Country Music On Television
During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, country music programs became a staple of syndicated television.
The syndicated television program, The Porter Wagoner Show, aired from 1960 to 1981. There were 686 30-minute episodes taped; the first 104 (1960–66) in black-and-white and the remainder (1966–81) in color. At its peak, his show was featured in over 100 markets, with an average viewership of over three million.
The Wilburn Brothers had a syndicated television program, The Wilburn Brothers Show, that ran from 1963 to 1974, with 354 half-hour episodes produced. The show featured the popular country performers of the day, including Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Ray Price, Tammy Wynette, The Starler Brothers, George Jones and many others.
Between 1991 and 1998, the Statler Brothers hosted their own show on TNN, The Statler Brothers Show, a weekly variety show and the channel's top-rated program for its entire run.
Pop! Goes the Country was among the top rated country music shows. Pop! Goes the Country was a weekly half-hour syndicated variety country music television series between September 7, 1974 and January 1, 1982.
From the infamous cornfield jokes to the donkey's wild lines, Hee Haw solidified its place in American culture, reveling in its Southern twang and humor. Featuring some of country music's biggest stars, Hee haw was one of the most popular and longest-running variety shows in television history.
That Good Ole Nashville Music was a straight-ahead country music series featuring the popular country performers of the day, including Crystal Gayle, Mickey Gilley, Barbara Mandrell, Jeannie C. Riley, Johnny Paycheck, the Statler Brothers, Larry Gatlin, Dottie West, Dave Dudley, Mel Street, Don Gibson, Dolly Parton and Ronnie Milsap.
Click the links below to listen to country music on the tube.
