All Girls, All The Time
Heliocentric XXIX
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A few weeks ago their mother came home with big news. She’d auditioned and was hired as an announcer at a brand new radio station broadcasting from a hotel called Holiday Inn in
Memphis.
Since then she had the popular hits playing on the radio at home constantly, practicing annunciating song titles. Besame Mucho. Sincerely. The kids favorites were Ballad of Davy Crockett — singing along the lyrics learned from the television show — and Mister Sandman by the Chordettes.
She didn’t understand the unusual décor at the station at the time of the audition — pinks and purples, decorated like some crazy dollhouse — but yesterday she found out it was part of the playful facade over an amazing reality — that all the announcers, record librarians, management, sales, and writers were to be women.
You’re listening to Carla at your all girl station, WHER, on this 29th day of October, 1955. Good afternoon and welcome to our first broadcast day.
It was Saturday; her kids were sitting by the radio. Come listen — mom’s on! — they called out to their father.
She started her show with Georgia Gibbs’s Dance with Me Henry, followed by Frank Sinatra’s Same Old Saturday Night.
We’re so glad to have your ears this afternoon. I’d like to take a minute to thank Mr. Sam Phillips of Sun Records, for helping create this amazing venue for us women.
And this one goes out to my kids, she said, as the bung-bung-bung-bung bung-bung- bung-bung of the Chordettes sailed out on the airwaves.
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© AleXander Hirka 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Heliocentric Redux 2019
Heliocentric. October 2018 writing project — one short sketch a day, under 250 words each, circling like a planet around The Sun.
