Doc Williams and The Border Riders Born:  June 26, 1914 Died:  January 31, 2011 West Virgnia Music Hall of Fame (2009) WWVA Original Jamboree WJAY Mullins, SC WWVA Wheeling, WV WFMD Frederick, MD (1945)

About The Artist Doc Williams made his first appearance on the WWVA Jamboree back in December of 1937. He's the oldest living regular member of the Jamboree and still a favorite of the fans. It didn't take him long to capture the hearts of the fans - in 1938 he won the distinction as the station's most popular act. His band the Border Riders were there when he joined - back then it included "Rawhide" Flincher, his brother Cy Williams, Sunflower and Curly Sims. Before Doc and the Border Riders made it to WWVA, he made a few stops. He grew up in the small towns of Pennsylvania. Doc and his brother played locally in the Kittaning area until Doc went back to Cleveland in 1932 and joined a group called Doc McCaulley and his Kansas Clodhoppers, where Doc learned a lot about the music of the West Virginia mountains. It wasn't long til Doc formed his own group called the Allegheny Ramblers. That group had his brother Cy (real name Milo) on fiddle and Curley Sims on mandolin while Doc handled guitar and harmonica. Around 1935, Doc and his group went to radio station KQV in Pittsburgh and also changed their name to the Cherokee Hillbillies. Shortly after that they met up with a female singer named Billy Walker and became the Texas Longhorns. She left for WWL in New Orleans in 1937. Doc and his group, regrouped so to speak and then became the Border Riders. It was at this time, Cowboy Doc (as he was known then) took the surname of Williams, too. Later on, Doc also started his own record label, Wheeling Records. And opened a store in Wheeling across from the Capitol Music Hall . In fact, his wife, Chickie had quite a hit with "Beyond the Sunset" that included a poem called "Should You Go First" back in 1947. Timeline and Trivia Notes Real name was Andrew Smik; from Cleveland, Ohio Founded Wheeling Records Started "Doc Willams Country Store" in Wheeling Border Rider members included: Doc Williams Curley Sims Doc's brother, Cy Sunflower (real name Mary Calvas (who was also married to Cy) Hamilton "Rawhide" Flincher, who played a comedian role Big Slim (Harry C. McAuliffe) joined in December 1937 as vocalist James "Froggie" Cortez later took over for Rawhide in comedy Marion Martin, accordion player was added later, too Doc's wife, Chickie (real name Wanda) filled in for Sunflower when needed and eventually held that role permanently and became a star in her own right Shorty Godwin appeared as Hiram Hayseed for a stint, too in the comedy role. Doc Williams and the Border Riders came onto the music scene in 1937. Cowboy Doc as he was called then had been a member of Billie Walker's Texas Longhorns group, but she had decided to move on to radio station WWL in New Orleans, Louisiana. Doc then decided to form his own band and changed his name at that time to Doc Williams. His real name? You can find that elsewhere on the site. We'll be adding to the story here as time goes by and we catch up. Timeline and Trivia Notes Group members, 1937 (Pittsburgh, PA): Doc Williams Hamliton "Rawhide" Fincher Mary Jane Mosier Cy Williams Group members, 1937 (Wheeling, WV): Doc Williams Hamilton "Rawhide" Fincher Cy Williams Sunflower (Mary Calvas) Curley Simms Group members, 1938-40 (Wheeling, WV and Memphis, TN) Doc Williams Curley Simms Cy Williams Froggie Cortez Sunflower (Mary Calvas) Group members, 1942 (Wheeling, WV): Doc Williams Smokey Davis Jesse Porter Cy Williams Sunflower (Mary Calvas) Credits & Sources Mountaineer Jamboree, By Ivan Tribe, The University Press of Kentucky, 1984 The Simplified By Ear System of Guitar Chords by Doc Williams, Published by Andrew J. Smik, Jr., First printing, June 1943 Sound Sample—(YouTube Video Format) Silver Bells

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Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)   Wheeling Records Rec. No. Side Song Title   DW1002 A Silver Bell   DW1002 B Willy Roy, The Crippled Boy   DW1003 A Merry Maiden Polka   DW1003 B Broken Memories, The Crippled Boy   DW1006 A Roses Are Blooming   DW1006 B Snow Deer   DW1007 A Night Wind Waltz   DW1007 B Weary Tired And Blue   DW1008 A Red Wing   DW1008 B My Old Brown Coat And Me   DW1009 A Fire Fly Waltz   DW1009 B Polka Girl   DW1010 A Man In The Moon   DW1010 B Little Blossom   DW1011 A Rainbow   DW1011 B Mary Of The Wild Moor   DW1013 A Glorious Home (w/Cy Williams)   DW1013 B My Sinner Friend (w/Cy Williams)   DW1014 A Wheeling Back To Wheeling, W.Va.   DW1014 B Three Wishes   DW1015 A Fetchin' Gretchen Home   DW1015 B Why Should I Cry?   DW1016 A Prisoner At The Bar   DW1016 B I Love You Little Darling   DW1017 A One Heart One Life   DW1017 B There's Another Always Waiting   DW1021 A My House Of Broken Dreams   DW1021 B Hannah