Club Dance is a television program that aired on The Nashville Network from April 1, 1991 to February 5, 1999 for a total of 1,848 episodes, [1] with re-runs until June 28, 1999 [2] [3]
The show was filmed in Knoxville, Tennessee set at a fictional "White Horse Cafe". The show was hosted by Shelley Mangrum, a former Miss Tennessee, and co-hosted by Phil Campbell. The cast consisted of enthusiastic unpaid local dancers and visiting professional dancers and dance groups from all over the United States, creating a unique atmosphere of mixing of styles and traditions. Within the limits of the script, the dancers were free to behave and respond to the music as if in a real dance venue. [3]
The show included a wide variety types of country dances such as, lead and follow partner dances, choreographed dances, and line dances, as well as some others, most notably West Coast Swing, which due its slotted style allowed for dancing between tables and in other confined spaces. [3]
The show was accompanied with the monthly newsletter Club Dance: Behind the Scenes. It was produced by Knoxville-based CineTel Productions. [2]
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's third-most-populous city after Nashville and Memphis. It is the principal city of the Knoxville metropolitan area, which had a population of 879,773 in 2020.
Ida M. Cox was an American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings. She was billed as "The Uncrowned Queen of the Blues".
The story of Tennessee's contribution to American music is essentially the story of three cities: Nashville, Memphis, and Bristol. While Nashville is most famous for its status as the long-time capital of country music, Bristol is recognized as the "Birthplace of Country Music". Memphis musicians have had an enormous influence on blues, early rock and roll, R&B, and soul music, as well as an increasing presence in rap.
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful. In 1952, Hank Williams told Ralph Gleason, "He's the biggest singer this music ever knew. You booked him and you didn't worry about crowds. For drawing power in the South, it was Roy Acuff, then God."
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, which seats up to 8,000 fans. The team was based in Knoxville and called the Knoxville Smokies among other names for many years before moving to Kodak and changing its name prior to the 2000 season. The team's nickname refers to the Great Smoky Mountains mountain range which permeates the region; mountains in the chain are often clouded in a hazy mist that may appear as smoke rising from the forest. The team plans to move into a new facility in Knoxville beginning in the 2025 season when they will be renamed the Knoxville Smokies once again.
A barn dance is any kind of dance involving traditional or folk music with traditional dancing, occasionally held in a barn, but, these days, much more likely to be in any suitable building.
John Isley and Billy James, known as John Boy & Billy, are American radio hosts based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their comedic morning program The John Boy & Billy Big Show broadcasts from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in several Southern and Midwestern states via syndication through Premiere Networks, primarily airing on classic rock, active rock, and country music stations.
Homer and Jethro were the stage names of American country music duo Henry D. "Homer" Haynes (1920–1971) and Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns (1920–1989), popular from the 1940s through the 1960s on radio and television for their satirical versions of popular songs. Known as the Thinking Man's Hillbillies, they received a Grammy Award in 1959 and are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Clyde Julian "Red" Foley was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II.
WATE-TV is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located in the Greystone mansion on North Broadway/SR 33/SR 71/US 441, and its transmitter is located on Sharp's Ridge in North Knoxville.
Archie Campbell was an American comedian, writer, and star of Hee Haw, a country-flavored network television variety show. He was also a recording artist with several hits for RCA Victor in the 1960s.
WOKI is a commercial radio station licensed to Oliver Springs, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media and it broadcasts a news/talk format. The studios and offices are on Old Kingston Pike in the Sequoyah Hills section of West Knoxville.
The Essential Selection is a radio show on Friday evenings on BBC Radio 1, originally conceived by producer Eddie Gordon and hosted by Pete Tong.
WIVK-FM is a commercial radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a country music radio format known as "107.7 WIVK {wih-vik}" The studios and offices are on Old Kingston Pike in the Sequoyah Hills section of West Knoxville. On weekends, it carries the nationally syndicated American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, along with University of Tennessee Volunteers football games in the fall.
Carl Butler and Pearl were an American country music husband-and-wife duo. Between 1962 and 1969, the duo released several singles and charted thirteen times on the U.S. country charts, reaching No. 1 in 1962 with their first single, "Don't Let Me Cross Over".
WNML is a commercial AM radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is owned by Cumulus Media and it simulcasts a sports radio format with co-owned 99.1 WNML-FM Friendsville. The studios and offices are on Old Kingston Pike in the Sequoyah Hills section of West Knoxville.
WQSC is a commercial radio station licensed to Charleston, South Carolina. It is owned by Kirkman Broadcasting and airs a classic country format. Studios and offices are on Marksfield Drive.
Jesse Donald "Uncle Jimmy" Thompson was an American old-time fiddle player and singer-songwriter. He is best remembered as the first performer to play on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, appearing with founder and host George D. Hay on the evening of November 28, 1925. The positive response generated by Thompson's performance would be an important influence on the show's creative direction in its formative years. While Thompson made only a handful of recordings late in his life, his cantankerous and eccentric personality and his fiddle skills have made him one of the best-known icons of early country music.
Tennessee Barn Dance was a live American country music program broadcast by WNOX radio in Knoxville, Tennessee. It began in January 1942 and was held at the Old Lyric Theatre in Knoxville. In the 1980's the show was hosted by Archie Campbell from Hee Haw, aired on CBS television, and aired from the live stage show at the historical WNOX Auditorium, on Whittle Springs Rd. in Knoxville, TN.
The Vol Network is the radio and television network of the University of Tennessee Volunteers men's and women's sports teams known as the Vols and Lady Vols. Established in 1949 and since 2019, it has been operated by Learfield IMG College.