Ralph Emery
| Ralph Emery | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Walter Ralph Emery |
| Born |
March 10, 1933 McEwen, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country, Nashville sound |
| Occupation(s) | Disc jockey, television host |
| Years active | 1974—present |
| Labels | Liberty |
| Associated acts | Skeeter Davis |
Walter Ralph Emery (born March 10, 1933) is a country music disc jockey and television host from Nashville, Tennessee. He gained national fame hosting the syndicated television music series, Pop! Goes the Country, from 1974 to 1980 and the nightly Nashville Network television program, Nashville Now, from 1983 to 1993. Emery can currently be seen hosting the weekly program, Ralph Emery Live, on RFD-TV, a satellite and cable television channel devoted to rural American culture.
Emery first earned fame as the late-night disc jockey on Nashville's WSM. Due to the clear-channel broadcasting range of the station at night, Emery's country music show could be heard over most of the Eastern and Central U.S.-- and by many overnight long-haul truck drivers, who were often fans of country music. The all-night show was a mecca for country music stars of all kinds, many of whom were personal friends of Emery. One in particular was singer and movie star, and Nashville resident, Tex Ritter. Ritter actually co-hosted the show with Emery for a while. Many well-known stars, most notably Marty Robbins, would often drop in unannounced.
Emery also gave national exposure to many up-and-coming and previously unknown country music singers, for which these singers often owed their careers. Emery later wrote several best-selling books chronicling his memories of the many Nashville singers and musicians that appeared on his various radio and TV shows. The second of Emery's three wives was Opry star Skeeter Davis.
Emery is credited for developing the gab of NASCAR driver (and Middle Tennessean) Darrell Waltrip, who was a frequent guest on his late-night radio show during his early days racing in Nashville. That eventually led to substitute gigs on WSM and Nashville Now.
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