Classic Country: Legends of Country Music

by Wolfe,Charles K.

• ISBN13: 9780415928267
• ISBN10: 0415928265
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-12-20
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Long before Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and The Dixie Chicks, the original pioneers of country music--The Carter Family, Vernon Dalhart, The Monroe Brothers, The Louvin Brothers, and others--paved the way for future country artists, influencing musicians for generations to come. Now for the first time, country music authority Charles K. Wolfe gathers together his profiles of 50 legends of country music.Classic Countryincludes such Hall of Famers as the father of bluegrass Bill Monroe, honky tonker Lefty Frizzell, and queen of country music Kitty Wells, as well as lesser-known but equally important artists like DeFord Bailey,first African-American star of the Grand Ole Opry, the mysterious Seven Foot Dilly, and the reclusive songwriter Arthur Q. Smith. Wolfe also offers portraits of recent artists who perform in the classic country style, such as Doc Watson, The Freight Hoppers, Hazel and Alice, and The Statler Brothers. Based on the author's personal interviews with the musiciansand those who knew them, these profiles present colorful anecdotes and little-known facts behind the songs. Here you will read how Lefty Frizzell's hit "I Love You, I'll Prove It a Thousand Ways" started off as a love letter to his wife while he was in jail at age 19. And how Roy Acuff was so popular that during the latter days of World War II, Japanese soldiers would try to psyche out American Marines by yelling taunts like "To hell with Franklin Roosevelt! To hell with Babe Ruth! To hell with Roy Acuff!" Much more than a collection of mini-biographies, this engaging collection also provides unique insights into the history of the recording and broadcast industry that are sure to fascinate not only fans and scholars of country and bluegrass music, but anyone interested in the roots of American popular music.

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
From the Hall of Fame	1	(62)
The Carter Family	2	(17)
Roy Acuff	19	(8)
Lefty Frizzell	27	(6)
Grandpa Jones	33	(5)
Pee Wee King	38	(6)
Bill Monroe	44	(6)
Hank Snow	50	(6)
Kitty Wells	56	(7)
From the Victorola	63	(30)
Fiddlin' John Carson	64	(6)
Vernon Dalhart	70	(6)
Riley Puckett	76	(6)
Charlie Poole	82	(3)
The Georgia Yellow Hammers	85	(4)
Darby and Tarlton	89	(4)
From the Airwaves	93	(36)
Lew Childre	94	(3)
The Blue Sky Boys	97	(6)
Brown's Ferry Four	103	(3)
Cousin Emmy	106	(3)
The Monroe Brothers	109	(5)
Wayne Raney	114	(3)
Karl and Harty	117	(8)
Bradley Kincaid	125	(4)
From the Shadows: Unsung Heroes	129	(64)
Tommy Magness	130	(13)
Arthur Q. Smith	143	(3)
Zeke and Zeb Turner	146	(6)
Johnny Barfield	152	(3)
The Rouse Brothers	155	(10)
Seven Foot Dilly	165	(10)
The Jordanaires	175	(3)
DeFord Bailey	178	(4)
Emmett Miller	182	(3)
Tommy Jackson	185	(3)
Jimmie Riddle	188	(5)
From the Stage: Classic Country	193	(64)
Curly Fox and Texas Ruby	194	(3)
The Delmore Brothers	197	(6)
Don Gibson	203	(12)
The Louvin Brothers	215	(6)
The Statler Brothers	221	(15)
Martha Carson	236	(3)
The Carlisles	239	(4)
Albert E. Brumley	243	(4)
Stringbean	247	(10)
From the West	257	(16)
Girls of the Golden West	258	(3)
Billie Maxwell	261	(4)
Red River Dave	265	(3)
Skeets McDonald	268	(5)
New Fogies	273	(27)
Hazel and Alice	274	(5)
Doc Watson	279	(6)
Roy Harper	285	(9)
The Freight Hoppers	294	(6)
Acknowledgments	300	(1)
Index	301