MAMA Celebrates Modesto’s First Commercial Band and Radio Station
In the final years of the Great Depression, Modesto’s first radio station, KTRB, took to the airwaves, broadcasting a lively mix of recorded and live music. The very first band to appear on the station was a group of five young men who called themselves the Swanee Cowboys. Each member was known by a distinctive nickname: Roy Sanderson was “Hungry,” Eldon Barrick was “Slats,” Cliff Wheeler was “Jake,” Stanley Dennis was “Skeeter,” and Sydney London was “Sy.”
As KTRB gained momentum, other live acts followed, including Arkie and the Hillbillies and the soon-to-be-famous Maddox Brothers and Rose. But the Swanee Cowboys hold a special distinction as the station’s very first staff band. Originally scheduled from 7:00 to 7:30 each morning, their growing popularity soon earned them a full hour—and a weekly paycheck of $10…