February 11 2026
Black History Month
A Brief History of Black Heritage Month
Black Heritage Month traces its origins to the early 20th century, when historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson recognized that the achievements of Black Americans were largely ignored in mainstream history. In 1915, Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (later ASALH) to promote the study of Black history and culture.
In 1926, Woodson and ASALH launched Negro History Week, choosing the second week of February to align with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two figures deeply connected to Black freedom and civil rights.
Valentines Day Saturday on the 14th
DOT Records
DOT RECORDS — THE TRUE ORIGINS (1950–1953)
Dot Records didn’t start as a national pop label. It began as a tiny Gallatin, Tennessee operation founded by:
🎙️ Randy Wood
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A radio engineer and record-store owner
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Ran the “Record Shop” in Gallatin
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Took listener requests from WLAC’s 50,000‑watt nighttime R&B broadcasts
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Noticed that many of the songs listeners wanted were not available on records
So he did what any great early‑50s entrepreneur did: He started a label to fill the gaps.
THE EARLY DOT SOUND (1950–1953)
Dot’s first years were not Pat Boone, Gale Storm, or the big pop hits. The early catalog is a mix of:
1. Southern gospel
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The LeFevres
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The Statesmen Quartet
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The Oak Ridge Quartet (pre–Oak Ridge Boys)
2. Hillbilly & country boogie
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Billy Vaughn (before he became Dot’s arranger)
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Jimmie & Johnny
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The Willis Brothers
3. Regional R&B and teen novelties
This is the part you’ll appreciate most — Dot issued local Tennessee and Kentucky R&B that bigger labels ignored.
Broadcast Bulletin (Daily Updates)
Album Showcase
Birthdays
Vault Vinyl's
Beatles and Elvis
Legacy and Lore
Visual Archives
Gold Star Oldies Radio Steaming Directories
Legends Remembered & Celebrated — Sunrise Concerts and Tributes
The History of the new Gold Star Oldies Radio and it's Mission
Birthdays Singers and Song Writers
1941 - Sergio Mendes
Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes, who had the 1983 US No.4 single 'Never Gonna Let You Go'. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012 as co-writer of the song 'Real in Rio' from the animated film Rio. He died from complications of long COVID in Los Angeles on 5 September 2024, at the age of 83.
1940 - Bobby Pickett
Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, who had the 1962 US No.1 & 1973 UK No.3 single 'The Monster Mash'. The song was a spoof on the dance crazes popular at the time, including the Twist and the Mashed Potato. Pickett died of leukaemia at the age of 69 on April 25th 2007.
1939 - Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin, American songwriter of over 20 US hits with his then-wife Carole King, including The Shirelles 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', The Drifters 'Up On The Roof', The Chiffons, 'One Fine Day', Herman's Hermits, 'I'm Into Something Good'. Goffin died on 19th June 2014 at the age of 75 in Los Angeles. After he and King divorced, Goffin wrote with other composers, including Barry Goldberg and Michael Masser, with whom he wrote 'Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)' and 'Saving All My Love for You', also No.1 hits. During his career, Goffin wrote over 114 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including eight chart-toppers, and 72 UK hits.
1935 - Gene Vincent
American musician Gene Vincent who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. Born Eugene Craddock his 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, 'Be-Bop-a-Lula', is considered a significant early example of rockabilly. His chart career was brief, especially in his home country of the US, where he notched three top 40 hits in 1956 and 1957. In the UK, he was a somewhat bigger star, racking up eight top 40 hits from 1956 to 1961. British singer Ian Dury recorded the track 'Sweet Gene Vincent' on his first solo album, (New Boots and Panties!! in 1977). Vincent died on 12 October 1971 at the age of 36 from a combination of a ruptured ulcer, internal haemorrhage and heart failure.
Beatles and Elvis NEWS
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1964 - The Beatles
The Beatles made their live concert debut in the US at the Washington Coliseum. Over 350 police surrounded the stage to keep the 8,000 plus screaming fans in control. One police officer who found the noise so loud stuck a bullet in each ear as earplugs. The Beatles had to stop three times and turn Ringo's drum kit around and re-position their microphones so that they faced a different part of the audience. The set list: ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘From Me to You’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Please Please Me’, ‘She Loves You’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘Twist and Shout’, and ‘Long Tall Sally’.
Music News For The Week
February 6, 1960 — Singer Jesse Belvin ("Goodnight My Love") dies at age 27 in an automobile accident in Hope, Arkansas, on his way to a performance. The mishap ends a promising career just as he is beginning with RCA Victor Records, which had the resources to groom him as the next black superstar crooner a la Nat "King" Cole.
February 7, 1959 — About 1,000 mourners (including Phil Everly) attend Buddy Holly's funeral in Lubbock, Texas, as Ritchie Valens is buried in San Fernando, California.
1963 — Weeks before her death in a plane crash, Patsy Cline finishs a three-day studio session in Nashville in which she makes her final recordings, including a rendition of the 1925 pop ballad "Always" and a cover of the prophetically titled country song "Sweet Dreams."
1964 — The Beatles are met by an estimated 25,000 screaming fans when they arrive at Kennedy Airport in New York for their first U.S. tour.
1989 — A bill is introduced into the Georgia legislature to make the state's official rock song "Tutti-Frutti," waxed in 1955 by Macon native Little Richard. The proposal fails. (A decade earlier, "Georgia On My Mind" becomes the official state song, which native son Ray Charles performs before the lawmakers when they enact it.)
February 8, 1956 — Buddy Holly signs with Decca Records, his first recording contract, two weeks after his first studio session with the label in Nashville. The document omits the "e" in his surname, so he drops it from his stage name as well. 1990 — Struggling with depression, Del Shannon ("Runaway," "Hats Off To Larry," "Keep Searchin'") dies of a self-inflicted gunshot in his Santa Clarita, California, home at age 55. February 10, 1942 — RCA Victor presents the first gold record to Glen Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo" as a promotional gimmick for the sale of one million discs. The idea catches on with other labels and the Recording Industry Association of America makes it official in 1958, certifying gold records for singles and albums that earn over $1 million.
1950 — Ray Charles has his first chart hit under his own name when "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" enters the R&B hit list, rising to #5. He previously recorded with the Maxin Trio.
1958 — The Apollo label issues the debut record by the Chesters ("The Fires Burn No More"). They later become Little Anthony & The Imperials.
— The Shirelles' maiden single, "I Met Him On A Sunday," is released on the Tiara label and rises to #49 pop after Decca reissues it, the first of the group's 26 hits over the next nine years.
1967 — After seven years at Columbia Records, Aretha Franklin releases her first single on Atlantic, "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)." It becomes a chart topper (#1 R&B, #9 pop) and her first gold record, clearing her path to the throne as the Queen of Soul.
February 12, 1961 — "Shop Around" by the Miracles led by Smokey Robinson on the Tamla label is certified a gold record, becoming the first million-selling hit for Berry Gordy's Motown Records Corporation, whose name replaces Tamla.
Sources:
Eight Days a Week (Ron Smith)
On This Day in Black Music History (Jay Warner)
Chronology of American Popular Music, 1900-2000 (Frank Hoffman)
calendar.songfacts.com
onthisday.com/music
Segment Features
The History of Sunrise Radio (Gold Star Oldies)
As Told in the Tradition of Classic AM Broadcasting
In the early days of the station, before the sun rose on its true identity, the signal carried the call letters KVRA — Keep Vinyl Records Alive. It was a small station with a big idea: to preserve the sound, the spirit, and the craftsmanship of the records that built American radio.
KVRA operated with the same pride as the powerhouse AM stations of the era. Real call letters. Real curation. Real radio.
But as the station grew, something became clear. While other online broadcasters used simple titles and playlists, KVRA carried the weight of a heritage operation — a station with a mission, a memory, and a curator who understood the value of a 45 spinning under a warm stylus.
And so, in the finest tradition of AM evolution, the station stepped into a new identity. The call letters remained part of its foundation, but the broadcast name changed to reflect its purpose.
Today, that station is known as Sunrise Radio.
A place where forgotten singles, regional teeners, R&B promos, and rare artifacts are given a home once more. A station built on the belief that some music isn’t just entertainment — it’s history.
Sunrise Radio proudly carries the motto: “You Can’t Find This Anymore.”
But every sunrise has a beginning and the sun also set's. For this station, that beginning was KVRA — the call letters that lit the first spark and set the tone for everything that followed. The new branding has started we are now Gold Star Oldies Radio.
Spinning Those Records
Vault Vinyl and Stories behind the songs
Don and Phil Sign with Cadence Records
February 1 1957
20-year-old Don Everly and his 2-year-younger brother Phil sign a recording contract with Cadence Records. During their career, The Everly Brothers will have thirty-five Billboard Hot 100 singles
Visual Archive
