Paying Tribute to the Great Radio On Air Heros in OKC and Tulsa
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)
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
1937 - Roberta Flack
American singer Roberta Flack who had the 1972 US No.1 single 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'. Clint Eastwood chose the song for the soundtrack of his directorial debut Play Misty for Me. The song was written by British political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his wife. Flack also had the 1973 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. Flack was the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years: 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' won in 1973 and 'Killing Me Softly with His Song' won in 1974. Flack died of cardiac arrest on 24 February 2025, on her way to a hospital in Manhattan. She was 88 years old.
1943 - Ral Donner
Ral Donner, US singer, who had the 1961 US No.4 & UK No.25 single 'You Don't Know What You've Got Until You Lose It'. Donner died on April 6th 1984.
1967 - The Beatles
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The Beatles recorded the orchestral build-up for the middle and end of 'A Day in the Life'. At the Beatles' request, the orchestra members arrived in full evening dress along with novelty items. One violinist wore a red clown's nose, while another, a fake gorilla's paw on his bow hand. Others were wearing funny hats and other assorted novelties. The recording was filmed for a possible 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' television special which was ultimately abandoned. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mike Nesmith from The Monkees and Donovan also attended the session.
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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
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.
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
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