Today in Wheeling History: June 26--Andrew John Smik, who would later become known as country music performer Doc Williams and a longtime fixture of the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, was born in Cleveland, Ohio (1914).
Doc Williams (born Andrew John Smik in 1914) and his wife Chickie (born Jessie Wanda Crupe in 1919) were influential country music performers and radio personalities associated with the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia, for over five decades. Doc's journey began in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was born, before his family moved to Kittaning, Pennsylvania. He gained early radio experience in Pittsburgh before settling in Wheeling in 1937. The couple's influence extended far beyond the Ohio Valley, reaching fans across the Northeast United States and into Canada, particularly the Maritime provinces. They were made honorary citizens in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire due to their popularity in those states. In 1947, Doc opened a country music park called Musselman's Grove near Altoona, Pennsylvania, which hosted many country music stars of the era. The Doc Williams Country Store, opened in 1977 across from the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling, became a local landmark until its closure in 1998. Doc was a licensed pilot who flew to various locations for performances, including Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Nashville. Their enduring legacy in Wheeling and the broader Appalachian region was recognized with their induction into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/2v94waph) (https://tinyurl.com/y9vdtaun) (https://tinyurl.com/36aujepb) (https://tinyurl.com/5238xbst) (https://tinyurl.com/sewpmfw9)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Weelunk, Goldenseal, Wikimedia Commons
Doc Williams (born Andrew John Smik in 1914) and his wife Chickie (born Jessie Wanda Crupe in 1919) were influential country music performers and radio personalities associated with the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia, for over five decades. Doc's journey began in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was born, before his family moved to Kittaning, Pennsylvania. He gained early radio experience in Pittsburgh before settling in Wheeling in 1937. The couple's influence extended far beyond the Ohio Valley, reaching fans across the Northeast United States and into Canada, particularly the Maritime provinces. They were made honorary citizens in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire due to their popularity in those states. In 1947, Doc opened a country music park called Musselman's Grove near Altoona, Pennsylvania, which hosted many country music stars of the era. The Doc Williams Country Store, opened in 1977 across from the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling, became a local landmark until its closure in 1998. Doc was a licensed pilot who flew to various locations for performances, including Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Nashville. Their enduring legacy in Wheeling and the broader Appalachian region was recognized with their induction into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/2v94waph) (https://tinyurl.com/y9vdtaun) (https://tinyurl.com/36aujepb) (https://tinyurl.com/5238xbst) (https://tinyurl.com/sewpmfw9)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Weelunk, Goldenseal, Wikimedia Commons
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