While many country music fans have likely never heard his name, one of the most iconic quartets in history wouldn’t exist without Wally Fowler. One of the original founders of the band that would become The Oak Ridge Boys, Fowler was born on this day (Feb. 15) in 1917 in Adairsville, Georgia.
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The Oak Ridge Boys Were Once Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers
Growing up in Adairsville, Georgia, John Wallace “Wally” Fowler began his gospel music career in 1935 at age 18. He sang baritone in The John Daniel Quartet—the first gospel quartet to become members of the Grand Ole Opry.
Moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, sometime in the ’40s, Fowler initially gained recognition as a songwriter, penning hits such as “Mommy Please Stay Home with Me”—recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1944—and “I’m Sending You Red Roses”, which Jimmy Wakeley also recorded in 1944.
That same year, he formed a larger singing group called The Georgia Clodhoppers, performing with them on Knoxville’s WNOX’s Mid-Day Merry Go Round. Fowler broke off with three other members to form The Harmony Quartet. They began performing country and gospel music in nearby Oak Ridge—where scientists were developing the first atomic bomb.
Three weeks after the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, Fowler decided to rechristen the foursome as The Oak Ridge Quartet. The original lineup also included Lon “Deacon” Freeman, Curly Kinsey and Johnny New.
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“Mr. Gospel Music”
Moving to Nashville, Fowler became a regular on The Prince Albert Show segment of the Grand Ole Opry on NBC Radio from 1946 to 1950. During that time, in 1948, he organized the first all-night gospel sing from Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium. The phenomenon spread, and Fowler took the show across the Southern United States.
He hosted his own syndicated television program, The Wally Fowler Show, in the 1950s before heading into semi-retirement. In 1957, he sold the rights to The Oak Ridge Boys name to group member Smitty Gatlin.
Known as “Mr. Gospel Music,” Wally Fowler died on June 3, 1994, at age 77. His body was found floating in Dale Hollow Lake, northeast of Nashville. Authorities believe he suffered a heart attack while fishing from the dock.
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