Legends of Country started almost ten years ago as the Sunday Morning Country Oldies Show on 102.7 KORD.

The program airs 7am-10am every Sunday Morning.
Since the moment the show started, it made many listeners remember the old days of radio. The music, conversations with listeners, artist interviews and the fact that all the music is by request, made the show one of a kind, and brought back memories of the Country Radio personalities of days gone by.

A legend of Country host Ed Dailey is different from other Classic Country Radio Shows or Radio station DJs. Some DJs think quoting the same old Country trivia, or reading out of Country music history books, makes them an expert. But the stories Ed tells are true and heart felt. Ed grew up around Radio and TV stations, concerts, tour buses, and hundreds of backstage's all over the west. Even at a young age, Ed loved and had a great respect for the Legends of Country music.

Listeners can actually feel what it was like to see Johnny Cash sing Folsom prison blues when it was a new song, a young, unknown Dolly Parton sing, Waylon Jennings when he wore a Blue Nero Jacket and sang Brown Eyed Handsome Man for the first time. Or what it was like to talk with Elvis, Marty Robbins, or other greats back stage, after concerts. His stories are interesting and one of a kind.

As a host, Ed Dailey is a warm, caring person with a strong, deep voice that makes you feel like you've known him your whole life.

"Legend's of Country" is now heard on 102.7 FM KORD Tri-Cities, Washington. AM 1460 KUTI Yakima, Washington. 91.5 FM KUBS Newport, Washington. AM 1350 KRLC in Lewiston, Idaho. AM 1150 KASM Albany, Minnesota. 102.9 FM Homegrown Sound Dos Palos, Calif. 103.9 FM Dirt Road Country Montgomery, Alabama. And now out of Texas The Orignal Country Radio Network at www.originalcountryradio.com

This is a great picture from a friend of Buck Owens. It's Country music at it's best here in Washington state. This is Buck Owens and the Bar - K Gang with special guest a young Loretta Lynn filming Buck's show live at the KTNT- TV studies in Tacoma Wa. in 1960.

People who listen to my show in other states or our special shows broadcast in other countries sometimes will write and ask how did you end up, way up in the Northwest, in Washington, it seems like an unlikely place for country music. Country music has a long and important history up here and i'll tell you about that after I tell you how or why I ended up here.

I was born in Modesto Calif. in 1956. My dad "Cuz" Ralph Dailey was working at KRAK Radio in Stockton about the time they moved it to Sacramento, and increased Power. Dad also worked at KJOY and a few others at that time. He had been a part of a few Quartets, A temp or fill in member, but he was with the world famous "Rangers Quartet" for the couple years they moved out to California. Around 1958 he moved us up here to work at a station, wher a friend of his was running, KPKW AM in Pasco Washington, I remember mom saying later in Life, "Why did he(Cuz) move us to this God forsaken place" She knew they had Rattlesnakes here and she hated snakes with a passion. Dad worked with a friend only for a few months before getting a call from another friend about a chance to sing with a quartet as a background singer on a national radio and TV show called the "Town Hall Party", so off to Compton we went, the show moved on to Hollywood, we stayed in Compton. Dad left the show and worked around Fresno and Bakersfield including KUZZ with Cousin Herb, but Dad couldnt go by "Cuz" there because Cousin Herb had that name. Dad picked up "CUZ" from a Medicine show man, he worked fo when he left home at an early age. Around the start of the 60's Dad went to work with another friend and this time for 10 or 15 percent of KBBR AM in Coos Bay Ore. I think Dad enjoyed working Mornings and talking with the large numbers of folks who worked in lumber in that time of our nation. Dad still sang and promoted a Huge number shows, both Country and Gospel in the next four or five years.I can remember Buck Owens, Buzz Martin, Wynn Stewart, Ernest Tubb, The Statesmen and Blackwoods, The Weatherfords, Bob Jones and Songfellows, and many more coming thru. Many California groups would work the coast, and Hit the Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Eugene areas and then come over to Coos Bay/Northbend to do a show with dad. I saw a story a few years back in a Coos Bay Newspaper, wondering why they cant get major music and art groups to come into the area like in the early 60's? I thot to myself, it took somebody like dad to get all those groups there. After KBBR we moved to Yakima and KUTI for a short time and then to the Tri- Cites again and dad took over KSMK AM. It's here that I started working on the air and knew I would always be on the radio in one form or another. Dad promoted alot of shows here working with Jack Roberts, Jack and Pat Roberts would put together "Package" Shows and would buy these artists for a week or more. He had show in Seattle, Spokane and Portland, but needed other "Off Nights". So The Kennewick or Pasco High School Auditorium saw George and Tammy, Hank Snow, Waylon, Buck, Merle, Bill Anderson, Don Gibson, KItty Wells and Gospel groups like the Speer Family, Blackwoods, Oak Ridge boys. Jack Roberts was kind to Dad and liked the fact that the Radio Station would promte the show with tons of commercials. Jack would rent the Auditorium, Buy an AD in the paper, and Then after taking those expenses out of the gross, Jack would give the station 10 - 15 % off the Net. Some crowds were sold out and some where lame. Jack Roberts was called Mr. Country Music Northwest, he started in the biz in 1949 in high school. His band would grow into the Evergreen Drifters. Jack had the Evergreen Jubilee a popular TV on the air in Seattle for six years. Jack started promoting major country concerts and made a deal to work with CJJC in Vancouver, KAYO SEATTLE, kwjj PORTLAND, KGEM Boise, and when he needed to fill a night he worked with dad and KSMK in Kennewick. These "Package" SHows were not popular with all the artists but from a fans view, they were Dynomite. Here's one show I remember well, A country Music Spectacular in the Pasco High School Auditorium. Fans SawHank Snow and the Rainbow Ranch Boys, Not us in pasco, but the larger cities also had Hank Williams Jr. and the Cheatin Hearts, We had David Houston and the Persuaders, Plus Diana Trask, Ira Allen and the Duke of Paducah. What a Show! It was 1965 or 1966, around Thanksgiving and the show was Merle Haggard with Bonnie Owens and the Strangers with The Kitty Wells Show starring Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, Bill Phillips and the Tennessee Mountain Boys. Another amazing show, so many were amazing and Porter ans Dolly, I was 13 or 14 and Dolly said I could hang out with her all night so I got her water and stools, her hair spray whatever she needed. Wow, by the end of the evening, someone asked if it was cool t meet a legend like Porter Wagoneer and I said Porter Who? Great times. After Kennewick came a week in Santa Barbara (Dont ask) and we ended up back in Modesto with for Chester Smith at KLOC. In the mid 70s to Springfield and KORE, to Montana for a short time and back to The Tri-Cities. KORD AM and KZZK FM where home in the late 70s, Then to KWJJ in Portland for a couple of years in the early 80s and back to the Tri Cities and KORD till around 87 and off to Astoria and the beach for a couple of years. We came back to the Tri-Cities in the early 90s for full time Ministry and off to a mis-adventure in Ferndale that would lead us to Tacoma or Lakewood for a couple of years and some time with Angie on the radio at KJUN. We came back to the Tri-Cities to Teach radio and we started our radio show Legends of Country on KORD in the mid 90s. Lots of moving, lots of sights, lots of memories, alot of history. Speaking of History, I think my dad deserves credit for advancing country music in the Northwest, I mentioned Jack and Pat Roberts for the huge contribution they brought about. In 1943 a guy who worked with the carnival from Missouri, named Buck Richey arrived in Seattle. He got a job as a DJ at KVI radio and became the biggest influence of Country Music in the Northwest. His Sagebrush Serenade, Chuckwagon Jamboreeand Ranchhouse Roundup were HUGE! Thev K6 Wranglers were formed to present and host big shows in the area. Legend has it that in 1945 a soldier stationed at a near by base Fort Lewis came to a KVI Jamboree at the Century Ballroom in Fife and blew the audience away with a song. The singer was Jack Guthrie Woody's brother and the song he sung was his soon to be hit Oklahoma Hills. I heard that story from a fella who claimed to be at that dance. Buck would be famous for years and have a huge following at KAYO. I had a chance to hang out there when I was young with another famous dj Gary Vance. All those KAYO guys were big radio stars in their own right. Others who deserve a mention for work here in the Northwest, Dallas Turner a kid born in Walla Walla raised in Yakima became a star in the 40s. Cherokee Jack Henley on KMO in Tacoma had hit songs and a big following. Paul Tutmarc and his wife Bonnie were popular in the late 40s and Bonnie Guitar would go on to record Dark Moon and help lots of northwest youngsters become rock and country stars with her own record label. Again Bonnie joined us for some shows just a few years back. Texas Jim lewis and Jack Rivers were big names also. Arkie Shibley from KBRG in Bremerton recorded Hot Rod Race and would later inspire along with a race up the Lewiston Grade, Charlie Ryan to write and record Hot Rod Lincoln in the 50s. In the late 40s Pat Mason opened a dancehall called the Wagon Wheel Park in Camas Washington. Pat would take a job as DJ on Vancouver Washington's KVAN RADIO. Also Pat had some great stars perform at his hall including a struggling Willie Nelson who also was a Dj on KVAN. Willie had come out from Texas. Willie recorded his first record in a Portland studio "No place for me" and the flip side "Logger Man" in Feb. 1958 after that he moved back to Texas and would become a superstar in time. Other stars came to Washington and Oregon and relocated to work some of the new hot clubs and dance halls. These clubs or hall were busy because of construction, logging and large military bases, nearby. Stars like Rusty Draper, Rose Maddox, Jimmy Patton, Bud Issacs, and Buck Owens all had lots of work. Buck did real well with the Bar K Gang on KTNT TV and KAYE radio in Puyallup. When I worked at KJUN in Fife Buck spent an hour with me on the phone doing an interview and talking about the old Tacoma days. The Bar K Gang in our picture up top were famous in thier own right, Loretta Lynn who was out here so her husband could make money in the lumber industry joined the group. Don Rich from Tumwater, Wa. played fiddle," Shot Gun Red" Hildreth on Stand up Bass, Dusty Rhodes on Steel, Nokie Edwards on Guitar(Later with the Ventures and a Northwest Legend) and Buck on Guitar. What a Awesome band. I had a chance to meet "Shot Gun Red" when we wre in Tacoma. He and his daughter were still doing music.

The Bill and Grover Show, Judy Lynn, Johhny O'Keefe, George Richey, Bobby Wayne, Gary Williams, R.C. Bannon, Bruce Mullins, KWJJ's Sammy Taylor, Buzz Martin and many, many more, are all important names in Northwest Country Music. I had several chances when I worked at KWJJ to look at some of Sammy Taylor stuff, That Dj had so much to do with helping country singers in the northwest. WE forget too much too fast. Hats off to all these legendary promoters and performers of Country Music.

      - Ed Dailey

Ed Dailey is a long time radio favorite in Washington State. Ed started in radio when he was just 12 years old. He had a regular radio show on KSMK 1340 in Kennewick. Ed was born in Modesto, California in 1956. His dad "Cuz" Ralph Dailey worked at KJOY in Stockton And KRAK in Sacramento. "Cuz" was a singer who started out with a traveling medicine show. He ended up on the Grand Ole Opry filling in as a singer for the Sunshine Boys, and other groups. "Cuz" came out west to work in Hollywood, and did backup vocal work on the Town Hall Party show. Ralph was a member of the famous Rangers Quartet for a couple of years. In Central California "Cuz" worked with other singers who presented Dances, Shows, and concerts in that area, Plus he had his radio shows. That's the enviroment that Ed was born into. Growing up around people like Chester Smith, Tommy Collins, Ernie Ford and others, plus shows or dances every weekend, meant that as a small child, this world of entertainment seemed very normal to him.

In many ways Ed has continued to live this type of life, Promoting shows, singing and working in radio since childhood. Working with stars and even TV work. Today Ed Works full time as instructor of Radio Broadcasting at the Tri-Tech Skills Center in Kennewick Washington. Ed sings and does Ministry work with Waymaker Ministries, Presents concerts with the Benton-Franklin County Mounted Sherrifs Posse, Ed works on charity events, works on a Tv show, does public speaking, and is host of "Legends of Country" a Classic Country Radio show which airs on several radio stations.

Ed Dailey is also available for motivational speaking, on topics ranging from Education, Dealing with tough Kids, Radio, Music, Classic Country Music, Christian issues and more. Ed has done voice work for years, and in the last 20 years Ed has presented, done or planned over 100 concerts and events.

Radio Stations, Fairs, Churches, Community groups or organizations, and schools can contact Ed by Calling 509 585-2606