Renfro Valley, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Renfro Valley is a neighborhood located just off Interstate 75
in Mount Vernon
, a city in Rockcastle County
, Kentucky
, United States
. The community of Renfro Valley (which has its own United States Post Office, zip code 40473) includes the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center. Since being founded by local area native John Lair and others in 1939, Renfro Valley Entertainment Center has hosted the Renfro Valley Barn Dance
, a traditional country music show which gave entertainers such as Hank Snow
, Hank Williams, Red Foley
, and Homer and Jethro
the spotlight early in their careers. The Barn Dance and other programming originating in Renfro Valley was broadcast over the CBS Radio Network until the late 1950s.
Today, Renfro Valley is known throughout Kentucky
and the rest of the country for its rich history of "Real Country Music by Real Country Folks." This tradition continues today with outstanding stage shows put on by the current cast of Renfro Valley entertainers. Also, since 1992, Renfro Valley Entertainment Center has hosted Headliner Concerts that feature a mixture of well known country singers with newer artists, as well as bluegrass, gospel, and comedy acts.
Renfro Valley, Kentucky is also home to the http://www.kentuckymusicmuseum.com Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
(also formerly known as Renfro Valley Sunday Morning Gatherin' ), which is the second oldest continually broadcast rural/country oriented radio program in the United States
, having been aired every Sunday since September 1943. (Among rural/country oriented programs, only the Grand Ole Opry has been broadcast on a continual basis longer, since 1925.) After CBS Radio stopped carrying the show in the late 1950s, a pre-recorded version of the Gatherin' program went into syndication. The syndicated broadcast of the Gatherin' is still heard on scores of stations across the United States and Canada, as well as on satellite radio and Internet broadcasts. One station which broadcasts the Gatherin is the local radio station in Mt. Vernon - Renfro Valley, Kentucky, which is WRVK 1460 AM. For many years now, WRVK has been owned and operated separately from the Entertainment Center, although it was also co-founded by John Lair in 1957. Today WRVK is owned by Saylor Broadcasting, Inc. of Mt. Vernon, Kentucky.
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Kentucky
Mount Vernon is a city in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,592 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rockcastle County. It is located at the junction of U.S...
, a city in Rockcastle County
Rockcastle County, Kentucky
Rockcastle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,582. Its county seat is Mt. Vernon. The county is named for the Rockcastle River which runs through it...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The community of Renfro Valley (which has its own United States Post Office, zip code 40473) includes the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center. Since being founded by local area native John Lair and others in 1939, Renfro Valley Entertainment Center has hosted the Renfro Valley Barn Dance
Renfro Valley Barn Dance
Renfro Valley Barn Dance was an American country music stage and radio show originally carried by WLW-AM in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday nights. It debuted on October 9, 1937 from the Cincinnati Music Hall and moved to the Memorial Auditorium in Dayton, Ohio. It was hosted by John Lair, Red Foley,...
, a traditional country music show which gave entertainers such as Hank Snow
Hank Snow
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
, Hank Williams, Red Foley
Red Foley
Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....
, and Homer and Jethro
Homer and Jethro
Homer and Jethro were the stage names of American country music duo Henry D. Haynes and Kenneth C. Burns , popular from the 1940s through the 1960s on radio and television for their satirical versions of popular songs...
the spotlight early in their careers. The Barn Dance and other programming originating in Renfro Valley was broadcast over the CBS Radio Network until the late 1950s.
Today, Renfro Valley is known throughout Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and the rest of the country for its rich history of "Real Country Music by Real Country Folks." This tradition continues today with outstanding stage shows put on by the current cast of Renfro Valley entertainers. Also, since 1992, Renfro Valley Entertainment Center has hosted Headliner Concerts that feature a mixture of well known country singers with newer artists, as well as bluegrass, gospel, and comedy acts.
Renfro Valley, Kentucky is also home to the http://www.kentuckymusicmuseum.com Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Radio
Renfro Valley is the home of Renfro Valley Gatherin'Renfro Valley Gatherin'
Renfro Valley Gatherin' is a United States radio program based in Renfro Valley, Kentucky...
(also formerly known as Renfro Valley Sunday Morning Gatherin' ), which is the second oldest continually broadcast rural/country oriented radio program in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, having been aired every Sunday since September 1943. (Among rural/country oriented programs, only the Grand Ole Opry has been broadcast on a continual basis longer, since 1925.) After CBS Radio stopped carrying the show in the late 1950s, a pre-recorded version of the Gatherin' program went into syndication. The syndicated broadcast of the Gatherin' is still heard on scores of stations across the United States and Canada, as well as on satellite radio and Internet broadcasts. One station which broadcasts the Gatherin is the local radio station in Mt. Vernon - Renfro Valley, Kentucky, which is WRVK 1460 AM. For many years now, WRVK has been owned and operated separately from the Entertainment Center, although it was also co-founded by John Lair in 1957. Today WRVK is owned by Saylor Broadcasting, Inc. of Mt. Vernon, Kentucky.
External links
- www.renfrovalley.com Official site of Renfro Valley Entertainment Center
- www.wrvk1460.com Official site of WRVK Radio Station