nominees to

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appeared over "WLW Barn Da ce, MILT WSM "," Nashvill , etc own was one of th : ea try and w rn sides for King and Starday; had hits nd leaders; he was in t barn," "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" rt was Wills who gave h 4 irs ' i í is wrote), "From the Manger to the Cross" n as a singer with Wills' b row ho d lien more. He died in a plane crash near a suburb of in Fort Worth, Tex. t t s and n Were with Nashville, March 6, 1963. the "Light Crust Doughboys." He died in an auto A. P. CARTER accident in 1936. He recorded for Decca and was Alvin Pleasant Carter was one of the original on that label's "Dance -O-Rama Series." Carter Family members, along with Sarah and May - RILEY PUCKETT belle. Others at a later date were Joe and Jeanette. Riley Puckett was born in Alpharetta, Ga. He was Was on the Acme and Bluebird labels, with such blind and attended the Georgia School for the Blind sides as "Room in Heaven for Me," "Sweet Fern," at Macon. A guitarist, he had entertainment ex- "Ship Ahoy," "My Clinch Mountain Home," "Wor- perience over WSB, Atlanta; WSAZ, Huntington, ried Man Blues" and many others. He wrote "I'm W. Va., and WLW, Cincinnati. He played personal Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes." "Jimmy appearances all over the nation. He was a member of Brown, the Newsboy" and others. the Skillet Lickers, which had Riley on guitar; Gid UNCLE DAVE MACON Tanner and Clayton McMichen on fiddle and Fate Uncle Dave Macon was the first singing star on Norris on . Was on sides on Columbia, Decca the "Grand Ole Opry." He was billed as the Dixie and Bluebird labels, including such sides as "Casey Dewdrop; he had a dry wit; played banjo. Some of Jones," "Steamboat Bill," "How Come You Do Me the songs he sang were "11 Cent Cotton, 40 Cent Like You Do," "Waiting For the Evening Mail" and Meat" and similar songs. He was the biggest at- others. Died 1946 at East Point, Ga. traction on "Grand Ole Opry" for many years. He was born on a farm near McMinnville, Tenn. He Patsy Cline's career was a brief one. She rocketed died in 1952. to fame on Arthur Godfrey's "Talent Scout" TV show with "Walkin' After Midnight." Her other hits Leon Rodney Brasfield was born in 1910 in Smith - soon after were "I Fall to Pieces," "Crazy," and ville, Miss. From 1927-1942 he was with the Bisbee "She's Got You." Her career was interrupted by an Dramatic Shows; then joined WSM "Grand 01e auto accident. No sooner had she recovered and Opry" in 1944, remaining until 1958. He was a noted starred in a performance of the "Grand Ole Opry" comedian; was in 1956 movies, "Face in the Crowd" at Carnegie Hall in New York, she was killed in an- and in " Holiday"; wrote songs; other crash, an, airplane crash March 6, 1963, in a died in 1958. suburb of Nashville. She was one of the first female country music stars to win fame also in the popular When George D. Hay, the Solemn Old Judge, field. started the WSM "Barn Dance" in 1925, his artist JAMES GIDEON TANNER (the only one on the opening show) was Uncle Jimmy Performer, composer. Born June 22, 1885, in Thompson who played fiddle. His act on the first Walton County, Georgia. Died May 16, 1960, at Win- show, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m., lasted one hour. This act der, Ga. Was one of the performing pioneers of early is often regarded as the beginning of country music American country music. Was a farmer, learned to as an important phase or radio programming; and play fiddle growing up. In 1913 helped form "The it is also one of the early ingredients of what was Lick Skillet Band" at Dacula, Ga., composed of Tan- soon to become the "Grand Ole Opry" over the same ner, fiddle; Clayton McMichen, fiddle; Riley Puckett, . station. In the early "Grand Ole Opry" programs, guitar; Fayte Norris, banjo. Uncle Jimmy Thompson fiddled one hour at a time The group recorded for Columbia in the embryo -an indication of how popular instrumentalists were. years of record industry, made more than 100 rec-

84 The World of Country Music Billboard