Bill "Hoss" Allen

Bill "Hoss" Allen. . , Pioneering rhythm and blues (R&B) and gospel disc jockey Bill Allen, known as “Hoss” or “Hossman,” worked in radio for more than 40 years. During the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Allen’s nightly shows on WLAC Nashville played a pivotal role in broadening the base of R&B and soul music. He also created a television series, “The !!!! Beat,” featuring many of the top R&B stars of the 1960s. Later, Allen hosted a long-running gospel radio show., Although Allen worked almost exclusively with African American music, he was white. William Trousdale Allen III was born in Gallatin on Dec. 3, 1922. Brought up in his grandfather’s household, Allen was introduced to African American gospel music by the family’s maid, who took him to her church. His nickname came from his grandfather who called him “My hoss and saddle.” Allen attended Vanderbilt University in 1941 and ‘42 before joining a USO (United Service Organizations) band as a drummer during World War II. He resumed classes at Vanderbilt after the war, but left in September 1948 to be an announcer on Gallatin’s new local station, 1,000-watt WHIN., On April 10, 1949, Allen moved to Nashville’s 50,000 watt clear channel station, WLAC. He sold airtime and ran promotions, occasionally filling in for another white R&B disc jockey, Gene Nobles. After Nobles’ retirement in 1955, Allen took over WLAC's nighttime slot. The station’s signal reached from Alaska to Jamaica. Allen’s delivery and choice of music led many listeners to assume he was African American. He developed cross-cultural appeal, building a strong following for R&B among white teenagers., Among the artists Allen helped to launch were James Brown and Otis Redding, and several artists cited Allen’s influence, including Bob Sefer, The Band, and Waylon Jennings. Allen developed or adopted catchphrases for his sponsors, including “It’s git down time,” which became a part of vernacular speech., In 1960, after the Congressional Payola Investigations began limiting the freewheeling climate that had prevailed in radio, Allen took a job with Chess Records, working in record production and promotion. In 1963, WLAC asked him to return to host a nighttime gospel show., Allen participated in several business ventures outside radio. He was a partner in Nashville’s Pro-Sound Studios and founded several record labels. He promoted concerts, and, most memorably, he hosted and booked 26 episodes of “The !!!! Beat.” Filmed in Dallas, it was designed for syndication, but failed to attract sponsors. The featured artists included Etta James, Freddie King, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, and Sam and Dave, as well as veterans such as Louis Jordan., After a change of ownership, WLAC canceled Allen’s shows in 1978. He began working for an independent Nashville television station, WZTV, but returned to WLAC in February 1980., Allen continued hosting his gospel show on WLAC until 1993. By then, he had the only non-talk show on the station. He died in Feb. 25, 1997., In 1994, Allen, together with two other pioneering WLAC disc jockeys, were inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2010, Allen was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.