W.B. Nowlin

W.B. Nowlin

De Leon, The Heart of Texas

Gospel music has always been an important part of Texan culture, and one name stands out in this field: concert promoter, radio disc jockey, and local politician W.B. Nowlin. A native of Forth Worth, W.B. Nowlin served two terms as mayor of De Leon during the 1950s.

Nowlin is most famous for his tireless promotion of gospel music. He booked gospel quartets on daily radio programs in the 1930s and 40s. After the war, he was a concert promoter for gospel groups throughout the United States. Nowlin’s most famous promotion was the "Battle of Songs," which placed popular gospel quartets on stage in friendly competition. Nowlin’s regular gospel music concert at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth was always very popular.

Nowlin is probably best remembered for bringing the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself, Elvis Presley, to De Leon. In 1955, Nowlin booked the hugely popular gospel group The Blackwood Brothers on July 4 in DeLeon. Texas. Elvis happened to be a big fan of the Blackwood Brothers, and he would sometimes travel with them. When The Blackwood Brothers came to De Leon, Elvis met up with them, and agreed to perform on Nowlin’s request. Since he was going to be performing on the same program with other gospel groups, Elvis decided to only perform gospel numbers.

W.B. Nowlin had a unique way of measuring a gospel group’s work ethic. "When I go to hear a group, I put fifteen pennies in the left pocket of my suit coat," he once said. "Every time that group sings a song, I move one penny from my left pocket to my right pocket. I do that to keep track of how many songs they give the people, as opposed to talking."