One
would think that a country and western band that went by the name “Smith’s
Tennesseans” would come from Tennessee. But
in this case, some of the band hailed from my mother’s hometown of Green
Springs in Sandusky County, and several other players had Ohio
connections. In addition, their daily
radio show in the 1930s and 40s was on WSPD, Toledo’s flagship AM station. We don’t know all the details, but let’s see
what we can remember about “Smith’s Tennesseans.”
The band was formed by a husband and wife team. Roy Smith was born in Tennessee, but wound up
as a high school band instrument teacher in Jackson Township, Sandusky County. He
owned a 100 acre farm was in near Green Springs, while living in the village on
Euclid Avenue. Roy played the fiddle,
the bass, and sang tenor.[i]
In 1923, Roy married Lola Borelis. Lola grew up in Cleveland, but lived most of
her life in northwest Ohio. Lola Smith
played several instruments, including piano, accordion, and organ. She was listed as a “station musician” for
WSPD Radio from 1933 to 1957, which was apparently the duration of the
Tennesseans life. Some sources list
husband Roy as the bandleader, but by 1940, Lola Smith was in charge.
That
year, other musicians included “Richard,” violin and bass, joined in 1935,
“Slim,” guitar, bass, and yodeling, also joining in 1935, and “Smokey Joe,”
banjo, guitar, and alternate yodeler.
Other members over the years included Glencairn James Giffen, of Clyde, Ohio, vocals and guitar.[ii]
In
addition to their radio show, the group was in demand for dances in Ohio,
Michigan, and Indiana several times a week. In 1937, they played at the Green Springs high
school auditorium. Many years later in
1951, they played to the Macomber High School in Toledo. The musicians changed their name around 1940
to “Lola
and her Circle Star Ranch Boys.” Now
equipped with fancier, cowboy-style costumes, the Ranch Boys published a book
of their songs, including “Across the Texas Plains,” “Little Sweetheart of the
Ozarks,” and the memorable “They Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dawg Around.”
When
WSPD began television broadcasting in 1948, the Ranch Boys were featured
performers. Local television in those
days was truly local, with much of the programming originating from local
talent. Lola Smith recalled later that
she had to write out her own cue cards, in large letters. The writing became painful, and she thought
she may have to give up music, but the discomfort left her once she stopped
writing cue cards.[iii]
In
the 1950s, the name of the band appears to have changed back to Smith’s Tennesseans. A contemporary ad called them “Toledo’s
Favorite Attraction.” After the band
dispersed, Lola worked as a private music teacher from her home in the Old West
End. It is unclear what became of Roy
Smith; Lola Smith died April 18, 1996 in Sylvania.[iv] It is unfortunate that the band never made a
record, but unless some other recording is found, we cannot say just what
Smith’s Tennesseans sounded like. We can
say that they provided popular music for their local audience for many
years. That may be testament enough.
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