Gene Hooper, interviewed by Joseph Ogando, April 7, 1988, in Machias, Maine. Hooper talks about country and traditional music in early-to-mid twentieth century Maine; influential musicians in the late 1920s and early 1930s; early radio in Maine and the stations he listened to; changes in radio and material aired; his experiences performing for radio; adapting traditional “story songs” for radio; importance of Jimmy Rodgers as a model; yodeling in music; playing in Canada and Virginia; why country music was popular in Maine and the Maritime Provinces; changes in country music by 1988; importance of lyrics and the story to early country music; and what instruments would sometimes accompany him. Transcript: 25 pp
