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Rare and unique 35mm trailer found in a basement in LaFollette, TN. East Tennessee’s own Mack Jeffers and his Fiddlin’ Farmers sprang from Scott County, Tennessee, moving up north to play on the radio. Several in the band returned home to East Tennessee after the band split up. This unique 1939 nitrate reel was shown in local movie houses to advertise the band’s upcoming appearance at that venue. This film remained unseen for 70 years until transferred by TAMIS engineer Larry Odham, This is all that remains of the Fiddlin’ Farmers legacy.

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Great photo scanned from a 1950s extended play 45 rpm found at Mckays Book Store. The Tops label featured substandard sound-a-like versions of hit tunes sung by unknowns. The discs were sold at a much cheaper priced than the major labels, and could be found in drugstores, supermarkets, and Woolworth 5 and 10 Cent shops!

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A dark and rainy ole weekend. I made a quick trip over to the Fellini Kroger for some eats, briefly ducking into the Goodwill next door. Stunned to discover a rare 1960 Chet Atkins LP I had never even heard of! 50 cents worth of greatness! Best yet..it’s all serious and swinging jazz from the Nashville A Team. Ever wonder what the country cats played after-hours? Tune into the “Quiver” this Thursday eve for a listen!

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http://www.metropulse.com/news/2013/may/01/where-boxcars-are-all-empty-mysteries-harry-mccli/

Knoxville native and early folk music recording artist Harry “Haywire Mac” McClintock revealed in Jack Neely’s Secret History Column, courtesy of Metro Pulse…some fascinating history uncovered! Remember “Big Rock Candy Mountain”?

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Incredibly rare 1930s sheet music for Knoxville jazz band The Dixieland Swingsters. The Swingsters, led by Jerry Collins, served as the WNOX house band, even during the station’s country music heyday – proof that both musical forms peacefully co-existed during the era. The Dixieland Swingsters late 1930s RCA Bluebird 78 rpm recording of “East Tennessee Quiver” inspired the title of the WDVX program, now broadcast every Thursday at 10 pm!

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Bonnie Lou and Buster ad from about 1964

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Here is the Playlist for the Mother’s Day show. (I hope your mother’s day was happy.)

9:00 Introduction

• Snuffy Jenkins & Pappy Sherrill – I Want My Rib 3:02 “33 Years of Pickin’ and Pluckin’” (1971) Rounder

  

  Snuffy Jenkins, Greasy Medlin and Pappy Sherrill (from NC State Archives)

  Off and on, Snuffy Jenkins, Pappy Sherrill and Greasy Medlin played together for decades. Taking the Garden of Eden as a jumping-off-point, “I Want My Rib” is a minstrel-type novelty number that features Greasy’s vocals. Snuffy Jenkins was a pioneer of the three-finger banjo style that is the backbone of bluegrass, so naturally I played a track on which he plays washboard.

• Johnny Darrell – Mama Come ‘n’ Get Your Baby Boy 3:08 “The Best of Johnny Darrell (1969) United Artists

  

  Johnny Darrell

  Johnny Darrell was a fine singer who had the misfortune of singing great songs that were big hits – for people who covered his versions. “With Pen in Hand” was his biggest number, but basically all the United Artists stuff is awfully good.

• Meg Christian – Moving Right Along 2:42 “Turning It Over” (1981) Olivia Records
• Meg Christian – For Mama 0:53 “Turning It Over”

Meg Christian is a fine singer and songwriter who has unfortunately been overshadowed by Holly Near and Chris Williamson, with whom she was associated in the 1970′s. Meg is performing again, so hopefully she will finally get her due.

• Pete McMahan – Echoes of the Ozarks 2:19 “Missouri Fiddlin’ #3” (year unknown) Graphic Records

9:15 Mostly Local

• The Piney Pickers – Panhandle Country 2:11 “A Touch of Grass” (1977) Kim-Pat

The Piney Pickers were a band whose members were drawn from all over East Tennessee. These members were: Billy Womack of Woodbury on fiddle; Jack Sallee of Cookeville on banjo; Mayford Blankenship of Vonore on guitar and lead vocals; James Ramsey of Loudon on bass, plus sometime members Mose Herron of the Knoxville area on rhythm guitar and Alcoa resident Bruce Whitehead or William Garrett on mandolin. On this album the Piney Pickers are joined by a pair of Dobro players – high school history teacher Eldon Davis and the one and only Josh Graves.

Billy Womack’s fiddling is beginning to be released on CD, thanks to the Arts Center of Cannon County’s Spring Fed Records.

• The Louvin Brothers  & Fiddlin’ Bob Douglas – Take the News to Mother 2:45 “Sequatchie Valley” (c1990)

  

  Fiddlin’ Bob Douglas & Georgia Boy Brown (Friends of the Cumberland Trail)

Fiddlin’ Bob Douglas was a southeastern Tennessee treasure who performed on the radio in Chattanooga and won about every fiddle contest around. He also had the distinction of giving the legendary Louvin Brothers one of their first professional jobs in early 1946. This recording dates from that association.

• Joe Meadows – Cricket on a Hearth 2:28 “Portrait of a Fiddler” (1974) Old Homestead Records
• Knoxville Grass – No Mother or Dad 2:41 “Darby’s Castle” (1978) Thunderhead Records

  

  The Knoxville Grass

The Knoxville Grass were, along with the Pinnacle Boys, about the biggest thing around in the white-hot Knoxville bluegrass scene of the 1970′s. “Darby’s Castle” was a high point of a great string of fine LP’s.

• The Piney Pickers -When I Grow Too Old to Dream 2:47 “A Touch of Grass” (1977) Kim-Pat

9:30 Mother’s Day

• Peggy Little – Sweet Baby Girl 3:08 “A Little Bit of Peggy Little” (1969) Dot Records

  

  Peggy Little

  Peggy Little’s biggest number was a cover of “Son of a Preacher Man,” released shortly after Dusty Springfield’s smash hit version. However, Peggy turned in an unforgettable performance on just about everything she recorded. “Sweet Baby Girl” has been recorded by others, but never as well.

• Don Helms – Big News 2:00 “Nashville Steel Guitar” (c1963) Nashville (Starday) Records

Hank Williams and Ray Price sideman Don Helms should be familiar to most fans of traditional country music. Starday put out a series of side- and session-man steel guitar and Dobro instrumental LP’s in the 60′s. I wish labels still did that sort of thing.

• John Hodnett – Help Me Get to Dayton 2:25 single (1972) Morningside Records

I wish I knew something about John Hodnett – “Help Me Get to Dayton” is a gritty, Merle Haggard-type slice-of-life about a hitchhiking runaway junkie teen prostitute who just wants a ride home to mama. The other side of this 45 single is a lighthearted Western Swing-flavored number.

• Katy Moffatt – She Calls Me Baby 2:48 “Katy Moffatt” (1976) CBS Records

  

  Katy Moffatt

• Johnny Darrell – Mama’s Hungry Eyes 3:23 “The Best of Johnny Darrell (1969) United Artists

9:45 Hymn Time

• Esco Hankins & Jackie Tincher – Mother Sleeps In A Lonely Grave 2:30 “Mother Left Me Her Bible”

Esco Hankins is sometimes belittled as a Roy Acuff imitator, but the two tunes in this set were his own compositions, and amply demonstrate Esco’s well-rounded talent. In addition to being singing partners, Esco Hankins and Jackie Tincher were husband and wife.

• 

  Esco Hankins

• The Summers Trio – Mama 1:56 “This Is Why We Sing” (1970) Tri-State Recording

  

  l-r, Margaret Summers, Elmer Summers and Naomi Boshears

  The Summers Trio wrote most of  their own songs. The writer credit on these is merely “Summers,” so it’s likely that credit was evenly divided. The fact that it wasn’t credited to “Summers Trio” caused me to believe that the credit was individual, but I now feel differently after re-reading the album liner notes.

   

• The Daugherty Quartet – Mother’s Bible 2:18 “Beyond the Last Mile” (1969) Tri-State Recording

  

  l-r, Bob Wilson, Carol Wilson, Andy Daugherty and Nina Ruth Daugherty

The gospel music of Jacksboro, Tennessee is rather well represented on vinyl and I suspect that The Daugherty Quartet is partly responsible for that. The Summers Trio number above is from an album which has 6 numbers by the Summers on one side and 6 by the Daughertys on the other, “a” side. Andy Daugherty is the father of both Nina Ruth Daugherty and Carol Wilson and, of course, the father-in-law of Bob Wilson.

• Esco Hankins & Jackie Tincher – Mother Left Me Her Bible 2:15 “Mother Left Her Bible” (1984) Old Homestead
• Whitetop Mountain Band – Angel Band – 2:00 “Cacklin’ Hen” (1977) Mountain Records

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1947 street scene of the legendary WNOX Radio studio located on Gay Street in Knoxville. The station offered free country music shows during the noon hour, a fine tradition continued today by WDVX with the daily Blue Plate Special program. WNOX was home to Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Don Gibson, and many others during their formative years. Ironically, the WDVX studio is located within two blocks of where the WNOX studio once stood!

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