DeFord Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country MusicBailey is largely forgotten today, a victim of the recording industry's emphasis on the blues during the 1920s--a decision which segregated forever "black" folk music from "white" folk music. Bailey was from an African American mountain culture that shared much of its musical heritage with its Anglo-Saxon neighbors, producing a unique hybrid which Bailey called "black hillbilly." A virtuoso on the harmonica, guitar, and banjo, Bailey became one of the Grand Old Opry's earliest stars during the 1920s, only to be fired from the Opry in 1941 during one of the Opry's more repressive eras. Bailey's story is told mainly in his own words through interviews conducted by his longtime friend Morton, with Wolfe (English and folklore, Middle Tennessee State Univ.) providing cultural and historical background. The authors' stated goal was to write a book of universal appeal, and indeed the work is a fascinating cultural history. -- Library Journal |
Contents
They Didnt Give Me No Rattler They Gave Me a Harp | 12 |
The Worlds Pet | 40 |
Them Songs | 60 |
X | 81 |
We Got Their Best Harp Player | 83 |
Bailey with His Foot on a CocaCola Crate | 97 |
Cousin Wilbur Bill Westbrook with Bailey | 115 |
They Turned Me Loose to Root Hog or Die | 121 |
Bailey with Sign for His Shoeshine Shop | 134 |
We Got to Meet Jesus Someday | 140 |
DeFord Bailey Jr with Members of His Band | 149 |
David Morton Holding Microphone While Bailey Plays Banjo | 166 |
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Common terms and phrases
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