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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 61.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 760 items) |
| Abstract | Ralph Deward Epperson founded radio station WPAQ (740 AM) in Mount Airy, N.C. The station began broadcasting in February 1948 and was the first radio station in Surry County, N.C. On the station, Epperson promoted local musicians and the region's traditional bluegrass, old-time, and gospel music. He has been widely credited with contributing to the preservation of the music of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia. The collection consists of instantaneous discs, open reel tapes, and audiocassettes. Instantaneous discs were recorded at WPAQ in Mount Airy, N.C., many of them during live radio broadcasts. Discs include recordings of Ralph Epperson, as well as local performers of gospel music and bluegrass music, including Benton Flippen, the Green Valley Boys, the Carolina Sunshine Trio, and the Gospel Four Quartet. Open reel tapes include recordings of bluegrass and old-time music conventions and festivals, recordings of the weekly WPAQ radio show Merry-Go-Round, and other recordings made during live broadcasts at WPAQ. Artists recorded include Melvin Slaydon and the Carolina Ramblers, Tommy Jarrell, Ernest East and the Pine Ridge Boys, Delmar Starling and the Original Carolina Buddies, the Blue Sky Ramblers, and Glen McPeak and the Green Valley Boys. Audiocassettes consist of recorded oral history interviews with Ralph Epperson. |
| Creator | Epperson, Ralph. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
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Biographical Information
Ralph Deward Epperson was born was born 5 April 1921, to Harry and Lula Watson Epperson in Patrick County, Va. He attended Blue Ridge High School in Ararat, Va., and earned a Bachelor of Science in radio engineering from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. During World War II, Epperson worked at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. He later lived with his wife, Earlene Shaw Epperson, and their two children in Mount Airy, N.C.
Epperson built and founded radio station WPAQ 740 AM in Mount Airy. WPAQ began broadcasting in February 1948 and was the first radio station in Surry County, N.C. As head of the radio station, Epperson made a commitment to devote time each day to promoting local musicians and the region's traditional bluegrass, old-time, and gospel music. WPAQ maintained this commitment over the next several decades, even as many other rural stations switched to more commercial formats. The weekly show "Merry-Go-Round," still broadcast as of 2006, the third-oldest live radio program in the United States, features bluegrass and old-time music performed by local and traveling artists.
Ralph Epperson also helped found and establish radio stations WBRG in Lynchburg, Va.; WPNC AM and FM in Plymouth, N.C.; WPMH in Portsmouth, Va.; and WBRF 98.1 FM in Galax, Va. He received many awards for his work in radio, including the International Bluegrass Music Association's Distinguished Achievement Award, the Award of Merit from the International Bluegrass Music Association, and induction into the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Epperson has been widely credited with contributing to the preservation of the music of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia. He died 31 May 2006 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Sources: David Pruett, "WPAQ Radio" ( Country Music Annual 2002); "Ralph Deward Epperson" obituary ( Winston-Salem Journal, 1 June 2006).
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Scope and Content
The Ralph Epperson collection consists of instantaneous discs, open reel tapes, and audiocassettes. Instantaneous discs were recorded at radio station WPAQ in Mount Airy, N.C., many of them recorded during live radio broadcasts. Discs include recordings of Ralph Epperson, as well as local performers of gospel music and bluegrass music, including Benton Flippen, the Green Valley Boys, the Carolina Sunshine Trio, and the Gospel Four Quartet. Open reel tapes include recordings of bluegrass and old-time music conventions and festivals, recordings of the weekly WPAQ radio show "Merry-Go-Round," and other recordings made during live broadcasts at WPAQ. Artists recorded include Melvin Slaydon and the Carolina Ramblers, Tommy Jarrell, Ernest East and the Pine Ridge Boys, Delmar Starling and the Original Carolina Buddies, the Blue Sky Ramblers, and Glen McPeak and the Green Valley Boys. Audiocassettes consist of recorded oral history interviews with Ralph Epperson.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Instantaneous Discs, 1943-1958 and undated.
Arrangement: by call number.
The information appearing below has been, for the most part, transcribed from the items described. Numbers in brackets are the original numbers assigned by the station.
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Series 2. Open Reel Tapes, 1958-1991 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
The information appearing below has been, for the most part, transcribed from the items described.