Interview with Al Hawkes, October 9, 2007
Project: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Al Hawkes talks about both his and his father's interest in the technical aspects of radio and broadcasting, and how he began building radios from kits as a child. He talks about creating an illegal radio station in high school, broadcasting country, bluegrass, and old time music to the area around his town until he got word that the FCC was going to shut him down. Hawkes talks about how, as a teenager, he met a fellow country and old time music enthusiast, Alton Meyers, an African American man. He talks about forming a band with Alton, called "Allerton & Alton, the Cumberland Ridge Runners." He talks about how earning his broadcasting license led him to a job with the Armed Forces Radio Service in Tripoli, Libya during his time in the Korean War. Hawkes talks about how a snowstorm trapped the Bailey Brothers at his house during a tour, and how this event led to the idea for his recording company and record label, Event Records. He describes one of his early recording sessions, with the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover. Hawkes talks about the enormous billboard he built to advertise his electronics business. He talks about the lights and the moving arms on the man on the billboard. He talks about his personal collection of music industry artifacts and his interest in archiving and preserving records of musical history.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
Popular music--Writing and publishing. Lyric writing (Popular music) Radio transmission Disc jockeys Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) Allerton & Alton, the Cumberland Ridge Runners (Artist) United States--Race relations. Bailey Brothers (Artist) Event Records Lilly Brothers (Artist) Snowmobile Sal (Song) Electronics businesses Memorabilia Military life Military serviceInterview LC Subject
Bands (Music) Bluegrass music. Bluegrass musicians Country music. Music. Musical groups. Musical instruments. Musical performance Musicians Music--Instruction and study. Music--Performance. Radio programs. Radio stations. Records. Songs. Sound recordings. Sound studios Sound--Recording and reproducing Businesspeople Small business--Ownership Electronics. Korean War, 1950-1953Interview Rights
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
Add this interview to your cart in order to begin the process of requesting access to a copy of and/or permission to reproduce interview(s).
Hawkes, Al Interview by Harvey Weinstein. 09 Oct. 2007. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Hawkes, A. (2007, October 09). Interview by H. Weinstein. Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Hawkes, Al, interview by Harvey Weinstein. October 09, 2007, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7pnv998z96