ROOTS of Country Music

Old Time Hillbilly Music (1925-1940)

The main aim of this page is to document pioneering artists that played traditional old-time music from 1925 ~ 1940. The spread ranges primarily from the early 20th century to the late 1930s and focuses not only on recording artists, but also on artists that played on radio or did personal appearances.

For recorded information and discography on these artists, Go Here.

Allen, Jules Verne (b. Apr. 1, 1883, in Waxahachie, Texas (TX) - d. Jul. 10, 1945). Aregular on WFAA, Dallas, TX, WOAI, San Antonio, TX, KFI, Los Angeles, California (CA) and KNX, Hollywood, CA. Jules recorded for Victor (1928-1929).

Pictured left Jules Allen

Jules Allen was one of a handful of authentic and documented cowboy singers and writers, along with Carl T. Sprague, who lived the life that his songs dealt with. Jules Allen also learned those songs before radio and records carried them to the world, when they were still part of an oral tradition. Read More.

Arthur, Emry (b. ca. 1900 in Elk Spring Valley, Kentucky (KY) - d. 1966 in Indianapolis, Indiana (IN): Recorded for Vocalion (1928-1929), Paramount (1929-1931) and Decca (1935). Arthur Emry recorded between 1928-1935, during the so-called Golden Age of Country Music.

Ashley, Clarence (b. Sep. 29, 1895 in Bristol, Tennessee (TN) - d. Jun. 2, 1967). Recorded solo for Gennett (1928), Columbia (1929-1930) and with the Carolina Tar Heels, the Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers and Byrd Moore's Hot Shots.

Autry, Orvon Eugene (b. Sep. 29, 1907, in Tioga, TX - d. Oct. 2, 1998, in Studio City, California (CA). Aregular on KVOO, Tulsa, Oklahoma (OK) in 1929 and on the National Barn Dance, WLS, Chicago, Illinois (IL). Recorded for RCA Victor (1929), Columbia (1929), the American Record Corporation (1929-ca. 1937), Decca (1937), among others.

Pictured left Gene Autry

Mr. Autry was a performer who gained fame as a singing cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s. Autry was also owner of the Los Angeles, California Angels baseball team from 1961 to 1997, a television station and several radio stations in Southern California.

Although his signature song was Back in the Saddle Again, Gene Autry is best remembered today for his Christmas holiday songs, Here Comes Santa Claus (one of many songs he wrote), Frosty the Snowman and his biggest hit, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Gene Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Halls of Fame and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories (Film, Television, Music, Radio and Live Performance) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bailey, Deford (b. Dec. 14, 1899 in Bellwood, TN - d. Jul. 2, 1982 in Nashville, TN). Member of the Grand Ole Opry, WSM, Nashville, Tennessee (TN). Recorded for Columbia (1927), Brunswick and Bluebird.

Deford Bailey was born in Bellwood, TN and overcame polio early in his life. His back was deformed and he never grew taller than four feet, ten inches. His mother died when he was a baby and his father's sister and her husband raised him.

Pictured right Deford Bailey

Stricken with infantile paralysis at the age of three, the bedridden child was given a harmonica as a means of amusement. Bailey's skill with the harmonica and his musical talent gained him a reputation in the field of country music.

In 1925, Bailey won second place with his rendition of It Ain't Gonna Rain No More in a French Harp contest on radio station WDAD. Then he made his first appearance on WSM Radio (Nashville, TN), after overcoming some racial opposition from the station's director. From that point on he was given the title Harmonica Wizard. Read More.

Blevins, Frank (b. Feb. 25, 1912, in Smyth County, Virginia, (VA), recorded for Columbia (1927-1928).

Boggs, Moran Lee (b. Feb. 7, 1898, in Norton, VA - d. Feb. 7, 1971, in Norton, VA). Recorded for Brunswick (1927) and Lonesome Ace (1929). Boggs was an influential old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and African-American blues.

Pictured Left Dock Boggs

Contemporary folk musicians and performers consider him a seminal figure, at least in part because of the appearance of two of his recordings from the 1920s, Sugar Baby and Country Blues, on Harry Smith's 1951 Anthology of American Folk Music collection. Boggs was initially recorded in 1927 and again in 1929, although he worked primarily as a coal miner for most of his life. Mr. Boggs was rediscovered during the folk music revival of the 1960s and spent much of his later life playing at various folk music festivals and recording for Folkways Records.

Bowman, Charles Thomas, Fiddlin' Charlie (b. July 30, 1889, in Gray Station, TN - d. May 20, 1962). Recorded for Columbia (1928-1929).

Burnett and Rutherford: Duo included Richard "Dick" Burnett (banjo, guitar, vocals) and Leonard Rutherford (fiddle, vocals). Recorded for Columbia (1927-1930).

Pictured right Burnett and Rutherford

Guitarist and banjoist Dick Burnett became a professional musician around the age of twenty-five after being blinded during a robbery by a gunshot wound. A few years later, he took teenage fiddler Leonard Rutherford under his wing and the two Kentuckians became one of the most prolific and highly regarded country acts of the 1920s. Rutherford's playing is some of the smoothest country fiddling youll ever hear and a good reason to seek out more of his recordings with Burnett.

Caplinger, Warren (b. Jun. 16, 1889 - d. Jul. 7, 1957). He was a regular on WKNA, Charleston, West Virginia (WV). Caplinger recorded for Brunswick.

Carlisle, Cliff (b. May 6, 1904 in Taylorsville, KY - d. Apr. 2, 1983 in Lexington, KY). Brother of Bill Carlisle. Cliff Carlisle recorded for Gennett (1930-1931), American Record Corporation (1931-1934), Bluebird (1936-1938) and Decca Records (1938-39).

Carlisle, Tommy: Son of Cliff Carlisle. He recorded with his father for Bluebird (1936-1938) and Decca Records (1938-1939).

Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina (NC) based group. Doc Walsh (banjo, vocals), Clarence Ashley (guitar), Gwen Foster (guitar, harmonica), Garley Foster (guitar, harmonica) [no relation]. They recorded for Victor (1927-1932).

Carolina Tarheels: Atlanta, Georgia (GA) based group. They were regulars on WSB, Atlanta, GA and the Georgia Jamboree, WSB, Atlanta, GA. Claude Davis (vocals, guitar, fiddle), Hoke Rice (banjo), "Carolina" Clyde Kiser (guitar, harmonica), Rudle Kiser (vocals), Esther May The Carolina Sunshine Girl Davis (guitar), Chuck Rogers (comedy), Louie "Slim" Bailey (comedy), Red Freeze, Esther Goodman McCain.

John William "Fiddlin' John" (b. Mar. 23, 1868 or 1874, in Fannin County, GA - d. Dec. 11, 1949, in Atlanta, GA), a regular on WSB, Atlanta, GA. Fiddlin' John recorded for OKeh (1923-1931) and with his daughter Rosa Lee Carson (Moonshine Kate) for Bluebird (1934).

Carson, Rosa Lee Moonshine Kate" (b. Oct. 10, 1909, in Atlanta, GA - d. 1992 in Bainbridge, GA), daughter of Fiddlin' John Carson. She was a regular on WSB, Atlanta, GA. Moonshine Kate often performed with her father. She recorded solo for OKeh (1925-1931) and with her father for Bluebird (1934).

Pictured left Fiddlin' John Carson & Moonshine

Carson was one of the earliest women to record country music, first appearing on record in the 1920s with her father. Carson was the ninth and last child born to Jenny Nora Scroggins and John Carson.

Ms. Carson began appearing with her father at dances and political gatherings at the age of five and could play guitar and banjo by fourteen. Ms. Carson toured with her father's band, the Virginia Reelers, in the Southeast United States and performed on Atlanta radio station WSB. Her first record was cut in 1925, accompanying her father on two Okeh Records releases.

Moonshine Kate also recorded two solo songs, The Lone Child and Little Mary Phagan. She played and recorded with the Virginia Reelers until 1934, adopting the stage name Moonshine Kate in 1928 at the suggestion of Okeh Records man Polk Brockman. Many of Moonshine Kate's recordings for Okeh play up her name, consisting of short musical passages interspersed with quick-witted dialogues revolving around the moonshine trade.

The Great Depression ended the Carson's recording days and she continued to perform intermittently, also working with Eugene Talmadge on his 1932 bid for Governor of Georgia and for the Atlanta Department of Recreation. Moonshine Kate married in 1944 and retired in Georgia. In 1983, both she and her father were inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

Carter Family: Members included A.P. Carter (guitar,vocals), Mother Maybelle Carter (guitar, vocals), Sara Carter (guitar, vocals, autoharp). They were regulars on the Grand Ole Opry, WSM, Nashville, TN. They recorded for Victor (1927-1934), the American Record Corporation (1935), Columbia (1940), Conqueror (1940), OKeh (1940) and Bluebird (1941).

The Carter Family was a traditional folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians. They were the first vocal group to become country music stars. Their recordings of such songs as Wabash Cannonball, Can the Circle Be Unbroken, Wildwood Flower and Keep On the Sunny Side made them country standards.

Pictured right Carter Family

The original group consisted of Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter (1891-1960), his wife Sara Dougherty Carter (1898-1979), and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter (1909-1978). Maybelle was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra (Eck) Carter and was also Sara Carter's first cousin. All three were born and raised in southwestern Virginia, where they were immersed in the tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing.

Throughout the group's career, Sara Carter sang lead vocals; Maybelle sang harmony and accompanied the group instrumentally; on some songs A.P. did not perform at all but at times sang harmony and background vocals and once in a while, lead vocal. Maybelle's distinctive guitar playing style became a hallmark of the group.

Claiborne, Marshall: Hartsville, Tennessee, based artist. Placed second in the Nasvhille Old-Time Fiddlers' Contest in 1926.

Coon Creek Girls: Lily May Ledford (banjo), Rosie Ledford, Susan Ledford (guitar), Esther Koehler, Evelyn Lange. Later members were Opal Ambergy (bass fiddle) and Bertha Ambergy (fiddle). They were regulars on the National Barn Dance, WLS, Chicago, IL and the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, Renfro Valley, KY. They recorded for the American Record Corporation.

You would have had to go a long way to find four prettier girls than the Coon Creek Girls. Their big break came in June of 1939 when they were invited to the White House to present their old songs and tunes for the entertainment for the King and Queen of England on their memorable visit to this country.

Crazy Tennessee Ramblers: Regulars on WBT (Charlotte, NC) and the Crazy Barn Dance (WBT, Charlotte, NC).

Darby and Tarlton: Tom Darby (vocals, guitar) and Jimmy Tarlton (steel guitar)Recorded for Columbia (1927-1930), Victor (1932) and ARC (1933). Darby and Tarlton was an early country music duo, who achieved some level of success in the late 1920s. The duo consisted of Tom Darby (born Aug. 25, 1891 Columbus, Georgia; died Aug. 20, 1971) and Jimmie Tarlton, (born May 8, 1892 Cheraw, South Carolina; died Nov. 29, 1979 Phenix City, Alabama).

Jimmy Tarlton grew up on a farm in Chesterfield County, South Carolina (SC) learning folk songs from an early age. His parents were sharecroppers and he had to help out with the chores. He still managed to find the time to learn the slide guitar and banjo. After working as a street musician in the 1920s, Tarlton met Frank Ferera who taught him how to play the Hawaiian guitar. Tarlton soon moved to Columbus, GA where he met Tom Darby.

They began performing together and shortly, they were offered a chance to make a recording for Columbia Records. Two songs were cut on Apr. 5, 1927 and the recording sold well enough to allow a second recording session. On Nov. 10, 1927 they recorded four songs, among them Birmingham Jail and Columbus Stockade Blues. The two songs, coupled on one record, became the duo's biggest hits selling more than 200 000 copies.

Darby and Tarlton recorded 63 songs between 1927 and 1933. In the early 1930s they became hostile towards each other and went their separate ways. Their hostility seemed to be about royalty issues. Tom Darby formed a short lived duo in 1931 together with Jesse Pitts, called The Georgia Wildcats. Darby and Tarlton both retired in 1935 and although they lived in the same town, they never spoke to one another again.

Dixon Brothers: Duo included Dorsey Dixon (Oct 14, 1897-Apr 1968, steel guitar, vocals) and Howard Dixon (Jun 19, 1903-Mar 24, 1951, guitar, vocals). They were regulars on the Crazy Barn Dance, WBT, Charlotte, North Carolina (NC) in 1934. Duo recorded for Bluebird (1936-1938). Dorsey Dixon recorded also after 1942.

Dorsey Murdock Dixon was born in the mill town of Darlington, South Carolina (SC), in October 1897, the first son in a family that eventually numbered seven. Dorsey Dixon quit school in the fourth grade and begun a long career as a textile worker in the mill where his older sister Nancy was already employed.

Howard, Dorsey's younger brother, followed him into the mills at the age of ten and remained a fixer until his death in 1961. During World War I, both brothers were employed as signalmen on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Laid off in 1919, they were forced to return to mill-work.

Two years after he began work, Dorsey Dixon started to learn the guitar and violin. Later, when Howard Dixon was also playing the guitar, the brothers formed a fiddle-guitar duet and played at local functions around Rockingham, SC where the family were now living.

Surprisingly, it was not until he was 32 that Dorsey Dixon wrote his first song. This was The School House Fire based on a Cleveland, SC, tragedy in 1923, in which 76 children died. Howard Dixon set the words to the tune of Life's Railway To Heaven and the brothers performed the song as a vocal duet. Realizing that he had a talent for composition, Dorsey Dixon began to create the songs which so well reveal the feelings of a hard-working, God-fearing mill-hand.

Dykes Magic City Trio: Scott County, Virginia, VA based group. John Dykes (fiddle), Hubert Mahaffey (guitar) and Myrtle Vermillion (autoharp). They recorded for Brunswick (1927).

Fleming & Townsend: Duo included Reece Fleming (guitar, vocals) and Respers Townsend (vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, kazoo). Theyrecorded for Victor (1930-1932), ARC (1934) and Decca (1937).

Pictured at left Fleming & Townsend

Four Pickled Peppers Rockingham County, NC, based group. Norman Woodlieff (vocals, guitar), Esmund Harris (guitar), Hamon Newman (banjo), Dallas Hubbard (bones, vocals), Earl Taylor (guitar), Lonnie Austin (fiddle). Theyrecorded for Bluebird (1938-1939).

Four Virginians: Danville, VA, based group. James Richard Bigger (fiddle), Elvin Bigger (vocal, guitar), Leonard Jennings (tiple), Fred Richards (guitar). They recorded for OKeh (1927). This group was one of several important string bands that were based out of the Danville, VA, area in the '20s. Another was Charley LaPrade and Blue Ridge Highballers. Two brothers made up the Bigger half of the Four Virginians.

Richard Bigger was born in 1908 inPittsylvania County. One could say he was born into an orchestra rather than a musical family as there were some eleven siblings that all played instruments. Richard took up the mandolin at fourteen, then switched to the fiddle a few years later because he thought it was easier. Most of his music he learned on his own playing by ear and through other players such as LaPrade. With his brother Elvin Bigger on lead guitar, the group was originally formed as a nameless entity in the mid-'20s. By day the players were all employed at the local cotton mill. Available for gigging was a steady round of local dances and theatre programs.

In 1927 ambition suddenly struck. Without much planning and still without a name the combo set off for New York with a goal to cut some records. First stop was the Victor studio in Camden, New Jersey, where they were greeted with disinterest. A warmer reception was theirs to be had at the rival Okeh label, but with it came the news that the band could have saved some gas money and tire tread and gotten in on some sessions to be held in Winston Salem, North Carolina, less than 100 miles from Danville, NC.

The band played a couple of songs to formally okay their invite to the Winston sessions, then got in the car and turned around and drove back home. And it was actually on this drive back that the band finally picked up its name. The story goes that a stranger noticed their instrument cases while they were crossing the Hudson River and asked what the name of their band was. When told they didn't have one yet, he said Why...

Georgia Yellow Hammers:Bud Landress (banjo, vocals), Bill Chitwood (fiddle, vocals), Phil Reeve (guitar, vocals), Ernest Moody (guitar, vocals). They recorded for Victor 1927-1929.

The Georgia Yellow Hammers, an old-time fiddle string band from Gordon County, were active from the mid- to late 1920s. Members consisted variously of Bill Chitwood, Clyde Evans, Bud Landress, Charles Ernest Moody, Phil Reeve and sometime recording associates Andrew Baxter, Jim Baxter and Elias Meadows.

The group often played with Andrew and Jim Baxter from Curryville, Georgia (GA). Curryville, GA was also home to music legend Roland Hayes. Andrew Baxter's unique style of fiddle is heard an early recording of a band favorite entitled G-Rag. Interestingly enough, the Baxter's were African Americans. This is an interesting note due to the time period. The band released one of the top selling records of 1920s southern music with 1927's release The Picture on the Wall/My Carolina Girl.

The 1927 recording session with the Baxter's took place in Charlotte, North Carolina and was a rare integrated session, uncommon even through the mid to late 20th century. Andrew and Jim Baxter were a well known duo for the time in their own right around Northwest Georgia.

Pictured right My Carolina Girl

The band is nationally recognized as an important 1920s "old-time" band. Their songs can still be heard from early recordings on such sites as YouTube. The song Drifting Too Far From The Shore written by member Charles Moody has been covered by such artists/ bands as The Grateful Dead, Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris, Phil Lesh & Friends and many others, as well as being a standard in many gospel hymnals. A partial listof their music can be found here.

Grayson and Whitter: Duo included Henry Whitter (guitar, vocals) and G.B. Grayson (fiddle, vocals). Duo recorded for Gennett (1927-1928) and Victor (1929-1930). Grayson died in 1930.

Greene, Clarence: Clarence Horton Greene (b. 1894 in NC - d. 1961), recorded for Columbia (1927-1928) and for Victor.

H.M. Barnes' Blue Ridge Ramblers: Fred Roe (fiddle), Jim E. Smith (fiddle), Frank E. "Dad" Williams (fiddle), Frank Wilson (steel guitar), Lonnie Austin (piano), probably Harry Brown (mandolin), possibly Jack Reedy (banjo) and Henry Roe (guitar). They recorded for Brunswick (1930).

Hall, Roy Davis (b. Jan. 6, 1907, in Haywood County, NC - d. May 16, 1943). He led the Blue Ridge Entertainers. Roy Davis was a regular on the Blue Ridge Jamboree, WDBJ, Roanoke, VA. He recorded with his brother Jay Hugh Hall for Bluebird (1937-1938) and with the Blue Ridge Entertainers for American Record Corporation (1938-1941).

Hoopii, Sol Solomon(b. 1902 in Honolulu, HI - d, Nov. 16, 1953): AKA "Sol Hoopi." Philip Kerr mentions in the 1942 Baptista video that Hoopii "was the originator of this electric guitar."

Pictured left Hoopii, Sol

The claim comes up again in 1950 in a Florida Newspaper announcing, "Sol Hoopii, king of the Hawaiian guitar and originator of the electric guitar..." as part of the entertainment line-up for a church anniversary. Hoopii recorded for Columbia, Decca (1933-1938), Brunswick (1933-1938).

Hopkins, Albert Green (b. June 5, 1889, in Watauga County, NC - d. Oct. 21, 1932, in Winchester, VA). Albert was a regular on WRC, Washington, D.C. He recorded with the Buckle Busters for Brunswick (1926-1928) and with the Hill Billies for OKeh (1925) and Vocalion (1926-1928).

Hoyt Ming and His Pep-Steppers: Tupelo, Mississippi (MS), based group. Hoyt Ming (fiddle, vocals), Rozelle Ming (guitar), Troy Ming (mandolin), Rozelle's sister (mandolin). They recorded for Victor (1928).

A Mississippi family string band Led by Hoyt Ming on fiddle, they created a captivating sound. Their records contain real energy with steady handclapping and some fine, low-tone strumming by Mings wife Roselle on guitar and his brother Troy on mandolin. Yet Mings vocals and high, thin fiddling is so captivating against the repetitive rhythm that one is lulled into a trance rather than moved to dance. Mings talent isn't revealed through some flashy fiddling display, but rather by knowing just when to let a note linger and when to drop to a lower register. His vocals follow the same blueprint, with long, high wails followed by softer, lower moans. Ming created something unearthly for that musical era.

Johnson, Robert Earl (b. Aug. 24, 1886, in Gwinnett County, GA, - d. May 31, 1965). Member of Fiddlin' John Carson's Virginia Reelers and the Dixie String Band. Earl Johnson was a regular on WSB, Atlanta, GA. He recorded with Fiddlin' John Carson for OKeh, with the Dixie String Band for Paramount (1925) and solo for OKeh (1927-1928, 1930) and RCA Victor (1929).

Kazee, Buell (b. Aug. 29, 1900, near Burton Fork, KY - d. Aug. 31, 1976). Buell recorded for Brunswick (1927-1929). Kazee, Buell grew up playing the five-string banjo in the traditional frailing style ("thrashing" style, as he called it). As a teenager, he began to study religion and ended up spending most of his life as a preacher. Despite his view that banjo music "did not harmonize" with the life of the church, he remained a musician and began recording in 1927.

Lunsford, Bascom Lamar (b. Mar. 21, 1882, in Mars Hill, NC - d. Sep. 4, 1973). Founder of the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Lunsford was a lawyer, folklorist and performer of traditional (folk and country) music from western North Carolina. He was often known by the nickname Minstrel of the Appalachians. Lunsford was a superb mountain musician who spent his life hunting down the songs, dances and unknown performers of the Appalachian region.

Pictured right Lunsford, Bascom Lamar

Lunsford fought to bring dignity to hillbilly music and this made him a folk hero. In the summer of 1928, he created the first Bluegrass Festival by founding his first Asheville Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. He recorded thousands of songs for the Smithsonian. Lunsford recorded for OKeh (1924) and Brunswick (1928). Also recorded after 1942.

Marvin, Frank James (b. Jan. 17, 1904, in Butler, Oklahoma (OK) - d. 1985). He recorded for Brunswick (1928), Columbia (1928), Crown (1928), Edison (1928) and the American Record Corporation.

McClintock, Harry (b. Oct. 8, 1882 in Knoxville, TN - d. Apr. 27, 1957 in San Francisco, CA). He was a regular on KFRC. McClintock recorded for Victor (1928-1931), Flexo (1930) and Decca (1938).

McMichen, Clayton (b. Jan. 26, 1900, in Allatoona, GA - d. Jan. 4, 1970). Clayton McMichen was a member of the Skillet Lickers and various other Atlanta, GArecording groups. He was a regular on WSB, Atlanta, GA, the National Barn Dance in 1933, WLS, Chicago, IL and the Grand Ole Opry, WSM, Nashville, TN. He recorded for OKeh (1925), Columbia (1926-1931), Crown (1932) and Decca (1937-1939).

See the Skillet Lickers and Gid Tanner below for more information on Clayton McMichen.

Montana Slim (Wilf carter) Carter (b. Dec. 18, 1904, in Port Hilford, CA-NS - d. Dec. 5, 1996, in Scottsdale, Arizona (AZ), Canadian artist. He recorded for Bluebird (1933-1941) as Montana Slim and for Canadian RCA Victor as Wilf Carter.

Moore, William B. "Byrd" (b. Apr. 1889 in Blackwater, VA - d. 1949 in Wise County, VA). Moore played with various artists like Clarence Ashley, Clarence Greene, Jess Johnston, Melvin Robinette and others. Moore recorded for Gennett (1928-1932) and Columbia (1929).

Norris, Fate: Singleton LaFayette "Fate" (b. 1878 in Resaca, GA - d. Nov. 11, 1944, in Suligna, GA). He recorded with the Skillet Lickers and solo for Columbia (1925-1926).

Poole, Charles Cleveland "Charlie" (b. Mar. 22, 1892, in Randolph County, NC - d. Mar. 21, 1931 in Eden, NC). Charlie Poole and his brother-in-law, fiddler Posey Rorer - whom he had met in West Virginia in 1917 and whose sister he married; formed a trio with guitarist Norman Woodlieff called the North Carolina Ramblers.

Pictured left Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers

The group auditioned in New York for Columbia Records. After landing a contract, they recorded the highly successful Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues. Poole recorded for Columbia (1925-1930), Paramount (1929) and Brunswick (1929) with the North Carolina Ramblers.

Reed, Blind Alfred (b. Jun.15, 1880 in Floyd, VA - d. Jan. 17, 1956). Reed recorded for Victor (1927-1929).

Richardson, Don (b. 1878 - d. 1953): He recorded for Columbia (1914), Victor, Edison, Gennett, and Path. Although not a rural old-time musician, he is believed to be the first musician to record traditional old-time songs.

Roanoke Jug Band. Roanoke, VA, based group. Band included Ray Bager (guitar), Mahon B. Overstreet (guitar), Clyde Dooley (banjo), Walter E. Keith (banjo), Billy Altizer (fiddle) and Richard Mitchell (mandolin-banjo). They recorded for OKeh (1929).

Robertson, Alexander Campbell (b. Nov. 20, 1887, in Delaney, ARK - d. Feb. 15, 1975 in Borger, TX). He was a regular on he Grand Ole Opry, WSM, Nashville, TN. He recorded solo and with Henry Gilliland for Victor (1922, 1929).

Rodgers, Jimmie(b. Sep. 8, 1897, in Meridian, MS - d. May 26, 1933, in New York City). On August 4, 1927, at a makeshift studio in a former furniture store in Bristol, TN, an unknown singer from Mississippi made his first recordings for Victor Records. Accompanying himself on this plain-looking, but elegantly designed, mahogany and spruce Martin 00-18 guitar, Jimmie Rodgers recorded The Soldiers Sweetheart and Sleep Baby Sleep.

Pictured right Jimmie Rodgers

Released two months later, they launched a recording career that would turn him into country musics first superstar. The inscription 8-4-27 B. VA-TENN, written in India ink inside the guitars sound hole, documents Rodgers recording debut at the Bristol Sessions, which marked a turning point in the history of country music. He recorded for Victor Talking machine (1927-1933). Read More.

Sisson, Allen (b. Aug. 31, 1873 - d. Sep. 22, 1951, in Fannin County, GA). Allen Sisson was named Tennessee State Fiddle Champion in 1921. He recorded for Edison (1925).

The Skillet Lickers: Atlanta based group. They recorded for Columbia (1926-1931) and Bluebird (1934). Main members at Columbia included Gid Tanner (fiddle,vocals), Riley Puckett (guitar, vocals), Clayton McMichen (fiddle), Fate Norris (banjo). Other members included Lowe Stokes, Bert Layne, Bill Helms. Line-up at Bluebird included Gid Tanner, Gordon Tanner (fiddle), Riley Puckett, Ted Hawkins (mandolin) and possibly Arthur Tanner.

See Gid Tanner below for more information on the Skillet Lickers.

Skyland Scotty, Wiseman, Scott Greene (b. Nov. 8, 1909, in Ingals, NC; d. Jan. 31, 1981, in Gainesville, Florida). Aregular on WMMN, Fairmont, WV and the National Barn Dance, WLS, Chicago, IL. Wiseman recorded for Bluebird (1933) and the American Record Corporation (1934). Later, he teamed up with his wife (Cooper) as Lulu Belle & Scotty.

Cooper was born in Boone, North Carolina and Wiseman was from Spruce Pine, North Carolina. Lulu Belle and Scotty enjoyed enormous national popularity thanks to their regular appearances on the National Barn Dance on WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois, a rival to WSM-AM's Grand Ole Opry.

Pictured left Lulu Belle & Scotty Wiseman

The duo is best known for their self-penned classic Have I Told You Lately that I Love You, which became one of the first country songs to attract major attention in pop circles and was recorded by many artists in both genres.

Cooper was the somewhat dominant half of the duo with a comic persona as a wisecracking country girl. Her most famous novelty number was Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost. In 1938, she was named Favorite Female Radio Star by the readers of Radio Guide magazine, an unusual recognition for a country performer.

Lulu Belle and Scotty recorded for record labels including Vocalion Records, Columbia Records, Bluebird Records and Starday Records, in their final sessions during the 1960s reprising their old hits. They were among the first country music stars to venture into feature motion pictures, appearing in such films as Shine on Harvest Moon (1938), County Fair (1941) and The National Barn Dance (1944).

Smith, Fiddlin' Arthur (b. Apr. 10, 1898, in Humphreys County, TN - d. Feb. 28, 1971, in Louisville, KY). He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry, WSM, Nashville, TN. Arthur recorded for Gennett and Bluebird.

Smith was born and raised on a farm near Bold Springs, TN. He learned to play the fiddle at an early age. His first influence being the fiddlers Grady Stringer and Walter Warden. Initially he began performing at local dances and fiddlers' conventions. Smith teamed up with his wife Nettie, his cousin Homer Smith and fiddler Floyd Ethredge. In 1921, Smith began working as a logger and a linesman for a railroad company in Dickson, TN. In his work he had to make extensive travels and that enabled him to meet other musicians along the way. Mr. Smith attended several fiddle contests across Tennessee winning the bulk of them.

Arthuer Smith made his solo debut as a fiddler on the Grand Ole Opry on December 23, 1927. Within weeks he was accompanied by his cousin Homer Smith. In the meantime, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith continued to work on the railroad. In the 1930s, Smith formed The Dixieliners together with the McGee Brothers and his daughter Lavonne who played the piano.

They became a regular act on the Opry in May 1932 performing popular songs such as Walking In My Sleep, Pig In the Pen and Blackberry Blossom. The Dixieliners toured the countryside featuring Uncle Dave Macon and the Delmore Brothers on some of these tours.

Pictured right Fiddlin' Arthur Smith

In January 1935, Smith made his first recordings with the Delmore Brothers on the Bluebird label. In 1936, Smith began to sing on his recordings on songs such as, Chittlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County, There's More Pretty Girls Than One and his signature song Beautiful Brown Eyes. That particular song, recorded in August 1937, led Smith to take action in court against some cover artists who had recorded the song as if it was in the public domain. He ended up winning the suit.

Sprague, Carl T. (b. Mar. 19, 1895, in Houston, TX - d. Feb. 19, 1979, in Bryan, TX), recorded for Victor (1925-1929).

Carl T. Sprague was one of the first cowboys on record, paving the way for such fine rangeland singers as Jules Allen, the Cartwright Brothers and Harry McClintock. Carl Sprague was often dubbed The Original Singing Cowboy. Sprague was one of the first country musicians on record, recording in the early 1920s. Read More.

Stoneman, Ernest Pop (b. May 15, 1893, in Monorat, VA - d. Jun. 14, 1968). He recorded for OKeh (1924-1925), Victor (1927), and the American Record Corporation (1929). He led the Dixie Mountaineers.

Pictured left Pop Stoneman

Back in 1923, after hearing one of the first hillbilly recordings by his friend Henry Whitter, Ernest Stoneman told his wife Hattie, "I can do better than that." And he did. The next year he made his way to New York and cut The Sinking of the Titanic which went on, eventually, to sell a million.

Ralph Peer, buoyed by the success, came to Bristol, TN to record some more of Pop Stoneman's and his relations and put a small ad in the paper announcing it and soliciting any other talent. When Peer arrived there was a line around the block and in that line was the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. Eighty years later Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman was named posthumously to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Tanner, James Gideon Gid

(b. Jun. 6, 1885, in Thomas Bridge, GA - d. May 13, 1960, in Dacula, GA). Gid Tanner was a member of the Skillet Lickers. He recorded for Columbia (1924-1931) and Bluebird (1934). Gid Tanner recorded with several Skillet Lickers line-ups on his recordings.

Gid Tanner was an old time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influential string bands of the 1920s and 1930s. Its most notable members were Clayton McMichen (fiddle and vocal) and the blind Riley Puckett (guitar and vocal).

On April 17, 1926, the Skillet Lickers recorded eight songs for the Columbia record label in an Atlanta, Georgia studio. During the next eight years various combinations of Atlanta-area musicians joined Tanner to record more than 100 songs under the Skillet Lickers name.

Pictured right Gid Tanner

Besides McMichen and Puckett, the Skillet Lickers at one time or another included Ted Hawkins (mandolin, fiddle), Bert Layne (fiddle), Fate Norris (banjo, harmonica), Hoke Rice (guitar), Lowe Stokes (fiddle), Arthur Tanner (banjo, guitar) and Mike Whitten (guitar).

With such songs as Bully of the Town, Pass Around the Bottle and We'll All Take a Drink and Soldier's Joy, these records were well received by fans of old-time string band music and they sold well. The band's biggest-selling record was Down Yonder, recorded at its last session in 1934, with Tanner's son, Gordon, playing the lead fiddle.

Tennessee Ramblers

The Tennessee Ramblers were an American old-time string band originally consisting of William "Fiddlin' Bill" Sievers (1875-1954) on fiddle, his son James "Mack" Sievers on banjo and vocals, daughter Willie Sievers (1909-1998) on guitar and cousin Walter McKinney (d. 1960) on steel guitar.

The band was one of the most popular performing groups in East Tennessee during the 1920s through the 1940s, gaining initial fame as a backing band in fiddle contests held at Market Hall in Knoxville, TN and later performing at fairs and other gatherings around the eastern United States.

Above, Tex Ritter, and on the far right is his sidekick, Lloyd Arkansas Slim Andrews from Ridin' the Cherokee Trail(Monogram, 1941). The singing group is The Tennessee Ramblers from radio station WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina. They appeared in a few other B westerns including the Gene Autry Yodelin' Kid From Pine Ridge(Republic, 1937) and Sundown Valley(1944, Columbia) which starred Charles Starrett.

The Tennessee Ramblers recorded several sides for Brunswick/Vocalion in 1928 and 1929, which were issued on the Vocalion label. After the death of William Sievers in 1954, siblings James and Willie formed a Hawaiian music group known as Mack's Novelty Hawaiians. Willie Sievers' guitar solos recorded with the band in 1928 and 1929 are among the first by a female lead guitarist in Country music.

Thompson, Ernest (b. 1892 - d. 1961 in High Point, NC). He recorded for Columbia (1924-1925) and Gennett (1930).

Vest, William A. "Billy" (b. Aug. 8, 1910 in Afton, VA - d. Jul. 20, 1985, in Albermarle County, VA). He recorded for Columbia (1930-1931), Gennett (1931) and ARC (1933-1935).

Walsh, Coble Doc (b. Jul. 23, 1901, in Lewis Fork, NC - d. May 28, 1967). Leader of the Carolina Tar Heels. Recorded for Columbia (1925-1926) and Victor with Gwen Foster (1930).

Weems String Band: Perry County, Tennessee, based group. Dick Weems (fiddle), Frank Weems (fiddle), Jesse Weems (cello), Alvin Condor (banjo) and unidentified musician (guitar). Band recorded for Columbia (1928).

Pictured left Weems String Band

A family string band that seemed unfathomable considering how good and unique it was. The band played rural music unlike any other captured on record. Brothers Dick and Frank Weems played their fiddles with advanced fingering positions usually employed only by classically trained musicians.

Another brother, Jesse Weems, played cello, an instrument also typically reserved for classical music. While all of this created a sophisticated sound, the band was still using these instruments to play hillbilly music and the unexpected combination was exhilarating. The cello, for example, shifted between a thumping, staccato beat and a low, brooding drone. And brother-in-law Alvin Condor added banjo and down-home vocals for a clear mountain music touch. All together, the band exhibited a tremendous sense of awareness; if they were playing jazz, you would call it swing.

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(L-R) Hoyt Ming & His Pep-Steppers, Carolina Tarheels

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, compiled and written by Richard Bell, Roots of Country Music. Oct. 22, 2011