The Road Runner Show theme song by Barbara Cameron

WLW in Cincinnati is one of the oldest and historically important radio stations in US history. At one point it was the only station in the world to broadcast at 500,000 watts. Some notable performers who have made their way through its doors were Merle Travis, Rosemary Clooney, Jean Shepard, Doris Day and Al Michaels.

Barbara Cameron isn’t a name most folks are familiar with. In 1943, the Dayton Ohio singer replaced Doris Day at WLW. She soon gained a reputation as a talented vocalist and shared singing duties with Rosemary Clooney on WLW’s Moon River radio show. Through her work at WLW, Cameron recorded a number of singles for the legendary King Records, and the less famous Fraternity Records. She then married Joe Kolter (eventual executive at Warner Brothers), moved to Los Angeles in the early 60’s, and wrote and recorded the The Road Runner Show theme song.
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I adore this song. It’s a seamless mix of rockabilly and country, with early 60’s pop sensibilities. It doesn’t do justice to the vocal talents Cameron possessed, but it’s a song that perfectly matched the show and is terribly hard to forget.