22 T il E SATUHOAY EVEN ING I'OST Fchnmry ]1. 1 ~ l t

T h e Roy Ac uff gang broad cus ting . Po ison to some, hill bi ll y music is relis h ed by so muny olh e rs t h at s ix importan t radio s tation s n ow offe r e laborate prog rn nls of t h ese b u co lic s ingers a nd ba nds .

On that historic morning in MaIch, Satherley, a scholarly a nd d.ignified man who speaks with a B ritish U ncle Art atherleyseek s out accent a nd looks somewhat like a n Oxford professor country JUus ic in the bayous, of Greek history, placed his pince-nez on his nose a nd patiently listened as P oindexter a nd his companions canebrakes and hills, and brings dreamily strummed a nd thrummed and t wanged t heir it back twaogin' and sobbin' to way through the t hirty-five lays of despair. Finally, Satherley selected twelve t.o be recorded . The best of 25,000,000 addic t s. the twelve, thought Satherley, was a lilt.ing love song called RosaJita. Anot.her of the twelve was a ballad having to do wit h a husband who is having a wild time along a six-piece band and also submitted thirty-five in a night club in the company of a blonde when hls original ditties which he had -co mposed in his sPaIe wife catches him in flagrante delicto, she fort hwith time. dra wing a revolver, shooting out the lights and beating Uy ~IAUIU(; I<; ZOI.O '.l'OW Like most of the T exas T schaikowskys, P oindex­ him gently about the face. Although he was not par­ ter's lyrics were of a melancholy nature-dealing ticularly impressed by this saga of ma rital in.6delity, N MARCH, 1942, Art Satherley, a courtly white­ with the death of close friends, the desertions of Satherley recorded it because he liked its steady, in­ ha ired gentleman of filty-two who is employed cowboys by their sweethearts, conversations with sistent rhythm. H e was otherwise unimpressed , how­ by the Columbia R ecording Corporation (or the herds of dogies, and the weIJ-known fact that a cow ever, because he says that in hillbilly circles it is very sole purpose of roving around America and taking hand's best friend, if not his only friend, is his faith­ common to hear songs about men a nd women who down on wax the homespun music of the hillbilly a nd ful horse. are unfaithful to each other, and who are always cowboy troubadours, found himseU in Dallas, Texas, ow, Satherley had at various times recorded some shooting it out with guns. while on his a nnual recording pilgrimage. Satherley had of Poindexter's lamentable cha nsons, but they had not uTo be honest about it," Satherley recently con­ eet up his portable recording apparatus in a suite in the set on fire the world of hillbilly fandom, this world .6ded , " I never dreamed it would be the hi t it t urned Adolphus Hotel a nd he was interviewing various talents being a very enthusiastic and emotional group of some out. We only released it because we needed a contrast from the Panhandle a nd the plains, when in strode a 25,000,000 admirers of the lonesome T exas plaint and to put on the other side of Rosalita." tall chunky cbap attired in chaps, boots and a ten­ of the mountain mela ncholy, which latter fl ourishes in Released in March, 1943, Rosalita was promptly gallon bat. the Southeastern States. The legion of admirers is forgotten. I nstead, millions of Americans began to The newcomer was Albert Poindexter, a sometime headed by President Roosevelt. walk around advising pistol-packin' ma ma to lay that bouse painter from Troup, T exas, who was con­ pistol down . By June it became one ot the biggest­ vinced be had the gilt of tongues. Poindexter brought PU OTOS B Y J O H N FA B E R seIJing. records in the history of American recording. ")- "\

a nd by D ecem ber, 1943, it had sold 1,600,000 copies, a nd t he ma nufacturer had orders on ha nd for 500,000 morc which he cou ld not fill because of t he wart ime shortages of labor a nd shellac. On the black market, coin-machine pho nograph operators were offering {rom t hree dollars up to as hig h as ten d ollars for a copy of Pistol-Packin ' M ama in good condit ion, because t he jukebox cognoscent i pre­ ferred this record to a ll others. Even Bing C rosby was driven to recording it. The Hit P arade for a long time refused to recognize t he existence of Pistol-P ackin' M a ma because t he opening line went " Drinkin' beer in a cabaret," a nd t he radio networks are not permitted to publicize people who look upon t he malt when it is a m ber . This is a ruling of t he Federa l Communica­ tions Commission. The publishers of Pistol-P ackin' M a ma ha led t he Hit Parade into court, a nd finally t he ly ric was a ltered to read "Singin' songs in a caba­ ret," a nd Pistol-Packin' Ma ma became N o. ) on t he Hit Pa rade. P oindexter, who meanwhile ha d cha nged his na me to Al D exter, is now playing in vaudeviUe theaters at a salary of $3500 a week. Satherley has a gloating a ir of triumph as he recites these a nd other statistics which prove t ha t hillbilly music has come into its own. After P istol-P ackin' Ma ma, a mong the biggest recordings of t he past twelvemonth have been There's a Star-S pangled Ba n­ ner Wa ving Somewhere, by Elton Brit t a nd his ba nd, a nd N o Letter Today, by Ted D a ffa n a nd his T exa ns, bot h of which have gone over the million mark. Six large radio stations now have gigant ic progra ms de­ voted solely to hillbilly music, a nd WLS broadcasts fi ve solid hours of the N ationa l Barn Da nce every Sat­ urday. In N ash ville, T ennessee, t he G ra nd Ole Op'ry .- is aired over WSM for four hours. NBC broadcasts ~ ...... -.. .--.' portions of these two programs on a nationa l hookup, o •• a nd has a third sorghum show entitled The H ook ' n' 0" ,-• ' • Ladder Folli es. ., " Almost as remarka ble a re the grosses a massed by .­• hillbilly units which play one-night sta nds all over the country in county a uditoriums, schools, ba rns a nd theaters. Obscure performers playing in ha mlets like

A hiJIbilly unit waiting backs tage be fore a performance. On the road, troupes o f this kind have con s is te nt I), allr ~ l c l cd larger audie ll ces than tHuny a biS -lime Broadu'u y produc tion .

Uncle Dave, g rand old man o f C rand S tudc lll of hillbilly mus ic, lending tale nt sco ul Ole Op'r y s how, full of years and mus ic. .Art Sathcrlcy pre fers to call it u fo l.k mus ic."

Even ill j ug-blo wing, sa y the expe rts, the pr ime req uisite for su ccess is s ince rity.

R eeds F erry, N ew H a mpshire, will draw 5600 in a single night . On t he road , hillbilly troupes will con­ sistent.ly outdraw legitimate Broadway plays, sym­ phony concerts, sophisticated comedia ns a nd bea utiful da ncing girls. When a unit, say , like R oy Acuff a nd his Smoky M ountain Boys is scheduled to hit a town like Albany , Georgia, farmers will pour into Albany fro m a 200-mile ra dius, a nd night after night Acuff will play to audiences of 4000 in places where Betty Gra ble or Tommy Dorsey or Bob Hope would only succeed in drawing boll weevils. This is (Continued on. {'age J6} • 36 THE SATURDAY EVENI NG POST February 12, 19·14

Although all hillbilly music sounds HILLBILLY BOOM monotonously alike to the urba n ear­ (Conl.inued from. Page 23) drum. it includes many types of music. • The qualities Satherl ey says must a l­ a great mystery to the clever strategists ways be present in fine hillbilly music of show business who plan projects on are simplicity of la nguage, a n emotional Broadway and in Hollywood. depth in. the music, sinceri ty in the ren­ It is no mystery to Satherley. who. for dition. a nd an indigenous genuineness of some twenty-five years. has been cru­ dialect and twa ng. " I would never think sading for hillbilly music am ong his of hiring a Mississippi boy to play in a cynical B roadway friends. Satherley T exas ba nd," he says. "Any T exan would A C()Lf)· d islikes the term "hillbilly," a nd he know right off it was wrong." keeps talking about" folk music," "coun­ The Wreck on the Highway, a dirge­ \79 't DelaY! Go after it try music" or "moWltain music!' H e like opus composed a nd first sung by D on not only with says that the expla nation of the hillbilly R oy Acuff, has all t he quali ties in perfec­ phenomenon is quite simple. H e expla ins tion that Satherley looks fOf. It is sung at once, ry reI Ie' f meas- tempora k' these that most Americans either live on farms by a soloist a nd a chorus. The soloist, b t by ta Ing today or came from farms. a nd that the Mr. Acuff, has just returned from the ures, u s which help the strains of a hoedown fiddle or a cowboy scene of a dreadful a u tomobile accident, bas.c step .r< a cold system t/lYow OJ} plaint are their own native folk music and he asks, rhetorically. who was driving and the one they will always respond to, a nd who was killed. After pointing out injection, no matter how far they have gone from that at the scene he saw whisky a nd the farm. H e also believes that the con­ blood running together. he inq uires if gregation of groups of young men in they heard anyone pray. The chorus re­ Army camps has much to do with the plies that they didn't hear nobody pray, boom in hillbilly music. d ear brother. The lyric pursues its grim Because much of the hillbilly talen t is way. full of broken glass, more w~i s ky . employed in farming or ranching. Sath­ moa ns and screams. and death laying her erley must seek out his talent in the hand in d estruction. a nd t he insisten t bayous, the canebrakes, the cotton plan­ refrain that nobody was heard to pray. tations. the tobacco regions. Every But, above all. sincerity. even if it is spring he departs from his home base in awkward unpolished sincerity, is the Los Angeles with a complete portable criteri on used to judge the performer. recording outfit- a set of six micro­ "A true folk singer who is not syn thetic phones, pickups. turn tables, a truck­ can be recognized because he d oesn't 'do' load of bla nk disks. a nd he follows a a song; he cries it out wi th his heart a nd trail from Dallas to Amarillo. Tulsa. soul," Satherley says. H e remembers a 5 BASIC THINGS TO DO FOR COLDS Oklahoma C ity. H ouston. San Antonio. sullen lean-jawed mountaineer whom he Beaumont. working through New Or­ chanced u pon in H attiesburg. Missis­ advised by physicians and public health authorities leans. a round to Shreveport, up into sippi. m a ny years ago. The m an sang Birmingham, N ashville and Columbia. railroad chat)ts passably well , a nd he (See how lemons help with all 5 ) H e makes about 400 recordings on each had a robust voice. but he lacked t he tour. H e will record everyone from note of sincerity. N evert heless. Sather ley

GET PLE N TY O . lUST; aUl lD RES ISTANCE. and . the leaders recorded two of his numbers and gave 1. Lemons arc among the richest sources of anti-fatigue, in their respective fi elds of cowboy a nd him fifty d ollars, a bottle of bourbon anti-infectioll vitamin C. mountain lament. to such lesser knowns whisky a nd a straw hat. The following as Bob Atcher a nd Bonnie B lue Eyes. June. when Sa therley returned to Missis­ , M emphis Minnie. R oosevelt sippi, he found that the mountaineer had ALK A LI N IZE T OU R SYSTEM. Sykes. The Yas-Yas Girl, and Fisher really acquired vocal sinceri ty. During 2. Lemon and soda (fresh lemon juice with water and baking H endley and his Aristocratic Pigs. the t he interim. the m an and his wife had soda) formssodittm citrate, excellent to offset acidcondition. latter being a very tempestuous hoedown quarreled over the fifty d ollars and he haJ fiddle band from South Carolina. blown out her bra ins. When Satherley KEEP ELIMI N ATION ItIEGULAR . When word spreads t hat "Uncle Art" greeted him again, he was la nguishing in 3. Lemon and soda has a gentle, natural laxative effect for has arrived in a Southern town, d ozens jail waiting his t urn to be ha nged. He most people. of folk geniuses had also composed will come trooping a new song. The in from the moun­ H a ngm an B lues, EAT LIGHTLY. TAkE PU NTY 0 ' LI QU I DS. tains to attend the a nd t his time he 4. Citrus juices are most frequently advised. "record in' jam­ had really put his boree. " Homemade heart into it. and it fiddles are dusted was one of the most off. mandolins and sincere Satherley 5. KEl P W ARM ; A VOID 'URTH ER CH I LL. guitars are taken ever recorded. In Hot lemonade is almost universally prescribed. off t he shelf. as fact. he mad e the well as all the less recording right in 1f cold does not respond, call your doctor. conventional in­ the conde mned • strumen tation of man's cell . the hillbilly musi­ 1 n his search for cia n. which in­ realistic sincerity, HOW TO USE LEMONS FOR COLDS cludes washboards. Satherl eyonce hap­ Make Lemon and Soda piepans. a utomo­ pened u pon a vener­ bilehoms,cowbells, able a nd dignified To rn.a~e lemon & s oda t r a in whistles. colored preacher in First day, drink a glass of lemon and soda every /Jour JUice 0/ 1 lemo .. . 2 to 3 hours. If away from home, have nearest hal' l " Ina jew's-harps.combs, Ric hmo nd. Vir­ 'j Kass O/water. Add_ kazoos. harmoni­ fountain mix one for you, ~/owIY_hall teasPoon bak- ginia. H e was hold­ 111K. soda ( bicarbo nate) cas, sweet-potato ing a street re vival. To induce perspiration ... take a hot lemonade Dnnk as'" . fifesand carpen ter's With him were two ~oamlng Quiets. when you go to bed. saws . Satherley little blind boys pays most of the playing on a dilapi- Then- continue with lemon and soda 3 to 4 times a day while the cold lasts. semiprofessio nal d ated p o rta ble artists twen ty-five o r gan, h e ld to­ lemon and soda forms natural sodium citrate. Gives vitamins a nd all bene­ d oll ars per record g e t h e r only by fits of fresh lemon juice plus increased alkalinizing and laxative effects. side. while the Iu- ropes a nd prayers. Consumed at once, soda does not appreciably reduce vitamin content. mlnarl" es receiv' e a TII K :'ATU,oIIMV aVK:

(Co" t.inue<1 from Page 36) of reasons ioo. Some say t he rattlesna kes and ever since he has been tra veling if t he sermons were plac,-ed on records, keep the moisture o ut of the fiddle, others eleven months of the year in search of then the flock in Richmond would de­ that it keeps spider webs a nd cobwebs new folk music. ] n 1930 he discovered rive spiritual comfort if their preacher out; some say it keeps dust out, others Gene Autry, a boy from Tioga, T exas, had to visit a nother county or a nother that it gives the fiddle the real vibra tion. who was working as a ra ilroad tele· ·state. The first preachin' records were The fiddler can only use ra ttlers he has grapher near Ardmore, Oklahoma. In relea.'iCd in 1930, and scored such a suc­ killed himself. I a m getting so I almos t six m onths, Satherley made a national cess that Satherley looked around for believe it myself." idol of Aut ry, a nd he has never been more suitable preachin' talent . Despite a ll his effor ts, Satherley is be­ equa led in po pularity in hillbilly circles. A few mon ths later he was in Augusta, coming con vinced that he will never be Sa therley discovered a nd recorded the Georgia, a nd he passed the word around a ble to overcome the ha ndicap of having cowboy music of United States Sen. W . t hat he was looking for a good preacher. been born in Bristol, England, in 1891. Lee O'D a niel in t he not-50-bygone d ays An immaculately dressed Negro in a re­ H e was t he son of a n Episcopalia n min· when 0' Da niel was the conductor of a versed collar a ppeared, carrying a iSler and was intended for a theological ba nd called The Light Crust D oughboys nickeled guitar, a nd said, .. Ise a ma n of career. After he completed his education a nd played such tu nea as Please Pass the God a nd I hears you is looking for a ser­ a t Queen E liza beth College, he beca me Biscuits, Pappy; Dirty Hang·over ; mon . I brung my flock with me." The res tless a nd served with the Somerset Peach-Pickin' Time in Georgia; There's fl ock sheepishly followed him in. The Yeoma nry rebrirnent of the British army Evil in Ye C hildren. group sang a s piritual, a nd t hen the for three a nd a ha lf years. Thrown by a H e found R oy Acuff, today the m ost N egro launched into the most moving horse, he was d eafened in his right ear, sensationa l personality in hillbilly music, p reachment Satherl ey had ever heard. but says his left ear is now su persensi­ in N ash ville in 1938. Acuff is a quiet , After the recording was com pleted, t ive, " like a microphone." He came to shy person, who looks ten years younger Satherley pa id t he prophet $100 for him­ this country when he was twenty-two tha n his thirty-nine years. H e is m ar­ self a nd his congregation. The following years old, a nd he got a job working in a ried, a nd the fa ther of a y ear.old son. day the congregatio n a ppeared a nd asked factory, a t G ra fton, Wisconsin. When H e li ves on a 150·acre farm about twelve for their payment. Satherley expla ined the firm went into the business of ma nu­ miles ou t of Nashville. His income in tha t he had pa id their pastor. facturing phonogra phs a nd records, 1943 was more tha n $200,000. " What pastor?" t hey cried. U He ain't Sa therley was placed in cha rge of pro­ Like t he pure hillbilly singer, Acuff our pastor. He picked us up on the corner duction. In 1925 he got tired of checking hardly moves a muscle in his face when a nd said he gwine gi' us t wo bits a piece production sheets in an offi ce, a nd asked he sings. H e sings ma inly with his eyes iffn we he'p him sing t he gospel. Why, to be t ra nsferred. to a n out·of·doors job. closed, a nd now a nd then, as he feels n he ain't even no churchgoin' note deeply , tears will roll ma n. H e's blacker'n t he d evil d own his face. hissel'. V{hy , he's t he m a n who In October, 1943, Acuff's runs all our d ens of 'niquity a nd • progra m went on a coast-to· 'bomina tio n round here." The Lincoln Song of Old Man Willets coast hookup of 129 stations, After sincerity, Satherley a nd to celebrate the event a strives to p roject the meaning Iy ROIERT D. AIRAHAMS party was given a t the Ryma n of the lyrics. " The person who Auditorium in N ashville, where listens to mountain music wa nts (Yel), I'm an old-timer wbo looked QII his body, the Gra nd Ole Op'ry is per· to hear a story," Satherl ey ex· Not many nre le ft who can s ay that today: formed to a regular Saturday ­ pla ins. .. My singers must get .My chief claim to glory, I'll always proclaim il­ nigh t a udience of 3500 who the pictu re o f the words. 1've I lived on this earth when a man walked this pay seven ty.five-cents admis· got to instill into them a picture way.) sio n. Gov. Prentice Cooper was of what they a re singing a bou t. invited to grace t he stage as H they're singing a bou t a d ead By the banks of the Sangamon Hivcr he sut, guest of honor. Governor person, 1 impress o n them that And h e dreamed of his des tiny fair, Cooper declined, stating that their best friend is ly ing d ead And he knew nol ,,,hal called him, but kucw he he would be no patty to a "cir­ a nd 'you' L1 never see him was called cus," a nd t ha t Acuff was bring- again.' 1 tell t hem , ' S ing it To a journey a great " ,u), from there. ing disgrace to T ennessee, by in t he extreme.' In folk m usic, ma king Nash ville t he hillbilly T here is no sweere r way to we don't care abou t t rick Gel along then, Abe Lincoln, ge t you up and ge l capital of the United States. ways of phrasing or hot licks; Governor Cooper is s up· say "\Vill Y ou Be My Valen· going. we concen tra te on t he emo· There' s a long road awaiting to c arry you far. por ted by political boss Ed tine?" Whether it's a special tions. The country people, There's no time to be s itting, awatching Lh e river. (Red S nap per) Crump, who is t hese so·called hillbillies, are said to run S helby County a nd occasion or just because you're Come along now; get going and follow your Sial'. tremendously sensitive peopl e, Memphis wit h a n ironclad grip. thoughtful, flowers say things with deep emotions. Whereas At the rail in the courtroom in S pringfield hC Slood And t hereby ha ngs a tale. It for you in a way people never t he sophisticated city person As he pleaded a litigant's caus e, being a n o ff-d ay for news in li kes t hese humbug boy.girl Nash vill e, Beazley Thompson, forget. Flowers boost morale But he knc ',· in his h earllhat he could n ' t SLay long, love songs, with everything a reporter for t he N ash ville Jus t expounding some other mall's la,,·s. too, so- pretty-pretty, the mou ntain­ T ennessean, d ecided to s tir up eer is a realist. H is songs Get along there, Abe Lincoln, the Union is a li ttle excitemen t . H e reported 111 Ally Event W ire Plowers. deal with loneliness, misery, waiting; Governor Cooper's acid com- death, murder." The hope of the world may be falling apart; ment to Acuff, a nd said it would Bllr remember, Valentine or­ Art Satherley is very self· be a fitting revenge if Acuff el ers should be in early, so do conscious abou t the fact t hat There's no timc to be was ted in colilitry dis puting. were to run for governor. Acuff Gct along the re, comc forwul'(l; it's time for a it now!GiveyourF.T.D.Florist neit her his physical appear­ a bsent ly nodded, a nd t his was a nce, his clothes nor his gen· s tart. all t he encouragement Thorup. enough rime to deliver your ted B ritish way of speaking is On the s teps of the " ' h.ite 1·louse the Inall Lincoln son needed . H e immedia tely Valendne Bowers on time. fitting to a talent scout fo r got up a petition, a nd now Texas a nd Tennessee m instrels. climbed , Acuff has been en tered in the When he is on the road mak· And be entered and made the plaee hOllle . 1944 D emocratic primaries. ing recordings, he sometimes B e wis hed he could rest, but so much Inus t be Boss C rump has been reported t ries his best to look li ke an'd done; as much worried for the first act like a hill billy. H e puts on I-Ie had only a day to build Rome. time in his career. The Mem­ a pair of corduroys a nd a spor t phis Commercia l Appeal pic. shirt, a nd he goes squirrel hunt­ Ge t a lo ng there, Abe Lillco ln, all his tory's calling toria lly d emonstrated the crisis This SEAL is your Guarantee ing. H e also tries to drink And blaek mcn unborn will rise blessing your in Tennes'3ee poli t ics when it of Quality and Dependability "cawn ." H e p retends to be nalllC. recen tly ra n a car toon showing very understanding whe n he The re's no time for a fellow to rest ill the \Vh ite a Capitol Hill polit ico standing This Fro Seal is your assur. runs in to a mountaineering House. ou tside a music shop a nd gaz· -ance that when you send idiosyncrasy, s uch as the t radi­ G e t you up and keep going; the world is aflame. ing pensively at a fiddle. The flowers by wire you'll get full tion of putting o ne or more caption underneath read, .. I value because all FTD memo rattlesnake tails into a fiddle. In the tomb back in S pringfield, Old Abe rest s at wonder can you really learn in bers are bonded for your pro­ " T hese hoedown fi ddlers tection. All florists are not las t, ten easy lessons?" N obody in FTO Florists, so always Jook say," relates Satherl ey, "that Bul the road that he walked s hall not e nd the South has forgotten how p u tting a cou ple of rattles for the FTD Seal on the While the people h e loved is a pl..'Opl c alive, Lee O'D a niel successfully cam­ into the fiddle makes it sound window. W rite Direct to And there ye t lives one cause to defend. paigned for governo,r of T exas H eadquarters. differen t from a classical­ by playing hillbilly music. music fi ddle. 1 have tried to Get along the n , Abe Lincolu; ge t you up and g e t Art Satherley is con vinced argue with my boys on this • go mg. Acuff will be elected wit hout point for very many years, but any t rou ble, if he runs. As far they are adamant. I teU them to I know now what cuUed you and whe re you were bound; as Satherley is concerned, try playing on a fiddle without it. wouldn't be a bad idea if know s urely, YOll have any rattles inside, bu t they say And this I because ,valked every state in t heUnion elected they can't play hoedown with­ here- a hillbilly singer or fiddler as out it. They give me all kinds Forever a.nd eve r a Inus ic s hall sound. governor.