Real name: Edward Leroy Freeman

Effective period / Period of releases: 1977

Blue Grass Roy was born about 1901 on a farm in Christian County, not far distant from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Just a kid, he began to sing, gradually learning the old mountain ballads and folk songs of his home and surrounding area. He was a regular feature of WFIW for a year, being employed by the station to advertise Hamlin's Wizard Oil. The famous product and the famous singer went so well together, that the management of the Hamlin Wizard Oil Co. employed Blue Grass Roy permanently, to advertise their product. Blue Grass Roy stayed at WFIW for four years before moving on to KRLD in Dallas, Texas in 1933. He went to WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia in February 1935. He then went to WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut around February 1936 as he continued to gain fans all across the country and reportedly even in New Zealand where he was heard regularly. He was a pioneer singer of early morning and late night broadcasts over WWVA, from 1934 to 1935. However, he only appeared once on the Jamboree in a farewell appearance. The reason is that he didn't memorize his songs and he felt that a music stand would look a bit out of place on the stage of the WWVA Jamboree.