William Stoess

William Charles Stoess (1902 – 1953) was an American music arranger, musician, conductor and composer.

He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William M. Stoess of Cincinnati, Ohio.[1]

Stoess was a violin soloist and an announcer on WLW radio in Cincinnati, Ohio.[2] He began conducting a small ensemble there as early as 1921.[3] In 1923, he became that station's first full-time music director, and he held that position for both WLW and WSAI (also in Cincinnati) from 1928 to 1937.[4] Under Stoess's direction and station owner Powel Crosley Jr.'s leadership the music program grew to over 100 staff members by 1932 and was broadcast throughout the United States, earning WLW the nickname "The Nation's Station".

Stoess is credited with the early development of the soundtrack for the radio dramas produced at WLW.[2] These dramas were nicknamed "soap operas" in reference to WLW's close relationship with sponsors Procter and Gamble.[5][6]

While he was at WLW, Stoess directed Vocal Varieties, which originated at WLW and was broadcast on NBC-Red.[7]

Stoess left WLW in July 1944 to work for Trans-American Broadcasting & Television Corporation in New York.[4] Later, he went to the American Broadcasting Company, where he was responsible for the music of the religious drama The Greatest Story Ever Told.[3]

Personal life

On July 17, 1925, Stoess married Rosemary Ellerbrock, a pianist and organist who performed as both soloist and accompanist at WLW. The two met when they were students at Cincinnati College of Music.[8]

Death

On September 24, 1953, Stoess died at Forest Hills, Long Island, New York. He was survived by his wife, a daughter, and his parents.[1]

References
Notes
  1. "The Final Curtain" (PDF). Billboard. October 3, 1953. p. 54. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. "Radio 'Barker' to Appear Here". The Republic. Indiana, Columbus. September 5, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved February 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Martini, Michael A. (2011). Cincinnati Radio. South Carolina, Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7385-8864-3.
  4. "Crosley Shifts". Billboard. July 15, 1944. p. 5. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  5. Perry, Dick (1971). Not just a sound; the story of WLW. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
  6. Shurick, Edward P. J. (1946). The first quarter-century of American broadcasting. Kansas City [Mo.]: Midland publishing company. pp. 63–64.
  7. "Tums' Variety Show" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 15, 1938. p. 65.
  8. "Radio Romance Found at WLW". The Evening News. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. July 25, 1925. p. 18. Retrieved February 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
Bibliography
  • Lichty, Lawrence Wilson, "The nation's station": a history of radio station WLW. Ohio State University dissertation, 1964.
  • Obituary, New York Times, September 27, 1953.


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