Southern Oral History Program S0H____P_ _ . UNC Chapel Hill / / Seriesyie^mpn1; Social Hi flt.nry -, I ^ <—) "~) 2. Transcription Priority: f-JjL

Interviewee: Pri^eirfijfrnn ,—^.fi'irSamue, -v. l» , . . i.____.—. mrXT . First Middle _/a*_e of Interview-view:: 2pi6p921 . Total Number of Tapes_ : Place: Durham ' Cassette: C-45C-45 _ «*- C-60 C-90 Interviewer: Allen Tullos Reel: * 5" 7" Context of the Interview (e.g., study of a special topic, the interviewer's particular interests, focus of the questions, anything significant about the setting or circumstances): Life history. Mill life. Music. ,

_ . List topics discussed in the order they occur on the tape. Tape # I-* Side Born in Henderson, raised in Durham, Father enticed to work in Durham. Hosiery Mill by friend. Father repaired machinery, made pears. Father could play music, bought Sam first guitar, age 12. Quartet singing in Henderson. Sam shined shoes in barbershop as boy, shined for cotton mill workers in H. Remembers k Gene kAustin-pop singer. Father played hillbilly songs, didn't play &BK tor money.Flayed dances in living rooms in H. Sam also did that in D. in 30/ Family came to Pur, in 3:2% 1917. School. Sam and sister would sing in school. artime and gospel songs. Recalls Henderson quartet.-religious and barbershop. .amily went to Meth. church in H. & Mill worker musicians: Ira Russell - a fine harmonica player, worked in Frwin Mills,—Had radio show dn WPTF.a.'WDNC. Charlie Poole, Jr. worked in N. Henderson _. cotton mill. No time for music at work, played instrumentson hosiery mill lawn after work, played H for dances. Crystal Lake. "Graham'sffiB" on Roxboro Rd. Father loved job, worked at it over 4u years. Father didn't go to school, learned to read,use books on machine repair. Doesn't think mother worked in mill, At one time father had small farm and worked in mill too (at Henderson). Mother was 15 or 16 when married. Father and brother married sisters. Grandfather Morgan in Civl War. Thinks Gr. F. Pridgen had a few slaves. Mother died when Sam was age 5. Oldest sister Ida looked after children. Recalls farm in Henderson, To Durham. Ida went to work in Durham Hosiery, worked on winder machine, at least 20 years then married and went to Haw River. Jerry at D. Hosiery. Chatam Knitting, went back to H. thfei *L-,JOinea iNaVy' servea JU fears. After Sam quit school, first job was at Durham P^^Hosiery #6. Father got him job. Age 14. Joined arms at age 16-17. Father got him discharged, under age. Older, joined again. At mill Sam ran doublers, doubled up yarn; ran rag pickers; worked on mule spinning,explains,n Making men's socks, for military..gray, brown, bluish-gray. Hot in mills, kept windows open, sat in windows whenever possible. Not hard mgnu.al%y,, but sp,<=ed emphasized.Real noisy.Short naps in alleys.Hang out on hosiery mill lawn til midnight, sleep there sometimes in summer. Play dances a on weekends -- at*Graham Thompson's on Roxboro Rd, and at Crystal Lake. Sam didn't play before he came to Durham. END OF X 1-A

Interview number H-0222 in the Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) at The Southern Historical Collection, The Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, UNC-Chapel Hill. *DaX-, WauL * TdUn S. COM'* _#, SOHP Series:______Interviewee: gggg TAPE INDEX Date of Interview: 2-16-79 (continued) Place: Durham ., , , . , _ _ Interviewer: Allen Tullos J m» W • -"•••'•!- i ••.•...—. m.... I... .IH-—.II — •...in •• H LI- i ii «• wmmm Side NoisM e in mill. Talk loud. Singing, whistling at work, Started at $9_L ] per week and worked way up to $17.40.Left mill in 1930 or 31. Described waat rag picker machine did. Spare hands. Paid when learning, feeding rag picker. Started working 11 hr. day 5 days a week and 6 on Sat. 30 min lunch. Sam also worked in dye house. Living with father, brother, sister. For a while Sam gave father all nis pay, then he started paying board and kept rest. Father probably making $20/wk. Making music on weekends. Enlisting into Army. "I was a H_ rambler." Spent Army time in New York City area. Played a little music in Army, in plays. Used to take in NYC shows. Paramount theatre to hear Jessie Crawford play organ. CabfeCalloway, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson at Cotton Club. Roseland-dime dances. Stayed in army 4yr.9mo and!6 days. i-w - 'j *" •ii-n.-ii Main •, mmmimmmm •'•••• .if.— ••W.IMJ ____._...__._._,„ _w„„,i, mmmmimmmimmm*mmmMmmmqmm>'*m mmmmmMttmmmmmmmmmmmtm i mSmmmmJBSmmmmmmi «n» * ><•• Flayed around barracks, YMCA with army men who were from all over V US and who played many styles, show tunes, pop. Return to Durham, bought guitar. Began to play regularly. Jack North, fiddle; Charlie Lamb, fiddle; Andrew Page, fiddle; played private gg square dances, and Crystal Lake. Ray Williams, guitar. Couple of guys from Key Vaudeville Circuit -- Jimmy Eaton, " mandolin and ? guitar. Jack Barrow, guitar. Tells of hobo trip North and Demg caught in boxcar, 1932. Ernest Freeman in Durham, a J. Rodgers yodeler. Sam and Ernest play tobacco markets %in Wilson, for farmers. Harvey and Dunk join Sam and Ernest on medicine show. Origin aa of "Swingbillles." Hillbilly music in swing time, named by Graham Pointer, WPTF announcer. Explains swing. Harvey Went w;ith Tags. Sam went with George Wade(sp) and Caroglnlans for a while; Sam.then went with Tags. Tags had been an older band than S'billies. At writ's Tags, S'billies, Charlie and Bill Monore at same time. Early Tags: George, Luke and Reid (sp). Harvey took George's place; Bob Harts§lle (sp) lfeft thfem and Sam took Bob's place. Swingbillles Groke up, Sam not sure why * Recorded (S'billies) 10 numbers in Charlotte; OVerstein ^BBF) in charge of session for RCA. S'b'illies wexexKaie. liked by OTdersteinjbut they hSdn't brought enough material.

End of Tape 1

Interview number H-0222 in the Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) at The Southern Historical Collection, The Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, UNC-Chapel Hill. ,| "Ml | ) SOHP series :Piedmont Social Histoi- tt~ni whosier i I <—!___y_ nmill i • wg. •'i|i»yil»»iw»'»™-ii-»iwlf(Ernest die» d —in - mi if Illinois in 1974 or 75; sister lives in Durham.) Records soM pretty good for awhile.—Bob Hartselle lelt Tags, went to work tor American Tobacco, was in WWII, retired (perhaps on West Coast now). Sam joined Tags in 38 or 39, left them in 41 or 42 lor Sunrise Hillbillies in Richmond.—Tags went back and forth from W£EF TO WRVAlin Richmond. "Worked a notice" for Tags, then to S. Hillbills. Playe,,JJ«w i ' " —y^-Vfin-d datei i——s• ni l -miiwiti j~f hP-—i~?y**—— Carte" ••' ——•r «Family "-"• IIMM^ .•..,— ••—Sunshin— , i II i _—^—IIe HI. In ..iSuen i mi, Ii .II in ••••—»—•—•ihen• instarte II ••• • II —mmdw —"iplayinn ——>—^P—™g nightclubm i > • i n m 11s n—i— • in Baltimore. Belonged to musicians union, in Ri Bait. Musicians in Bait. •_•' * 1 rH^*l ••———— •— i !•• m-m- —-_-—••-—'• II lag—-—I.III...I-III.III .1 II i • • "I -I-IIII II i -_•-II "f ILI -I ——I W -••• •—**-— • •'•• i-Wlil > n •••-••• in I'lliilHij'J in 195U's on tour.Zeb Tunner.Rock and Roll. Show dates with S'billies: east and Piedmont NC, into VA, and above G'boro. Most dates east of Durham. Hadtarras. Tags also played Hattarras. Some in ™"~ SC. Some near Charlotte. High schools. Pareets knock off work at 12;15 to "ear Tags. Sold pictures, songbooks, postcard photos. Sold by mail and at ' ppearances. Old Dominion Barndance in VA., 4000-5000 people, twice on Sat. _ J ii i-^np—•^"•—^••—11' •••-• ' — '—•—«— i II ii • ——______-^—-M II m-m. in.—_--M»—— • — _ .w—^— I . i •————fl—UKIN—W——» »«—WM—•— — • «•*———.—-—nw—— How Tags got name. All theee Tags: George, Luke and Reid worked in cotton mill K in Gastonia. He thinks Loray Mill. Tags came to Raleigh in early 30's. Crazy Water Crystals'. Briarhoppers. Mainer. Thinks Tags were on Gastonia and Charlotte stations. Sam has been on WBT -just passing through. Transcriptions: Sons of Pioneers were called Downhomers by WPTF. WPTF used to play a lot of pop music too. •III. • |M .. .1. — •!••—M i— I III. ..»iyi..llll r —M——•-—•—. —• — '• • i i. I. ••••••! !• Ill II I • u I »-*• II ' • -T —• MM-. .1-1 I I .11. llfci|T <• M,| ••!.•••• .ill .Ilil.Jf IH I »>H ilf and Westerea. On musical style changes. When you play in clubs, you've got to keep up. Bl -..— ••Ml HIIIIIIIHI,. m 1,1 " . H I -I • .i»..— •., .I.MiM

JL^d V T^^

Interview number H-0222 in the Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) at The Southern Historical Collection, The Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, UNC-Chapel Hill.