I started in radio in the early ‘60’s and my greatest memory of old time radio was a disc jockey named Jack Wallace. He worked at KBWD and was an absolute legend. I got around a couple of friends that liked radio and tried to learn as much as I could from them. One of them told me he could get me in the radio station and I could meet Jack Wallace. Well, I almost fell over. I didn’t think that was possible, but indeed it was. Before too long, I was for the first time, in the KBWD studios and I got to meet Jack Wallace. I was star struck by the guy. I started taking requests and answering the telephone. He put me to work and let me do anything when I was down there. I sat and watched Jack Wallace to the point to where I idolized him. He was a heck of a guy. I loved him. He left in the ‘60’s and he went to Austin where he dressed up every day and went on television as Packer Jack, the pirate. I never went to see him down there but he was legendary in Austin. Jack eventually died fairly early in life, but his memories have stuck with me for all these years.
Jack Wallace was the “Radio King” in Brownwood, Texas and there wasn’t any competition. Fact is, the only “rock and roll” in the late ‘50’s locally in Brownwood was from 10:15 until 11:00 at night. The radio station went off at 11:00. Jack was the first rock and roll DJ in history as far as Brownwood was concerned. The fact is, as I look back on it now, Jack preceded Riney Jordan and those were probably the top two back then. Jack had been there longer and he was legendary by the time Riney showed up.
The first request show in Brownwood – Jack Wallace. I could go on and on and on but he was big, real BIG and I’m talking about rock and roll just starting. KBWD had the first rock and roll records on the air and then KEAN came along. Riney jumped on board and rock and roll exploded. By the time radio really changed and became rock and roll, Jack Wallace was gone. I loved Jack and learned a lot from him. He was priceless.
0ne time when Jack was in Austin working at the radio station owned by Lyndon Johnson, he was the Vice President when Jack got the job and then became President in 1963. The studio was on the next to the top level. The top level was a private apartment for LBJ. Jack went out after his shift one day, the door opened and the whole family, Lyndon and all of them, were on the elevator. Jack stepped back and Lyndon said, “Naw, come on” so Jack rode down with the Johnson family and the Secret Service.
I guess it goes on and on and on because once I got a job and once I got on the board, I remember so many. Eddie Clements used to sit on my lap pushing buttons at the radio station and now Eddie Clements pretty well runs Austin, which is where Jack went. So, I guess we are all bound together in some way, shape, or form – Jack Wallace, me, Eddie Clements, and the list goes on and on and on. By the way, Jack’s not the only good one I was ever exposed to. I remember, even though I’m not going to try to name all of them right now, I truly remember all of them. They are all very, very special to me.
Until next time, so long everybody.
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‘Out of the Box’ with Dallas Huston is published each Monday morning at BrownwoodNews.com. Dallas was the radio voice of the Brownwood Lions and Howard Payne Yellow Jackets for more than 55 years. He currently is Pastor of Center City Baptist Church and hosts a Men’s Bible Study in Brownwood on Monday evenings. Your comments are welcome at [email protected].