Hillbilly Music in the 1950s: Si Siman and Ozark Jubilee

As executive producer of Ozark Jubilee, Si Siman had to sell country music to ABC television executives who viewed the Ozarks as a backwoods region and repeatedly tried to change or cancel the show because of its "hillbillyisms." Dr. Kitty Ledbetter, co-author of Broadcasting the Ozarks: Si Siman and Country Music at the Crossroads, will look inside Siman's efforts to shape the Ozark Jubilee to their demands and his role in introducing country music and the Ozarks to viewers across America. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Presented in partnership with the Springfield-Green County Library District and the State Historical Society of Missouri.