Roy Acuff | |
|---|---|
 Acuff in 1950 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | King of Country Music[1] |
| Born | Roy Claxton Acuff (1903-09-15)September 15, 1903 Maynardville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | November 23, 1992(1992-11-23) (aged 89) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1932–1992 |
| Labels | |
Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an Americancountry music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its earlystring band and "hoedown" format to the singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful. In 1952,Hank Williams told Ralph Gleason, "He's the biggest singer this music ever knew. You booked him and you didn't worry about crowds. For drawing power in theSouth, it was Roy Acuff, then God."[2]
Acuff began his music career in the 1930s and gained regional fame as the singer and fiddler for his group, the Smoky Mountain Boys. He joined theGrand Ole Opry in 1938, and although his popularity as a musician waned in the late 1940s, he remained one of the Opry's key figures and promoters for nearly four decades. In 1942, Acuff andFred Rose foundedAcuff-Rose Music, the first majorNashville-based country music publishing company, which signed such artists asHank Williams,Roy Orbison, and theEverly Brothers. In 1962, Acuff became the first living inductee into theCountry Music Hall of Fame.[3]
Acuff was born on September 15, 1903[4] inMaynardville, Tennessee,[5] to Ida Florence (née Carr) and Simon E. Neill Acuff, the third of their five children. Acuff was of English ancestry, and his ancestors came to North America during thecolonial era, settling in the mountains ofVirginia andthe Carolinas.[6][7] The Acuffs were a fairly prominent family inUnion County. Roy's paternal grandfather, Coram Acuff, had been aTennessee state senator, and his maternal grandfather was a local physician. Roy's father was an accomplished fiddler and aBaptist preacher, his mother was proficient on the piano, and during Roy's early years the Acuff house was a popular place for local gatherings. At such gatherings, Roy would often amuse people by balancing farm tools on his chin. He also learned to play the harmonica andjaw harp at an early age.[8][9]
In 1919, the Acuff family relocated toFountain City (now a neighborhood ofKnoxville), a few miles south of Maynardville.[8] Roy attendedCentral High School, where he sang in the school chapel's choir and performed in "every play they had."[10] His primary passion, however, was athletics. He was a three-sport standout at Central, and after graduating in 1925, was offered a scholarship toCarson-Newman University, but turned it down. He played with several small baseball clubs around Knoxville, worked at odd jobs, and occasionally boxed.[3]
In 1929, Acuff tried out for theKnoxville Smokies, a minor-league baseball team then affiliated with theNew York Giants.[9][10] A series of collapses in spring training following asunstroke, however, ended his baseball career. The effects left him ill for several years, and he suffered anervous breakdown in 1930.[8] "I couldn't stand any sunshine at all," he later recalled.[10] While recovering, Acuff began to hone his fiddle skills, often playing on the family's front porch after the sun went down. His father gave him several records of regionally renowned fiddlers, such asFiddlin' John Carson andGid Tanner, which were important influences on his early style.[10]
In 1932, Dr. Hauer'smedicine show, which toured the southern Appalachian region, hired Acuff as one of its entertainers.[8] Acuff began his career as ablackface performer.[11][12] The purpose of the entertainers was to draw a large crowd to whom Hauer could sellpatent medicines (of suspect quality) for various ailments.[9] While on the medicine show circuit, Acuff met the legendary Appalachian banjoistClarence Ashley, from whom he learned "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Greenback Dollar", both of which Acuff later recorded.[13] As the medicine show lacked microphones, Acuff learned to sing loud enough to be heard above the din, a skill that later helped him stand out on early radio broadcasts.[9]
In 1934, Acuff left the medicine show circuit and began playing at local shows with various musicians in the Knoxville area, where he had become a celebrity and fixture in local newspaper columns.[14] That year, guitarist Jess Easterday andHawaiian guitarist Clell Summey joined Acuff to form the Tennessee Crackerjacks, who performed regularly on the Knoxville radio stationsWROL andWNOX (the band moved back and forth between stations as Acuff bickered with their managers about compensation).[8] Within a year, the group had added bassist Red Jones and changed its name to the Crazy Tennesseans after being introduced as such by a WROL announcer named Alan Stout.[10] Fans often remarked to Acuff how "clear" his voice was coming through over the radio, important in an era when singers were often drowned out by string-band cacophony.[9] The popularity of Acuff's rendering of the song "The Great Speckled Bird" helped the group land a contract withAmerican Record Corporation, (ARC) for which they recorded several dozen tracks (including the band's best-known track, "Wabash Cannonball") in 1936.[9] Needing to complete a 20-song commitment, the band recorded two ribald tunes—including "When Lulu's Gone"—but released them under a pseudonym, the Bang Boys.[15] The group split from ARC in 1937 over a separate contract dispute.[9]
In 1938, the Crazy Tennesseans moved to Nashville to audition for the Grand Ole Opry. Although their first audition went poorly, the band's second audition impressed Opry founderGeorge D. Hay and producer Harry Stone, and they offered the group a contract later that year. On Hay and Stone's suggestion, Acuff changed the group's name to the Smoky Mountain Boys, referring to themountains near where his bandmates and he grew up.[9] Shortly after the band joined the Opry, Clell Summey left the group and was replaced byFiddle player Beecher (Pete) Kirby—best known by his stage nameBashful Brother Oswald—whom Acuff had met in a Knoxville bakery earlier that year.[9] Acuff's powerful lead vocals and Kirby's dobro playing and high-pitched backing vocals gave the band its distinctive sound. By 1939, Jess Easterday had switched to bass to replace Red Jones, and Acuff had added guitarist Lonnie "Pap" Wilson and banjoist Rachel Veach to fill out the band's lineup. Within a year, Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys rivaled long-time Opry banjoistUncle Dave Macon as the troupe's most popular act.[9]In the same period, he was initiated to theMasonic Lodge of East Nashville No. 560.[16][17][18]
In spring 1940, Acuff and his band traveled to Hollywood, where they appeared with Hay and Macon in the motion pictureGrand Ole Opry. Acuff appeared in several subsequent B movies, includingO, My Darling Clementine (1943), in which he played asinging sheriff;Night Train to Memphis (1946), the title of which comes from a song Acuff recorded in 1940; andHome in San Antone (1949), in which he starred withLloyd Corrigan andWilliam Frawley.
Acuff and his band also joined Macon and other Opry acts at various tent shows held throughout the Southeast in the early 1940s. The crowds at these shows were so large that roads leading into the venues were jammed with traffic for miles.[9] Starting in 1939, Acuff hosted the Opry'sPrince Albert segment. He left the show in 1946 after a dispute with management.[1]
In 1942, Acuff and songwriterFred Rose (1897–1954) formed Acuff-Rose Music. Acuff originally sought the company to publish his own music, but soon realized that demand from other country artists existed, many of whom had been exploited by larger publishing firms.[19] Due in large part to Rose'sASCAP connections and gifted ability as a talent scout, Acuff-Rose quickly became the most important publishing company in country music. In 1946, the company signedHank Williams, and in 1950, published their first major hit,Patti Page's rendition of "Tennessee Waltz".[20]
In 1943, Acuff was initiated into the East Nashville Freemasonic Lodge in Tennessee, of which he would remain a lifelong member.[21][17] Later that same year, Acuff invited Tennessee GovernorPrentice Cooper to be the guest of honor at a gala held to mark the nationwide premiere of the Opry'sPrince Albert show. Cooper rejected the offer, however, and lambasted Acuff and his "disgraceful" music for making Tennessee the "hillbilly capital of the United States."[19] A Nashville journalist reported the governor's comments to Acuff and suggested Acuff run for governor himself. While Acuff initially did not take the suggestion seriously, he did accept theRepublican Party nomination for governor in1948.[9][19]
Acuff's nomination caused great concern forE. H. Crump, the head of aMemphisDemocratic Party political machine that had dominated Tennessee state politics for nearly a quarter-century. Crump was not worried so much about losing the governor's office—in spite of Acuff's name recognition—but did worry that Acuff would draw large crowds to Republican rallies and bolster other statewide candidates. While Acuff did relatively well and helped reinvigorate Tennessee's Republicans, his opponent,Gordon Browning, still won with 67% of the vote.[22][23]
After leaving the Opry, Acuff spent several years touring the Western United States, although demand for his appearances dwindled with the lack of national exposure and the rise of musicians such asErnest Tubb andEddy Arnold, who were more popular with younger audiences.[3] He eventually returned to the Opry, although by the 1960s, his record sales had dropped off considerably. After nearly losing his life in an automobile accident outside ofSparta, Tennessee, in 1965, Acuff pondered retiring, making only token appearances on the Opry stage and similar shows,[9] and occasionally performing duos with long-time bandmate Bashful Brother Oswald.
In 1972, Acuff's career received a brief resurgence in the folk-revival movement after he appeared on theNitty Gritty Dirt Band album,Will the Circle Be Unbroken.[23] The appearance paved the way for one of the defining moments of Acuff's career, which came on the night of March 16, 1974, when the Opry officially moved from theRyman Auditorium to the Grand Ole Opry House atOpryland. The first show at the new venue opened with a huge projection of a late-1930s image of Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys onto a large screen above the stage. A recording from one of the band's 1939 appearances was played over the sound system, with the iconic voice of George Hay introducing the band, followed by the band's performance of "Wabash Cannonball". That same night, Acuff showed PresidentRichard Nixon, an honored guest at the event, how toyo-yo, and convinced the president to play several songs on the piano.[9]
In the early 1980s, after the death of his wife, Mildred, Acuff, then in his 80s, moved into a small house on the Opryland grounds and continued performing daily on stage. He arrived early most days at the Opry before the shows and performed odd jobs, such as stocking soda in backstage refrigerators. He made acameo appearance in the music video forMoe Bandy andJoe Stampley's 1984 parodyhit song "Where's The Dress?"[24] In 1988, he received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[25] In 1991, he was awarded theNational Medal of Arts,[26] and given a lifetime achievement award by theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the first country music act to receive the esteemed honor.
Roy Acuff died at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville on November 23, 1992, ofcongestive heart failure at the age of 89.[1][27][28] He is buried in the Hillcrest section (grave 6, lot 9) ofSpring Hill Cemetery on Gallatin Road in Nashville.[29]
Not unlikethe Kingston Trio, the Smoky Mountain Boys were folkie populizers who turned sentimental expression into sentimental entertainment.
Many of Acuff's songs show a strong Christian influence, most notably "Great Speckled Bird", "The Prodigal Son", and "Lord, Build Me a Cabin". Such songs were typically set to a traditional Anglo-Celtic melody, which is most apparent on "Great Speckled Bird" and the 1940 recording "The Precious Jewel". Acuff performed popular songs of the day, includingPee Wee King's "Tennessee Waltz" andDorsey Dixon's "I Didn't Hear Nobody Pray", the latter of which he appropriated and renamed "Wreck on the Highway".[31] He also recorded a version of theCajun fiddlerHarry Choates's "Jole Blon". Traditional recordings included "Greenback Dollar", which he probably learned from Clarence Ashley while on the medicine-show circuit, and "Lonesome Old River Blues", which he recorded with the Smoky Mountain Boys in the 1940s. Acuff and the Crazy Tennesseans recorded "Wabash Cannonball"—another traditional song—in 1936, although Acuff did not provide the vocals on this early recording. The better-known version of the song with Acuff providing the vocals was recorded in 1947.[19]
In 1979, Opryland opened the Roy Acuff Theatre, which was dedicated in Acuff's honor (it was demolished in 2011 after suffering extensive damage in the2010 Tennessee floods).Dunbar Cave State Natural Area was established in 1973 from a recreational area the state had purchased from Mrs. McKay King. The cave was owned by Acuff from 1948 to 1963.[32] Two museums have been named in Acuff's honor—the Roy Acuff Museum at Opryland (now closed) and the Roy Acuff Union Museum and Library in his hometown of Maynardville. Acuff has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame located at 1541 Vine Street. He is pictured with other country singers at the new Smoky Mountain Opera inPigeon Forge, Tennessee.
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Songs of the Smoky Mountains | — | Columbia C-143 |
| 1951 | Old Time Barn Dance | — | Columbia HL 9010 |
| 1955 | Songs of the Smoky Mountains | — | Capitol T 617 |
| 1958 | The Great Speckled Bird | — | Harmony HS 11289 |
| Favorite Hymns | — | MGM E 3707 | |
| 1959 | Once More – It's Roy Acuff | — | Hickory LPM 101 |
| 1961 | That Glory Bound Train | — | Harmony HL 7294 |
| 1962 | Hymn Time | — | MGM E 4044 |
| King of Country Music | — | Hickory LPS 109 | |
| 1963 | Star of the Grand Ole Opry | — | Hickory LPS 113 |
| The World is His Stage | — | Hickory LPS 114 | |
| American Folk Songs | — | Hickory LPS 115 | |
| 1964 | The Great Roy Acuff | — | Capitol DT 2103 |
| Hand Clapping Gospel Songs | — | Hickory LPS 117 | |
| Country Music Hall of Fame | — | Hickory LPS 119 | |
| 1965 | The Great Roy Acuff | — | Harmony HL 7342 |
| The Voice of Country Music | — | Capitol DT 2276 | |
| Sacred Songs | — | Metro MS 508 | |
| Great Train Songs | — | Hickory LPS 125 | |
| 1966 | Waiting for My Call To Glory | — | Harmony HL 7376 |
| Sings Hank Williams | — | Hickory LPS 134 | |
| Roy Acuff | — | Hilltop JS 6028 | |
| 1967 | Famous Opry Favorites | — | Hickory LPS 139 |
| 1968 | A Living Legend | — | Hickory LPS 145 |
| 1969 | Treasury of Country Hits | — | Hickory LPS 147 |
| 1970 | Greatest Hits | — | Columbia CS 1034 |
| Night Train to Memphis | — | Harmony HS 11403 | |
| Time | — | Hickory LPS 156 | |
| Country | — | Hilltop JS 6090 | |
| 1971 | I Saw the Light | — | Hickory LPS 158 |
| 1972 | Why Is | — | Hickory LPS 162 |
| 1974 | Back in the Country | 44 | Hickory/MGM H3F 4507 |
| 1975 | Smoky Mountain Memories | — | Hickory MGM H3G 4517 |
| That's Country | — | Hickory MGM H3G 4521 | |
| Wabash Cannonball | — | Hilltop JS 6162 | |
| 1978 | Greatest Hits Vol. 1 | — | Elektra 9E 302 |
| 1980 | Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | — | Elektra 9E 303 |
| 1982 | Back in the Country | 53 | Elektra E1 60012 |
| 1983 | Roy Acuff | — | Time Life |
| 1984 | Steamboat Whistle Blues | — | Rounder 23 |
| 1985 | Fly Birdie Fly | — | Rounder 24 |
| Roy Acuff | — | Columbia 39998 | |
| 1987 | All Time Favorites | — | Opryland 101 |
| 2007 | Greatest Hits | — | Curb D2-78980 |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | |||
| 1938 | "Great Speckled Bird" | — | — | — | singles only |
| "Steel Guitar Blues" | — | — | — | ||
| 1939 | "You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven" | — | — | — | |
| "Smokey Mountain Rag" | — | — | — | ||
| 1940 | "Streamlined Cannonball" | — | — | — | |
| "Old Age Pension Check" | — | — | — | ||
| 1941 | "The Precious Jewel" | — | — | — | |
| "Worried Mind" | — | — | — | ||
| 1942 | "It Won't Be Long (Till I'll Be Leavin'") | — | — | — | |
| "Fireball Mail" | — | — | — | ||
| 1943 | "Wreck on the Highway" | — | — | — | |
| "Don't Make Me Go To Bed (And I'll Be Good)" | — | — | — | ||
| 1944 | "Night Train to Memphis" | — | — | — | |
| "The Prodigal Son" | 4 | 13 | — | ||
| "I'll Forgive You But I Can't Forget" | 3 | 21 | — | ||
| "Write Me Sweetheart" | 6 | — | — | ||
| 1945 | "We Live in Two Different Worlds" | — | — | — | |
| 1946 | "Glory Bound Train" | — | — | — | |
| "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" | — | — | — | ||
| 1947 | "Wabash Cannonball" | — | — | — | |
| "Freight Train Blues" | — | — | — | ||
| "I Saw the Light" | — | — | — | ||
| "Our Own (Jole Blon)" | 4 | — | — | ||
| 1948 | "The Waltz of the Wind" | 8 | — | — | |
| "Unloved and Unclaimed" | 14 | — | — | ||
| "This World Can't Stand Long" | 12 | — | — | ||
| "A Sinner's Death" | 14 | — | — | ||
| 1949 | "Tennessee Waltz" | 12 | — | — | |
| "Black Mountain Rag" | — | — | — | ||
| 1958 | "Once More" | 8 | — | — | Once More – It's Roy Acuff |
| 1959 | "So Many Times" | 16 | — | — | |
| "Come and Knock (On the Door of My Heart)" | 20 | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "Freight Train Blues" | 45 | — | — | single only |
| 1973 | "Just a Friend" | — | — | 77 | Smoky Mountain Memories |
| 1974 | "Back in the Country" | 51 | — | 15 | Back in the Country |
| "Old Time Sunshine Song" | 97 | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "The Precious Jewel"(w/Charlie Louvin) | 87 | — | — | single only |
| Year | Single | Artist | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | "I Saw the Light" | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | 56 | Will the Circle be Unbroken |
| 1985 | "One Big Family" | Heart of Nashville | 61 | single only |
East Nashville No. 560, TN [19]
Media related toRoy Acuff at Wikimedia Commons
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Tennessee 1948 | Vacant Title next held by R. Beecher Witt |
