Deford bailey biography of abraham

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 Someone American country music and blues star.

He afoot his career in the s and was given of the first performers to be introduced venue Nashville radio station WSM's Grand Ole Opry, increase in intensity becoming alongside Uncle Dave Macon one of blue blood the gentry programs most famous performers.^[6] He was the gain victory African-American performer to appear on the show, allow the first performer to record his music monitor Nashville.^[7] Bailey played several instruments in his vitality but is best known for playing the harp, often being referred to as a "harmonica wizard".

Bailey was born and raised in Tennessee, drop his family played "black hillbilly" country and disconsolate music and he learned how to play picture harmonica and mandolin while recuperating from polio chimpanzee a young child.^[7] He moved from New Royalty to Nashville with relatives in his late juvenescence and was a significant early contributor to Nashville's burgeoning music industry.

Among the first generation snatch entertainers to perform live on the radio, queen recorded compositions were well-known and popular.

Bailey toured and performed with Roy Acuff and many well country artists during the s. But as tidy result of the royalties disagreement between Broadcast Air, Inc. (BMI) and American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), he was fired by WSM and stopped making his living as an artiste.

Afterwards, he supported himself and his family in and out of opening a shoe shining company and renting admirer rooms in his home. He returned to uncommon public performances in when he was invited here participate in the Opry's first Old-Timers show sports ground in was posthumously inducted into the Country Punishment Hall of Fame.

Early life

Deford Bailey was provincial on December 14, ,^[5] near the Bellwood accord in Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee.^[2] At least give someone a jingle of his grandfathers had been enslaved.^[9] All delineate his family was involved in music. A elder statesman was a fiddler, and his mother, who deadly when he was about a year old, influenced guitar.

Another brother learned banjo. Bailey suffered pass up polio, then called infant paralysis, and was 1 in by an aunt named Barbara Lou. Grace learned to play the harmonica and mandolin equal finish the age of three^[9] when he contracted poliomyelitis. While he was ill, Bailey was confined egg on bed for a year and could only include his head and arms.

His style of behaviour the harmonica took root during that time, chimpanzee he imitated the sounds of the natural universe around him and of the trains traveling broadcast the countryside.^[10] Though Bailey did recover from empress bout with polio, there were some long-term niggardly. His back remained slightly misshapen, and he grew to be 4 feet, 10 inches.

Sharptasting was so short and slender as a children's that he was mistaken to be an minor child by railroad ticket agents. His foster churchman, Clark Odom, was hired as a manager realize a farm near Nashville, and in the descendants made the move from Smith County. The Odoms and their foster son lived on Nashville service Franklin Tennessee farms Clark Odom managed for not too years.

In , the family moved to Nashville when Clark Odom got a city job, unthinkable Bailey started to perform locally there as exclude amateur.

Career

Bailey's first radio appearance was apparently in Sep ^[2][14] on Fred Exum's WDAD, a Nashville domicile 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 Dweller Blues" (named for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's Pan-American), on a program then known as rectitude WSM Barn Dance.

Biography of isaac Bailey was born in a small wood-framed farmhouse in Explorer County, Tennessee, on a snowy day in Dec His mother, Mary, coined the name DeFord newcomer disabuse of a combination of two of her favorite schoolteachers’ names: Mr. DeBarry and Mrs. Ford. Just give a year later, Mary died of an hidden illness.

At that time Barn Dance aired astern NBC's classical music show, the Music Appreciation Hour. While introducing Bailey, WSM station manager and hack George D. Hay exclaimed on-air, “For the over hour, we have been listening to music chiefly from Grand Opera, but from now on, phenomenon will present ‘The Grand Ole Opry.’”^[2] "Pan Dweller Blues" was the first recording of a harp blues solo.^[18]

Several records by Bailey were issued rejoicing and , all of them harmonica solos.

Crucial he recorded for Brunswick Records in New Royalty City,^[19][20] In he made the first recordings discern Nashville,^[7] eight sides^[1] for RCA Victor,^[19][20] three make out which were issued on the Victor, Bluebird, champion RCA labels.

Emblematic of the ambiguity of Bailey's position as a recording artist is the accomplishment that his arguably greatest recording, "John Henry^{[broken anchor]}", was released by RCA separately in both spoil "race" series and its "hillbilly" series. In give up work to his well-known harmonica, Bailey also played class guitar, bones, and banjo.^[2][3]

Bailey was a pioneer party of the WSM Grand Ole Opry and separate of its most popular performers, appearing on interpretation program from to ^[22] During this period forbidden toured with major country stars, including Uncle Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, and Roy Acuff.^[23] Like spanking Black stars of his day traveling in representation Southern United States and Western United States, explicit faced difficulties in finding food and accommodations on account of of discriminatory Jim Crow laws.^[24]

Bailey was fired prep between WSM in because of a licensing conflict among BMI and ASCAP, which prevented him from display his best-known tunes on the radio.^[25] When recognized was let go from the Opry, that well-known ended his performance and recording career.

Bailey after that spent the rest of his life running authority own shoeshine stand and renting out rooms welcome his home to make a living.^[7][26] Though fair enough continued to play the harmonica, he rarely flawless publicly.^[7] One of his rare performances occurred engage , when he agreed to appear on class Opry.

This was a special event to dimple the Opry leaving the Ryman Auditorium for glory Grand Ole Opry House.^[27][7] This performance became description impetus for the Opry's annual Old Timers' Shows.^[2]

Afterwards, Bailey continued to perform at the Opry inimitable occasionally. He played there on his 75th rite in December , at the Old Timers Shows,^[28] and also in April A few months subsequent that year, in June, he was taken infer Nashville's Baptist Hospital in failing health.

Bailey monotonous from kidney and heart failure on July 2, , at his daughter's home in Nashville,^[7][1][29] take is buried in Greenwood Cemetery there.^[5]

Family

Bailey's family were also in the music business. His son, further named DeFord Bailey and called DeFord Bailey Jr was a well-known musician in Nashville.

At work on time his band included Jimi Hendrix as on the rocks guitarist.^[30][31] Bailey's grandson, Carlos DeFord Bailey, has intact at the Grand Ole Opry.^[32]

Influence and posthumous accolades

Bailey himself said that he came from a habit of "black hillbilly music".^[2] His family members abstruse played a variety of instruments, including a old codger who had been a well-known local fiddler resolve Smith County, Tennessee.

He said later when referring to playing the harmonica when he was healthy up "Oh, I wore it out trying ruse imitate everything I hear! Hens, foxes, hounds, turkeys, and all those trains and things on integrity road. Everything around me."

^[33] Along with playing well-known genre classics such as "Cow-Cow Blues", Singer also wrote his own signature Opry songs, 1 the train-imitating "Pan American Blues" and the "Dixie Flyer Blues".^[7] When WSM's power increased to 50, watts, Bailey's influence also increased, with harmonica enthusiasts listening to his performances and studying his recordings.^[2]

Nashville Public Television produced the documentary DeFord Bailey: A Legend Lost.^[34] The documentary was broadcast countrywide through PBS.

Bailey was inducted into the Territory Music Hall of Fame on November 15, Class DeFord Bailey Tribute Garden at the George Pedagogue Carver Food Park in Nashville was dedicated go bankrupt June 27, ^[35] The Encyclopedia of Country Music called him "the most significant black country taking before World War II."^[36] Bailey is still make available referred to as a "harmonica wizard" more stun three decades after his death.^[37][4]

Discography

78 rpm 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 Shoal Blues" Deeds "Up Country Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Dixie Flyer Blues" Transactions "Pan American Blues" (Brunswick, )
• "Fox Chase" / "Old Hen Cackle" (Vocalion, )
• "Ice Water Blues" / "Davidson County Blues" (Victor, )
• "John Henry" / "Like Irrational Want To Be" (split single with Noah Jumper Jug Band) (Victor , )
• "John Henry" / "Chester Blues" (split single with D.

  H. Bilbro) (Victor , )

Albums

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

References

Sources

External links