WHIS Radio Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

October 21, 1935: Country Musician Mel Street Born in Virginia

Country musician Mel Street was born near Grundy, Virginia, on October 21, 1935. He gained early show business experience on WHIS radio and television in Bluefield. In the late 1960s and early ‘70s, he hosted his own radio show in Bluefield. During this time, he developed his signature honky-tonk style, inspired by country crooners of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

In 1970, he recorded the song ‘‘Borrowed Angel,” which was picked up by Royal American Records and became a top-10 hit in 1972.

Street moved to Nashville and followed up “Borrowed Angel” with 22 more hits, the most significant being ‘‘Lovin’ On Back Streets,’’ ‘‘Smokey Mountain Memories,’’ and ‘‘If I Had a Cheating Heart.’’ By the mid-1970s, he was considered one of the biggest up-and-coming talents in Nashville. However, clinical depression and alcoholism took a toll on him. Mel Street committed suicide on his 43^rd birthday in 1978. Street’s idol, George Jones, sang at his funeral.

Four additional Mel Street songs were released after his death, including “The One Thing My Lady Never Puts Into Words,” which reached number 17 on the charts in 1979.

June 27, 1929: Shott Brothers Launch WHIS-AM Bluefield

On June 27, 1929, one of West Virginia’s pioneer radio stations, WHIS, hit the airwaves in Bluefield, featuring a performance by the local Lions Club quartet.

The station was the brainchild of Hugh and Jim Shott, the sons of local newspaper owner and future congressman Hugh Ike Shott. During its first two decades, WHIS expanded from 100 watts to 5,000. In 1939, WHIS became affiliated with NBC, but local programming remained important.

A favorite local show was The Breakfast Club with Stuart Odell and Red Clark. WHIS also played an important role in early country music, showcasing regular live performances by the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Rex and Eleanor Parker, Lynn Davis and Molly O’Day, and Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith.

In 1948, the Shotts launched an FM station but abandoned it since few listeners had FM radios. They later revived the idea as WHAJ-FM. The family ventured into television in 1955.

In the 1980s, the Federal Communications Commission forced the Shott family to divest their TV station and newspaper holdings, but the family kept the radio stations. Today, WHIS is owned by Triad Broadcasting.

October 12, 1953: Hugh Ike Shott Died at 87

Hugh Isaac Shott died on October 12, 1953, at age 87. “Hugh Ike,” as he was known, was born in Staunton, Virginia, where he learned the printing trade. He moved to Bluefield and served as a clerk on N&W Railway.

In 1896, he purchased the weekly Bluefield Telegraph newspaper and switched it to a daily publication. His timing was great because the Bluefield area was growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the rapid spread of coal mining in the area.

Shott built a communications empire in Bluefield, including the morning Daily Telegraph, the afternoon Sunset News, a printing company, and WHIS radio. This pioneering station used Shott’s initials as call letters and broadcast from a penthouse studio atop the luxurious West Virginian Hotel. It launched the careers of a number of country stars, including the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and Lynn Davis and Molly O’Day.

“Hugh Ike” Shott also served two terms as a Republican congressman and a short stint in the U.S. Senate. After Shott’s death, his sons and grandsons—including three sets of male twins—expanded the family business operations, including the addition of WHIS-TV.