Many names are associated with Bud Messner and the various iterations of The Skyline Boys (Bud Messner and The Skyline Boys, The/His Skyliners, The Skyline Quartette, The Skyline Trio). Details about certain members are challenging to obtain due to a lack of accessible information online, the scattering of historical ephemera, and the passage of time. Documenting the history of individual group members is a long-term process. In relative descending order from early to later membership and affiliation, the known names include: Bud Messner, Bill Bailey, Hank Silby/Quincy Snodgrass, Roy Parks, Dude Webb, Billy Ross, Roy Ingram, Molly Darr, Bill Franklin, Buddy Allen, Bob Thomas, Bill Fleagle, Jack and Jimmy Throckmorton, Zag Pennel, Lew Wade, Bobby Bern, Dusty Shaver, Jacky Osborn, and Shorty King.

Bud Messner & Molly Darr
Luray, VA | Winston-Salem, NC
1917 – 2001 | 1928-2007

Bud Messner was a “pioneer in country music who began his radio career in 1934” (B. Messner Obituary). Bud began playing on the radio in Louisiana. He moved to WJEJ in Maryland, then WCHA in Chambersburg, PA, in the 1950s. Bud met and married Molly Darr, who later joined the group as a member of “The Skyliners.”

Bud played the bass fiddle and guitar. His mother purchased a three-dollar guitar for him and his brother in Hagerstown, MD as a child, which is how he got started playing music. He served in the Army Special Service Branch during World War II and was a charismatic front man and manager of the group. Bud’s demeanor was well suited as both a lead performer and radio personality.

Molly Darr held a BA in voice from Salem College and hosted the “Molly and Me” radio broadcast for over twenty years on WCBG. She was a soloist in the Falling Spring Presbyterian Church choir, and a former president of the Chambersburg Hospital Auxiliary, and a member of a number of other associations, such as VFW, and Amvets (M. Darr Obituary). 

Bud’s first groups played in the late-1930s, as variations of “Bud Messner” “The/His Saddle Pals” and “The/His Saddle Sweethearts.”

“Saddle Pals”: Bernie, Buck, Texas Rose, Gene, Pete, and Gump. “Saddle Sweethearts”: Dot, Bonnie, Betty, and Rose Lee Maphis; wife of guitarist Joe Maphis.

Bud Messner and The Saddle Pals
Photograph, est. late-1930s-early-1940s
Source: Private Collection

Bud Messner and The Saddle Pals/Sweethearts
Photograph, est. late-1930s-early-1940s
Source: Private Collection

Madison, VA
1921 – unk.

Bill Bailey was a mandolin player and vocalist who started his music career broadcasting on WWVA at age fifteen. He was a founding member of The Skyline Boys and continued as a member of the group throughout the majority of their career. Bill essentially played with the entire Skyline roster over their tenure. It is known that Bill’s playing and performances were well-received by audiences and that he played with Toby Stroud and Buck Ryan as early as 1944 at WWVA. 

Bill Bailey and Roy Parks also released an LP with singer Dottie Smith in the 1970s. Details about Bill are developing and being uncovered, but it is clear that he was a dedicated musician and a core member of The Skyline Boys.

Lynchburg, VA
1922 – 2001

Hank Silby was a natural performer who adopted multiple personas over his career. His mother worked in a shoe factory and crafted him his first pair of clown shoes. Performing as Hank Silby, he played with Toby Stroud at WWVA and was a founding member of The Skyline Boys, where he contributed as a vocalist and guitarist. It was during this period that Leon created Quincy Snodgrass and began a broader journey in comedic entertainment. 

In the 1950s, Quincy became the star comedian on Jimmy Dean’s “Town Hall Party” TV program. Before Jimmy Dean was known as a food brand, he was a musician and had a TV show that introduced talent. His group was known as “The Wildcats.” Town Hall Party aired for nine years and featured legends like Merle Travis, Tex Ritter, Johnny Cash, and others. Quincy later featured on the show “Ranch Party,” hosted by Gene Autry. Below is a clip of Hank Silby playing instrumentals on Merle Travis’s guitar, featuring on Jimmy Dean’s Town Hall Party.

Quincy Snodgrass on Merle Travis’ Guitar
Town Hall & Country TV Show, 1959
“Guitar Instrumentals”
Source: YouTube Upload
YouTube User: moviemagg

Wytheville, VA
1925 – 1996

Roy Parks was a lead guitarist, string player, and tenor vocalist from a musical family who started in show business at age sixteen. Roy’s mother, Marjorie Parks (1908-1974), was a proficient guitarist and string player who played with a Southwestern, VA fingerstyle akin to those of the 1910s-1920s. Roy likely picked up the guitar and string playing from his mother’s influence and participation in church. He served in the Pacific Navy for two and a half years during World War II and was a founding member of The Skyline Boys.

Roy’s earliest musical groups remain unconfirmed. However, a cassette, located within the Parks family, identifies a gospel song that he may have sung in the early 1940s. The cassette also conveys that Roy recorded several songs with Pete Cassel of WWVA, in addition to The Skyline Boys. Roy spent time supporting Tex Ritter on tour for a couple of years, starting in May 1950. The Parks family is familiar with Grandpa Jones, having been described as possibly a friend. 

He is remembered for his skill on the strings, his charismatic personality, and his sharp attire. The orange song folio states that Roy Parks “worked with many fine units across the nation.” One of Roy’s brothers, James H. Parks (1945), noted that Roy “likely forgot more songs than most will ever know,” and credits him for his interest in pursuing the guitar. Roy has inspired generations of his family, and many are involved in music.

,

Lynchburg, VA
1923 – unk.

Dude Webb was a guitarist, bass fiddle player, vocalist, and radio DJ associated with numerous radio broadcast outfits. The Skyline Boys’ orange songfolio states that Dude Webb was a young talent who started playing on the radio at thirteen and went on to broadcast from WWVA, WROM, WHIS, and WSVA, among others. He was a founding member and original frontman of The Skyline Boys. A few of Dude’s earlier groups are detailed on the Origins page. In summary, in 1943, Dude was part of a group called “Dude Webb and His Radio Neighbors.” In 1944 and 1945, Dude played with “Uncle Joe and His Barndance Gang.” In 1946, he was in a group called “Dude Webb’s Valley Playboys.” 

Associates of the Museums of Wytheville, VA, verified in 2024 that The Skyline Boys broadcast shows at WYVE, among the many other stations where they were featured. Dude was once employed at WYVE. With Dude showing up in several circles, it’s suspected that he may have been a connection. Dude’s name was known within Roy Parks’ family. 

“The Blue Mountain Boys”
feat. Dude Webb
Source: The News-Virginian
Waynesboro, VA. June 17, 1943, Pg. 8

VA/PA (Assumed)
unk.

Billy Ross appears in a newspaper advertisement, The Daily News (PA), alongside Bill Bailey, Dude Webb, and Roy Parks on July 2, 1947. The current known photo of Billy comes from this ad. The show was advertised for July 3, 1947, in Mapleton Depot, PA. Presumably, Billy was a string player and likely sang, too. Perhaps a friend of the group. Possibly someone they knew from Virginia. Billy may have done a few shows, and he was around in the beginning, but no other details are known. 

Richmond, VA
1928 – unk.

Slim Roberts was proficient as a fiddle player, bass fiddle player, guitarist, and bass vocalist. He was known as the “young guy” in the group and was popular with listeners. He was a versatile member of The Skyline Boys, likely joining the group around 1949, and possibly filling the spot of Quincy Snodgrass. Details about Slim are developing.

Unknown
unk.

Roy Ingram was a talented fiddle player who began appearing in ephemera around 1950. He was associated with WWVA, and it is assumed that he was connected with the group through Bud Messner’s network. Roy was a member for many years, at least until the late 1950s. Roy was featured on many radio broadcasts with Bud and his entourage in Chambersburg, PA. He and Bud Messner have an LP release that was put out in 1972 on Robud Records, titled “It’s Country Time.” Details about Roy Ingram are emerging, but it is clear that he was a long-term member and friend of the Messner family. Roy likely joined the group two to three years into their formation.

Mack’s Creek, MO
1923 – 2007

Zag Pennel, as he was known, was a vocalist who recorded in the 1950s. His popular songs included “Day and Night Patrol” and “Tender Loving Care,” which were released on Columbia Records. He began his career in radio in 1959 and was affiliated with WELD in Fisher, West Virginia. He later became the owner and continued to support the station throughout his life. Zag received the West Virginia Broadcaster’s Association’s Distinguished Broadcaster Award in 1985 for his work with WELD. 

Zag Pennel was also known as an associate of The Old Dominion Barn Dance, which may have been the mutual connection to The Skyline Boys. It is unclear what timeframe Zag and The Skyline Boys were affiliated with WFMD, which is where there is evidence of their association. A WFMD pamphlet shows Zag with Dude Webb, Roy Parks, Bill Bailey, and Lew Wade, by way of Jose Fritz. Before seeing the pamphlet, there was no previously known association with Zag Pennel or Lew Wade. Based on when The Skyline Boys were associated with The Old Dominion Barn Dance (1950) and their perceived age in photos, the best guess is that they were together in the early 1950s.

Ohio
1915 – 2015

Lew Wade, was a beloved musician and radio pioneer whose seven-decade career began at age 12. He performed with numerous local groups and led the Lew Wade Combo, appearing frequently at fraternal organizations. In his early career, he toured for three years with Hank Snow—often wrestling with him during downtime—and performed alongside notable artists such as Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones, Jimmy Dean, Tex Ritter, and Patsy Cline. He also appeared on radio programs at WFMD, WSM, and the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree. Lew spent nine years at WFMD and later helped establish WKEG in Washington, PA. A devoted member of Calvary Methodist Church, he was also a life member of the Moose Lodge and the Elks Lodge.

Lew appears with Zag Pennel in the WFMD pamphlet; the best guess is that his time with the Skyline Boys mirrored that of Zag’s. 

Richmond, VA
unk.

The Throckmorton brothers, information about the brothers is developing.

TBD

TBD
TBD

Bill Franklin, to be updated…