The Top Twenty had been on the Ford Show since the beginning, but under a different name. Prior to August 21, 1958 they were known as The Voices of Walter Schumann. The date is significant because their conductor, Walter Schumann (known as the composer of "Danger Ahead" or the "Dragnet March") had passed away that day, following heart surgery at the age of 44. Tennessee Ernie and the production staff came up with the name "Top Twenty" just before the Ford Show broadcast of that evening, so as not to draw attention to the untimely death of Walter Schumann.
