On this date in 1922, history was made at Downtown’s Muehlebach Hotel when a popular Kansas City band headed by drummer Carleton Coon and pianist Joe Sanders—the Coon-Sanders Orchestra—became the first to broadcast their performances regularly nationwide, via Kansas City’s WDAF-AM radio. This wasn’t a syndicated radio show, however; in 1922 radio had not yet taken over the country. In fact, at the beginning of that year, only a handful of stations were licensed. So, without much interference, WDAF’s signal spanned the country, even stretching beyond the borders of the United States at times. With a national audience, the Coon-Sanders band became famous nationwide, and within two years, boasted 37,000 members in their radio fan club.
In part due to their late-night radio broadcasts, the band would become known as the Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra, or the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks for short, and they left Kansas City in 1924 to begin touring the country. After engagements and residencies in Chicago and New York City over the next few years, the orchestra moved to New York permanently in 1931, where it met an unfortunate end when co-leader Carleton Coon contracted an infection and died in the spring of 1932. Without Coon, the band’s popularity waned, and four years later Sanders started a new band that never reached the heights of the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks. He would continue his musical career mostly in Hollywood through the 1940s, and eventually return to KC, performing as a singer with the Kansas City Opera in the 1950s. He died in May of 1965 in Kansas City, Missouri.
An interesting parallel to this 1922 “radio first” in our town: Almost 50 years later the Cowtown Ballroom at 31st and Gillham Plaza would be the site for America’s first nationally syndicated rock concert radio series in the early 1970s. Joe Heyen and Anthony Ladesich later produced a documentary about the legendary venue—Cowtown Ballroom…Sweet Jesus!—which premiered around 2009.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to The KC Downtown Loop, you may have missed our feature on Amanda and Scott Jolley’s Longfellow home, comprised of a two-story flat living space, art studio, production shop, and more. View photos and read the story here:
Fans of baseball legend Buck O’Neil are hoping he will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame around 5 p.m. tonight. The Kansas City Star reports that the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will host a program beginning at 4 p.m. today to learn of (and hopefully celebrate) O’Neil’s induction into the Class of 2022.
Meanwhile, KCUR explains more about O’Neil’s last chance for inclusion in the Hall of Fame:
Union Station is a gorgeous structure and grounds during any time of year, but the holidays make it even more spectacular. Next Saturday, artists will again compete for a $250 prize at the Union Station Quick-Paint Contest. Register or learn more at this link:
Fidelity Security Life’s proposed 11-story headquarters project at 27th and Main has created quite a stir, particularly in regard to tax incentives, parking, and integration with the future streetcar line. Kevin Collison of CitySceneKC has the story:
More from CitySceneKC: Last month, a group of businesses between 17th and 19th streets, McGee and Campbell, formally incorporated as the East Crossroads Alcohol Producers. Known more simply as the “East Crossroads”, they plan to collaboratively market their increasingly popular district to visitors from the metro area and beyond. Collison’s link includes a walking map of the area, in addition to other good information:
Artful City: One weekly selection from a Downtown artist, gallery, or museum
Quick Clip: The city in motion—just a few seconds at a time in GIF form
Downtown Lens: A single image depicting life around the Loop
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