Asher Sizemore (b. 6 June 1906, Manchester, Kentucky, USA,
d. 24 November 1975, De Queen, Arkansas, USA) and his eldest son Jimmy (b. 29
January 1928, Paintsville, Kentucky, USA) were very popular radio
personalities, broadcasting mostly from Louisville KY.
Sizemore initially worked as a bookkeeper for a mining
company in Pike County but aspired to be a singer. In 1931, singing old-time
and cowboy songs, he appeared on radio in Huntington, West Virginia, before
moving to WCKY Cincinnati and then WHAS Louisville, where he was first joined
on air by his five-year-old son. In 1933, the duo were hired by the Grand Ole
Opry, where they remained a popular act for about 10 years.
Jimmy, at the age
of five, allegedly had a repertoire of over 200 songs and understandably
because of his extreme youth, his Opry and radio performances gained him a
considerable following. He sang duets with his father but is remembered for his
youthful renditions of numbers such as ‘Chewing Gum’ and ‘The Booger Bear’. In
1934, he achieved recording success with a maudlin rendition of ‘Little Jimmy’s
Goodbye to Jimmie Rodgers’.
Asher and Little Jimmie's first Opry appearance was on
September 24, 1932. It was said by many that Asher and Little Jimmie are the
best-remembered figures from the 1930s show. After joining the
Opry, they were
on almost every week in 1933, about three months in 1934 and from January to
April in 1935. After a series of appearances on the NBC Network, they were back
on the Opry for eight weeks in 1936 and 1937, and for about four months in
1939. After that, they appearances decreased until they left the show.
The Sizemores toured regularly but to augment their income,
Asher established a very successful mail-order service for their annual books
of Health & Home Songs and they also made transcription disc recordings
that Asher syndicated to stations throughout the south and Midwest.
In 1950, now joined by daughter Nancy Louise, Asher returned to WKLO Louisville. Jimmy and Buddy both served in the US Forces in Korea, Buddy being killed in action in November 1950. Asher and Jimmy later moved to Arkansas where they both worked on radio. Asher Sizemore died in 1975 but Jimmy moved to Oklahoma and continued to work on radio in an executive capacity.
He died on 14 October 2014, at the age of
86.
