Bill "Hoss" Allen - Keeping The Beat Into The 1960s

Keeping The Beat Into The 1960s

Allen kept spinning the newest releases from Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, and Aretha Franklin, while paying attention to the new soul scenes developing in the mid-1960s in two nearby cities: Memphis and Muscle Shoals. His playlist varied from disk jockeys Richbourg, Nobles, and Grizzard as Allen emphasized newer releases on his one-to-two-hour shows, heard six nights per week.

According to Wes Smith, in his The Pied Pipers of Rock 'n' Roll: Radio Deejays of the 50s and 60s (Longstreet Press, 1989), "the Hossman" took full advantage of his fame to indulge in drinking and womanizing. These activities led to several run-ins with station management and the occasional problem with police. In the early 1970s, Allen admitted to alcoholism and obtained treatment for his condition, quite likely prolonging his life.

In 1966, Allen hosted a short-lived syndicated television show titled The !!!! Beat. This program featured most of the artists he played on radio. A Dallas TV station, which had color facilities, recorded episodes of the program. At that time, none of the Nashville stations had color capability.

All 26 episodes of the show are currently available on DVD. Allen appeared as host on all but the last show. Reportedly, Allen was so distraught that the show had been cancelled, that he drank and was unable to host the final show. An enthusiastic Otis Redding appeared in the finale.

In the 1960s WLAC's television sister had a similar late-night show on Fridays called Night Train. Night Train featured many of the artists Allen and his colleagues played on their radio shows. Noble Blackwell, an African-American jockey on a rival Nashville radio station, hosted Night Train. It was one of the first locally produced programs on a Southern U.S. TV station to feature black musicians prominently. It is believed that Jimi Hendrix made his first appearance on television on that program.