Howard Sisk (c. 1930 – October 1, 2001), known on the air as Curly Howard, was a
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
on several
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
(
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
) radio stations.
When Howard joined
WKMT in
Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Kings Mountain is a small suburb, suburban city within the Charlotte metropolitan area in Cleveland County, North Carolina, Cleveland and Gaston County, North Carolina, Gaston counties, North Carolina, United States. Most of the city is in Clev ...
in 1992, he had spent more than 30 years in radio. Of these, 18 were at
WKBX in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
.
[Joe DePriest, "Back on the Air Just Like Family, Curly Howard Is There to Chat Every Morning," ''The Charlotte Observer'', July 15, 1992.] He married Jerri September 26, 1966,
[Gerry Hostetler, "Radio Veteran Felt at Home with Audience," ''The Charlotte Observer'', October 10, 2001.] and had a son Gregg, who was 21 when Howard joined WKMT.
Early life
Howard grew up in
Shelby, North Carolina, with
Don Gibson
Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as " Sweet Dreams" and " I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjo ...
, the
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
performer best known for "
Oh Lonesome Me
"Oh Lonesome Me" is a popular song written and recorded in December 1957 by Don Gibson with Chet Atkins producing it for RCA Victor in Nashville. Released in 1958, the song topped the country chart for eight non-consecutive weeks. On what beca ...
" and the writer of "
I Can't Stop Loving You". He and Gibson went to country music concerts at the
National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
armory, and when he heard
Red Foley sing "
Peace in the Valley", Howard cried. He dreamed not of becoming a
cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
or a
firefighter, but of being able to sing in such a way that he could touch people the way Foley did.
At 15, Howard saw an ad in ''
Billboard'' for a guitarist and singer for "a small-time traveling tent show", and he went to
Greeneville, Tennessee, and asked for the job. He was offered the job because his parents, believing he would get homesick, didn't try to stop him. Howard ended up spending fourteen years on the road. He ended up performing alongside
Lash LaRue and
Fuzzy St. John and "hayseed comics".
Career
Howard Sisk artist name ''Curly'' is a bow to American actor and comedian
Curly Howard of
The Three Stooges,
Later, Howard performed on a national radio show, ''
Virginia Barn Dance''. At
Louisiana Hayride with
Faron Young and
Webb Pierce, Howard met
Hank Williams Sr. and
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. Howard shook Williams' hand, and he observed how the audience loved Williams so much he received a standing ovation before he had even sung.
Howard's own career wasn't going anywhere, but he was making $50 to $60 a week, good money at the time. Later he decided to go into radio in eastern North Carolina. He eventually moved to WKBX. While he was at WKBX, Howard told his friend Roger Stockton, who worked for
WSJS radio, that WSJS-FM should switch to country music. Stockton listened and
WTQR became the number one station in the market.
[
In addition to his on-air duties, Howard served as a master of ceremonies at country music shows. Soon, his career at WKBX ended, because the 10,000-watt daytime-only station could not compete with WTQR, and the station dropped country music.
Howard moved to WCGC in Belmont for five years, then to WSVM in Valdese, then back to WCGC for three and a half years, when he was told they could not afford him. Four months after leaving WCGC, Howard was back on the air as morning host at WKMT in Kings Mountain, run by his old friend Jonas Bridges, who had worked with him in the early 1950s on a Shelby radio station. The station's format of country, bluegrass and gospel music had not changed in years.
By 1993, Howard was paired with Tobie Sawyer.][ In 1995, Tommy Faile, formerly of Arthur Smith and the Crackerjacks, was his partner.][Joe DePriest, "Tommy Faile: Still Singing, Playing Country Music," ''The Charlotte Observer'', April 27, 1995.]
Howard's last broadcast was September 28, 2001 from the Shelby Fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
. At the time he was doing a " Swap Shop" program on Piedmont Super Station, selling commercial time, and doing remote broadcasts. He died October 1 at 71.[
]
Style
Howard's style was compared to that of Grady Cole of WBT (AM), because he talked "directly and personally" to his listeners. He described his voice as "cultivated ... sometimes it even sounds like it's plowed under." He would hang out at the stores he did commercials for, and he would talk to the people there just like he was one of them. On the air he would tell stories about his days as a performer, let people call in to tell what was going on in their lives, and play records. In one commercial, he talked about the 11-pound turnip he saw.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Curly
1930s births
2001 deaths
American radio DJs
People from Belmont, North Carolina
20th-century American musicians