Whole lot more than a bargain store

Knoxville grocer Cas Walker never shied away from a promotional opportunity. After he purchased his first store in 1924, he tossed chickens off the roof, dropped coupons from airplanes, interred live-burial professional Digger O’Dell in the parking lot, and—most memorably—sponsored a live radio show on WIVK.

Dolly Parton got her start on “The Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour” as a 10-year-old singing mountain standards. The station’s since relocated its studio and dial frequency, but still proudly claims to have launched Parton’s career as a music mogul.