North Carolina

Frank Blevins and His Tar-Heel Rattlers

Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss (Co 15210-D)

Born in 1911 and raised in Little Horse Creek, North Carolina, Frank Blevins was the youngest of eight children. His father, Avery Blevins, was an accomplished fiddler who exposed his children to the traditional music of the Lost Provinces. By the age of six, Frank was teaching himself to play his father’s fiddle, and he soon developed a distinctive style of his own.

A lengthy convalescence from a hunting accident at age twelve provided time for Frank to hone his skills. His constant companion was his older brother Ed Blevins, who played guitar. The two brothers built a repertoire of old-time mountain songs and tunes, playing at local dances, corn shuckings, and school events. They were soon joined by a neighbor, Fred Miller, who played banjo in a style inspired by the now legendary Charlie Poole.

In 1927 the trio auditioned for a talent scout from the Columbia Phonograph Company and in November of that year traveled to Atlanta to make records under the supervision of Frank B. Walker. A name was created on the spot for the band: Frank Blevins and His Tar Heel Rattlers. Only sixteen years old at the time, Frank led the band with spirited fiddling and singing that belied his age.

Inspired by a few shots of Georgia corn liquor, they first recorded the traditional mountain dance tune "Sally Ann," a rendition with such verve and passion that it rivals any other. Next they performed "I’ve Got No Honey Babe Now," a song that shares some lyrics with the old banjo piece "Honey Babe," but with a different melody. "Old Aunt Betsy" was a Frank Blevins original, combining a simple theme with exuberant delivery. The session ended with a second traditional dance tune, "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss," the track featured here. (Jon Bekoff, Old Time Party, 2011)

Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers

Forks of Sandy (Co 15106-D)

Ragtime Annie (Co 15127-D)

Charlie Poole embodied the wild and reckless spirit of the 1920s. Known as a rambler and a rounder, banjo player, singer, and bandleader, Poole was a popular recording star from 1925-1931. During that time, he also wrote dozens of songs that remain in today’s country, bluegrass, and old-time canons. With his group the North Carolina Ramblers, Poole made many notable and influential recordings, including “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down Blues,” “White House Blues,” “If I Lose, I Don’t Care,” and “Sweet Sunny South.” Though few today play in his banjo style, Poole’s three-finger picking technique was influential among the next generation of banjo players, who developed the bluegrass style.

Charlie Poole grew up in the cotton mill belt of Piedmont North Carolina. He had a second cousin who was an excellent banjo player in the classical style popularized around the turn of the century. Poole loved playing the banjo, and soon he was rambling around the country, busking with his banjo. During one of his trips, he met a fiddler named Posey Rorer, and the two began playing music together.

Around 1920, Poole and Rorer moved to Spray, North Carolina, in Rockingham County, where Charlie married Posey’s older sister. The two men continued to play music together, and they won many top prizes at fiddlers’ conventions around the region. In 1925 they had the opportunity to make a recording for Frank Walker, an A&R man for Columbia. They recorded “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down Blues” and “Let Me Sleep in Your Barn Tonight Mister,” and the record sold an amazing 102,000 copies. At the time, a successful country recording might be expected to sell 5,000-10,000 copies. Poole’s next recording sold 60,000, and Columbia knew they had a success. Poole ended up recording nearly seventy sides for Columbia before his death in 1931. (blueridgeheritage.com)

The tracks featured here, "Forks of Sandy" and "Ragtime Annie," exemplify Rorer's fiddling alongside Poole's innovative banjo picking.

Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers

Cincinnati Breakdown (Ba 32432)

The Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers were an old-time string band trio from North Carolina consisting of Tom (Clarence) Ashley (guitar), Clarence Greene (fiddle), and Gwen Foster (guitar, harmonica). The three recorded a number of sides between November 30 - December 2, 1931. The recordings were all credited differently on the many releases from the sessions - some as individual performances by Ashley, Greene, or Foster; others as duos (Ashley and Greene or Ashley and Foster); and others as the trio Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers. Autoharpist Will Abernathy and guitarist Walter Davis were in on some of the sessions and arguably could be listed as members.

Ashley and Foster had previously recorded together in the Carolina Tar Heels and later as a duo again in 1933. Ashley and Greene had recorded together in 1929 with Byrd Moore and His Hot Shots. (Jon Bekoff, Old Time Party, 2012)

The track featured here, "Cincinnati Breakdown," was recorded on December 1, 1931 in New York City. This tune may have been mislabeled and could possibly be the "Cincinnati Rag."

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