Noel Ball

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Noel Ball's Saturday Showcase

Early radio DJ who also got numerous co-writing credits, worked in TV and for Dot Records among others. In the mid 50s, he hosted "Sock Hop," an early rock-n-roll lip sync show that introduced the hits to younger audiences, and the "Noel Ball Saturday Showcase," a local talent show on WSIX-TV (ABC), then Channel 8.

History[edit | edit source]

A local nashville nostalgia website recalls: There was also the “Sock Hop” hosted by Noel Ball. On Noel’s show young girls would lipsync to the hits. The Sock Hop also featured a quartet of three boys/one girl called the “Manhattans” who would also lip-sync. Members of the Manhattans included Doug Seymour, Buzz Cason, Bill Pruitt, and Judy Eades. The Manhattans appeared in 1956 & 1957 while they were students at Issac Litton High School. Noel Ball was Nashville’s first and most flamboyant rock n roll disk jockey. He drove a pink & white 1955 Crown Victoria and pushed the envelope in his professional and personal life. Noel Ball was “THE DJ” of the late 50’s & early 60’s.

Noel Ball with the Crescendos

Michael Jack Kirby writes: WSIX-TV in Nashville, Tennessee signed on in 1953 as an affiliate of the rapidly expanding ABC television network. Several personalities were hired and became local celebrities, among them radio deejay Noel Ball. Later in the decade, Ball could be seen cruising all over town in his pink and white '55 Ford Crown Victoria. Not unlike the local stars in the various cities each of us grew up in, he was the man to Nashville teens in the 1950s; the shows he hosted were "Sock Hop," including a feature where local teenagers lip-synced to current hit songs, and "Saturday Showcase." [1]

Red Kelly writes about Noel Ball's connection to Robert Knight: Robert Peebles, meanwhile, had come up as a member of The Paramounts, a vocal group that was produced by our man Noel Ball for Dot Records early in the decade. It was Ball who had come up with the stage name Robert Knight, and released a couple of solo singles on him. After a moderate R&B chart hit in 1961, there was some kind of contractual issue with Dot, and he never recorded for them again. Knight went on to attend Vanderbilt University, where he formed another vocal group, The Fairlanes. He was discovered there again and went on to record the international hit song "Everlasting Love."

Obit[edit | edit source]

Record World: June 7 1969

His 1969 obit in Record World, a trade publication for radio, reads:

Noel Ball, one of the industry frontiersmen who helped carve Music City, USA, out of this mid -South frontier town back before the "Dick Clark Bandstand" in the days when folks called it Nashville, Tenn., died last week of cancer. after a year's illness. The 43 -year -old dean of Music City airways came up through the tough years in this late - blooming recording capital, and during his close to 20 years here, played a key role in bringing Nashville into clear focus in the international eye of the recording world.

As the baron of broadcasting, Ball emerged as the first local television personality and made history with a record eight -year run of his pioneer TV show on WSIX-TV here. He consistently owned the ratings in every time slot he worked on radio and made national trade news when he moved from WSIX radio to WMAK radio in 1960 as part of the Lin Broadcasting Corp.'s flagship A Team.

The Ball pioneer prowess followed suit even last fall when he was handpicked to star on the first live show televised on WMCV-TV, the UHF Channel which debuted here last September. The Noel Ball Seventeen Time Show bore the star's name until the day after Cancer claimed the stronghearted performer.

Ironically, broadcasting was actually simply a background for a second career which actually built a quiet legend out of radio-tv star Noel Ball. Sidestepping the spotlight of publicity, Noel Ball matter of factly went about the business of making records, publishing songs and scouting fresh, new talent.

He went about the task quietly. But his results were explosive!

In 1958 Noel broke all the rules and came up with "Oh Julie" on Nasco Records of Nashville. Co -written by Noel and performed by the Crescendos, the disk soared to an all time sales mark of over three million copies.

Since then there has been "Moody River" by Pat Boone, "You Better Move On" by Arthur Alexander and "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer, among the other solid gold landmarks along the Ball trail of success.

Noel discovered hometown singer -writer Chase Webster, who wrote "Moody River." He discovered and developed Arthur Alexander who wrote such hits as "Anna" recorded by the Beatles and others. Dale Ward, Rodger Martin and Robert Knight were other discoveries. Buzz Cason and Bobby Russell currently produce Knight, a consistent chart name. Both Buzz and Bobby had their undergrad tutoring under Ball as did scores of other Nashville and national music figures such as Columbia Records A&R czar Bob Johnston.

The mainstream of Ball's disk product was channelled into Dot Records. Randy Wood named Ball to chief Dot's Pop and R&B A&R Department for the south in 1960.

Ball was a consistent source of material and acts for such national music kingpins as Dick Clark.

Noel, who was born in Joplin, Mo., went into broadcasting at 16, served in the Air Force and maintained his own private plane here.

Noel Ball, the quiet legend of Music City, USA, is survived by his wife Vida, his three sons and a daughter.

References[edit | edit source]

Record World, 1969 June 7. p. 51

http://redkelly.blogspot.com/2008/03/robert-knight-somebodys-baby-rising.html

https://nashlinks.com/nashville-memories/