HARRINGTON, Del. - On East Center Street in Harrington near the railroad tracks used to be a small grocery store owned by Ethel & Sam Short.
Sam Short enjoyed poetry and music, and those interests led him to start a new record label in the early 1950s, called Blue Hen Records.
According to Doug Poore, curator of the Greater Harrington Historical Society, Ethel wasn't a fan of the idea.
"Ethel thought it was a frivolous idea, so the two of then I guess had a few marital discussions about it, but Sam kept going," Poore said.
Sam even had to resort to subterfuge to keep from angering his wife.
"He would actually have the records sent to his daughter's home, who lived just down the street from the store, so his wife didn't see what was coming in as he would buy records to sell," Poore said.
Blue Hen Records was a small label, but saw success at home and abroad.
"Mel Price and the Santa Fe Rangers. They actually did some back up for Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, they went out to Nashville to do some work, but they did a lot of work overseas, they did a lot of tours with the USO during Korea," Poore recounted.
But Blue Hen Records artists found their greatest success on Delmarva.
"Regionally it was pretty successful," Poore said. "The bands that played for him ended up doing things- shows at the Harrington Armory, the Milford Canteen, the Lincoln Canteen. They did a lot of teen dances, a lot of New Year's Eve dances."
Even WBOC's late owner, Thomas H. Draper, had connections to the history of Blue Hen Records.
"The original recordings were done at WTHD, which was Tom Draper's first foray into media, which was an AM radio station nearby," Poole said. "So there's links to all over the peninsula, which is the unique part as we have delved into this story."
Blue Hen Records artists also recorded and performed at the WBOC studios in Salisbury, which Tom Draper would purchase in 1980.
The last known record produced by Blue Hen Records is from 1971.
The Greater Harrington Historical Society applied for and received a grant from Delaware Humanities to produce a documentary about Blue Hen Records. They hired 302 Stories, Inc. to produce the documentary, titled "Blue Hen Records, The Sounds of Delmarva."
There will be a public showing of the documentary at 7 p.m. on June 15, 2024 at the Harrington Fire Hall located at 20 Clark Street in Harrington, Del.
Doors open at 6 p.m., and admission is free. Free snacks and drinks will also be provided, and a cash bar will be available. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their best 1950s fashions!