Black Country Music Singers & Songwriters TELLING THE REST OF THE STORY: My Country, The African Diasporas Country Music Heritageis a most definitive study. Its detailed discography blew away the longstanding myth that African-Americans did not like, did not perform, and did not want to perform country music. Ms. Foster shows that African American contributions went far beyond being that of being mere musical influences, as is often presented in other works in which they were given minimum mention. This 350-plus page book provides substantiated information that African-Americans were in fact involved in Country Music from the beginning as musicians, singers, and writers, and later as Producers, Radio DJs, Music Publishers and Executives. Her follow-up book, My Country Too, The Other Black Music! hit the shelves as a paperback in 2000. Both of these books are very informative, musically and historically important, and available from Borders Books and other outlets. My Country The African Diasporas Country Music Heritage[ISBN-0-9662680-1-6] My Country Too, The Other Black Music [ISBN-0-9662680-2-4 * paperback] Pamela E. Fosteris a native daughter of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up listening to and enjoying country music. She began writing about social and economic issues in 1988 and moved to Nashville in 1993 to write about Black Country Music contributions. Armed with a Undergraduate Degree in Economics, a Masters Degree in Journalism, she earned numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize Nomination. Along with the New Pittsburgh Courier and the Business First of Columbus, she has also written for the Nashville Banner, The Tennessean, The Nashville Business Journal, The Nashville Scene, Country Song Roundup, and Country Weekly. Since 2007, Pamela has been researching and compliling information for a book about her familys southern roots and northern migration after the Civil War. While Charley Pride is indisputably Country Musics First African-American Super Star, there have been many Black Country Artists before and after him who have been ignored, passed over, and overlooked by the Nashville clique. Back in 1983, Mike Johnsons friend, Jim Stanton, founder of Rich-R-Tone Records, bluntly told him that Nashville isntlookingfor another Charley Pride. Theyre still mad at Jack Clements and Chet Atkins over that! Stantons reflection of the Nashville elites typical resistance to Black Country performers as opposed to the general publics acceptance of a good performer regardless of racial and ethnic background.Charley Pride was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Up until 1997, with the exception of Charles K. Wolfes sketches within his broad-based writings, there has never been any deliberate works that specifically and totally focused on the actual involvement of African-Americans in Country Music. EnterPamela E. Foster, an award winning journalist and researcher, and her enlightening 1998 book, My Country, The African Diasporas Country Music Heritage.Presented here are some of the African American Country Music folks, except Joe Country and Oliver Fenceroy, that you will find in Pamelas two books. Mike Johnson is featured on page 146 of the 1st book, and page 79 of the 2nd book with a photograph in each. DeFord Baileyis Country Musics First African-American Star. Known as The Harmonica Wizard he performed on the Grand Ole Opry from 1926 to 1941 and was also on the very first recording sessions held in Nashville in 1928.He toured with Roy Acuff, The Delmore Brothers, Uncle Dave Macon, and The McGhee Brothers. His dismissal from the Grand Ole Opry Cast by George D. Hay who cites him as their mascot and lazy like other members of his race... strongly contradicts recorded documentation stating that Bailey was the Oprys main draw during his membership! Many first-hand accounts indicate that it was more about the eventual royalties they were going to have to pay him for his recordings. Bailey opened a Shoe Shine Parlor and only made scattered public performances afterwards.In 2005 DeFord Bailey, the last member of the original Grand Ole Opry Cast was finally Inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Herb Jeffriessang and yodeled his way across the Silver Screen as the first and only Black Singing Movie Cowboy,starring in four feature length All-Black Cast Westerns in the 1930s. His self-penned songIM A HAPPY COWBOYwas his movie theme song. Later on, this Pinkney, Michigan native made a name for himself on the Duke Ellington recording Flamingo on which he sang lead, and with the Mercer Ellington Orchestra, The Mills Brothers and his own band. In 1995 Warner Western, released a Jeffries Country Album entitled The Bronze Buckaroo featuring guest appearances by the likes of Take-6,Cleve Francis, Little Texas, and Michael Martin Murphy. Jeffries was 85 years old at the time. Ivory Joe Hunterhas often been described as a Blues artist but his country roots go back to the early 1930s when he played Texas Honky Tonks. He recorded his first country songsGUESS WHO?andJEALOUS HEARTon King Records in 1949. Many of his songs likeSINCE I MET YOU BABYandEMPTY ARMSwere recorded by artists like Charlie Rich, Conway Twitty, and Sonny James. Henry Gloverwas born on 21 May 1921 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.Between 1948 & 1959 he produced hundreds of Country artistslike Moon Mullican, Grandpa Jones, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, The Delmore Brothers and Jimmie Osborne on King Record Label in Cincinnati, Ohio. He passed away on 7 April 1991 after a long successful career as a producer and songwriter. In 1969 Linda Martellbecame the first Black Female Country performer to appear on the Grand Ole Opry.She was signed by Plantation Records Shelby Singleton, made 12 Opry appearances, appeared on Hee Haw and charted 3 Billboard Singles before Jim Crows interference with her touring caused her to quit in 1974. Oklahomas native son, Stoney Edwards, also part Seminole Indian, born 24 December 1929, is one of the best Country voices ever. His career finally began to take hold when he opened for Bob Wills at a 1970 concert in Oakland, California. He played in Wills band briefly and went on to release 8 albums on Capitol Records and chart 15 Billboard Singles between 1971 and 1977. He wrote many of his hits, includingA TWO DOLLAR TOY,THE FISHING SONG, andI BOUGHT THE SHOES THAT JUST WALKED OUT ON ME.He toured the Southwest with his then unknown band, Asleep At The Wheel, and passed away on 6 April 1997. Ruby Falls charted 9 Billboard Singles between 1974 and 1979on the 50 States Records label. She was voted as Countrys Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1975 by country industry trade media. She toured with Justin Tubb and performed with Faron Young, Del Reeves, Narvel Felts, and Jeanne Pruett, to mention a few. She was born Bertha Dorsey in January 1946 and passed away in June 1986. Between 1972 and 1987 O.B. McClintonrecorded for both Mercury and Epic Records, appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, and charted 15 Billboard Singles, the biggest of these,MY WHOLE WORLD IS FALLING DOWN, andDONT LET THE GREEN GRASS FOOL YOU. Berry Motown Gordylaunched the Country Music career of T.G. Sheppard withDEVIL IN THE BOTTLE, on Melodyland Records in 1974. In all Sheppard had four No.1s on Melodyland Records, one of several Country labels owned by Gordy. In 1984, songwriter & music publisher, Thomas Cainwent to work for BMI and later became their Vice President & Senior Director of Writer Publisher relations. His own songs have been recorded by Hank Jr., George Strait, The Forester Sisters, and Ronnie Milsap. Cains Publishing Company, Candy Cane Musics catalog also contains the songsWILD AND BLUE, SOME FOOLS NEVER LEARN, andCRY, CRY, CRY. Lionel Richiewrote and produced many country songs for Kenny Rogers, includingGOIN BACK TO ALABAMA, SO IN LOVE WITH YOU, SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME, GREY BEARD,andBLAZE OF GLORY. He was sought after by numerous country artists and the group Alabama provided backup vocals for his songDEEP RIVER WOMANon his 1986 album Dancing On The Ceiling. Huddie Leadbelly LedbetterwroteGOOD NIGHT IRENE, ROCK ISLAND LINE, COTTON FIELDS, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, and many other country songs. However, the commercial music industrys perpetuation of the Jim Crow attitudes [not the Black and White musicians] during that era caused the racial separation of the music irregardless of the fact that most of these rural people mutually shared the same environmental and life experiences from which their songs sprang! Leadbelly had more than 200 releases on early labels like Capitol Records [with the help of Tex Ritter] Bluebird, Disc, Asch, and Stinson, along with an Award of Merit from the Oklahoma Folklore Society. He passed away in his sixties from Lou Gehrigs disease in 1949. Reverend Thomas A. Dorsey, 1979; Huddie Leadbelly Ledbetter, 1980; Chuck Berry, 1982, W.C. Handy, 1983; and Otis Blackwell, 1986, are the only African Americans in The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame.Blackwell also wrote numerous Elvis Presley hits, includingDONT BE CRUEL, ALL SHOOK UP! RETURN TO SENDERandGREAT BALLS OF FIREand others for Jerry Lee Lewis! Howdy Glennwas born in the early 1950s and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He made his mark on the Southern California club circuit during the 1970s. This led to a record deal with Warner Bros. Records, from which came two singles,TOUCH MEin 1977, andYOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME, both of which peaked on the Billboard Country Chart at No.62 & No.72 respectively. The songI CAN ALMOST SEE HOUSTON, released on an independent label became a hit in California and the California Country & Western Music Association awarded him their Most Promising Male Vocalist Award and named him a finalist in its Entertainer of the Year category. Though he was very popular, he kept his day job as a firefighter at the Inglewood Fire Department. Above My Country related information and portrait used by permission of Pamela E. Foster McDonald Craig McDonald Craigof Linden, Tennessee is a first-rate Jimmie Rodgers Yodeler. He was born in the early Depression Years of 1932 into a Country-Traditional music household when 78rpm spring-wond RCA Victrolas ruled the day. He performed throughout Perry and Harvard counties with his parents and four siblings during the 1940s and early 1950s. Heis the second oldest of seven children. His father Newt Craig was a fiddler who played mountain square dance music and his mother Conna McDonald Craig was a piano player who played everything from popular to mountain music. While the Craig children played music as a family band, McDonald and his older brother Newt Jr. played the least while growing up. Being the eldest, they worked to help the family meet its financial obligations. At the age of 20 McDonald left Linden to join the U.S. Army and was assigned to a Gunnery Unit in Korea where he earned the Bronze Star. When he returned from Korea Mac stayed with his parents and continued to work the farm. He also returned to his music, brushing up on the old standards and particularly the songs of his favorites, Jimmie Rodgers and Ernest Tubb. Sometime during the mid-1960s McDonald landed a spot on Nashvilles Gold Standard Records and had four singles released by them;I WANT TO TELL YOU, BUCKEYE OHIO, YOU AND MY GUITAR,andILL NEVER GO TO SLEEP ALONE.He also wrote songs likeMY HOME IN TENNESSEandCHILDHOOD MEMORIES, the latter of which appeared on his latest CD McDonald Craig Sings Traditional Country Music released sometime in 2001. In 1978 McDonald went to Meridian, Mississippi for the Annual Jimmie Rodgers Yodeling Championship. He beat out 72 contestants for First Place, making him the first and only African-American Yodeler to ever win that honor.According to his wife, Rosetta Craig, the Musuem curators did not want to award him, but the Judges, music business officials whom they had commissioned from California, insisted. The Museum reluctantly awarded him 1st. Place but denied McDonald the full honors [a photo and plaque placed in the Museum] that were normally bestowed on prior winners. Undaunted by the incident, McDonald humbly accepted his win and moved on. The noteriety from his win further enhanced his appeal and requests to perform at different festivals across the country kept him pretty busy. At the 199 Avoca Old Time Country Music Festival, McDonald gave his new friend, Mike Johnson, an autographed copy of his Cassette AlbumMcDonald Craig Sings My Home In Tennessee and Other Old Time Country Favorites.Johnson really felt honored by the gift though he was troubled by the fact that like so many other genuine older independent country artists, Mac never received the full recognition he deserved. So he made a bold decision. He obtained permission from Craig to produce the cassette on CD. Released in 2001 as Yodeling McDonald Craig thus was born the first of Roughshod Records Special Projects Promotional releases. Craig is also featured in the 1999 Sonny Rodgers Yodelers Paradise Show Video filmed at the 1999 Avoca, Iowa Old Time Country Music Festival by Mike Johnson.This was followed up in 2002 by aRoughshod Records Special Project CD,Three Country Music Yodelers, Who Just Happen To Be Black, featuring two cuts each by McDonald Craig, Stoney Edwards, and Mike Johnson. Roughshod Records sent CDs to their DJ contacts, gave them away as bonuses for purchasing Mike Johnson products and included Craigs biography in their flyers and other promotional material whenever possible. When Roughshod Records finally gained access to the internet, McDonald Craig is no longer an obscure, forgotten voice. In 2002, the McDonald Craig Sings Traditional Country Music CDwas released. This 26-song treasure chest includes all-time greats; KENTUCKY, GEORGIANA MOON, I CANT STOP LOVING YOU, LOVESICK BLUES, GREAT SPECKLED BIRD, ILL SAIL MY SHIP ALONE, HOW GREAT THOU ART, and his own, CHILDHOOD MEMORIES. A crowd favorite with traditionalists wherever he performed McDonald is as pure Country as you can get, performing from Texas to Tennessee, Iowa, and Nebraska, at numerous State Fairs, Folk-life Festivals, and radio stations. He has been a longstanding member of the National Traditional Country Music Association based in Anita, Iowa and he is also an Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame inductee. In 2005, the State of Tennessees Century Farms Program certified the 73-year old McDonald Craigs 110-acre farm as an Official Century Farmfor having been in the same family for more than 100 years.It was purchased for $400 with a yoke of oxen as a down payment by his ex-slave great-grandparents, Tapp and Amy Craig on Christmas Day in 1871. They paid off the debt in two years. At age 76 [2008] McDonald and wife Rosetta, of 52 years, still reside on the historic property. Though he still picks and sings, McDonald doesnt do much out of state performing anymore.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 15:51:26 +0000
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