The Professional Work of Entertainer and Businessman, Chester R Smith
Chester Smith started on the country music scene in the 1950′s and ran with the likes of Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. Smith was born in Durant, Oklahoma on Mar. 29, 1930, the son of Louis and Effie Smith who came to California (CA) in 1935 like many others seeking refuge from the Oklahoma dust bowl. The family settled in a migrant camp in the small Fresno County town of Tranquillity, CA. Chester started singing Gene Autry songs in 1939 on Fresno, CA radio station KMJ.
In 1942 his family moved to Turlock and shortly thereafter moved to Modesto, CA. Smith found his way to KTRB when he was 15 and sang several times on the Children's Hour hosted by Mrs. Carol Glass, a prominent local teacher. Later, he dropped out of Modesto High School and started his own DJ program on KTRB on Jan. 3, 1947. Chester was on the air following the popular program of the Maddox Brothers and Rose.
Smith was still a minor when he formed a small country music band while at KTRB and began playing at public night spots including John McDonald’s Riverbank Club House, in the small farming community of Riverbank - just north of Modesto, CA. In the first few years Smith himself was not able to play with his band at venues where liquor was served because he was too young to legally get in. So, his band played without him.
Chester sponsored Hank Snow, Johnnie and Jack and Kitty Wells, Marty Robbins and Hank Williams among others at the Riverbank Club House. During that time, T. Texas Tyler, Lefty Frizzell, Jim Reeves, Freddie Hart, Jim Ed and Maxine Brown also appeared there. In 1952, his band included Claude Maples (piano), Norm Jones (electric guitar), Earl Colwell (drums) and Earl Jennings (fiddle) with Smith on rhythm guitar. During 1955 they were appearing Thursdays and Saturdays at the Riverbank Club House when they weren't on the road touring.
In 1953 Smith signed a recording contract with Capitol records. Chester’s musical career took off a year later when he was approached by Modesto housewife Hazel Houser to record a religious song she had written called Wait a little Longer Please Jesus. They recorded the song together and it was released by Capitol records becoming a hit in the gospel genre. As a result, Smith was named best new talent by the country music disc jockeys that year. This song put him on the map and started his road to riches. In 1957, Smith had a show over KFRE-TV in Fresno, CA every Sunday afternoon and on KCRA-TV in the state capitol city of Sacramento, CA on Saturdays. Del Reeves was a regular on The Chester Smith Show from 1958-1961.
Chester left KTRB in March 1963 when he received a license to build a radio station in Ceres, CA. KLOC went on the air on Oct. 17, 1963 and it was the beginning of the change from entertainer to businessman. Chester was following in the footsteps of his early inspiration Gene Autry, cowboy singer/entertainer, who turned from entertainer to broadcaster and then businessman. In 1966, Smith took the giant step into television putting channel 19, KLOC-TV in Modesto, CA on the air on Aug. 26. Operations were located in a new building he built next to his radio studios on Iowa Ave. west of Modesto, CA.
Chester continued to operate both stations until 1981 when he sold KLOC radio and with the funds derived from the sale he built his second TV station, KCBA, channel 35 in Salinas-Monterey, CA which he later sold. Smith went on to create a media empire that stretched the length of the San Joaquin Valley and beyond, from Bakersfield, CA to Oregon. He owned Modesto-based Sainte Partners II, which owns and operates TV stations in California and Oregon. Smith created Northern California's first Spanish-language radio station and he later was honored for his work by the Latino Community Roundtable of Stanislaus County. The television stations he started were sold to Univision and his stock was estimated to be worth about $45 million after the sale.
In 2000, Chester made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry where he and lifelong friend Merle Haggard sang a song together. Smith’s business insight in the television industry earned him an award as broadcaster of the year by the California Broadcasters Association in 2003.
The local Riverbank, California newspaper noted that Chester lived on his ranch for many years just north of Riverbank on the opposite side of the Stanislaus River. Chester donated nearly $10,000 to help get the community pool built. He helped promote the city's Festiva Latina during the years he owned his television station. Chester was awarded the Modesto Area Music Association's lifetime achievement award in 2002. He also won a Pioneer award from the Christian Country Music Association.
