One of the fun parts of our book Self-Rising is the incredible history of how the flour industry in the mid-twentieth century used music and the new radio airwaves to reach their mostly rural, daily biscuit- and cornbread-eating customers. Radio advertising had all kinds of advantages. One, it could be entertaining, and two, companies could magically reach rural folks right in their living rooms, which was never before possible. There were plenty of early barn dance programs showcasing downhome musicians, especially in the South, where the performers were more than eager to promote sponsoring products because it meant steady work and regular exposure on the radio. Nashville’s WSM-AM 650 is probably the most famous clear-channel station still airing the famous Grand Ole Opry. One of the longest sponsors of the famous show was Nashville’s Martha White Flour with Hot Rize. Even today, though the sponsorship is long gone, it’s nearly impossible to separate the brand from the Opry and WSM.
In the 1930s, Pappy O’Daniel and the Light Crust Doughboys were swinging in Texas. Later he created his own brand of Hillbilly Flour, advertised on his own radio show. Because of the popularity of the show, his fans even convinced him to run for governor of Texas. Thanks to his popularity over the Texas airwaves, he won.
This 1933 picture from the Golden Mystics of Old Time Music of Light Crust Flour and the Light Crust Dough Boys. The father of Texas Swing, Bob Wills, is second to the left. This style of radio programming with musical entertainment was a big influence on Cohen T. Williams of Martha White, who famously employed the the bluegrass duo Flatt and Scruggs to sing the praises of Hot Rize.
The flour mills of Nashville realized that the unique combination of the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music, and Flour peddling was really good for business. Before Martha White, Cherokee Mills combined the three by marketing Roy Acuff’s own Flour in a few markets. It didn’t last long, but it shows the power of the Opry and Radio.
Gold Medal Fast Freight Radio Program Jan 15, 1930 Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) Newspapers.com
General Mills in Minneapolis was also an early adopter of radio for promoting their flour and new baking convenience products like Bisquick and cake mixes to a national market. They used the Fast Freight Radio Program to entertain their audience as well as hammer home how the modern products were being shipped to a store near you by rail. At the time, the tag line “World’s Largest Flour Millers” meant business success without the negative connotations of industrialized food.
This is old Sonny Boy Williamson on a sack of Interstate Grocer’s corn meal promoted during the famous King Biscuit Flour Hour and later the Mother’s Best Show broadcast from Helena, Arkansas. The station offered a historic platform for Mississippi Delta Blues musicians, including Sonny Boy Williamson above.
Hopkinsville Milling in Hopkinsville, Kentucy, hired teenaged Brenda Lee to sing the praises of their Sunflour and Sunflower self-rising products. In the early 1960s, about the same time the company was broadcasting their new jingles, Brenda was touring throughout Europe. A little-known band called the Beatles even opened for her in Hamburg, Germany. Her picture was even featured on the sack of self-rising flour in the early 60s.
Listen to her belt out the Sunflour song
Here’s the Sunflower Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix song
The famous Jordanairs also found time for jingle work for Hopkinsville Milling’s Sunflower in between recording with Patsy Cline and Elvis.
Mother’s Best of Decatur, Alabama, sponsored all kinds of radio programming in Alabama, Memphis, and Helena, Arkansas, to promote flour and corn meal. One of the most amazing partnerships was with Hank Williams who hosted their Mother’s Best morning show on WSM-AM. He hosted the show for about 2 years until his death in 1952.
The Mother’s Best Hank Williams recordings are available on Amazon.com. You can also listen to the Mother’s Best morning radio shows by visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame Archives. It’s a fun chance to hear his charming banter about music and country cooking.
The most famous flour peddlers of all time—Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. Talk about a match made in heaven. The Martha White Theme adopted by the company in the early 1950s has become a bluegrass standard played around the world. Goodness Gracious, It’s Good!
Listen to the famous Martha White Theme song here.
