Late Shoals radio pioneer Bailey to be honored during Sledgefest 

LEIGHTON – First Street in downtown Leighton will soon have a new name in honor of one of the town’s pioneers when it is renamed Bob Carl Bailey Memorial Drive during the annual Sledgefest.

Bailey was a pioneer who had many firsts of his own. But Bailey’s most enduring legacy is Tuscumbia radio station WZZA, the self-described “Soul of the Shoals.” According to WZZA, Bailey and his wife Odessa became the first Black owners of an FCC-licensed radio station in north Alabama at the aforementioned family owned and operated station.

Daughter Tori Bailey is the general manager of the station that launched in 1972. WZZA not only provides programming, but also serves as a catalyst for action relating to health, education, finance and politics. 

Bailey (1935-2021), a Leighton native, also owned record stores, a pool hall and a barber shop. According to his station bio, he was not only a civic leader but was:

• The first Black policeman hired in Huntsville

• The first Black police chief of Triana
• The first president of the Shoals Area Business Association
• One of the first Blacks to have a regularly scheduled broadcast talk show in northwest Alabama – Sunday in the Shoals – which aired on WOWL-TV.

Town officials said First Street would receive a historical marker, and the new street sign will be unveiled Saturday during SledgeFest that runs Friday-Sunday in downtown Leighton. The event, which has as one of its sponsors WZZA, honors music legends Jimmy Hughes and Percy Sledge.

For more information about Sledgefest, visit here.