Excerpts from “When Country Was Gold In The Delaware Valleyİ” by Bill Melody

I guess the country and western music phenomena really started near the end of World War II when our servicemen and women returned home. Many of them had been stationed in far away places throughout the deep South, and were exposed via radio to fledging country and western music performers such as Eddy Arnold, Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams. And, thanks in part to fellow military personnel from the mid and deep South, many service people even became addicted to a famous Saturday night radio show called the Grand Ole Opry.

The Opry was broadcast live from Nashville every Saturday night by the National Life and Accident Insurance Company over radio station WSM-AM at 650 on the dial. People world-wide huddled around their old Philco, Emerson and Halicrafter radio sets to listen to such stalwart performers as Red Foley, Minnie Pearl, Kitty Wells and Faron Young to name a few of the Opry stars who were well on their respective ways to becoming household names. Country and western music was in its infancy in the Delaware Valley, but it was soon to grow into a thriving business that would last three full decades before finally fading away.

When the 1950’s arrived, the Delaware Valley was knee deep in country and western style music. Nearly everyone who could play a few chords on a guitar was performing the music in clubs, lounges and restaurants throughout the area. Philadelphia had its share of night spots that featured live bands. For example, Biff’s Place, a dimly lit honky-tonk lounge that was located on 11^th Street near Locust Street in Center City had continuous music nightly.

Excerpts from “When Country Was Gold In The Delaware Valleyİ” by Bill Melody

Troy Ferguson and his Country Gentlemen held forth at Biff’s nightly. Ferguson, a tall lanky individual with rugged good looks, sold Tupperware by day and warbled country ditties by night. The band also featured Ferguson’s wife Pansy. The group performed at Biff’s for a month at a time then rotated to Hurley’s Tavern in Chester for a month-long engagement before returning to Biff’s.

Center City had a few night spots that flourished during the heyday of country music, among them was the former Boot and Saddle located at 1131 South Broad Street where live country music reigned supreme nightly; the number of clubs increased as the music grew in popularity. In fact, lounges and clubs that featured country music increased dramatically throughout the entire city as well as the city’s suburbs and into surrounding states.

The Seven Star Musical Bar located at Frankford Avenue and Orthodox Street in North Philly was also a hotbed for country and western music. Frankie “Pick” Marshall was a truck jockey at the former Schmidt’s Brewery each day. But when night time rolled around, Marshall donned western style clothes, a big white hat, played guitar and sang his way into the hearts of a countless number of people who crowded the night spot just to hear him crack jokes and sing their favorite country tunes.

Marshall was a personable type person who enjoyed meeting people, shaking hands and sitting down with them to chat-a recipe for success in small clubs and taverns. The Seven Star was also a place where new performers could show their respective picking and singing talent.