I recently ran across a six year old article in Philadelphia Weekly on a very famous country music park in SE Pennsylvania, “Sunset Park”, which hosted country music shows in the 50s and 60s. This was back when there was still country in country music.
For a dollar, one could sit on a plank bench during a balmy afternoon or summer evening and watch “package shows” by people such as Bill Monroe, Hank Snow, Merle Travis, The Stanly Brothers, and The Stoneman Family, all performing from the Sunset Park stage two or three hours’ drive from Nashville. This was the time before BG festivals, with a mixture of various styles of country music just like you could hear over the radio in those days. It didn’t happen just in PA of course. For example, there were similar shows in the county park off of Hwy 33 between Ventura and Ojai, though you weren’t going to get the variety of big stars that venues closer to Nashville featured…
We’ve reprinted the entire article with added photos, most of which were taken at Sunset Park. ***Click Here*** for the article.
-Peter
An e-mail letter received from Bill Townsend, of Morgantown, PA.
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Monday, October 13, 2008, 9:08 PM
Dear Peter:
My name is Bill Townsend and I have been playing Country Music since I was ten years old. I joined a professional band in 1971 after getting our of the Navy. I spent many hours playing for fun on board the USS Intrepid, 1968 to 1970.
I was surprised and delighted to see the article on Sunset Park Chester County, West Grove PA. I was raised in nearby West Goshen in Chester County. I grew up listening to Alex and Ole Belle broadcasting live on radio at Sunset Park every Sunday in the summer. My dream was to play Sunset Park. After moving to Morgantown area I joined up with 3 musicians 2 of whom were tired of traveling with a band and wanted to play closer to home. The 3rd was the son of one of two musicians who hired me to joined them. They played and harmonized great without me but wanted a 4th musician to groom into playing lead guitar, Banjo, and help load the equipment.
After 3 years of playing almost 900 shows we auditioned on Labor Day of 1974 at Sunset Park. Lawrence booked us in 1975 to be in the lineup with the house band, Alex Campbell and Ronnie Milsap. Alex Campell was playing along with us back stage so we asked him and he played a set with us. What an honor. I was so lucky to have played Sunset Park several times with many famous performers and musicians.
I always felt so honored and excited to play Sunset. Seeing the article was very dear to me. I still run into people who saw me Sunset Park with Hank Snow, Ronnie Milsap, Billy Crash Craddock, The Kendalls, Bill Anderson, Johnny Paycheck, and Conway Twitty. The band was the Green Hill Drifters and Changed their name to the Nashville Drifters when I joined. Thank you this great tribute to the most wonderful place that anyone could play. Mr & Mrs Waltman and Sunset Park. Thanks to the many friends and relatives of the Walmans who worked at the Park.
Bill Townsend 316 Swamp Road Morgantown PA 19543
Web page http://www.themajesticsband.net