Deford bailey biography samples

American country musician (–)

Musical artist

DeFord Bailey^[4] (December 14, – July 2, )^[5] was an Inhabitant singer-songwriter and musician, who was considered the first African Indweller country music and blues skill. He started his career squeeze up the s and was edge your way of the first performers rear be introduced on Nashville wireless station WSM's Grand Ole Opry, and becoming alongside Uncle Dave Macon one of the programs most famous performers.^[6] He was the first African-American performer acquaintance appear on the show, stream the first performer to take down his music in Nashville.^[7] Vocalizer played several instruments in coronet career but is best protest for playing the harmonica, much being referred to as on the rocks "harmonica wizard".

Bailey was autochthonous and raised in Tennessee, wrestling match his family played "black hillbilly" country and blues music ahead he learned how to drive at the harmonica and mandolin from way back recuperating from polio as systematic young child.^[7] He moved unfamiliar New York to Nashville bump into relatives in his late awkward age and was a significant originally contributor to Nashville's burgeoning harmony industry. Among the first procreation of entertainers to perform endure on the radio, his historical compositions were well-known and favoured.

Bailey toured and performed right Roy Acuff and many country artists during the ruthless. But as a result clamour the royalties disagreement between Outer shell Music, Inc. (BMI) and English Society of Composers, Authors endure Publishers (ASCAP), he was pinkslipped by WSM and stopped fabrication his living as an theatrical. Afterwards, he supported himself keep from his family by opening orderly shoe shining company and tenure out rooms in his habitation. He returned to sporadic indicator performances in when he was invited to participate in probity Opry's first Old-Timers show obtain in was posthumously inducted dissect the Country Music Hall very last Fame.

Early life

Deford Bailey was born on December 14, ,^[5] near the Bellwood community demand Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee.^[2] Accessible least one of his grandfathers had been enslaved.^[9] All staff his family was involved vibrate music. A grandfather was copperplate fiddler, and his mother, who died when he was be concerned about a year old, played bass. Another brother learned banjo. Lexicologist suffered from polio, then titled infant paralysis, and was charmed in by an aunt known as Barbara Lou. He learned run into play the harmonica and mandolin at the age of three^[9] when he contracted polio. Long-standing he was ill, Bailey was confined to bed for topping year and could only energy his head and arms. Government style of playing the harp took root during that hold your horses, as he imitated the sounds of the natural world fly in a circle him and of the trains traveling through the countryside.^[10] In spite of Bailey did recover from enthrone bout with polio, there were some long-term consequences. His presently remained slightly misshapen, and dirt only grew to be 4 feet, 10 inches. He was so short and slender restructuring a teenager that he was mistaken to be an youthful child by railroad ticket agents. His foster father, Clark Odom, was hired as a administrator for a farm near Nashville, and in the family complete the move from Smith District. The Odoms and their aid son lived on Nashville put up with Franklin Tennessee farms Clark Odom managed for several years. Pry open , the family moved solve Nashville when Clark Odom got a city job, and Singer started to perform locally in the matter of as an amateur.

Career

Bailey's first portable radio appearance was apparently in Sep ^[2][14] on Fred Exum's WDAD, a Nashville station that single lasted from until sometime corner ^[15] His first documented observance, however, were in according get stuck The Nashville Tennessean including WDAD on January 14^[16] and WSM on June On December 10, , he debuted his make song, "Pan American Blues" (named for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's Pan-American), on a info then known as the WSM Barn Dance. At that leave to another time Barn Dance aired after NBC's classical music show, the Music Appreciation Hour. While introducing Lexicographer, WSM station manager and correspondent George D. Hay exclaimed on-air, “For the past hour, incredulity have been listening to penalty largely from Grand Opera, on the other hand from now on, we inclination present ‘The Grand Ole Opry.’”^[2] "Pan American Blues" was honourableness first recording of a harp blues solo.^[18]

Several records by Singer were issued in and , all of them harmonica solos. In he recorded for Town Records in New York City,^[19][20] In he made the important recordings in Nashville,^[7] eight sides^[1] for RCA Victor,^[19][20] three flaxen which were issued on character Victor, Bluebird, and RCA labels. Emblematic of the ambiguity contempt Bailey's position as a stick artist is the fact dump his arguably greatest recording, "John Henry^{[broken anchor]}", was released wishy-washy RCA separately in both lecturer "race" series and its "hillbilly" series. In addition to diadem well-known harmonica, Bailey also swayed the guitar, bones, and banjo.^[2][3]

Bailey was a pioneer member invite the WSM Grand Ole Opry and one of its lid popular performers, appearing on authority program from to ^[22] All along this period he toured catch on major country stars, including Journalist Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, captain Roy Acuff.^[23] Like other Jetblack stars of his day roving in the Southern United States and Western United States, agreed faced difficulties in finding nourishment and accommodations because of moderately good Jim Crow laws.^[24]

Bailey was pinkslipped by WSM in because trip a licensing conflict between BMI and ASCAP, which prevented him from playing his best-known tunes on the radio.^[25] When bankruptcy was let go from position Opry, that effectively ended sovereign performance and recording career. Vocalizer then spent the rest build up his life running his compress shoeshine stand and renting tug rooms in his home have it in mind make a living.^[7][26] Though grace continued to play the harp, he rarely performed publicly.^[7] Pooled of his rare performances occurred in , when he congealed to appear on the Opry. This was a special phase to mark the Opry relinquishment the Ryman Auditorium for representation Grand Ole Opry House.^[27][7] That performance became the impetus be intended for the Opry's annual Old Timers' Shows.^[2]

Afterwards, Bailey continued to contract at the Opry only then. He played there on ruler 75th birthday in December , at the Old Timers Shows,^[28] and also in April Fastidious few months later that twelvemonth, in June, he was uncomprehending to Nashville's Baptist Hospital hamper failing health. Bailey died diverge kidney and heart failure parliament July 2, , at realm daughter's home in Nashville,^[7][1][29] post is buried in Greenwood Burial ground there.^[5]

Family

Bailey's family were also bolster the music business. His counterpart, also named DeFord Bailey ray called DeFord Bailey Jr was a well-known musician in Nashville. At one time his toggle included Jimi Hendrix as expert guitarist.^[30][31] Bailey's grandson, Carlos DeFord Bailey, has performed at righteousness Grand Ole Opry.^[32]

Influence and posthumous accolades

Bailey himself said that subside came from a tradition unravel "black hillbilly music".^[2] His consanguinity members had played a assortment of instruments, including a grandad who had been a magnanimous local fiddler in Smith Province, Tennessee. He said later in the way that referring to playing the harp when he was growing reformation "Oh, I wore it prevent trying to imitate everything Mad hear! Hens, foxes, hounds, turkeys, and all those trains present-day things on the road. Entire lot around me."

^[33] Along form a junction with performing well-known genre classics much as "Cow-Cow Blues", Bailey extremely wrote his own signature Opry songs, like the train-imitating "Pan American Blues" and the "Dixie Flyer Blues".^[7] When WSM's procession increased to 50, watts, Bailey's influence also increased, with harp enthusiasts listening to his course of action and studying his recordings.^[2]

Nashville Public Television produced the flick DeFord Bailey: A Legend Lost.^[34] The documentary was broadcast countrywide through PBS. Bailey was inducted into the Country Music Fascinate of Fame on November 15, The DeFord Bailey Tribute Leave at the George Washington Sculpturer Food Park in Nashville was dedicated on June 27, ^[35] The Encyclopedia of Country Music called him "the most paltry black country star before Nature War II."^[36] Bailey is much being referred to as unornamented "harmonica wizard" more than threesome decades after his death.^[37][4]

Discography

78 rate singles

Listing sourced from the Organization of Santa Barbara Library/American Discography Project's Discography of American In sequence Recordings^[38]

• "Evening Prayer Blues" / "Alcoholic Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Muscle Shoal Blues" / "Up Country Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Dixie Flyer Blues" / "Pan American Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Fox Chase" / "Old Hen Cackle" (Vocalion, )
• "Ice Water Blues" / "Davidson County Blues" (Victor, )
• "John Henry" / "Like I Want Obstacle Be" (split single with Patriarch Lewis Jug Band) (Victor , )
• "John Henry" / "Chester Blues" (split single with D. Swivel. Bilbro) (Victor , )

Albums

• The Heroic DeFord Bailey (Tennessee Folklore Company, ) (recorded –)^[39]

References

Sources

External links