June 26, 1914: Musician Doc Williams Born in Cleveland

Musician Doc Williams was born in Cleveland on June 26, 1914. Williams and his Border Riders band came to Wheeling radio station WWVA in 1937. With only slight interruption, he was associated with the Wheeling Jamboree radio program for the rest of his career.

The Border Riders at times included Doc’s fiddle-playing brother Cy, blind accordionist Marion Martin, wife Chickie Williams, and such comedians as Froggie Cortez, “Hiram Hayseed,” and Smoky Pleacher. Doc and Chickie’s daughters, Barbara, Madeline, and Karen, periodically joined in with the band.

Here’s a clip of Doc singing “Memory Lane”:

Over more than 70 years, Doc kept alive the traditional style of country music. From the 1970s to 1998, he operated his Doc Williams Country Store across Main Street from Capitol Music Hall.

Doc and Chickie Williams were inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Doc Williams died at his home in Wheeling in 2011 at age 96.