Midnite Jamboree
The Midnite Jamboree was a radio program that aired from May 31, 1947 through March 2022 on WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. It was launched by country musician Ernest Tubb. The program was recorded from Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville, Tennessee each Saturday. Through a brokered programming arrangement with Ernest Tubb Record Shop,[1] the Jamboree aired following the Grand Ole Opry; as the program's name implied, it aired at midnight Central Time.
 The Midnite Jamboree is recorded at a theater in Ernest Tubb Record Shop (sign pictured). | |
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | WSM |
| Starring | Jennifer Herron |
| Created by | Ernest Tubb |
| Recording studio | Texas Troubadour Theatre (1974–2021) Ernest Tubb Record Shop (1951–1974, 2021–2022) |
| Original release | May 31, 1947 – May 3, 2022 |
| Website | ernesttubb |
In its later years, the Midnite Jamboree was billed as "the second longest running radio show in history." After this was debunked, it revised its claim to be second-longest only among country radio shows, but this too is disputed as the Wheeling Jamboree and Renfro Valley Gatherin' both date to earlier, and none of the three have had continuous runs. Both of the other contenders have changed stations since their debuts while the Midnite Jamboree has not.
Show format
The Midnite Jamboree begins each episode with the theme song "Walking the Floor Over You" by the show's namesake Ernest Tubb, followed by playing a record from Jimmie C. Rodgers. The remainder of the show is devoted to a single country music act, who plays a set lasting approximately an hour. Many of the acts play a shorter set at the Grand Ole Opry earlier in the night before playing a full set at the Midnite Jamboree. The set is periodically interrupted to play songs from featured albums on sale at the record shop. The Midnite Jamboree was particularly known for focusing on traditional country/western and bluegrass music, avoiding contemporary acts because it believed that the older styles were what audiences wanted to see.[2]
History
From 1974 to 2020, the show moved to the Texas Troubadour Theatre, closer to the current Grand Ole Opry House. It briefly shut down in March and April 2015 due to financial shortfalls; the program had never been profitable, but declines in record sales had made keeping the show up and running unsustainable.[1] In an effort to draw larger crowds, the previously live program—airing at midnight Central Time—shifted to earlier in the evening, as there was little to do in that section of Nashville between the time the Opry ended and the Jamboree began.[3] In July 2021, following a pandemic hiatus in which WSM aired reruns of the program, the show returned to Ernest Tubb Record Shop.[4]
On March 11, 2022, the owners of Ernest Tubb Record Shop announced that it would be going out of business in the spring, ending the program.[5] Saving Country Music postulated that a court had ordered a liquidation of the shop to settle a dispute between Jesse Lee Jones and David McCormick, both of whom held ownership stakes at various points in the 21st century.[1] Encore broadcasts have aired in the time slot on WSM since the closure was announced, with wraparound segments continuing to count upward as if the programs were new and still in production. A special 75th Anniversary live broadcast is scheduled to be recorded and aired May 3.
References
- Trigger (2022-03-28). "How The Ernest Tubb Record Shop's Future Was Put in Peril". Saving Country Music. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
- Webster 8/6/2004, Stephanie. "Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree to Air 3,000th Broadcast". CMT News. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- Littman, Margaret (2015-04-01). "Ernest Tubb's 'Midnite Jamboree' Hits Pause". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Midnite Jamboree returns to downtown Nashville
- "Famed Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville up for sale". AP NEWS. 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-13.