were at the time when we danced to the waltz of the bride ♪ (yodeling) (traffic sounds) - [Male] By the 1950s, radio had given way to television (female yodeling) but the old songs live on as fans continue to sing along with the memory of Maine's Radio Cowboys.

- As you all know, swing has become the rage and the cowboys have their own lips talking, bronco busting swing songs.

So everybody sing it and swing it.

♪ I'm an old cowhand ♪ from the Rio Grande ♪ And my legs ain't bowed ♪ And my cheeks ain't tanned ♪ I'm a cowboy who never saw a cow ♪ ♪ Never roped a steer 'cause I don't know how ♪ ♪ Sho' ain't fixin' to start in now ♪ ♪ Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay ♪ Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay Come on and sing it!

♪ I'm an old cowhand ♪ From the Rio Grande ♪ And I come to town ♪ Just to hear the band ♪ I know all the songs that the cowboys know ♪ ♪ 'bout the big corral where the doagies go ♪ ♪ I learned them all on the radio ♪ ♪ Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay ♪ Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay - [Male] Well, friends and neighbors, the old time has just run away with us here and we gotta take and say so long to you now.

We hope you'll be back the next time we come your way.

Until then, remember everybody, keep smiling.

(upbeat country music) ♪ I'm riding down the trail to home ♪ ♪ Where the stars are always bright ♪ ♪ I'm a riding down the trail to home ♪ ♪ Where the coyotes howl at night ♪ ♪ Yippy-I-O-Ki-Ay (upbeat music) (upbeat guitar music) - Welcome to the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

We're located here in Mechanic Falls, Maine.

Our Hall of Famers go back many, many years beginning in 1978 when the Hall of Fame was first founded by the Maine Country Music Association.

Probably the most popular country performer ever to come out of the state of Maine, the one and only Dick Curless and Dick, of course, was famous for his number one record, Tombstone Every Mile.

If you look behind me a little bit, I'll point up there on the wall, is the original cut of Tombstone Every Mile on the old Allagash Records.

- ♪ It's a stretch of road up north in Maine ♪ ♪ That's never, ever, ever seen a smile ♪ ♪ If they buried all the truckers lost in them woods ♪ ♪ There'd be a tombstone every mile ♪ - I played with Dick Curless back in the sixties, early sixties.

When we played at the Thorndike Hotel in Rockland six nights a week and it was a lot of fun.

- [Slim] The first inductees into the Hall of Fame were, of course, Dick Curless, and then the one and only Ken McKenzie, who was on channel 13 television for many, many years in Portland.

- Here's a little something called Christmas Carols by the Old Corral.

Let's try it.

♪ They'll be singing ♪ gonna be singing ♪ Christmas carols by the old corral ♪ - His accordion player was a young fellow by the name of Dickie Monroe.

Dickie was a great accordionist and great comedian.

He always would say, "I'm going to sing in English "but I'm going to yodel in French" and he did a wonderful job at that.

This is the, one of the outfits that Ken and Simone, the Mrs., wore on their television show for all of those years.

We also have this microphone, the speakers, those were used on the last show that was done at WGME or in those days, WGAN, in Portland.

Wonderful people in the business, introduced more new acts to television in the state of Maine than almost anyone.

Another very, very famous Maine country performer, the one and only Yodelin' Slim Clark.

(yodeling) Not only was he a great performer in the state of Maine but Yodelin' Slim Clark also, is in the Walkway of the Stars in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lone Pine Radio Ranch.

That sign came directly from Denny Breau who was a son of Lone Pine and recognized worldwide and Betty Cody, Betty Cody wasn't just a great lady singer, but she also was a wonderful tailor.

She made all of her own outfits.

- My mom was a little French Canadian gal that spoke nothing but French when she first started singing and they used to pop her up on a table and have her sing French songs and everybody loved it.

That sort of got her, got her going in the singing thing and then one day she ran into this tall handsome cowboy named Hal Lone Pine and they fell in love and she found out she could yodel (chuckles) and they went out on the road.

They played everywhere.

We'd drive through town in a big old Cadillac with a big speaker on it that would announce that, "Hey folks, tonight there's a show at the local grange hall.

"Don't miss it, Lone Pine, Betty Cody, Little Abner, "Bozo the Clown, come see the show."

They were, they were absolute pioneers in the state of Maine bringing that kind of music and that whole scene to Maine.

And then of course there was Lenny, Lone Pine, Jr came along and he added to the show as well and mom was telling me that at the age of five, he started singing the fifth part of harmonies, had such a great ear and started out on the mandolin and would pick French Canadian jigs and reels and somebody gave him the guitar.

I think it was a little Abner and next thing you know, Lenny's probably one of the greatest guitar players in the world.

And you can quote Chet Atkins on that one.

As it turns out, Chet Atkins was my mom and dad's studio guitar player back in, back in the forties and fifties when they were recording for RCA.

So Lenny started playing a lot of Chet stuff like, (strumming guitar) Even though that's a Merle Travis song, everybody's covered it, you know, including Lenny.

(upbeat country music) They'd do stuff like, (upbeat country music) That's the thing we're trying to preserve more than anything else with this organization, is to try to keep alive these wonderful stories and the way it all came to be.

- We started out in the business with a lot of respect and admiration for the early pioneers of country music.

- If you visit the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, you'll see, and maybe get a liking to real country, classic country music.

- We'd like to see the younger people, the performers and audiences, having more of an appreciation of the pioneers, the people who started in this business.

- Raise the awareness of that and to educate people of all ages on our roots and then to carry that on by honoring people as the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame does, it honors all kinds of country musicians but to me, I like that they include bluegrass musicians and there's a lot of us in here I'm happy to say.

- We have a number of bluegrass people in the Hall of Fame including people like Al Hoch, Fred Pike, Bob and Grace French who are displayed here and this is one of their outfits and of course, hanging on the wall is one of Bob's banjos that he himself produced.

The Rainbow Valley Folks was the name that they went under all those years, just backbone of country and bluegrass music here in Maine.

And of course no bluegrass program would be complete in the state of Maine without the actual fiddle that Lucky Tim Farrell played for 42 years.

Just a wonderful, wonderful man and probably the greatest fiddle player ever in the state of Maine.

- It's part of our heritage and also it shows people that there is a tremendous amount of talent in the state of Maine.

- They just do such a great job in presentation set up.

All these pictures and frames and plaque pictures and bios right up 'til the present day, chronologically every single year since 1978.

- Slim Andrews is just a wonderful guy to give you the tour and if you get the chance you really want to do it.

- Hopefully we'll keep inducting new Hall of Fame members.

We'll keep this thing going, keep it alive.

That's really the whole reason for this Hall of Fame, is to pay tribute to the wonderful musicians of the thirties and the forties and the fifties that brought country music to the state of Maine.

- And that's why we're so proud to have a place to display the memorabilia of some of the finest musicians and performers in country music in the entire country.

(light country music) (laughing) - [Male] Awesome, guys!

Awesome.

- [Male] You've got to go on tour, you guys.

- [Male] Yeah!

(laughing) (upbeat country music)