Harry Kirby McClintock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Harry Kirby McClintock (1884-10-08)October 8, 1884 |
| Died | April 24, 1957(1957-04-24) (aged 72) San Francisco, California |
| Other names | Haywire Mac, Radio Mac, Strawlegs Martin |
| Occupation(s) | boomer,author,poet,busker,cowboy,union organizer |
| Known for | "The Big Rock Candy Mountains", "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum" |
Harry Kirby McClintock (October 8, 1884 – April 24, 1957), also known as "Haywire Mac", was an American railroad man, radio personality, actor, singer, songwriter, and poet, best known for his song "The Big Rock Candy Mountains".
McClintock was born on October 8, 1884, inUhrichsville,Ohio.[1][non-primary source needed] Both his parents were from nearbyTippecanoe, Ohio; however, his family moved toKnoxville,Tennessee soon after his birth. In his youth, McClintock ran away from home to join the circus and drifted from place to place throughout his life. He railroaded in Africa, worked as a seaman, supplied food and ammunition to American soldiers while working as a civilian mule train packer in the Philippines, and in 1899 worked as an aide to newsmen in China covering theBoxer Rebellion.[citation needed]
In America, Mac traveled as a railroader and minstrel.[2][3] He worked for numerous railroads during his life.
On October 8, 1917, McClintock married Bessie K. Johnson inFarmington,Utah.[citation needed] They had one daughter.[2]
In 1925, McClintock participated in aKFRC Radio talent contest.[4] His performance of his song "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" won him spots on two new KFRC radio shows: a children's program titledMac and His Gang where he sang popular cowboy songs with his "Haywire Orchestry",[5][6][note 1] and a variety program titledBlue Monday Jamboree, which he hosted withMeredith Willson,Bea Benaderet, Edna Fischer,[8] and futureI Love Lucy producerJess Oppenheimer.[9][10] McClintock was also a member ofAl Pearce'sThe Happy Go Lucky Hour,[11] a KFRCspin-off ofBlue Monday Jamboree, alongside Edna Fischer and Tommy Harris.[12]
"The Big Rock Candy Mountain" reached No. 1 onBillboard's "Hillbilly Hits" chart in 1939. The song was featured in the 2000Coen brothers' filmO Brother, Where Art Thou?[13] McClintock's song "The Old Chisholm Trail" was featured in the end credits of "The Grandest Enterprise Under God" (episode 5) of the TV documentary miniseriesThe West. He was included inRobert Crumb's series of "Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country" trading cards.[14]
McClintock was active in theIndustrial Workers of the World (IWW). He served withFrank Little in the FresnoFree Speech Fight from January 12 to March 4, 1911, and participated in theTucker strike in Utah on June 14, 1913, withJoe Hill.[15][16] McClintock wrote the marching song of the IWW, "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum", and he is credited with being the first person to sing Hill's song "The Preacher and the Slave" in public.[17] In the early 1920s, McClintock worked and organized union men in the oil fields of West Texas, where he met and recruited authorJim Thompson, who later incorporated him into several short stories using the name Strawlegs Martin.[18]
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| Title | Recording Date | Label / Catalog Number | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ain't We Crazy? | 1928-09-06 | Victor V-40101 | [19] |
| The Big Rock Candy Mountains | 1928-09-06 | Victor Talking Machine Co. 21704-B | [20] |
| Hallelujah! I'm a Bum | 1928-03-31 | Victor 21343-B (42137) | Reverse side is "The Bum Song".[21] |
| Get Along, Little Dogies | 1928-03-01 | Victor V-40016 | |
| Fireman, Save My Child | 1929-12-15 | Victor V-40234 | |
| The Texas Ranger | 1928-03-01 | Victor 21487 | |
| Jerry, Go Oil That Car | 1928-03-16 | Victor 21521 | |
| The Bum Song | 1928-03-16 | Victor 21343 | |
| The Trail to Mexico | 1928-03-09 | Victor V-40016 | |
| The Old Chisholm Trail | 1928-03-22 | Victor 21421 | |
| Circus Days | 1928-03-31 | Victor 21567 | |
| Goodbye, Old Paint | 1928-03-01 | Victor 21761 | |
| The Bum Song #2 | 1928-09-06 | Victor 21704 | |
| The Trusty Lariat | 1929-12-15 | Victor V-40234 | |
| My Last Dollar | 1928-03-22 | Victor 23690 | |
| Billy Venero | 1928-03-31 | Victor 21487 | |
| Red River Valley | 1928-03-27 | Vi 21421-B | |
| Roamin | 1929-12-15 | Vi V-40264 | |
| Sam Bass | 1928-03-01 | Vi 22420 | |
| Hobo's Spring Song | 1929-04-30 | Vi 22003-A V-40112 | |
| Jesse James | 1928-03-09 | Vi 21420 LPV548 | |
| If I Had My Druthers | 1929-04-30 | Vi 22003-B V-40112 | |
| Dad's Dinner Pail | 1928-03-09 | Vi 21521 |
| Title | Year | Label / Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|
| Haywire Mac | 1950 | Cook Records 01124 |
| Harry K. McClintock "Haywire Mac" | 1972 | Folkways Records FD 5272 |
| Hallelujah! I'm a Bum | 1981 | Rounder Records 1009 |
| Title | Year | Label / Catalog Number | Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Songs to Grow On, Vol. 3: American Work Songs | 1951 | Folkways Records 07027 | Track 4: "Jerry, Go Oil That Car" |
| Cowboy Songs on Folkways | 1991 | Smithsonian Folkways 40043 | Track 7: "Utah Carl" |
| Folk Song America, Vol. 1 | 1991 | Smithsonian Collection 461 | Track 5: "Big Rock Candy Mountain" |
| Railroad Songs of the Early 1900s | 1998 | Rounder Select 1143 | Track 20: "Jerry, Go Oil That Car" |
| O Brother, Where Art Thou? | 2000 | Lost Highway Records 170069 | Track 2: "Big Rock Candy Mountain [sic]" |
| Back in the Saddle Again: American Cowboy Songs | 2004 | New World Records | Track 1: "Old Chisholm Trail" |
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