Herb Shriner Time

Herbert Shriner  would never have made it big today. Being affable, knowing some funny stories and playing the harmonica wouldn't be enough to put him over the top these days. He was sort of the Will Rogers of Indiana, if Indiana ever needed their own. But comedy was a different animal back then. He was born in Toledo in 1918, and grew up in Ft. Wayne. How he ended up as a radio celeb seems almost by accident.

He began as a humorist, what we now call a stand-up comedian. He played harmonica on radio programs like a Hoosier version of Johnny Puelo. No source gives a specific date as to his first appearance but it's generally dated to about 1940. He was being booked by the William Morris agency. His first regular spot was Camel Caravan, a comedy-variety program. He started there in 1942. That fits well in the time line since by 1952 Billboard was calling him a "TV comedian." What happened in between was WWII. Herb performed for the USO live and on air including The Philip Morris Follies.

In 1946 he was the star of the "Hoosier Radio Round Up," a radio event that was networked 300+ programs across 19 radio stations broadcasting from the Indiana State fair.  The program showcased talent in the Hoosier state. There were appearances by Singing Sam, Herb Shriner, Hoagy Carmichael, Chick Johnson, Ole Olsen and many others. Networked stations includes WISH, WIBC, WFBM, WIRE, WHOT, WHBU, WLBC, WKMO, WASK, WKMO, WKBV,  WKBF, WMLL, WBOW and WOWO. He did it again in1947. After it was all over Governor Ralph gates gave him a medal.

In 1948 he got his own radio show on CBS, Herb Shriner Time. The show also had the Raymond Scott Quintet, singer Dorothy Collins, and announcer Durward Kirby. The Herb Shriner TV Show began in 1949 which ran for 2 years. ABC picked him up for a year in 1951 and that petered out in the Fall of 1952.  CBS picked him up for a third spin in the Fall of  1952. He did a stint hosting a TV game show after that which ran until 1955. In the 1950s he did some comedy LPs, and an all harmonica orchestra which was an abomination. He went back to the night clubs. He retired to Florida, and was killed in a car wreck in 1970.

Gene Lowery and the Dixie Four

The Dixie Four were a  gospel harmony group. The band name wasn't original. It had been used by other musical groups during the 1920s and the 1930s. Which might be why they were sometimes billed as the Stamps Dixie Four; a reference to their sponsorship with the Stamps-Baxter Music Company. they were also frequently billed as Gene Lowery's Dixie Four, but Gene was just their manager and a log time radio man. By his own accounting he had radio shows on 32 different radio stations.

He initially formed the group in Jackson Mississippi in 1938. Lowery did sing sometimes and even sang lead, but mostly to fill in for a missing member. Membership changed so often over the course of their career that I won't even try to track membership over the course of the story. [More here.] The Dixie Four broadcast daily on 1370 WJDX-AM.  I have no direct citation for that claim, but multiple sources claim they had a show in Jackson, and it was the only station in town at the time. Lowery started in radio in 1929 in Shreveport, MS so it's likely he already had a show and made the introduction. They relocated in 1940 to Memphis for a show on WMC-AM. They went on hiatus starting in 1942 when Lowery enlisted in the navy.

Lowery re-organized the Dixie Four in 1944. They started off with two programs, one "network program" sponsored by Faultless Starch, and another on a "local station" sponsored by a burial insurance company. Both of those factoids are from a short history written by Gene Lowery in 1948. Faultless Starch did have their own program "Faultless Starch Time" in 1952 on NBC. I cannot independently corroborate his claims. But in 1946 they did move to Indianapolis, where they became regulars on 1070 WIBC-AM. That's when things really picked up.They compiled and printed up at least four different song books at WIBC, and sold them on air. They all seem to substantially have the same short bio.

In 1947 WIBC became A Mutual Broadcasting System affiliate and their program was heard  on hundreds of affiliate stations. Lowery  emcee'd the program of course. They released dozens of sides on TruTone records and Gene Lowery’s own "Gospel Records" label. The Dixie Four continued to perform and record until they disbanded in about 1955. Gene tried again with a trio of studio singers called the Gene Lowery Singers that worked out of at Sun Studios in Memphis. They were nothing special but did back both Johnny Cash among others. He also organized the the Southland Quartet, and the Gene Lowery Quartet btu they were duds as well.