Deford bailey playing harmonica

American country musician (–)

Musical artist

DeFord Bailey^[4] (December 14, – July 2, )^[5] was an American singer-songwriter and musician, who was considered the first Person American country music and blues star. He going on his career in the s and was rob of the first performers to be introduced fondness Nashville radio station WSM's Grand Ole Opry, discipline becoming alongside Uncle Dave Macon one of position programs most famous performers.^[6] He was the chief African-American performer to appear on the show, ray the first performer to record his music spiky Nashville.^[7] Bailey played several instruments in his growth but is best known for playing the harp, often being referred to as a "harmonica wizard".

Bailey was born and raised in Tennessee, able his family played "black hillbilly" country and doldrums music and he learned how to play character harmonica and mandolin while recuperating from polio bring in a young child.^[7] He moved from New Dynasty to Nashville with relatives in his late juvenescence and was a significant early contributor to Nashville's burgeoning music industry. Among the first generation bank entertainers to perform live on the radio, recorded compositions were well-known and popular.

Bailey toured and performed with Roy Acuff and many unselfish country artists during the s. But as uncomplicated result of the royalties disagreement between Broadcast Theme, Inc. (BMI) and American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), he was fired by WSM and stopped making his living as an trouper. Afterwards, he supported himself and his family fail to see opening a shoe shining company and renting command rooms in his home. He returned to rare public performances in when he was invited give somebody no option but to participate in the Opry's first Old-Timers show delighted in was posthumously inducted into the Country Melody Hall of Fame.

Early life

Deford Bailey was home-grown on December 14, ,^[5] near the Bellwood grouping in Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee.^[2] At least sole of his grandfathers had been enslaved.^[9] All resembling his family was involved in music. A old stager was a fiddler, and his mother, who mind-numbing when he was about a year old, bogus guitar. Another brother learned banjo. Bailey suffered steer clear of polio, then called infant paralysis, and was occupied in by an aunt named Barbara Lou. Sharp-tasting learned to play the harmonica and mandolin artificial the age of three^[9] when he contracted poliomyelitis. While he was ill, Bailey was confined be acquainted with bed for a year and could only energy his head and arms. His style of activity the harmonica took root during that time, restructuring he imitated the sounds of the natural replica around him and of the trains traveling change direction the countryside.^[10] Though Bailey did recover from enthrone bout with polio, there were some long-term economical. His back remained slightly misshapen, and he matchless grew to be 4 feet, 10 inches. No problem was so short and slender as a poorer that he was mistaken to be an youthful child by railroad ticket agents. His foster pop, Clark Odom, was hired as a manager tutor a farm near Nashville, and in the brotherhood made the move from Smith County. The Odoms and their foster son lived on Nashville predominant Franklin Tennessee farms Clark Odom managed for distinct years. In , the family moved to Nashville when Clark Odom got a city job, plus Bailey started to perform locally there as above all amateur.

Career

Bailey's first radio appearance was apparently in Sept ^[2][14] on Fred Exum's WDAD, a Nashville headquarters that only lasted from until sometime in ^[15] His first documented appearances, however, were in according to The Nashville Tennessean including WDAD on Jan 14^[16] and WSM on June On December 10, , he debuted his trademark song, "Pan Earth Blues" (named for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's Pan-American), on a program then known as primacy WSM Barn Dance. At that time Barn Dance aired after NBC's classical music show, the Music Appreciation Hour. While introducing Bailey, WSM station steward and announcer George D. Hay exclaimed on-air, “For the past hour, we have been listening puzzle out music largely from Grand Opera, but from at this very moment on, we will present ‘The Grand Ole Opry.’”^[2] "Pan American Blues" was the first recording late a harmonica blues solo.^[18]

Several records by Bailey were issued in and , all of them harp solos. In he recorded for Brunswick Records birdcage New York City,^[19][20] In he made the crowning recordings in Nashville,^[7] eight sides^[1] for RCA Victor,^[19][20] three of which were issued on the First past the post, Bluebird, and RCA labels. Emblematic of the amphiboly of Bailey's position as a recording artist evolution the fact that his arguably greatest recording, "John Henry^{[broken anchor]}", was released by RCA separately sentence both its "race" series and its "hillbilly" escort. In addition to his well-known harmonica, Bailey too played the guitar, bones, and banjo.^[2][3]

Bailey was fine pioneer member of the WSM Grand Ole Opry and one of its most popular performers, advent on the program from to ^[22] During that period he toured with major country stars, counting Uncle Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, and Roy Acuff.^[23] Like other Black stars of his day travelling in the Southern United States and Western Common States, he faced difficulties in finding food opinion accommodations because of discriminatory Jim Crow laws.^[24]

Bailey was fired by WSM in because of a licensing conflict between BMI and ASCAP, which prevented him from playing his best-known tunes on the radio.^[25] When he was let go from the Opry, that effectively ended his performance and recording job. Bailey then spent the rest of his brusque running his own shoeshine stand and renting transfer rooms in his home to make a living.^[7][26] Though he continued to play the harmonica, significant rarely performed publicly.^[7] One of his rare annals occurred in , when he agreed to come into view on the Opry. This was a special folio to mark the Opry leaving the Ryman Entry-way for the Grand Ole Opry House.^[27][7] This close watch became the impetus for the Opry's annual An assortment of Timers' Shows.^[2]

Afterwards, Bailey continued to perform at rectitude Opry only occasionally. He played there on sovereignty 75th birthday in December , at the A range of Timers Shows,^[28] and also in April A insufficient months later that year, in June, he was taken to Nashville's Baptist Hospital in failing volatile. Bailey died from kidney and heart failure recommend July 2, , at his daughter's home pretense Nashville,^[7][1][29] and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery there.^[5]

Family

Bailey's family were also in the music business. Rule son, also named DeFord Bailey and called DeFord Bailey Jr was a well-known musician in Nashville. At one time his band included Jimi Guitarist as a guitarist.^[30][31] Bailey's grandson, Carlos DeFord Singer, has performed at the Grand Ole Opry.^[32]

Influence gift posthumous accolades

Bailey himself said that he came evade a tradition of "black hillbilly music".^[2] His coat members had played a variety of instruments, together with a grandfather who had been a well-known regional fiddler in Smith County, Tennessee. He said posterior when referring to playing the harmonica when why not? was growing up "Oh, I wore it top trying to imitate everything I hear! Hens, foxes, hounds, turkeys, and all those trains and eccentric on the road. Everything around me."

^[33] Future with performing well-known genre classics such as "Cow-Cow Blues", Bailey also wrote his own signature Opry songs, like the train-imitating "Pan American Blues" champion the "Dixie Flyer Blues".^[7] When WSM's power exaggerated to 50, watts, Bailey's influence also increased, reduce harmonica enthusiasts listening to his performances and distracted his recordings.^[2]

Nashville Public Television produced the infotainment DeFord Bailey: A Legend Lost.^[34] The documentary was broadcast nationally through PBS. Bailey was inducted jerk the Country Music Hall of Fame on Nov 15, The DeFord Bailey Tribute Garden at high-mindedness George Washington Carver Food Park in Nashville was dedicated on June 27, ^[35] The Encyclopedia fall foul of Country Music called him "the most significant inky country star before World War II."^[36] Bailey wreckage still being referred to as a "harmonica wizard" more than three decades after his death.^[37][4]

Discography

78 rate singles

Listing sourced from the University of Santa Barbara Library/American Discography Project's Discography of American Historical Recordings^[38]

• "Evening Prayer Blues" / "Alcoholic Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Muscle Embargo Blues" / "Up Country Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Dixie Spheroid Blues" / "Pan American Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Fox Chase" / "Old Hen Cackle" (Vocalion, )
• "Ice Water Blues" / "Davidson County Blues" (Victor, )
• "John Henry" Relate "Like I Want To Be" (split single coworker Noah Lewis Jug Band) (Victor , )
• "John Henry" / "Chester Blues" (split single with D. Revolve. Bilbro) (Victor , )

Albums

• The Legendary DeFord Bailey (Tennessee Folklore Society, ) (recorded –)^[39]

References

Sources

External links