At roughly the same time Blacks were migrating to Cincinnati from across the South, there was also a massive influx of White migrants from Appalachia, who also brought with them their musical influences and tastes. And while King Records churned out scores of “hillbilly” hits, there were a handful of other local studios that were capturing the sounds of budding country and bluegrass artists. Among them, Herzog Studios was by far the most important. Moreover, according to The Encyclopedia of Country Music, Herzog was “one of the first commercial studios to record country music.” Between 1945 and 1955, artists such as Hank Williams, Flatt and Scruggs, Patti Page, Rosemary Clooney, Bullmoose Jackson, Grandpa Jones, and the Delmore Brothers recorded at Herzog. In 1949, Flatt & Scruggs cut “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” a track that won two Grammy Awards, and is now considered to be one of the legendary bluegrass duo’s top songs. Undoubtedly, the most famous artist to record at Herzog was Hank Williams Sr., who cut some of his biggest hits there. During his first session, just before Christmas in 1948, the country music icon recorded “Lovesick Blues,” which became the most popular release of his career. The song became an overnight success, and spent 42 weeks on the Billboard charts, including 16 weeks at the top spot. It would also become Billboard’s top country and western record of the year, while Cashbox named it the "Best Hillbilly Record of the Year." Eight months later, Williams recorded “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” at Herzog, which was actually the B-side to "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It." While the A-side reached No.2 on Billboard that year, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” became one of his most lasting tunes. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 111 on its original list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
The founder of the studio, Bucky Herzog, was a radio engineer at WLW, then known as “The Nation’s Station.” By the mid-1940s, seeing that his employer was attracting some of the biggest names in country music, namely through the Midwestern Hayride, he realized he could make a few extra bucks on the side by recording them.
The Midwestern Hayride, an early variety show, featured live country and western music, square dancing, and comedy skits, which at that time was referred to as "hayseed" comedy. The show became the dominant Saturday night attraction in the region, and is considered to be a precursor to Hee Haw. Originally known as the Boone County Jamboree, the show debuted around 1936 or 1937. Regardless of the exact date, by 1937 it was already being broadcast on local radio powerhouse WLW, which at that time was blasting out across the country at 500,000 watts. To this day, it remains the only commercial AM radio station in U.S. history to receive a license to transmit at that level. As is the case now, 50K watts was the maximum power allowed for radio channels back then, with only a couple dozen stations receiving that authorization. These were known as “clear channels.” As a result of their special experimental arrangement with the Federal Radio Commission, WLW became known as “the Nation’s Station.” The power was so intense that:
People living near the transmitter site often got better reception than they wanted; some lights would not turn off until WLW engineers helped rewire houses. Gutters rattled loose from buildings. A neon hotel sign near the transmitter never went dark. Farmers reported hearing WLW through their barbed-wire fences.
Although the Grand Ole Opry was likely more popular throughout much of this period, the Midwestern Hayride began a simulcast program on local TV, and then subsequently across a regional network known as Avco Broadcasting Corporation in 1948. During the 1950s, it was broadcast nationally at various points in time on NBC and ABC. Among the nationally-known artists to perform on the weekly program include Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Price, Tex Ritter, Merle Travis, Porter Wagoner, Chet Atkins, Little Jimmy Dickens, Red Foley, Homer and Jethro, Grandpa Jones, Bonnie Lou, Cowboy Copas, and The Delmore Brothers. As musical tastes began to shift in the early 1960s, however, traditional radio barn dance programs began to wane. By 1972, the Midwestern Hayride had run its course. Here’s a short montage of clips to give you a little flavor for the show:
Beyond the Midwestern Hayride, WLW broadcast several other musical programs, most notably An Evening At Crosley Square, Ruth Lyons’ 50-50 Club, and Moon River. In addition to the artists that performed on the Midwestern Hayride, or recorded at King Records and Herzog Studios, these programs attracted many other top entertainers from the day. This included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Mel Torme, Robert Goulet, Sam Cooke, Sammy Davis Jr., Doc Severinsen, Johnny Mathis, Gene Krupa, Paul Anka, and Wayne Newton. Known as the "Cradle of Stars" in the 1930s and 40s, the radio station also helped launch the careers of the Mills Brothers, Ink Spots, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, and Fats Waller, as well as local artists Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams and Doris Day. To illustrate how important WLW was during this era, Dick Perry, author of Not Just a Sound: The Story of WLW, asserted that “WLW may have been the only station that regularly sent scouts to New York, to see if any of Manhattan's offerings were good enough for Cincinnati.”
The Greater Cincinnati area has also produced a wealth of homegrown talent that became nationwide success stories. This includes the aforementioned Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams and Doris Day, as well as Roy Rogers, The Casinos, Bootsy Collins, H-Bomb Ferguson, Lonnie Mack, and Kenny Price. Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane (and Jefferson Starship) was born in Cincinnati. Hailing from nearby Miami University, the Lemmon Pipers scored a number one hit with "Green Tambourine" in 1968, which now has the distinction of being the first bubblegum song to top the charts. Over the course of his long career, Covington, KY native Adrian Belew has been a member of King Crimson, Tom Tom Club, and two Cincinnati-based bands, The Raisons and The Bears. In more recent years, the “Nati” has produced Drew and Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees, Blessed Union of Souls, The National, Ass Ponys, Wussy, The Deele, Over the Rhine, Walk The Moon, and the Afghan Whigs, which formed in 1986. Their fourth album, Gentlemen, proved to be their biggest commercial success. At least two songs from that album received regular airplay on MTV. Another track, "Fountain and Fairfax," appeared on the television series My So-Called Life in 1994. I had the pleasure of working with the original drummer of the band, Steve Earle, at a local restaurant (Skyline Chili) while we were in high school. Even at that early date, you could tell he had major talent. At that time he was playing in a band that covered a lot of Rush songs, including the entire 2112 suite. As classic rock enthusiasts are well aware, Neil Peart was no slouch on the drums. The fact that Earle could play his work at that age is quite remarkable.
Here are a couple of other Cincinnati bands, arguably among those that have seen the most success:
Though obviously a novelty song, we have to mention “Bus Full of Nuns Holding Babies” by Dan Barr. This was a bit of a regional hit, and was featured on The Dr. Demento Show. The official video for the track is so bad that it’s actually pretty good! Older Cincinnatians will likely recognize several local media faces in the video. Warning: the chorus will likely live in your head the rest of the day:
Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods had five Billboard Top 100 hits between 1972 and 1975, including "Who Do You Think You Are," which reached number 15, and "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," which topped the charts for 2 weeks in 1974. Though it sold more than three and a half million copies, and received a gold disc from the R.I.A.A., the song was apparently quite polarizing among radio listeners. In 2011, it was voted #8 on Rolling Stone Magazine's poll of the "10 Worst Songs of the 1970s.”
The Isley Brothers are arguably the most successful band of all-time to hail from Cincinnati. Combining R&B, rock, funk and soul, the Isley Brothers are the only band in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with new music in six consecutive decades! They had their first major hit in 1959 with "Shout," while "Contagious," released in 2001, would be their last. In between those releases they had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won 2 Grammies, and had 16 albums that charted in the Top 40, including thirteen that have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum. In 1969, they released "It's Your Thing," which reached #2 on the charts, and in 1973, they reached #6 with “That Lady.” "Shout," their first hit, is considered to be the most iconic and popular wedding reception dance song ever. In early 1964, the Isleys hired a young 21-year-old guitarist to join their backing band. However, bored with playing the same set list each night, Jimi Hendrix bolted to join Little Richard's band several months later.
Originally released as an R&B single in 1964 (with an amazing sound that was clearly ahead of its time), the band transformed “That Lady” into a funk anthem in 1973:
With roots in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Waverly, Ohio, the Pure Prairie League formed in 1970, and is considered to be a pioneering band in the country rock genre. Between 1975 and 1981, they had eight singles that charted on Billboard, as well as five straight Top 40 albums. In 1980, "Let Me Love You Tonight" reached #10 on the charts. By that point Vince Gill had become the band’s lead singer. Though it was their highest charting single, Pure Prairie League is best known for "Amie." Originally released in 1972 on their sophomore LP, Bustin’ Out, the song was re-released in 1975 and became a surprise hit, while peaking at #27 on the charts. Here’s the band playing the song on Austin City Limits in October of 1978, just one month after 21-year-old Vince Gill took over as lead singer:
Part three in this four-part series dives into Cincinnati’s vibrant live music scene, as well as some of its most famous concerts during "the golden age of rock."
Part 1: Embryonic Journey
Part 2: Green, Green Grass of Home
Part 3: The Kids Are Alright
Part 4: Live and Dangerous
What are the chances that one of the most beloved movies of all time is artistically linked to one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded?
For the uninitiated, the “Dark Side of the Rainbow” theory asserts that Pink Floyd purposely synchronized The Dark Side of the Moon to The Wizard of Oz. For those who have seen it, the mashup produces dozens of striking coincidences between the film and the album, where actions on the screen seemingly correspond to the lyrics, chords and musical moods of the Dark Side tracks.
So, is it real, a cosmic coincidence, an ingenious marketing ploy, or just another conspiracy theory? In addition to a complete viewing guide for the synchronicities, The Dark Side of the Rainbow explores a possible explanation for their existence. The book is now available in both paperback and eBook!
When you think of American cities steeped in rich musical history, Cincinnati likely doesn’t come to mind. Off the top of your head, you’ll probably think of the San Francisco hippie scene, Los Angeles hair metal bands, Seattle grunge, New York punk, Chicago electric blues, Nashville country, Memphis delta blues or Detroit’s Motown. Cincinnati, however, shouldn’t be ignored. The Queen City played foundational roles in several musical genres during the 20th century. The “Nati” has also produced or recorded a broad diversity of incredible homegrown and national talent, ranging from big band, country, bluegrass, doo-wop and pop, to R&B, rock, soul, funk, psychedelic, punk, and metal. Because of this breadth and diversity over the last century, my hometown deserves to be considered among music royalty. In this four-part series this week, I will make the case that Cincinnati belongs in the top tier of music towns.
Cincinnati’s modern musical legacy begins with the blues and jazz during the early 20th century, two of the most influential musical genres in history. Though it never had a distinctive “sound,” such as New Orleans, Memphis or Chicago, Cincinnati did enjoy a wide range of styles. As Blacks migrated to the city from across the South, they brought their distinctive regional styles, and effectively made Cincinnati a melting pot for jazz, and especially blues music.
Well before the Civil War started, Cincinnati was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Today, the city honors this legacy with the award-winning National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown. After the war, the Queen City became an important destination for former slaves and their descendants, especially after 1910, during what is now referred to as the “Great Migration.” Most of these migrants settled in the West End of Cincinnati, roughly located along the first mile of the present-day I-75 corridor north of the Ohio River. As a result, the West End became the cultural center for Blacks during the first half of the 20th century. This included music. From the 1920s through the 1950s, blues and jazz thrived in the West End. Neighborhood residents enjoyed numerous venues to watch, listen and dance to their favorite local and national acts. By far the most important nightclub during this period was the Cotton Club, which became the first racially integrated music venue in Cincinnati. Because the city stood at a major crossroads for touring artists during this era, the club attracted a wide variety of nationally-known entertainers, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Sarah Vaughn, Tiny Bradshaw, Lonnie Johnson, Mae West, and Pearl Bailey.
Before this timeframe, however, the Vocalstyle Music Company had already been established in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Founded in 1906, this innovative venture became the first manufacturer to print song lyrics on piano rolls, which allowed them to be read or sung as the music was played. A piano roll is a sheet of paper with punched holes, each representing a note. When the roll is fed through a player, the corresponding piano keys are struck, thus allowing automatic pianos to play themselves. Popular with middle-class families who couldn’t play music, piano rolls with printed lyrics functioned as primitive home karaoke systems at that time. During its peak, Vocalstyle recorded some of the most talented piano players of the day. Roughly a year after recording his first phonograph records in 1923, pioneering jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton recorded his first of fifteen piano rolls at Vocalstyle. Later in life, Morton claimed that he invented jazz in 1902. Though he was widely criticized for making this bold assertion, some jazz historians now believe it’s possible he may have been telling the truth.
Three years before Jelly Roll Morton made his first recordings in the Queen City, ragtime composer Artie Matthews and his wife, Annna, opened the Cosmopolitan School of Music in Cincinnati’s West End, which provided advanced musical education to young African Americans. The school was likely the first Black-owned conservatory in America. Matthews’ most famous student was Frank Foster, who became the principal arranger for the Count Basie Orchestra in 1954.
Though Foster wasn’t from the West End, the neighborhood produced its fair share of homegrown talent, some of whom would gain a degree of national attention. Artists from this period include Sam Jones (aka Stovepipe No. 1), The Cincinnati Jug Band, James "Pigmeat" Jarret, Big Joe Duskin, and James Mays. Many artists from this era sang about the West End neighborhood. For example, in 1936, Walter Coleman of The Cincinnati Jug Band recorded "I'm Going to Cincinnati," which had some rather colorful lyrics:
Now when you come to Cincinnati stop on Sixth and Main
That’s where the good hustling women get the good cocaine
Because I'm goin to Cincinnati, the times is good
I'm goin to Cincinnati where they eat fried food
And I'm goin to Cincinnati, boys, where the bottle is good
Unquestionably, Mamie Smith was the most famous musical artist to come out of Cincinnati during this period. Known as "The Queen of the Blues," Smith holds the distinction of being the first Black vocalist to record a song. Born in Cincinnati’s West End in 1891, Smith began her entertainment career at the age of ten as a dancer in a White act known as the Four Dancing Mitchells. At fifteen she left her hometown, and in 1913, moved to New York to sing in Harlem. In early 1920, she recorded two songs, which became the first tunes to be recorded by a Black vocalist. Later that same year she recorded "Crazy Blues." After selling more than a million copies within a year, "Crazy Blues" became the first genuine hit in the blues genre, as well as the first certified hit by a Black artist. Its success launched a new recording industry category known as "race records," and prompted record companies to seek other Black female blues singers. Reflecting its historical significance, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2005. Several months after recording the tune, Smith went on tour, which included a stop in Cincinnati where she performed to a sold-out audience at Music Hall, a rare event for Black performers at that time. Though she retired from the music business in 1931, Smith appeared in several films before passing away in New York City in 1946, reportedly penniless.
By the 1940s and 50s, the West End blues scene was on the decline. However, this doesn’t mean that the blues had died in Cincinnati. Rather, it was more of the passing of old style country blues and the emergence of rhythm & blues and electric blues bands. This new era coincided with the emergence of King Records in 1943, an independent label that originally focused on making country (what was then known as “hillbilly music”), blues, and rhythm and blues records, but would eventually branch out to record other genres. Andy Leach, the Senior Director of Museum & Archival Collections for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, stated in a 2022 interview that “King Records really changed American music forever. From the early 40s through the early 70s, it really changed the way music was recorded, the way it was manufactured, and the way it was promoted.” Leach also mentioned that roughly 500 singles recorded at King Records charted on Billboard, with 32 reaching the #1 spot on the R&B, country, and pop charts between 1943 and 1971.
King of Them All
The number and range of nationally-known artists who recorded at King Records is truly amazing. Dozens have been inducted into the halls of fame in various genres. Among them include:
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: James Brown, Hank Ballard, Freddie King, Albert King, Five Royales, Bootsy Collins, Roy Byrd (aka “Professor Longhair”), Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, The Platters, O’Jays
BLUES HALL OF FAME: Charles Brown, Wynonie Harris, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Freddie King, Johnny Otis, Eddie Vinson, Lonnie Johnson
RHYTHM AND BLUES HALL OF FAME: James Brown, Ohio Players, O’Jays, Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, Bootsy Collins, Johnny Otis
COUNTRY HALL OF FAME: Grandpa Jones, Merle Travis, Delmore Brothers, Stanley Brothers, Bill Carlisle
Other notable artists who recorded at King include The Ink Spots, Lonnie Mack, Otis Williams and The Charms, Memphis Slim, Tiny Bradshaw, Bull Moose Jackson, Cowboy Copas, and Bonny Lou.
Without a doubt, the "Godfather of Soul," James Brown, was the most famous and most important artist on the King label. Most of his studio albums, starting with Please Please Please in 1958 through Sho Is Funky Down Here in 1971, were recorded at King. In fact, during that 13-year span, Brown recorded 23 albums at King Records. Additionally, the label also released several live albums, including the seminal Live at the Apollo. This phenomenal output clearly demonstrates why Brown was indeed "the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business!"
During his tenure at King Records, Brown recruited local bass guitarist, Bootsy Collins, to join his backing band in 1970. By this time, James Brown had already transitioned to a funk sound. In his original Cincinnati-based band, The Pacemakers, which formed in 1968, Bootsy Collins had also established himself as a pioneer in the emerging funk sound. Less than a year after joining Brown, however, Bootsy left to become the bassist in George Clinton’s funk rock group, Funkadelic, which eventually became known as Parliament-Funkadelic (or P-Funk). Today, Collins is widely recognized as one of the most important musicians in funk music history. Moreover, in 2020, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him number 4 on their list of the 50 greatest bassists of all time.
King Records’ success is attributed to its willingness to experiment with new sounds, as well as its colorblindness - in an era when communities were still mostly separated by race. The latter point is supported by a 1949 Cincinnati Post article titled, “Record Firm Here Smashes ‘Jim Crow’; Workers Positions, Pay Keyed to Ability.” The King Records website goes on to explain that “The fusion of Country & Western and Rhythm & Blues that led to Rock and Roll occurred at King Records because the company practiced racial integration at every level.” With artists from various genres on the label, the founder of King Records, Syd Nathan, created a melting pot for music, and was most likely the first producer to cross boundaries between musical genres. In 2017, Xavier University created an online exhibit of materials that provide an overview of King Records’ history. The university explained that:
Many music enthusiasts cite the fusion of White artists with Black rhythm and blues music at Sun Records in the early 1950s—such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash—as the birth of rock & roll. However, as already mentioned, Syd Nathan preceded Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records in Memphis, by several years. Some musicologists also cite Ike Turner’s “Rocket 88,” also recorded by Phillips in 1951, as being the first rock & roll song. Turner, however, disagreed, explaining later that "I don't think that ‘Rocket 88’ is rock ‘n’ roll. I think that ‘Rocket 88’ is R&B, but I think ‘Rocket 88’ is the cause of rock and roll existing." Prior to this single, there were several other recordings that contend for the distinction of being the first rock and roll record. However, there’s no real consensus among historians. It’s probably best to understand that the genre developed and evolved over a period of time in several locations. Terry Stewart, the former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Director, once proclaimed that: “There are only three places in the world that can claim to be the birthplace of Rock & Roll: New Orleans, Memphis & Cincinnati.” Larry Nager, author of the book Memphis Beat, was quoted in the New York Times in 2009, stating: “While no single city has naming rights as the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll, the elements that made rock ’n’ roll — the blend of country, blues and the big beat — were being created at King Records.”
There are two artists from the King label that are often cited as producing early rock and roll records, or at least acted as important stepping stones for the emerging genre. The first was a country music act known as The Delmore Brothers. This highly influential duo from Elkmont, Alabama were pioneering stars of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930s. A few years after leaving the Opry, they signed with King Records where they expanded their sound with a full backing band, and began playing up-tempo material that incorporated Western swing, boogie-woogie and blues. A handful of songs from this era have been recognized as early rock and roll recordings. This includes "Hillbilly Boogie” from 1946, "Boogie Woogie Baby” from 1947, “Beale Street Boogie" from 1947, and “Freight Train Boogie" from 1946, which has received the most attention from musicologists. In some of the guitar pieces in these songs, especially in “Beale Street Boogie” and “Freight Train Boogie," you can definitely hear the embryonic roots of rock & roll:
Wynonie Harris’s cover of “Good Rockin’ Tonight” in 1948 is also widely recognized as an early rock & roll single. Originally recorded by Roy Brown on Deluxe Records in 1947, Harris recorded a cover of the track at King Records in the following year. Though Brown enjoyed some success with the tune, Harris' version became a No. 1 hit on the R&B charts, and remained on Billboard for nearly half a year. Though Brown’s original version is arguably more advanced and closer to the early rock & roll sound than any of the Delmore Brothers recordings, the piano-driven Wynonie Harris cover is more energetic, and has far more swing. In fact, I hear a lot of Fats Domino in this song, who recorded his first track, "The Fat Man," in New Orleans in 1949, which is also often cited as one of the candidates for the first rock & roll single.
Elvis covered the song in 1954, which actually has more of a rockabilly sound, while featuring a country twang guitar. Thirty years later, Robert Plant recorded his version of the song, which he renamed as "Rockin' at Midnight” on his outstanding, but highly underrated EP, The Honeydrippers: Volume One. This version features even more swing.
During his tenure at King Records, Wynonie Harris scored fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Today, many music scholars consider him to be one of the founding fathers of rock & roll.
One other song from the King Records catalog that should be considered—but is often overlooked as an early rock & roll record—is Tiny Bradshaw’s “The Train Kept A-Rollin’.” Recorded in 1951, musicologists normally exclude it from consideration because it’s an upbeat jump blues tune. However, it’s been said that jump blues put the roll in rock & roll. Moreover, though it was rearranged to include guitars, The Johnny Burnette Trio’s rendition from 1956 was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." If you need any more proof that this is a foundational rock & roll recording, it’s also been covered by The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Motorhead and Aerosmith. That in and of itself is a pretty strong vote of support!
Though seemingly forgotten after its demise in 1971, King Records’ groundbreaking legacy has been resurrected in recent years. In addition to the online exhibit on the Xavier University website, PBS produced an outstanding documentary about the label in 2025. King of Them All: the Story of King Records unearths the “untold story” of “the underdog label that transformed American music and culture.” I highly recommend this if you ever get a chance to see it.
The second installment in this four-part series explores how Cincinnati radio broadcasts and its recording studios shaped country and bluegrass, while highlighting some of the diverse homegrown talent that's emerged from the region.
Part 1: Embryonic Journey
Part 2: Green, Green Grass of Home
Part 3: The Kids Are Alright
Part 4: Live and Dangerous
What are the chances that one of the most beloved movies of all time is artistically linked to one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded?
For the uninitiated, the “Dark Side of the Rainbow” theory asserts that Pink Floyd purposely synchronized The Dark Side of the Moon to The Wizard of Oz. For those who have seen it, the mashup produces dozens of striking coincidences between the film and the album, where actions on the screen seemingly correspond to the lyrics, chords and musical moods of the Dark Side tracks.
So, is it real, a cosmic coincidence, an ingenious marketing ploy, or just another conspiracy theory? In addition to a complete viewing guide for the synchronicities, The Dark Side of the Rainbow explores a possible explanation for their existence. The book is now available in both paperback and eBook!
On this date in 1943 the legendary 10th Mountain Division was constituted. Five days later, on July 15th, it was activated at Camp Hale in Colorado, located near Tennessee Pass between Leadville and Vail. After an extremely hard-fought campaign in Northern Italy during the later stages of WWII, many veterans from this unit came home and became integral parts of the budding outdoor recreation industry.
More than 2000 soldiers from the unit had direct roles in creating the modern ski industry in America. This includes the founding of the Aspen, Vail, and Arapahoe Basin ski resorts, among several others.
Other 10th Mountain Division veterans became heavily involved in the hiking and mountaineering industry. This includes Gerry Cunningham, who founded GERRY; Paul Petzoldt, who helped found Exum Mountain Guides, Outward Bound, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and the Wilderness Education Association (WEA); and David Bower, who served as the first executive director for the Sierra Club, and is credited with helping pass the Wilderness Act.
After designing the master plans for Vail, Snowmass, and Breckenridge, Fritz Benedict established the 10th Mountain Hut system in Colorado. Inspired by the backcountry huts he saw in the Alps, Benedict envisioned a system of huts connected by backcountry trails. The first two were constructed in 1982. The expansive network now encompasses 34 huts and 350 miles of trails, and is used year-round by skiers, snowshoers, hikers, and mountain bikers.
During the Korean War, Jim and Lou Whittaker trained soldiers in mountain warfare at Camp Hale. Afterwards, Lou co-founded Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (now RMI Expeditions). His twin brother became the first full-time employee at Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) in 1955, and eventually became its CEO sixteen year later. Within that span he became the first American to summit Mt. Everest (in 1963).
Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure?Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.
Rocky Mountain National Park posted this on their social media today:
Offered daily through July 11, join us on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park for a ranger-guided Ecology Walk along the Green Mountain Trail. Take a guided walk with a ranger-naturalist and learn more about the plants, wildlife, and overall ecology of an area on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Program participants will meet their guide at the Green Mountain Trailhead, located along Trail Ridge Road 3 miles east of Kawuneeche Visitor Center. This program begins at 10:30 a.m. and is 45 minutes long. Participants will hike approximately 1 mile from the trailhead, stopping at several locations along the way.
This program is free. Park entrance fees and timed entry reservations apply.
Ecology walks are great for visitors of all ages. Participants should be prepared for a short hike. Good footwear for walking/hiking is recommended. Please bring water, snacks, and sun protection like a hat and sunscreen. There is very little shade along the Green Mountain Trail.
