Rosalie Allen

Rosalie Allen was born Julie Marlene Bedra on June 27, 1924. Allen grew up the daughter of a Polish immigrant chiropractor in a large, poor Pennsylvania family. Inspired by the singing cowboys of the 1930s, she taught herself to sing and play her brother's guitar, then began working on the radio in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and later performed on Denver Darling's Swing Billies pseudo-western radio show in New York City.

Related Topics:
June 27 - 1924 - Polish - Cowboys - 1930 - Guitar - Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - Denver Darling

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Allen's first hit came in 1946 with RCA Victor with a yodeling update of Patsy Montana's "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart." Allen's final hits paired her with yodeler Elton Britt. Their first single, "Beyond the Sunset," hit number seven in 1950. They also recorded "The Yodel Blues" and "Quicksilver."

Related Topics:
1946 - Patsy Montana - Elton Britt - 1950

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In 1944, she took up a job as a disc jockey. Her half-hour program, Prairie Stars on WOV in New York, was so popular that Country Music magazine named her the most famous country music personality in Manhattan. She stayed with the show until rock music bumped her off the air in 1956. In the 1960s, she ran a country western record shop called Rosalie Allen's Hillbilly Music Center in New York City. Allen retired to Alabama to raise a family.

Related Topics:
WOV - 1956 - 1960

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In 1999, her work in radio was recognized and she was the first woman inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame. After a brief battle with congestive heart failure, Allen passed away on September 24, 2003.

Related Topics:
1999 - Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame - September 24 - 2003

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