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The Suwannee River Jamboree was north Florida's largest and best known country music show. The Jamboree began in 1952 and was founded by Norm Prostman, who owned WNER and WQHL Radio in Live Oak. By 1954, the Jamboree featured over 40 performers doing three hour sets every Saturday night. Most of the performers were local North Florida talent. Aubrey Fowler often wrote and produced the shows, which were featured on twenty-seven different radio stations throughout the South. By the mid-1950s, the show had gained national attention, thanks in part to an article in Esquire magazine. The Jamboree began to attract national country music stars such as Ernest Tubb, Ferlin Husky, and Lew Childres. The show reached its peak in popularity in 1956 and began to have problems. In spring 1957 the show had grown too big for its current venue, but did not have a permanent location. The show was forced onto the road into Georgia and Alabama, but the road shows did not attract large crowds. By the fall of 1957, the show had closed and the McReynolds brothers, who had been operating the show, moved on to the Grand Ole Opry. The Jamboree was revived in November 1958, but by the end of 1959 the Jamboree was ended for good. The Florida Folklife Programs revived the Jamboree in 1984 and 1985 and featured many of the original performers in a one day event.