Herman Grizzard

Who was Herman Grizzard?

Herman Grizzard was an American radio disc jockey who attained fame from the 1940s through the 1970s for playing rhythm and blues and other music on Nashville radio station WLAC. Grizzard was one host of a nightly series of four programs on the station. He shared the block of programs with "John R." Richbourg, Bill "Hoss" Allen, and Gene Nobles. Together they were known as the "50,000 Watt Quartet".

Grizzard began his affiliation with the historic clear-channel AM station during its early years in the 1930s. Up to the mid-1940s, he hosted a variety of different programs. By 1950, Grizzard joined the station's move to a nighttime format of R&B, soul music, and gospel music. The station developed the programming to sell advertising to African-American-oriented products and businesses.

For many years, Grizzard's program was sponsored by Buckley's, a local Nashville record store. It was located on Church Street near downtown and the Vanderbilt University campus. Most of Grizzard's program was devoted to promoting the store's stock, often sold in packages of three to six 78 or 45 RPM discs.