Today I’m going to have two related posts. I want to thank Phil Strawn for his information. He basically wrote a lot of this and the next post in his emails to me. To actually talk to someone who was witnessing history is wonderful. For that reason I’m using two posts today to cover a little of Phil’s dad, The Big D Jamboree (A Dallas Music Show), and a rockabilly performer there named Ronnie Dawson on the next post.
Phil from Notes from the Cactus Patch told me about this event in Dallas. He actually lived, saw, and met some of these artists who were vital to the beginning of Rockabilly and the history of Country music. His dad was Johnny Strawn and played in the Light Crust Doughboys. That is a country band formed in 1931 and is still going…with different members of course. The band also included the legendary Bob Wills. They played on a radio show and were active until around 1950. They were dormant for a while until the sixties when they were revived.
On October 16, 1948, the Big D Jamboree first aired on the Dallas radio station KRLD. The Big D Jamboree was held at the Dallas Sportatorium, a large indoor arena located at 1000 South Industrial Boulevard in Dallas, Texas. The Sportatorium was known for hosting various events, including wrestling matches, concerts, and other entertainment shows. The show was started by Ed McLemore, a Dallas-based promoter.
It was a live country and rockabilly music show held during the 1950s and 1960s. It was one of the premier venues for country, rockabilly, and honky-tonk music during that era. The “Big D” in the name refers to Dallas, where the show was based. The Light Crust Doughboys didn’t play there but members of that band including Johnny Strawn would make up the house band called The Country Gentlemen.
The Jamboree provided a platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their talent to a live audience and was broadcast on radio stations across Texas. It played a significant role in promoting the careers of many notable musicians, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Willie Nelson, Wanda Jackson, Ronnie Dawson, Eddie Cochran, George Jones, Buddy Knox, Roy Orbison, among many others.
Speaking of the great Wanda Jackson. Phil had a story about her. “Wanda Jackson took a liking to me and even cleaned my ears with spit on a handkerchief; now that was something to behold. She also filled me with Coca-Cola and candy bars.” Unfortunately, the show ended in 1966. The Sportatorium was demolished in 2003. It remains a celebrated part of Dallas’s musical heritage and is remembered fondly by those who attended or were influenced by the event. The impact of the Big D Jamboree on the development of American music cannot be overstated
For a prelude to what is coming in the next post on Ronnie Dawson. Phil Strawn: The house band and Smoky Montgomery took a shine to him and, a few years later, asked him to join the Doughboys. At that time, the band was playing a lot in Texas, Oklahoma, MS, Louisiana, and Arkansas, and Smokey wanted to add some rock n roll to the band for the youngsters. Ronnie was a perfect fit and became lifelong friends with all the guys.
You can see a young Ronnie Dawson third from the left in this picture.
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