Oral history with Mr. Jimmy Swan, radio personality and political figure

              Oral history with Mr. Jimmy Swan, radio personality and political figure
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of University of Southern Mississippi Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage.
Funding provided by a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
The transcript is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright. PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Mr. Jimmy Swan was born in Cullman County, Alabama, one of two children in the family. His parents separated when he was very young and he moved with his mother and sister to Birmingham. His mother worked as a domestic, and things were hard. Jimmy Swan told his story to the circulation manager of the Birmingham Post and Post- Herald, and Jimmy was given " the best corner in town," on which to sell papers.
Keeping the tradition that " all my people back in the mountains,. . . they were all musicians," Jimmy Swan aspired to a musical career himself. He dreamed of being a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and as a young boy became known as the " Singing Newsboy," and was successful in winning a radio contest in Birmingham.
When a young friend prevailed upon Jimmy to join him in leaving home, " we caught a freight train. . . I had my guitar on my back and I wound up in Mississippi, I guess about thirteen or fourteen years old." Befriended by a couple in Wayne County, " I wound up with them. They just kind of orally adopted me to stay with his wife while he was [ away] in the timber business. . ." After a couple of years, Jimmy was contacted by a man in Jasper County who " wanted me to go stay with his wife," and he moved to that location. He worked at farming for both couples and " on Saturday nights we'd gather up a group of people at somebody's house . . . and we'd have a Saturday night square dance." It was in a situation like this that " I was singing and the other boys was a picking . . . and a pretty little ole girl walked by me with her boyfriend and she winked at me." The wink led to matrimony and " I was around seventeen when we were married and she was nineteen." Young they may have been, but the marriage took and the Swans still are together and they have children as well as a number of grandchildren. For many years Mr. Swan performed professionally at night clubs singing in the manner of Hank Williams, with whom he became good friends. He authored many songs, some of which became popular nation- wide. He eventually decided to give up club entertaining and became one of the earliest disc jockeys in the country. He joined with several others in founding the Country Music Disc Jockeys Association. He performed for many years with his own radio program, and eventually became part owner and manager of a radio station. Mr. Swan's professional life revolved around singing, song writing, and radio management. mus- coh. swanj. doc Page 1 of 74