David Hoyt was a young radio disc jockey, still in high school, when he first heard a song by a folk singer, describing the nostalgia of returning home. Even though Hoyt was just a teen after hearing just a few bars of the song that had not been released in the United States, he knew it could be a hit. So, he played on the radio before RCA Records had released it.
Hoyt recalls a loyal listener to WMOV Radio in Ravenswood, WV, who brought the song to his attention. Her son had been stationed overseas and heard the song performed live, purchased the album that had already been released outside the United States, and brought it back home.
After Hoyt heard the song, he immediately made a copy and started playing it on the radio.
“We started playing it on WMOV, and the response was just amazing,” Hoyt recalled.
The song was so popular that Hoyt made copies for his friends in the radio, who also started playing the song on the air. People who heard the song on the radio eventually started reaching out to RCA Records, trying to find their own copy of the song. That caught the attention of executives, who wanted to know where they had heard the song, since the album had not been released in the United States.
Next thing you know, Hoyt got a call from the artist’s manager, Jerry Weintraub.
“He said, ‘I’m looking for the guy who’s making copies of Take Me Home.’ I confessed, and I’ll never forget what he said, Where in the hell did you get that? Because it hasn’t been released here.”
Hoyt knew he could be in trouble for playing the song, but he also knew it had the potential to be a hit. After all, the local response had been overwhelmingly positive.
“I really felt the song would sell a million copies just in West Virginia. I mean, back then we had 2.5 million or so people, so I thought that’s a safe bet. Well, he did, they did, and it did,” said Hoyt.
Weintraub must have also believed he had a hit on his hands. Rather can come down on Hoyt; he went along with it.
And the song became an international phenomenon that continues to be sung in countries all over the world.
Hoyt introduced the United States to John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
“You know, I had a good career, 35 years in radio, a bit of TV, and newspaper. I interviewed a lot of famous people, but if this is what I get remembered for, well, that’s fine by me.”