Country Variety (started in 1925)

The show was a grossly popular country variety show that included hillbilly, country, folk, and "clodhopping" musical arts. Dubbed the "king of all hillbilly shows," it began spontaneously when George Dewey Hay, who had an affinity for the simple mountain life, discovered the toe-tapping sounds of country.

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In 1924, Hay was already working on a rustic Saturday-nighter, The National Barn Dance. It was here that he heard of an old fiddler named "Uncle" Jimmy Thompson, then 83, who fought in the Civil War and played the fiddle for the soldiers. Jimmy was invited to play on the show, with his piano accompanist, and that's when the show took off.

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In a few short years, the show grew from a 200-seat studio, to the 2,000 seat Nashville War Memorial Auditorium. People came from everywhere to come and see the spectacle, some came to play their family's song on the air. All in all, the show provided a rootin', tootin' good time for all ages.