Howard Sisk (c. 1930 – October 1, 2001), known on the air as Curly Howard, was a disc jockey on several North Carolina ( United States) radio stations. When Howard joined WKMT in Kings Mountain, North Carolina in 1992, he had spent more than 30 years in radio. 18 of these were at WKBX in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Joe DePriest, "Back on the Air Just Like Family, Curly Howard Is There to Chat Every Morning," ''The Charlotte Observer'', July 15, 1992. He married Jerri September 26, 1966,Gerry Hostetler, "Radio Veteran Felt at Home with Audience," ''The Charlotte Observer'', October 10, 2001. and had a son Gregg, who was 21 when Howard joined WKMT.

Early life

Howard grew up in Shelby, North Carolina with Don Gibson, the country music performer best known for " Oh Lonesome Me" and the writer of " I Can't Stop Loving You". He and Gibson went to country music concerts at the National Guard armory, and when he heard Red Foley sing "

Peace in the Valley "There'll Be Peace in the Valley for Me" is a 1939 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. It was copyrighted by Dorsey under this title on January 25, 1939, though it often appears informally as "Peace in the Valley". ...

", Howard cried. He dreamed not of becoming a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

or a

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

, but of being able to sing in such a way that he could touch people the way Foley did. At 15, Howard saw an ad in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' for a guitarist and singer for "a small-time traveling tent show", and he went to Greeneville, Tennessee, and asked for the job. He was offered the job because his parents, believing he would get homesick, didn't try to stop him. Howard ended up spending fourteen years on the road. He ended up performing alongside Lash LaRue and Fuzzy St. John and "hayseed comics".

Career

Howard Sisk artist name ''Curly'' is a bow to American actor and comedian Curly Howard of The Three Stooges, Later, Howard performed on a national radio show, ''

Virginia Barn Dance Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are s ...

''. At Louisiana Hayride with Faron Young and Webb Pierce, Howard met

Hank Williams Sr. Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

and Elvis Presley. Howard shook Williams' hand, and he observed how the audience loved Williams so much he received a standing ovation before he had even sung. Howard's own career wasn't going anywhere, but he was making $50 to $60 a week, good money at the time. Later he decided to go into radio in eastern North Carolina. He eventually moved to WKBX. While he was at WKBX, Howard told his friend Roger Stockton, who worked for WSJS radio, that WSJS-FM should switch to country music. Stockton listened and WTQR became the number one station in the market. In addition to his on-air duties, Howard served as a master of ceremonies at country music shows. Soon, his career at WKBX ended, because the 10,000-watt daytime-only station could not compete with WTQR, and the station dropped country music. Howard moved to

WCGC WCGC (1270 AM) is a radio station licensed to Belmont, North Carolina, and serving the Charlotte/ Gastonia area. The station is owned by Carolina Catholic Radio Network and broadcasts a Catholic radio format. By day, WCGC is powered at 10,000 wa ...

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

for five years, then to WSVM in Valdese, then back to WCGC for three and a half years, when he was told they could not afford him. Four months after leaving WCGC, Howard was back on the air as morning host at WKMT in Kings Mountain, run by his old friend Jonas Bridges, who had worked with him in the early 1950s on a Shelby radio station. The station's format of country, bluegrass and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

had not changed in years. By 1993, Howard was paired with Tobie Sawyer. In 1995,

Tommy Faile Tommy Faile (September 15, 1928 – August 2, 1998) was an American songwriter and singer best known for composing "Phantom 309" and singing "The Legend of the Brown Mountain Lights". He was known for his deep voice and comic on-stage banter. ...

, formerly of Arthur Smith and the Crackerjacks, was his partner.Joe DePriest, "Tommy Faile: Still Singing, Playing Country Music," ''The Charlotte Observer'', April 27, 1995. Howard's last broadcast was September 28, 2001 from the Shelby

Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

. At the time he was doing a " Swap Shop" program on Piedmont Super Station, selling commercial time, and doing remote broadcasts. He died October 1 at 71.

Style

Howard's style was compared to that of Grady Cole of WBT (AM), because he talked "directly and personally" to his listeners. He described his voice as "cultivated ... sometimes it even sounds like it's plowed under." He would hang out at the stores he did commercials for, and he would talk to the people there just like he was one of them. On the air he would tell stories about his days as a performer, let people call in to tell what was going on in their lives, and play records. In one commercial, he talked about the 11-pound turnip he saw.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Curly 1930s births 2001 deaths American radio DJs People from Belmont, North Carolina 20th-century American musicians