Gene Nobles
Encyclopedia
Gene Nobles was an American
radio disc jockey
who attained fame on Nashville radio station WLAC
from the 1940s through the 1970s by playing rhythm and blues
music.
Nobles was a former carnival barker, bingo
dealer, and announcer on several small Southern
radio stations. He became the first Euro-American disc jockey on radio to play popular African-American music regularly. He started this practice before early rock-and-roll jockeys such as Alan Freed
and before his fellow WLAC announcers "John R.
" Richbourg, Bill "Hoss" Allen, and Herman Grizzard
. The four WLAC announcers produced evening and late-night shows featuring R&B, soul music
, and gospel music
. They attracted an audience of African-Americans and Euro-American teenagers well into the early 1970s.
Nobles is credited with introducing artists such as Chuck Berry
, Fats Domino
, and Little Richard
, to a wider audience. Before Nobles' breakthrough programming, R&B artists were heard usually by African-Americans only, who attended their performances at nightclubs on the so-called "Chitlin Circuit" and purchased their records in black-owned stores. Some conservative whites (especially segregationists
) opposed the broadcast of such music, but many others purchased the R&B records and danced to them.
According to a book by Wes Smith, The Pied Pipers of Rock 'n' Roll: Radio Deejays of the 50s and 60s (Longstreet Press, 1989), Nobles had a reputation for gambling at horse tracks and drinking while on air. Neither of these vices appeared to cause him trouble with station management. In the early 1960s, Nobles drew complaints by listeners and FCC
officials over a suggestive reference made while he read a commercial for White Rose Petroleum Jelly. Nobles regularly used double entendres between the records he played to accentuate his ironic, sarcastic sense of humor.
Nobles battled arthritis
most of his adult life. When he had to take time off, Bill "Hoss" Allen often filled in for him. By the mid-1960s, Nobles, like the other disc jockeys, began to tape his programs to air in the evening time slots. He continued to do this until his retirement, which varying sources have placed between 1972 and 1974.
Nobles had a long association with Randy Wood
, founder of Dot Records
, and Randy's Record Shop in nearby Gallatin, Tennessee
. Wood later relocated to Los Angeles
. Wood sponsored Nobles' program for many years.
Nobles was married to Eleanor Broadwater, who received a writing credit for the Dale Hawkins
song Susie Q
, made popular in 1968 by Creedence Clearwater Revival
.
phrases which he used frequently. Some of the more famous included:
"Jerks/fillies" - boys/girls.
"From the heart of my bottom" - a suggestive inversion of the traditional testimony to sincerity.
"That's G-A-double L-A-T-I-N, folks" - spelling the name of the town
where Randy's record shop was located in Tennessee
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
who attained fame on Nashville radio station WLAC
WLAC
WLAC is a clear channel radio station based in Nashville, Tennessee, operating at 1510 kHz on the AM dial.-Early history:Its first broadcast took place on November 24, 1926. The call letters were chosen to contain an acronym for the first owner of the station, the Life and Casualty Insurance...
from the 1940s through the 1970s by playing rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music.
Nobles was a former carnival barker, bingo
Bingo (US)
Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5x5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first...
dealer, and announcer on several small Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
radio stations. He became the first Euro-American disc jockey on radio to play popular African-American music regularly. He started this practice before early rock-and-roll jockeys such as Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
and before his fellow WLAC announcers "John R.
John R.
John R. was an American radio disc jockey who attained fame in the 1950s and 1960s for playing rhythm and blues music on Nashville radio station WLAC...
" Richbourg, Bill "Hoss" Allen, and Herman Grizzard
Herman Grizzard
Herman Grizzard was an American radio disc jockey who attained fame from the 1940s through the 1970s for playing rhythm and blues and music on Nashville radio station WLAC. Grizzard was one host of a nightly series of four programs on the station. He shared the block of programs with "John R."...
. The four WLAC announcers produced evening and late-night shows featuring R&B, soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, and gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. They attracted an audience of African-Americans and Euro-American teenagers well into the early 1970s.
Nobles is credited with introducing artists such as Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, and Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, to a wider audience. Before Nobles' breakthrough programming, R&B artists were heard usually by African-Americans only, who attended their performances at nightclubs on the so-called "Chitlin Circuit" and purchased their records in black-owned stores. Some conservative whites (especially segregationists
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
) opposed the broadcast of such music, but many others purchased the R&B records and danced to them.
According to a book by Wes Smith, The Pied Pipers of Rock 'n' Roll: Radio Deejays of the 50s and 60s (Longstreet Press, 1989), Nobles had a reputation for gambling at horse tracks and drinking while on air. Neither of these vices appeared to cause him trouble with station management. In the early 1960s, Nobles drew complaints by listeners and FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
officials over a suggestive reference made while he read a commercial for White Rose Petroleum Jelly. Nobles regularly used double entendres between the records he played to accentuate his ironic, sarcastic sense of humor.
Nobles battled arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
most of his adult life. When he had to take time off, Bill "Hoss" Allen often filled in for him. By the mid-1960s, Nobles, like the other disc jockeys, began to tape his programs to air in the evening time slots. He continued to do this until his retirement, which varying sources have placed between 1972 and 1974.
Nobles had a long association with Randy Wood
Randy Wood
Randy Wood may refer to:*Randy Wood , American artist*Randy Wood , American ice hockey player*Randy Wood , American recording executive; founder of Dot Records...
, founder of Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
, and Randy's Record Shop in nearby Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
. Wood later relocated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Wood sponsored Nobles' program for many years.
Nobles was married to Eleanor Broadwater, who received a writing credit for the Dale Hawkins
Dale Hawkins
Delmar Allen "Dale" Hawkins was a pioneer American rock singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist who was often called the architect of swamp rock boogie...
song Susie Q
Susie Q (song)
"Susie Q" is a song by Louisiana-born singer and guitarist Dale Hawkins . He wrote the song himself, but when it was released, Stan Lewis, the owner of Jewel/Paula Records, and Eleanor Broadwater, the wife of Nashville DJ Gene Nobles, were also credited as co-writers to give them shares of the...
, made popular in 1968 by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
.
Famous phrases
Nobles developed slangSlang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
phrases which he used frequently. Some of the more famous included:
"Jerks/fillies" - boys/girls.
"From the heart of my bottom" - a suggestive inversion of the traditional testimony to sincerity.
"That's G-A-double L-A-T-I-N, folks" - spelling the name of the town
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
where Randy's record shop was located in Tennessee
External links
- WLAC Radio: The Unofficial Webpage - station history
- airchecks