''Village Barn'' was the first

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

program on American

network television Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

. Broadcast by

NBC-TV The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

from May 24, 1948–September 1949 and from January 16–May 29, 1950, the

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

weekly variety series originated from The Village Barn, a country music nightclub in New York City's

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. Hosts included Zebe Carver, Dick Thomas, Dick Dutley, Bob Stanton (Robert Haymes), Rosalie Allen and Ray Forrest. Guests for the premiere, a 40-minute broadcast by WNBT-TV, were

Texas Ruby Ruby Agnes Owens (June 4, 1908 – March 29, 1963), professionally better known as Texas Ruby, was an American pioneering country music female vocalist and musician of the late 1930s through to the early 1960s. Her brother was famous as Te ...

and Curly Fox along with The Dixie Boys. Performers included Pappy Howard and His Tumbleweed Gang, Harry Ranch and His Kernels of Korn, Bill Long's Ranch Girls, Plute Pete (1948–1949) and Romolo De Spirito (1949). Shorty Warren and His Western Rangers appeared in November 1948. In July 1949, Oklahoma governor

Roy J. Turner Roy Joseph Turner (November 6, 1894 – June 11, 1973) was an American businessman and Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Born in 1894, in Oklahoma Territory, he served in World War I, became a prominent businessman and eventually serv ...

appeared, singing his single, "My Memory Trail". The show also featured square dancing and audience participation in kiddie car,

hobby horse The term "hobby horse" is used, principally by folklorists, to refer to the costumed characters that feature in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. They are particularly associated with May Da ...

and potato sack races.

NBC schedules

*May 24–October 1948: Monday, 9:10–10 p.m. ET * October 1948–January 1949: Wednesday, 10:10–11 p.m. ET *January–May 1949: Wednesday, 8:30–9 p.m. ET *May–July 1949: Monday, 10–10:30 p.m. ET *July–September 1949: Thursday, 10–10:30 p.m. ET *January 16–May 29, 1950: Monday, 9:30–10 p.m. ET

The Village Barn nightclub

The Village Barn, which later became the Generation Club and then was sold to Jimi Hendrix and remodelled into Electric Lady Recording Studios, was opened in November 1930 by owner Meyer Horowitz, who resigned as president and director on October 19, 1951. He was succeeded by his brother, Lawrence (Horowitz) Horton, who subsequently left to pursue other interests. Ownership remained with family members, including Horton, who returned to active management in the early 1960s; a nephew, George Goodman; and son Michael. Meyer Horowitz remained active as a consultant until the Barn closed in August 1967. In 1931,

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Vall ...

, who had a nearby club, Villa Vallée, discovered

Judy Canova Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...

at the Barn. Don Cornell,

the Hartmans ''The Hartmans'' (also known as ''The Hartmans (at Home)'') is an American television sitcom that aired live on NBC on Sunday nights from February 27 to April 24, 1949. The series stars Paul and Grace Hartman, a married couple who performed tog ...

and other stars also got their start at the club.

References

Notes Bibliography * . *

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0040056 1948 American television series debuts 1940s American variety television series 1950s American variety television series 1948 American television series endings 1950 American television series endings NBC original programming American live television series Black-and-white American television shows American country music Country music television series English-language television shows