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Sunflower
Born:  October 23, 1921
Died:  September 5, 1958
WWVA Original Jamboree
KQV Pittsburgh, PA
WJAS Pittsburgh, PA
WKST New Castle, PA
WREC Memphis, TN
WWVA Wheeling, WV

About The Artist

"Sunflower" was the stage name for Mary Virginia Calvas, a girl of Irish and Italian descent and native of Davis, West Virginia. She became best known as female vocalist with Doc Williams and the Border Riders in the 1937-1942 years. She seems to have joined the Border Riders at KQV radio in Pittsburgh not long before the band relocated to WWVA in May 1937.

A letter to the editor in a Buddy Starcher Fan Club Newsletter indicated the stay in Pittsburgh included a six month engagement over radio station WJAS.

Doc Williams wrote of Sunflower in the first edition of The Simplified By Ear System of Guitar Chords by Doc Williams (1st Printing 1943) that Mary Calvas (Sunflower) was the third female singer for the Border Riders. The first was Mickey McCarthy (promotional ads billed her as "The Girl with Pep"); she only stayed with the group a few short months, having to leave due to illness that led to her death three years later. The second was Mary Jane Mosier from Greensboro, Pennsylvania. She stayed with the Border Riders for nine months. She was replaced by Sunflower.

Portrait - Brother Cy and Sunflower - Milo Smik and Mary Virginia Calvas Smik - 1939

Photo  DOc Williams and the Border Riders - Curley Simms - Cy Williams - Froggie Cortez - Sunflower - Doc Williams - 1938-1940

Photo - Sunflower - Mary Calvas - WWVA World's Original Jamboree Book No. 2 Celebrating 15 Years Photo - Sunflower - From Buddy Starcher Newsletter - Vol. 1 No. 3 - 1949

The Girl With the Sunny Disposition - Sunflower - Mary Calvas Smik
Doc Williams and his Border Riders - Curley Simms - Brother Cy - Frottie Cortez - Doc Williams - Sunflower - Jo-Jo

Doc Williams and the Border Riders - 1942 - Sunflower - Doc Williams - Smokey Davis - Jesse Porter - Cy Williams

Photo - Brother Cy - Doc Williams - Sunflower - WWVA - 1940's

She ranked as a key band member when the group won the Jamboree popularity contest in May 1938. When introducing her, Doc introduced her as the "Girl with the Sunny Disposition." On May 18, 1939, she married Doc's fiddle playing brother Cy Williams (real name Milo Smik). The next day the whole band left on a month-long vacation through Western states which apparently also doubled as a honeymoon for the newlyweds. In 1940 the Border Riders worked the summer months at WREC Memphis before returning to Wheeling.

As part of the WWVA Jamboree's Seventh Anniersary, the station sent some of its performers on the "Second Annual Good-Will Tour that was to be from April 27 to May 4, 1940. In 1941, a similar tour was held. Below you can see how the personnel changed with various acts in one year.

WWVA Jamboree 2nd Annual Good-Will Tour
April 27 to May 4, 1940

Cities and Venues on the tour:
  • Saturday, April 27, 1940
    Wheeling Market Auditorium
    Wheeling, WV

  • Sunday, April 28, 1940
    City Auditorium
    Canton, OH

  • Monday, April 29, 1940
    Memorial Building
    Dover, OH

  • Tuesday, April 30, 1940
    Greensburg High School
    Greensburg, PA

  • Wednesday, May 1, 1940
    New Civic Auditorium
    Zanesville, OH

  • Thursday, May 2, 1940
    Georges Township High School
    York Run, PA

  • Friday, May 3, 1940
    Stambaugh Auditorium
    Youngstown, OH

  • Saturday, May 4, 1940
    Wheeling Market Auditorium
    Wheeling, WV
WWVA Acts on the Tour:
  • Border Riders
    • Doc Williams
    • Sunflower
    • Brother Sy
    • Froggie
    • Curley Sims
  • Ploughboys
    • Curley Miller
    • Jimmy Hutchinson
    • Jack Callaway
    • Cy Sneezeweed
  • Chuckwagon Gang
    • Joe Barker
    • Little Shirley
    • Jughead
    • Muleskinner Bob
    • Tony
    • Zipper
  • Big Slim's Boys
    • Big Slim
    • Quarantine
    • Johnny Hill
    • Big Shorty
    • Toby (Stroud)
  • Log Cabin Gang
    • Frankie More
    • Little Shoe
    • Cricket
    • Penny Woodford
    • Dolph Hewitt
    • Tee-Bone
  • Fiddlin' Farmers
    • Mack Jeffers
    • Slick Jeffers
    • Sleepy Jeffers
    • Shorty Godwin
  • Boys From Iowa
    • Blaine Smith
    • Brother Cal (Smith)
    • Rusty Hiser
    • Billy Steed
    • Lorraine Irwin
  • Pete Cassell
  • Tommy Nelson
  • Bill Thomas
  • Paul J. Miller
  • Bill Jones

WWVA Jamboree 3rd Annual Good-Will Tour
April 14 to April 20, 1941

Cities and Venues on the tour:
  • Monday, April 14, 1941
    Clairton High School; Clairton, PA

  • Tuesday, April 15, 1941
    City Greensburg High School
    Greensburg, PA

  • Wednesday, April 16, 1941
    Ambridge High School
    Ambridge, PA

  • Thursday, April 17, 1941
    Stambaugh Auditorium
    Youngstown, OH

  • Friday, April 18, 1941
    Dennison High School
    Dennison, OH

  • Saturday, April 19, 1941
    Wheeling Market Auditorium
    Wheeling, WV

  • Sunday, April 20, 1941
    Akron Armory
    Akron, OH

WWVA Acts on the Tour:
  • Happy Ranch Gang
    • Big Slim
    • Quarantine
    • Johnny Hill
    • Toby Stroud
    • Chief Red Hawk
  • Chuckwagon Doughboys
    • Curley Miller
    • Joe Barker
    • Little Shirley
    • Sonny Day
    • Jimmy Hutchinson
    • Willie Whistle
  • Log Cabin Boys
    • Frankie More
    • Sunflower
    • Dolph Hewitt
    • Brother Sy
    • Joey
    • Froggie
  • Lew Childre and His Buckeyes
    • Lew Childre
    • Bill Jones
    • Sam
    • Julius
    • Stanley
    • Mr. Pooch
  • Brown Eyes
  • Bennie
  • Smiley Sutter
  • Paul J. Miller
  • Gene Johnson
  • Bill Thomas

In 1943, Cowboy Music World shows she had a 15-minute program over WWVA with Paul Yost. Cowboy Music World reported she was doing a show with Reed Dunn over WWVA in 1944.

Mary Jean Shurtz told readers in June of 1946 that Sunflower had been off the air due to being ill and in the hospital. She had returned and was back on WWVA as part of the Mountaineer Matinee with Smilie Sutter and Reed Dunn.

In Doc's Guitar Instruction booklet of 1943, he included a photo of Brother Cy and Sunflower (our photo collection as that photo) that indicated it was taken in the winter of 1939. But Doc also told readers that Sunflower had decided to retire in 1943 from performing.

Not long afterward, the USA entered World War II and Cy entered military service. Unfortunately, his and Sunflower's marriage became in the fashion of many marital unions a casualty of the conflict, and they divorced soon after Cy's return.

Promo Ad - Stonecreek High School - New Philadelphia High School - Doc Williams - Curley Simms - Brother Cy - Froggie Cortez - Sunflower - 1939
Promo Ad - Slovak Hall - Connellsville, PA - Border Riders - Sunflower - Froggie Cortez - Curley Simms - Brother Cy - WWVA - 1940

Meanwhile, Sunflower worked for a time at WKST in New Castle, Pennsylvania. National Hillbilly News had evidently heard from WWVA listeners who were asking, "Where's Sunflower and Froggie?" They had joined Curley Miller's Ploughboys on the New Castle, Pennsylvania station. They were doing shows twice a day, 7:05am to 7:45am and then a Saturday night show from 9:30pm to 10:00pm. They were also on the "Hayloft Frolic" show held at the Cathedral in New Castle at 8:00pm. A portion of that show was broadcast from 10:00pm to 10:30pm.

Later she married Eddie Wallace who worked at WWVA in the 1949-1951 period as pianist for the well-known gospel quartet, Sunshine Boys. They most often made their headquarters in the Atlanta area.

In the later 1950's, Sunflower contracted serious heart problems brought on by rheumatic fever. She died before reaching the age of forty. Her obituary mentions another daughter and son besides Sandra - Debbie Wallace and Ed Wallace Jr.

Photo Collage - Sunflower - Mary Calvas Smik - Sandra Sue Smik - late 1940's

Credits & Sources

  • Hillbilly-Music.com would like to express its thanks to Ivan M. Tribe, author of Mountaineer Jamboree — Country Music in West Virginia and other books that can be found on Amazon.com and numerous articles in other publications for providing us with information about this artist.
  • The Simplified By Ear System of Guitar Chords by Doc Williams (1st Printing 1943); Doc Williams; 1943
  • Buddy Starcher Newsletter 1949 (Vol. 1 No. 3); Marlene Abbott (Letter to Editor); Marion Goddard (Editor); Marietta, OH
  • I've Been Listenin'; Mary Jean Shurtz; June 1946; The Mountain Broadcast and Prairie Recorder; Mountain Broadcast Pub. Co.; New York, NY
  • Where's Sunflower and Froggie?; August 1946; National Hillbilly News; Poster Show Print Co.; Huntington, WV
  • Second Annual Good-Will Tour Souvenir WWVA Jamboree; 1940; WWVA; Wheeling, WV (Hillbilly-Music.com Collection)
  • Third Annual Good-Will Tour Souvenir WWVA Jamboree; 1941; WWVA; Wheeling, WV (Hillbilly-Music.com Collection)
  • First Edition of Our Listener Scrap Book - Doc Williams and his Border Riders; Doc Williams; Wheeling, WV (Hillbilly-Music.com Collection)
  • Mrs. Ed F. Wallace (Obituary); September 6, 1958; Atlanta Constitution; Atlanta, GA


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