WROX (1450

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

) is a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19t ...

. It is a class C station operating with 1,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s. The WROX studio and business office is located at 628 DeSoto Avenue, one block from the famous 'Crossroads' in Clarksdale. WROX had the first black radio announcer in Mississippi, Early Wright, also known as "The Soul Man" and "Brother Early Wright." Wright hosted a show on WROX for over 50 years.Cheseborough, Steve. ''Blues Traveling, The Holy Sites of Delta Blues''. 3rd ed. University Press of Mississippi, 2009. . p. 93. Notable blues musicians who hosted programs or performed on air at WROX include

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

Robert Nighthawk Robert Lee McCollum (November 30, 1909 – November 5, 1967) was an American blues musician who played and recorded under the pseudonyms Robert Lee McCoy and Robert Nighthawk. He was the father of the blues musician Sam Carr. Nighthawk was ind ...

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp s ...

, Raymond Hill, and

Doctor Ross Isaiah Ross (October 21, 1925 – May 28, 1993), known as Doctor Ross, was an American blues musician who usually performed as a one-man band, simultaneously singing and playing guitar, harmonica, and drums. Ross's primal style has been ...

History

WROX started transmitting on June 5, 1944, operating from 321 Delta Avenue with 250 watts and owned by Robin Weaver, Sr. ( Guide to reading History Cards) It moved to 257 Delta Avenue in July 1945. For 40 years, the station was located inside the Alcazar Hotel until moving out in the 1990s. WROX Clarksdale MS

Since 2005, the station has been located at 628 Desoto Avenue in Clarksdale, one block from the famous 'Crossroads.' In 1947, station manager Preston "Buck" Hinman hired Early Wright as the first black radio announcer in Mississippi. Musicians Wright hosted on WROX included

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 (U.S.), number-one R&B single "We're Gonna Ma ...

Pinetop Perkins Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (July 7, 1913 – March 21, 2011) was an American blues pianist. He played with some of the most influential blues and rock-and-roll performers of his time and received numerous honors, including a Grammy Lifet ...

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 ...

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American Country music, country singer. Beginning his career as a Negro league baseball player in the early-1950s, he later pursued a career in country music, becoming the gen ...

Bobby Rush Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, activist, and pastor who served as the U.S. representative for for three decades, ending in 2023. A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter ...

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...

, and

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

. In the 1940s, Ike Turner became 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 ...

at WROX and hosted his own show called "Jive Till Five." Turner later played live broadcasts with his band, the

Kings of Rhythm Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has undergone c ...

. Raymond Hill, called "chief of the hepcats," who was a saxophonist in Turner's band also had a show. The station's power was increased to 1,000 watts in 1964, using a RCA BTA-1R transmitter. The AM transmitter was updated with a Broadcast Electronics AM-1A transmitter in 2006. The FM simulcast on 105.7 FM was set up in 2010. The FM translator later moved to 97.5. The 257 Delta Avenue location was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2002, and in 2012 a

Mississippi Blues Trail The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...

marker was placed there. In 2004, Clarksdale businessman Kinchen "Bubba" O'Keefe opened a WROX Museum. WROX 97

On November 17, 2020, all broadcast and business operations of WROX Radio were suspended. In a request to remain silent, the station explained that a lender had foreclosed on the property. The station returned to the air on August 16, 2021, and the station and its transmitter were then sold to Contemporary Communications, LLC effective November 20, 2021. Contemporary then entered in January 2022 into an agreement to sell WROX and its translator to WROX, LLC, headed by Terry Ballard, for $150,000. The sale was consummated on May 23, 2022.

References

External links

Official Website
{{National Register of Historic Places ROX (AM) Radio stations established in 1944 Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Mississippi Blues Trail 1944 establishments in Mississippi National Register of Historic Places in Coahoma County, Mississippi Clarksdale, Mississippi Oldies radio stations in the United States