Historic radio station makes return to the airwaves
By Mark Randall
news@theeveningtimes.com
Before the Sun rose in Memphis, the stars were out in West Memphis on KWEM. The radio station that gave birth to the “electric blues,” started the rockabilly revolution, and helped launch the careers of such music legends as Johnny Cash, Howlin Wolf, B.B. King, Ike Turner, and yes, even Elvis Presley, is back on the air. After more than 50 years since it was last heard on radio dials, historic KWEM returned to the airwaves to great applause Thursday at a ceremony held at Mid-South Community College. College officials and local dignitaries were on hand to help throw the switch that officially breathes new life back into the nearly forgotten icon of the early days of rock and roll. And fittingly, the first song to air live was a remix of Elvis’s “That’s Alright Mama,” the song that gave rise to rock n’ roll. “KWEM is back on the air,” said MSCC President Dr. Glen Fenter. “And hopefully for good with an opportunity to tell the story that is such an important part of this nation’s musical history. We hope this is a beginning of a great saga for Crittenden County and Eastern Arkansas.” The college is bringing the station back to life as a low power FM station that will not only carry on the legacy of KWEM, but will also serve as a laboratory for students in the college’s new Digital Media classes. Fenter said KWEM is a rich part of the community’s history and a great story waiting to be told. “We’re here to do something that we sincerely believe has the chance to forever change the way that not only the people of Eastern Arkansas, but the rest of the world, understand how we go to this country’s music,” Fenter said. Fenter credited Dale Franklin, who stumbled on KWEM back in 2009 while doing research for a documentary on the history of West Memphis and brought it back as an online station, as the driving force behind the effort to tell KWEM’s story. “He adopted the cause of resurrecting this story with nothing short of a John the Baptist type fervor,” Fenter said. “He felt compelled to share that story with the rest of the world. To Dale’s credit and to our benefit, he didn’t stop telling the story. That’s in large part why we are here. His research brought life back to a forgotten legacy — a legacy of clubs and musicians and a little known radio station in Crittenden County, Arkansas that helped launch the icons of what we know today as our country’s music.” Franklin said KWEM is one of the most important radio stations in history. KWEM gave many unknown or little known Memphis area artists the opportunity to perform live. “It’s the untold story of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Franklin said. “Most people are not aware of its importance to music history.” KWEM was set up by the KLXR-Razorback Network, essentially to broadcast Razorbacks games. It hit the airwaves in 1946 as a 1,000 watt daylight hours only radio station. It later began featuring live music performances by anyone who could find a sponsor or afford the $15 for a 15 minute timeslot. More than 200 artists — both black and white — took advantage of the opportunity to perform on the station. In fact, Franklin said in the late 1940s and 1950s it was West Memphis, and not Memphis, that was famous for its music and nightlife. “Boss Crump shut down Beale Street,” Franklin said. “He didn’t allow any cubs. They had an 11 o’clock curfew for whites and a 12 o’clock curfew for whites. Over here they said, ‘come on over boys.’ They had all night gambling, girls, and over 35 clubs. This place was humming.” By day, black blues artists shared the airwaves with white artists hoping to get a few minutes of airtime that would land them higher paying nighttime gigs in the honky tonks and juke joints that once dotted Broadway. “That was a big deal in those times,” Franklin said. “They would let them (blacks) play, which was unheard of in those days.” Sonny Boy Williamson II, who had appeared on the King Biscuit Radio Program on KFFA in Helena, launched his own radio show on KWEM in 1949. He worked with Howlin Wolf, Junior Parker, James Cotton, and B.B. King, and convinced many other Delta musicians to perform on his show. Before Lucille, B.B. King hitchhiked from his home in Indianola, Miss. to West Memphis intent on performing on Sonny Boy Williamson’s show. Sonny Boy allowed him to perform, which led to a job at Miss Annie’s Diner on 16th St. in West Memphis, and a 10 minute show of his own. Sam Phillips, who had recently opened Sun Records, regularly listened to KWEM scouting for talent to record. He heard Howlin Wolf live on KWEM in 1951 and signed him to a contract. In fact, many of the artists on KWEM went on to sign recording contracts with major labels such as Sun Records and Chess. Franklin said many of the stories about KWEM have gone untold. For example, Jerry Manuel, whose father hosted KWEM’s “Saturday Night Jamboree,” told him that Elvis made his first radio appearance on KWEM in 1953. “The song was about a birthday cake,” Franklin said. “He didn’t go over very well. He didn’t sound country and they said he moved around too much. He didn’t have a band either. So that’s why they sent him over to see Sam Phillips at Sun.” Over the next 18 months, Elvis made at least three other appearances on KWEM. Many of his Lauderdale Courts friends also appeared at the Jamboree, including Johnny & Dorsey Burnette, Joe Manuel, Marcus Van Story, Barbara Pittman, Johnny Black, Albert Vescova, and others. Franklin said Johnny Cash, who originally only sang gospel, and the Tennessee Two made their debut and first public appearance at the KWEM Saturday Night Jamboree in 1954 and were terrible. “Home Equipment gave him a sponsorship and put him on the air,” Franklin said. “A month later he cut his first record on Sun.” KWEM went off the air in 1960 and its frequency became KWAM. MSCC’s Foundation purchased the station from Franklin and numerous artifacts — including a 50 year old reel-to-reel tape that Cash used to record a demo version of “Rock and Roll Ruby”, and a recording lathe used by Ike Turner — which are now the centerpiece of a glassed-in replica of the KWEM studio. “I sold them the artifacts and gave them the station so that they could do what needs to be done with it,” Franklin said. “My real reason for buying KWEM was because I didn’t want to see it get away. The FCC could have reissued it. So I trademarked it and that to me locked up the history for us.” KWEM Radio has been granted a low power license and will begin broadcasting at 93.3 FM later this summer.
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