Si Siman, the Ozark Jubilee, and Music Business at the Crossroads by Dr. Kitty Ledbetter

Name: Si Siman, the Ozark Jubilee, and Music Business at the Crossroads by Dr. Kitty Ledbetter
Start: 2025-05-13T18:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-13T19:00:00-05:00
Location: 304 W. Trish Knight, West Plains, MO, United States, Missouri 65775

Schedule

Tue May 13 2025 at 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

304 W. Trish Knight, West Plains, MO, United States, Missouri 65775 | West Plains, MO

A special presentation, “Si Siman, the Ozark Jubilee, and Music Business at the Crossroads” featuring Dr. Kitty Ledbetter will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, at the Garnett Library. The program is underwritten by the Missouri Humanities Council.
The presentation will provide an entertaining, well-illustrated account of Si Siman, a native Ozarker and executive producer of the Ozark Jubilee (1955-1960), the first continuous, live network country music television show in history. Hosted by superstar Red Foley, the weekly show was broadcast live from the Jewell Theater in Springfield, Missouri. Siman played a crucial role in developing and securing talent for the Jubilee, which was the only network television show at the time originating outside New York or Los Angeles.
More than a third of the Ozark Jubilee performers are now in the Country Music Hall of Fame, including Chet Atkins—whom Siman nicknamed “Chet” in the 1940s—Porter Wagoner and Brenda Lee. Following the Jubilee, Siman became a music publisher and managed the career of Wayne Carson, writer of two legendary songs: “The Letter,” recorded by The Box Tops in 1967, and Willie Nelson’s Grammy-winning version of “Always on My Mind” in 1982.
Ledbetter’s presentation will draw from her recent book, Broadcasting the Ozarks: Si Siman and Country Music at the Crossroads (University of Arkansas Press), offering insights into Siman’s impact on country music and the music business.
This presentation is supported by the Missouri Speakers Bureau, a joint initiative of Missouri Humanities and the State Historical Society of Missouri and is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.