Town Hall Party - October 11, 1958 & August 22, 1959

by Various Artists

Before gangsta rap, Compton, California, had a very different musical identity: every Saturday night from 1952 to 1961, the brightest stars of country music would gather at a 2000-seat theater in the Los Angeles suburb for a series of live performances known as TOWN HALL PARTY. Staged to resemble old-fashioned hoedowns, the concerts were originally broadcast on radio and later expanded to a three-hour television show hosted by quiz-show emcee Jay Stewart and cowboy singer-actor Tex Ritter with a house band led by Joe Maphis. The TOWN HALL PARTY series captures some of the television show's most memorable moments, including these two episodes dating back to October 11, 1958, and August 22, 1959, and featuring guests Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Bond, Skeets McDonald, Rose Lee Maphis, the Collins Kids, Billy Mize and Cliff Crofford, Hank Snow, Jimmy Pruett, Martha Carson, Charlie Williams, and Fiddlin' Kate.

This Town Hall Party broadcast on DVD features two separate shows: October 11,1958 - Introduction by Jay Stewart / Johnny Bond and cast / Skeets McDonald / Joe Maphis & Rose Lee Maphis: Paper of Pins / the Collins Kids / Billy Mize & Cliff Crofford / Hank Snow / Jimmy Pruett and others. August 22,1959 - Introduction by Jay Stewart / the Collins Kids / Tex Ritter / Martha Carson / Billy Mize & Cliff Crofford / Larry Collins & Joe Maphis / Charlie Williams / Fiddlin' Kate / Lefty Frizzell / Charlie Williams talks to Billy Mize & Cliff Crofford / Jimmy Pruett and others. NTSC all region.