The Eckert Family and WPAZ

WPAZ signed on in 1951 and signed off in 2009, 10 years ago. 56 years it a big window. But I've been totally unable to connect the Eckert Family to WPAZ.  I can state for the record that the Eckert Family was active in the 1950s concurrent with WPAZ under its' original ownership.

Founded by the Scott family, WPAZ was later owned by their company Great Scott Broadcasting. It's studios were located on Maugers Mill Road, in Pottstown, PA. Great Scott bought stations in Ohio, and down into Maryland and Delaware. WPAZ went dark on December 10th, 2009. then unexpectedly in 2010 the WPAZ Preservation Association (WPAZPA) began efforts to acquire WPAZ from Great Scott Broadcasting. The call sign was then changed to WBZH. This station also floundered and Four Rivers Community Broadcasting, which had backed the buyout took control over operations. In 2013 the call sign was reverted to WPAZ and the station filed to change it's license status to Non-Commercial (NCE). But don't mistake this for a community station. They are just another satcaster for Word FM.

The earliest show I found for the Eckert Family was in Pennhurst, PA at a Knights of Columbus Kids event on July 22nd 1951. It's the same year WPAZ signed on. They also played at Sleepy Hollow Ranch in 1953. [SOURCE]  I found another performance on September 5th, 1954 at a Fire Company fiesta at Lyons. They played as an "additional attraction" headlining below the Blue Mountain Jiggers.  [SOURCE]  An Advert for the Gratz fair in 1957 shows them playing on Friday, January 18th. Note Al Shade playing in March as well. [SOURCE] And the Lebanon Daily news has them at a Lions Club festival that year on Saturday September 7th with Buck Benson & The Country Neighbors.

There may have been a connection between the Eckert Family band and the Eckert Bros local chain of music stores with multiple locations (below) I can't find any advertisements for their stores after about 1977. The earliest reference I found was in a listing of Norelco dealers from 1965. But this is just based on geography and conjecture.

• 635 Penn St. Reading
• 101 (and 247) High Street Pottstown
• 940 Hamilton Street Allentown
  
• 5371 Fifth St. Temple
• Wescoesville, PA

So the Eckert family would have performed on WPAZ when the Scott family still ran the station. The band, whatever it was, appears to have been active from at least 1950 until about 1960. Shortly thereafter the music store appears. My rationale here is admittedly weak, but perhaps if we are lucky, someone will comment and fill in the gaps.

Transcription Mystery Disc #165

This disc is clearly a genuine radio transcription. The radio stations call letters WPAZ are emblazoned on the label in dark blue letters on a bold orange background.  The 33 rpm speed is scratched out and 78 written below it in pen. The typewritten text says "The Easter Story, Side 1 of a set of 10."  The recording if of an Easter Church Service segmented for transcription recording. I have all 5 discs (two sides each) but there is no way I am ripping them all. This is all you get.

The Easter Story
~audio taken down~

It is clear that this was recorded at or by 1370 WPAZ-AM in Pottstown. Moreover that it was recorded on or near Easter Sunday but there is no sign of the year. The envelope the discs came in has the post mark torn off. The station signed on in 1951 and signed off in 2009 so it can only be between those dates. Because of the format my assumption is that it dates to the mid 1950s. I have no other basis on which to guess.

DJ Shorty Long

Despite their name, it's doubtful that Shorty Long his Santa Fe Rangers ever went to Sante Fe, let alone New Mexico. He was born in 1923, and in 1939 studied violin at the Conservatory of Rome. His real name was  Emidio Vagnoni, but that didn't roll off the tongue of country music fans so he went with a stage name.  Almost his entire country music career seems to have occurred locally in Berks country Pennsylvania. Shorty played the violin the accordion, and sing, just not all three at once.

He was with radio station WEEU-AM in Reading from about 1946 into 1955. He also recorded a couple sides for Cowboy Records and one for Decca, . I found a note in Billboard in 1945 noting that he left WFIL-AM and was being succeeded by the Sleepy Hollow Ranch Gang, because he was departing for The National Barn Dance. The program aired on WLS-AM. It was a big deal. He parlayed those appearances in Chicago into a deal with Victor records in 1949. ON the career upswing he also played New York City's Paramount Theatre with the Foy Willing Trio on the Andrew Sisters' "Eight-To-The-Bar Ranch Show".  While he was in Chicago he also appeared on the WSIL-AM Hayloft Hoedown. More here.

But it didn't last forever.  Record reviews described his cuts as novelties, somewhat dismissively. In 1950 he was touring with other second stringers like Little Jimmy Dickens and appearing on the Hillbilly Matinee on 870 WGTL-AM in Kannapolis, NC... a city so small it remained  unincorporated until 1984. He did vocals on a single for MGM with the "Blacksmith Blues" with art Mooney in 1952, another novelty. Ella Mae Morse cut the same single that year and her version charted at #3. His didn't. The same year King records released a duet with his wife Dolly Dimples titled "Hillbilly wedding, yet another novelty. More here.

Shorty Long returned to his hometown of Reading, PA and his live show on WEEU around 1952.  In 1955 he took on a regular program on WPAZ-AM in Pottstown, PA while still playing on WEEU. His new  show ran 2 hours a day and 3 on Sundays just spinning records.His show ran at least until 1954. that year he made a special appearance at a polio jamboree on WCOJ-AM in Coatesville. In 1955 he went back to RCA Victor, not just as talent, but as an assistant to A&R director Steve Sholes. In 1956 he did music for a Broadway Play called 'Most Happy Fella" it was not country, not even a tiny bit.  He kept making music into the 1970s and then retired. He died in 1991 at the age of 67. Over the years his name was repeatedly usurped diminishing his brand. An R&B artist using the same name cut "Function Junction" in 1966, and "Here Come the Judge" in 1968. Today there's a midget using the name, I kid you not. I think he'd have been amused.