Country Radio Hall of Fame member Doug Mayes passed away on Sunday, Oct. 18, at his home in North Carolina at age 93.
The longtime broadcaster was the host of “Carolina Country Style” on WBT in Charlotte during the 1950s and 1960s. He emceed country concerts at the Charlotte Coliseum for decades.
Mayes started his career as a fiddler and guitarist. He backed Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith for about a year and once performed on the Grand Ole Opry. He began his broadcasting career in Kingsport, Tenn., and became a radio newsman. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
He joined the staff of WSIX in Nashville in 1947. In 1949, he began his long career at WBT. In addition to being a radio reporter and country-show host, he was the first TV news anchor in Charlotte, working at WBTV beginning in 1952.
After that, he was at WSOC-TV between 1982 and 1988. He was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2002. He is also in the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
He is survived by son Joe Mayes, granddaughter Heather Leslie Rahn and great-grandson Theo.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at Denver United Methodist Church in Denver, N.C. Burial will follow at 2 p.m. in Evergreen Cemetery, Charlotte. Condolences to the family may be made at www.cavin-cook.com.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children (604 Doug Mayes Place, Charlotte, NC 28262) or to the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (P.O. Box 56669, Charlotte, NC 28299).
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Robert K. Oermann is a longtime contributor to MusicRow. He is a respected music critic, author and historian.View Author Profile
