Ruth Lyons

Biography

Composer, author, pianist and organist Ruth Lyons is a Cincinnati institution, known for her work as one of the nation's premier broadcasters in the 1940s, '50s and '60s, and for her charity, the Ruth Lyons Children's Fund. Ruth was educated at the University of Cincinnati, where she wrote musical productions, and the Conservatory of Music. In 1929, she began her career in radio at Cincinnati's WKRC as a pianist, organist and music librarian, eventually becoming the station's music director. She moved to WLW and WSAI in 1942 to host "Petticoat Partyline", an afternoon show for women. Next came "The WLW Consumer's Foundation", featuring Ruth, Frazier Thomas and organist Arthur Chandler. (The show was later renamed "Morning Matinee.") In 1949, while continuing her duties on "Morning Matinee," Ruth debuted the "50 Club" on WLW, the show for which she is best remembered. Named for the number of people in the studio audience each day, the 90-minute weekday show soon became the "50-50 Club" when it began simulcasting on WLW and WLWT television. By 1951, Ruth Lyons was a household name outside of Cincinnati. NBC aired the "50-50 Club" nationwide for eleven months that year, one of several programs produced in Cincinnati by WLWT and broadcast by every station in the network. The show marked another milestone in 1957 by becoming the first color TV broadcast in Cincinnati. Ruth had a number of co-hosts during her years on the "50-50 Club," including Paul Jones, Willie Thall, Peter Grant and Bob Braun, and the latter stepped in when Ruth retired in 1967. Joining ASCAP in 1957, her popular-song compositions include "Wasn't the Summer Short?", "The Ten Tunes of Christmas", "Let's Light the Christmas Tree", "This Is Christmas", and "Christmas Is a Birthday Time".