After a two year hiatus, The Eisenhower Hour - a fun, nostalgic journey through American popular music and culture of the Fifties returns to WKMS this Sunday at 1 p.m. with host and producer "Dr. Bob" Lochte. On Sounds Good, Tracy Ross and Dr. Bob talk about the origins of the show.
The Eisenhower Hour began as a Christmas special in 2004, titled Christmas in the 50s. It had a good response, so Dr. Bob proposed it as a weekly show. He already had the title in mind for about 10 years, when he was chatting with a friend about growing up in the 1950s, how the perception of the time period has changed. It was kind of 'square' and yet fun at the same time, he says.
There's a fascination about the 1950s because it was a really unique time in American History, Dr. Bob says. We were on top of the world, having gone through WWII and the great depression, people felt good and relaxed. The rest of the world was devastated and the United States was producing more than half of the world's goods. People had good jobs, bought houses, had families, new schools cropped up - it was an interesting period of growth, he says - particularly in music.
The music industry had virtually shut down during the depression and WWII. Machine parts to make records were repurposed for the war effort. After the war, everything opened back up and independent record companies were springing up around the country. The jukebox industry was booming in the 1950s and people were buying record players and records. The pop industry in New York and Hollywood were rising along with regional styles like country, rhythm & blues and rock & roll. Dr. Bob says he has over 1,500 songs in his library and is always discovering music from the time period.
He says the 1950s was a way of life that many people thought would always be that way. We're coming to a realization now both sociologically and politically that the idea of "American: The Great Country" was a short period of time when were were 'on top of the heap' and the rest of the world is catching up, he says. Certain people are nostalgic for that time and others still believe we live in that time. He says the irony of life back then can be found in the books from the time period: Betty Crocker Cookbook, The Power of Positive Thinking and Peyton Place.
Hear The Eisenhower Hour, Sundays at 1 p.m. on WKMS, beginning Sunday, January 3. The first episode will feature music from January 1950 along with anecdotes about what was going on culturally and politically during this time period.
