The Ole Coon Hunter

This week I was reminded of a once colorful, local character, named Cas Walker.  I had not thought about him for years. I wonder how many of my readers know of, or remember the once household name.  He was one of the most flamboyant politicians in Knoxville, as well as a major force in promoting country music in East Tennessee. While he was a formidable political machine with a passion for helping the downtrodden or underdog, and attempting to displace the elite in government, it is not what I, or most people remember him for.  It is instead, his contributions to country music in East Tennessee.

Cas Walker hosted a television show which was extremely popular on WBIR and on radio station WIVK-AM. The show initially aired in 1929, as a radio program on WROL-AM and later on WIVK-AM. In 1953, it adopted a television format for WROL-TV (now WATE-TV) and aired on various local channels until 1983.The daily program, the Farm and Home Show, helped to launch the careers of the Everly Brothers and introduced twelve-year-old Dolly Parton to a wide East Tennessee audience.  The radio show featured bluegrass favorites such as the Osborne Brothers, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, as well as country musicians, Roy Acuff,  Carl Smith, Carl Butler, Jim Nabors, and Chet Atkins and several others.

Cas Walker is and was a modern legend.  He basked in his image as a hick, redneck, or just plain idiot. He talked of coon hunting, and was labeled,  “The Ole Coon Hunter”. Owning a grocery store, known for low prices, and country atmosphere, he used aggressive and innovative marketing, to create a 60 million dollar grocery store chain.  Weekly specials were advertised through his radio (WIVK-AM) and television (WBIR) shows.  The advertisements were “corny” and “straight shooting”, appealing to his broad country audience.  To say the least, he was casual and laid back, a “good ole boy”, and his audience loved him.  You may remember this line of his song/slogan, “Pick up the morning paper when it hits the street. Cas Walker prices, they just can’t be beat”.