Mac and Slim Split- The Grand Ole Opry 1936

Hi,

On the left you can see the performers on the 1936 Grand Ole Opry (click to enlarge). I'm not positive but it look like Mac is on the front row (Third from far right) seated with his fiddle.

Slim Byant and McMichen briefly parted ways in fall of 1936. With Mac's blessing he took Loppy, Jack Dunigan, Kenny Wallace, and another fiddler and dubbed themselves Slim, Jack and the Gang. Slim went back in St. Louis and appered on KWK radio.

According to Slim the group went briefly back to Louisville, then in early '37, Slim's band returned to Pittsburgh and KDKA. In Pittsburgh they teamed up with singer/fiddler Kenny Newton then returned to Louisville during the summer.

Meanwhile McMichen reorganized the Wildcats with bassist Bucky Yates, a highly talented young fiddler from Kokomo, Indiana named Carl Cotner and guitarist Blackie Case. By the fall of 1936 McMichen and his new Wildcat line-up which was now, Carl Cotner, Red Penn, Joe Bowers, Blackie Case were in Nashville where they landed a spot on the Grand Ole Opry.

"The Opry didn't pay much," said Juanita McMichen Lynch, "so they had to do road shows and hurry back to the Opry to play on radio. It wasn't long before Daddy gave up on it- he was losing money playing there."

Juanita remembers moving to Nashville and going to school there in the fall. The Wildcats were headquartered in Nashville until the Spring of 1937 when the Ohio River flooded. In 1937 a young guitarist named Merle Travis joined the group. They moved to Covington, KY across the river fron Cincinnati where they appeared on WLW. [See: earlier blogs on Merle Travis]

More to come,

Richard

Eight More Miles To Louisville- Mac and Slim

Hi,

By 1934 Mac and Slim were heading back to Louisville:






Eight more miles and Louisville will come into my view
Eight more miles on this old road and I'll never more be blue
I knew some day that I'd come back, I knew it from the start
Eight more miles to Louisville, the home town of my heart.

The Georgia Wildcats moved for the second time to Louisville in 1934, which would eventually become McMichen's home base, and were featured on WHAS. They acquired a new stand-up bass player, Slim's younger brother Raymond "Loppy" Bryant.

"Mac went on a vacation back to Atlanta," said Slim Bryant. "When he came back he brought Loppy with him. I ended up teaching him bass and he took right to it."

When the Skillet Lickers regrouped in 1934 at the request of the Bluebird label who were trying to record all the Country stars of the 1920s, McMichen did not participate- he was busy playing with the Georgia Wildcats on WHAS. The 1934 line-up of Georgia Wildcats included McMichen and Slim Bryant, Jack Dunnigan guitar and singer, Pat Berryman on banjo, violin, and mandolin and Loppy Bryant on bass. Foster Brooks was the announcer, sometimes Dave Durham played Sax and trumpet.

In 1934 Mac and Slim published their songbook, Clayton McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats with Hoyt 'Slim' Bryant Folio of Songs. The 20 songs include two instrumentals, two songs they called traditional country songs like "Careless Love" and "Johnson's Mule" (really Thompson's Mule by Westendorff) and the rest they claim to be original but clearly "In The Pines" and "Riding On A Humpbacked Mule" should be considered traditional.

Their "In The Pines" version opens with the traditional chorus but uses different verses so it's clearly a rewrite. Their two biggest hits are included: Slim's "Mother of My Heart' and Mac's "Peach Pickin' Time." The songbook includes a lyric arrangement of Mac's great fiddle tune "Georgiana Moon" titled "Dreamy Georgianna Moon," a song I've never heard sung on a record.

In 1935 The Georgia Wildcats did a short stint at KMOX in St. Louis. "We performed the Uncle Dick Slack Show from a furniture store," recalled Slim. The experience paved the way for McMichen's later shows at Howell's Furniture in Louisville.

Alabamian promoter Joe Frank was Gene Autry's manager at WLS Chicago where McMichen and his Wildcats played for about a year until the fall of 1933. Frank moved to Louisville in early 1935. Joe lived at 3rd and St. Catherine and McMichen lived around the corner. Frank brought Gene Autry to Louisville on March 18, 1935 while they waited for Gene's first western movie in Hollywood to begin. Autry was in Louisville for a five weeks then left for Hollywood.

Pee Wee King, who later penned the immortal Tennessee Waltz, played accordion for Gene Autry briefly then followed Frank to Louisville after Joe organized a band and called King down to play. King joined The Log Cabin Boys and they played on WHAS along with McMichen's Georgia Wildcats.

WHAS also featured The Callahan Brothers; Bob Atcher and the Atcher family; Cousin Emma; Asher Sizemore and Little Jimmy. Dale Evans was even there in 1935.

"When Mac lived in Louisville, he owned the town," said Pee Wee. "Everybody loved him and his music." According to King, McMichen's shows on WHAS used slapstick comedy, animal noises and hee-haws between musical numbers.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim- The Windy City Part 2; Back to NY

Hi,

Here's one for the Guinness Book of Records: First live performance from an airplane!

Yes, Mac and Slim were there. Here's the promo photo for the event from WLS. Mac and Slim are in their checkered shirts Slim is seated and Mac is behind him. Jack Dunnigan is on right with guitar. Also on the flight was future country star Red Foley (standing with guitar on left).

On opening night of the Chicago World's Fair in 1933, Clayton McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats broadcast a segment of the WLS "Barn Dance" from an airplane circling Chicago. A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago, Illinois from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial which opened on May 27, 1933.

"We were the first musical group to play from an airplane," explained Slim. "We played and so did Red Foley. It was broadcast down to the stage on the Eighth Street Theater."

"In the Fall of 1933," said Bryant, "the fairs were closing down and the bookings at WLS had dried up so we (Georgia Wildcats) headed for NY landing a job at WGY in Schenectady. Jack Dunnigan and I think Bert Layne stayed on in Chicago for a while, I was offered a job at WLS but I went to NY with Mac."

In 1926, WGY became an early affiliate of the NBC Red Network, and after the split of the sister NBC Blue network into today's ABC Radio, WGY remained with NBC radio until it folded in 1989.

"We stayed at WGY through the winter and then we went to the Village Barn in NY," said Slim. "We were guests a few times on what they called the 'Yankee' radio network (WMCA)." "Dick Powell was the MC in NYC," remembered Juanita, "and Alice Faye was a showgirl trying to make it. Dad said NY was was too tough with a family; cost too much to live."

The Georgia Wildcats headed back south; to the city that would eventually become their home: Louisville.

More to come,

Richard

Mac And Slim- To the Windy City

Hi,

In our last segment the Slim and Mac where in NYC cutting records Odie McWinders and Bob Miller as the Georgia Wildcats.

After an exciting stay in NJ and NY Slim and Mac ended up in Louisville and WHAS in the fall of 1932. "Then in October Mac went to WLS Chicago with the idea that he would bring us up in the spring after he got established," said Bryant. "We stayed behind still playing as the Georgia Wildcats."

In 1933 WLS (World's Largest store), known as The National Barn Dance, broadcast from the large stage of the Eighth St. Theater in Chicago. Sears moved to the Eighth St. Theater in 1932 so they could do the popular show "live" for paying customers. They had a 50,000 watt clear channel station that could broadcast from coast to coast and be heard in Canada.

WLS featured a large number of groups including Hoosier Sod Busters, Prairie Ramblers with Patsy Montana, and Girls of the Golden West. Gene Autry, who first met Mac in New York was there and making a name for himself. By the spring of 1933 McMichen had brought Bert Layne, Jack Dunnigan and Slim Bryant to Chicago where they performed as the Georgia Wildcats.

[See photo above (click to enlarge) from left to right Bert Layne, Clayton McMichen, Jack Dunnigan, and Slim Bryant)]

The Wildcats formed about the time John Dillinger was on his bank-robbing spree in May 1933. Chicago was and exciting town and WLS was one of the top country radio stations on the planet.

Bill and Charlie Monroe were hired by WLS as part of a dance troupe. In the early 1930s Bill was working in East Chicago cleaning 55 gallon oil drums in a dirty Sinclair "barrell house." Bill lived with his two brothers and two sisters when thye were discovered in 1932 by Tom Owen of WLS who hasd set up a series of dance exhibitions on the Saturday night show. So Birch, Charlie, Bill and a friend, Larry Moore became part of the WLS dance troupe. Bill still worked his Sinclair job but his contact with the performers at WLS changed his life.

Bill Monroe: "Years ago people played a little on the mandolin just to fill-in or be playing. But to have heard really good fiddle players back in the old days- Clayton McMichen and people like that- and to really get on a mandolin and play the old-time notes that's in a fiddle number, has really helped to create an original style on the mandolin."

Gene Autry and Bill Monroe weren't the only future stars impressed with McMichen. A young guitar player at WLS named Lester Polfuss (Rubarb Red AKA the late great Les Paul) kept hanging around watching Slim play guitar. In a 1959 interview Mac said, "Les Paul spent more time in the rehearsal room with Slim than Slim did rehearsing with the Georgia Wildcats." Les has acknowledged Slim as a major influence on his guitar playing.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim and Jimmie- Part 2 In The Big Apple

Hi,

On the left is a photo of The Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers. Here's a guy dying of tuberculosis and he's smiling, thumbs up. Rodgers was a good singer, and yodeler. Whatever talent Rodgers lacked as a musician could be overlooked because of his courage.

In 1932 and for the second time in his career, Clayton McMichen was working for Jimmie Rodgers. The biggest opportunity for Mac and Slim Byrant was Jimmie wanted to record some of their songs.

"I got a royalty check last week," said Slim Bryant. "Every Mother's Day the country stations play it. It's been recorded by 178 different artists and the first was Jimmie Rodgers."

The song Slim wrote that Rodgers recorded was "Mother Queen of My Heart." It became Slim's biggest hit and Mac's song "Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia" was also recorded by Rodgers in that session and became Mac's biggest hit.

Here are the stats for the Victor sessions in Camden NJ: Aug. 10, 1932 Jimmie Rodgers recorded "In the Hills of Tennessee" (unissued) with Clayton McMichen fiddle, Dave Kanui- steel guitar; Oddie McWinders- banjo; Slim Byrant- guitar, George Howell- stand up bass; Recorded Aug 11: “Mother, the Queen of My Heart” (Victor 23721); “Rock All Our Babies to Sleep” (Victor 23721); “Whippin’ That Old T.B.” (Victor 23751); “No Hard Times” (Victor 23751). Recorded August 15: “Long Tall Mama Blues” (Victor 23766); “Peach-Pickin’ Time Down in Georgia” (Victor 23781); “Gambling Barroom Blues” (Victor 23766); “I’ve Only Loved Three Women” (Bluebird 6810)

McMichen had a short fiddle solo on Rodgers' version of St. James Infirmary, a rewrite Rodgers titled, "Gambling Barroom Blues." Mac also contributed two songs. The first one was recorded as “Prohibition Has Done Me Wrong” but not issued possibly because of copyright conflicts with Columbia. According to Juanita McMichen Lynch, Peer thought it was "too contoversial for the times." The master was put aside and then accidentally lost. A similar version was done later by Ernest Tubb. The second song Mac contributed was the popular “Peach Pickin’ Time Down In Georgia,” a song that was recorded a year earlier with Hugh Cross that McMichen copyrighted.

While in the New York area McMichen, Byrant and McWinders played a few vaudeville gigs and contacted Bob Miller, author of “Twenty-One Years” and sometime recording director with Columbia. Through Miller they were signed to record some twenty-four sides for Crown, an independent cut-rate label for Victor owned by Peer’s competitor, A & R man Eli Oberstein.

The sides for Crown include some great old-time songs. The Crown songs were: Georgia Wildcat Breakdown; Hog-Trough Reel; Wreck of the Old 97; Singing an Old Hymn; Way Down In Carolina; Back In Tennessee; Arkansas Traveler; Old Hen Cackled; Give The Fiddler A Dram; Ider Red; Blue Hills Of Virginia; Down The Ozark Trail; Counting Cross Ties; Log Cabin in The Lane; Where The Skies Are Always Blue; Bummin’ On The I.C. Line; Red Wing; All I’ve Got Is Gone; Down In Old Kentucky; Yum Yum Blues; Smoky Mountain Home; I Don’t Love Nobody; Old Joe Clark; When The Bloom Is On the Sage.

Peer set up another Rodgers session with another group of NY musicians. Because of Byrant’s innate ability to follow Rodgers, who played his own rhythm, Peer said of Bryant “he’s our regular guitar player.” Mac didn't play on the session.

About Byrant's last NY session with Rodgers on Aug. 29 he said, "We'd go over the songs for a while until Jimmie was ready. They were done in pop music style." The four songs produced were “In the Hills of Tennessee” (Victor 23736) written by Billy Hill; “Prairie Lullaby” (Victor 23781); “Miss the Mississippi and You” (Victor 23736); and “Sweet Mama Hurry Home (or I’ll Be Gone)” (Victor 23796). "Jimmie asked me and Mac to go to England on a tour," said Bryant, "but he was so sick the doctors wouldn't let him go. It was a shame I was looking forward to going. After Rodgers went back to Texas he send me a one penny postcard, thanking me. I still have that postcard."

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim and Jimmie- 1932

Hi,

On the left is a picture of Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music. Rodger became famous in 1928 with a series of hit songs- starting with his megahit, "T for Texas" also known as Blue Yodel Number 1. Jimmie was largely a blues oriented pop singer. He wrote or reworked blues and pop songs attaching his famous blues yodel as a fill at the end of the verses.

Rodgers was one of the few musicians still able to sell records in the Great Depression. By 1932 he was still one of the biggest stars in music and the biggest in country music. The problem was- he was dying of TB. Ralph Peer, who managed Rodgers and the Carter Family, tried to have Rodgers record regularly for Victor. Ralph had a deal with Victor- he received no salary for managing their 'country music' division, but instead got the royalties from record sales.

In the late 1920 Peer was receiving royalties of $250,000 a quarter which today translates to a figure around $60 million a year. Peer needed Rogers to do a session in the summer of 1932 so Rodgers called his good friend and pal Clayton McMichen to join him in Victor's Camden Yard studio located in a revamped church in New Jersey.

When Rodgers called Mac on the phone they briefly discussed some of the recording details. Mac wanted to bring the Georgia Wildcats but Jimmie didn't think Peer would pay for the whole band. Peer had already arranged for session players including banjoist Oddie McWinders. Since Mac had played had on Jimmie's 1929 winter tour Peer and Rodgers just wanted Mac to play the fiddle- not the band. Mac finally asked if he could bring Slim, his guitar player. Rodgers, who played guitar, but not well, was slated to play the guitar and sing.

Jimmie wrote to Mac: “Mr. Peer says he wonts [sic] me to do at least 10 numbers so if you have anything of your own be sure to bring it along because I'm pretty sure I can get several of your songs recorded.” Regarding Bryant, Rodgers wrote: “I will pay his expenses if he cares to come along with you and takes a chance on working with us.”

In August 1932 Clayton brought Bryant with him and they met Jimmie in Washington, DC. After being chauffeured to Victor studios in Camden, New Jersey, the men rehearsed with Oddie McWinders (banjo) Dave Kanui (steel guitar) and George Howell (string bass). They tried to record "In the Hills of Tennessee" but when the first session produced no suitable takes, Ralph Peer dismissed Kanui and Howell.

[Banjoist Oddie McWinders, whose real name was Odie Winders, was born in Todd County, KY on March 9, 1887 to Susie Bell Rager. Nothing is know of his father whose last name was Winders. Oddie was nationally recognized for his banjo picking and owned one of finest banjos. He also recorded the Crown sessions with Mac and Slim. He died shortly thereafter on Sept 24, 1933. One song in his repertoire was "Bound To Ride" which has become a bluegrass standard.

I have a copy of Jimmie's letter, dated July 27th, 1932 to Mac. Here's what Jimmie says about Odie: "I am planing to have a good banjo player to go with us. You may know him, his name is Oddie McWindows (sic). And boy can he play a banjo? I'll say he can. Mac, he plays a banjo old style and also plays all the popular stuff. I mean takes solos and plays leads. He beats any dam thing I ever heard of playing a banjo- baring no body... ]

Rodgers was so sick he could only play the guitar for short periods of time. When the pain from his TB got bad, Mac gave him shots of morphine. Even when he was feeling well Rodgers played his own rhythm on the guitar. Jimmie would leave out beats and add them whenever he felt like it much as the traditional bluesman of the day. Playing with him was not easy.

Slim just listened and whenever Rodgers changed chords Slim would change. Slim became so good at following Rodgers that Jimmie called Slim, "his guitar player." A month later when Mac and Slim were still in NYC recording a session for Crown Records, Peer called Slim to do another session with Jimmie, this time without Mac. Peer had lined-up some New York session players. Peer asked Slim if "he could keep up with these New York players?" Slim replied, " I can play with anyone."

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim: On the Road Again-Georgia Wildcats

Hi,

By May 1931 Slim Bryant had quit his electrician job in Atlanta. He was now a professional musician first briefly at WCKY in Covington, and then at WLW Cincinnati. McMichen had formed his Georgia Wildcat band with Slim (Guitar), Bert Layne (fiddle), Pat Berryman (banjo), and Johnny Barfield (Guitar). Bert Layne, Mac's brother-in-law didn't stay long in Cincinnati.

In the above picture taken in late 1931 or early 1932 at KDKA. The Georgia Wildcat line-up was (left to right) Pat Berryman, Clayton McMichen, Johnny Barfield and Slim Bryant.

By the fall of 1931 McMichen and Bryant were back in Atlanta making records. On Oct. 26, 1931, McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats with Slim Bryant and Bert Layne did a session for Columbia. The cut their jazzy western number "When the Bloom is On The Sage" and Slim's "Yum Yum Blues." Two days later they cut one of Mac's favorite fiddle compositions, "Wild Cat Rag" with a nice guitar solo by Slim and "Sweet Florene."

In between the Wildcat sessions, Mac (as Bob Nichols) cut 4 sides with Riley Puckett: "Devil's Dream," "Durang's Hornpipe," "Longest Train (In the Pines)," and "That's No Business Of Mine (Nobody's Business)." Possibly because of the economy, they were never issued.

One song Mac claimed he wrote and Slim as well, was "In The Pines." Slim and Juanita McMichen Lynch (Mac's daughter) are still getting royalties for the song. To be fair- they did a rewrite on the song, changing most of the lyrics. Mac regarded it as his and Slim's song. It was first released as "Grave In The Pines" done by Clayton as Bob Nichols, vocal with a simple guitar accompaniment (by Slim?), in 1930.

Surely Clayton knew of other versions existed before his "Grave in the Pines." Dock Walsh recorded "In The Pines" in 1926 for Columbia, hence Clayton's title. Somehow even Bill Monroe credits Clayton for the song even though Monroe doesn't use Clayton's lyrics. ["In the Pines/Longest Train", also known as "Black Girl" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?," is a traditional American folk song which dates back to at least the 1870s.]

Later in 1937 Mac recorded the song with his Georgia Wildcats as "In the Pines" and it appears in his 1934 songbook. For more info and lyrics: http://bluegrassmessengers.com.temp.realssl.com/in-the-pines--version-2-clayton-mcmichen.aspx

After the session in Atlanta and just before Christmas in 1931, the Wildcats we moved to Pittsburgh's KDKA, the first radio station in the country. After a brief stay at KDKA (see photo take above) the Wildcats played at Cleveland's WTAM in 1932 before getting the call from Jimmie Rodgers in the summer of 1932.

More to come,

Richard