Friday, June 13, 2014

A Brief History of Country Music in America Pt.2

This is Part 2 in a series on the Brief History of Country Music in America which I am writing. You can read Part 1 here.

Radio Makes an Appearance

The emergence of radio allowed Country Music to arrive en masse. At the beginning, records were not very common, so artists roamed the radio stations playing their songs live. One of the most popular shows was the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville station WSM, presented by the legendary George D. Hay. Among the stars of this era we can find Vernon Dalhart, DeFord Bailey, Uncle Dave Macon, The Skillet Lickers and other groups.

Something characteristic of this era that was to take advantage of the radio microphones were vocal harmonies. At this time the Monroe Brothers, The Delmore Brothers and The Blue Sky Boys (Bill and Earl Bolick) made successful use of the new technology.

Just as musicians began combining the sounds of guitar, violin and banjo, the emergence of so-called "string bands" creating music first called "hillbilly" music, and then mountain (mountain music), began. The musicians stopped repeating the old tunes brought from their homelands, and started to create new music. These bands often performed at dances in barns, which began to be broadcast live, interspersed with mini-concerts that artists gave on the radio. This is where they began to make their appearance on record labels interested in the growing popularity of the genre, and stars began to record albums, such as Eck Roberts, Fiddlin 'John Carson, The Skillet Lickers and others.

During these years, recording artists such as The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers would come to fame due to the Bristol sessions by producer Ralph Peer. This is often considered as the real beginning of Country music as we know it today.

The Carter Family

The Carter Family were one of the most influential groups in Country Music, with the original group formed by Alvin Pleasant (A.P.) Carter, Delaney and Virginia. A.P. began singing in church with his uncle and two older sisters. Then he met Sara Dougherty, whom he married on June 18, 1915. She played the guitar and banjo. The third member of the group, Maybelle Addington, then married A.P.'s brother, Ezra Carter who also joined. He played guitar and banjo as well.

The Carter Family first recorded six songs for Victor Records on August 1, 1927 including "Single Girl, Married Girl." After recording about 20 songs here, in December 11, 1934 they moved to the ARC label, where they recorded 40 titles. Sara and A. P. divorced but continued to work together and then went to Texas. In this period, other members joined the group: Anita, June and Helen, daughters of Maybelle and Ezra. After more recordings for Columbia Records, the group disbanded in 1943, having left 250 classics like "Wabash Cannonball," "Lonesome Valley" and "I'm Thinking Tonight of my Blue Eyes." They were huge stars during the time of the Great Depression.

Jimmie Rodgers

One of the first superstars of Country Music was Jimmie Rodgers, a former train engineer who introduced country-blues to a mass audience, and decorated the vocals with the classic yodel or yodeling.

Known as the Father of Country Music, Rodgers, born in Meridian, Mississippi, on September 8, 1897, worked on the railroad tracks while he was young, but health problems forced him to find another way to earn a living. He began touring the United States with guitarist Ernest Helton, and then they were joined by Jack Pierce on guitar, Jack Grant on mandolin and banjo and Claude Grant also playing banjo. Rodgers continued as a soloist, recording for the label for Bristol. Due to the success of his first recordings, "The Soldier's Sweetheart" and "Sleep, Baby, Sleep," more songs followed including his big hit "T For Texas."

By 1928 he was a superstar and sold thousands of records, but the years touring and recording affected his health, something which was reflected in his composition of "TB Blues" (TB = tuberculosis). Still, he continued recording, gigging for farmers affected by drought and working in radio, until May 24, 1933, when he finished recording "Fifteen Years Ago Today." The day began with bleeding, and he soon fell into a coma and died on May 26, 1933. Rodgers, Fred Rose and Hank Williams were first elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961.

To be continued...