Jim Walsh (columnist)

After living for periods in Durham, North Carolina, and in South Boston, Virginia, he went to school and grew up in the small town of Marion.

In 1929 he began work in the music department of a furniture store in Marion, before taking a job as a post office clerk in the town in 1932.

[2] Between 1934 and 1943 he worked as a newspaper reporter in Johnson City, Tennessee, and in 1939 also began hosting a program on radio station WJHL, which showcased old recordings from his collection, and allowed him to discuss the lives and accomplishments of the musicians.

[3] In 1943 he joined the staff of the Roanoke World News, and began working on the local radio stations WDBJ and later WSLS, where he continued to broadcast until 1960.

[3] He listed his favorite recording artists as Billy Murray, Henry Burr, Ada Jones, Len Spencer, Arthur Collins, Byron G. Harlan, Harry Macdonough, Albert Campbell, Frank C. Stanley, Steve Porter, Billy Golden, S. H. Dudley, Dan W. Quinn, William F. Hooley, and Cal Stewart.