Al Hopkins

Albert Green "Al" Hopkins (born June 5, 1889 in Watauga County , North Carolina , † October 21, 1932 in Winchester , Virginia ) was an American old-time musician who directed the Hill Billies and the Buckle Busters . Hopkins is also said to have introduced the term "hillbilly" to producer Ralph Peer .

Life

Childhood and youth

Al Hopkins was born in Watauga County. Unlike many other old-time musicians, Hopkins came from a wealthier family, as his father John Benjamin Hopkins worked intermittently in the North Carolina General Assembly . He played the fiddle , piano and organ and had an extensive repertoire of traditional fiddle pieces. Hopkins 'mother Celia Isabel Green Hopkins sang mainly ballads and church music, and Hopkins' siblings were also musically gifted. In 1904 the family moved to Washington, DC , where Hopkins' father worked for the United States Census Bureau . During this time, Hopkins was also heavily influenced by popular music.

Early career

Hopkins decided to become a professional musician as early as 1910 and, with his brothers Joe, Elmer and John, founded the Mohawk Quartet , which can be seen regularly at the Majestic Theater in Washington. Around 1912, Hopkins' eldest brother Jacob opened a medical practice in Galax , Virginia , where Hopkins and other banjo players often performed to entertain patients.

In the spring of 1924, Hopkins formed a new band with brother Joe and the fiddler Alonzo Elvis "Tony" Alderman, a local hairdresser, which was joined shortly after by banjo player John Rector. The band traveled to New York City to make a record, but the session was a disaster for the band and label as the technology was not yet mature. That same year, Hopkins' brother Jacob died.

Rise with the Buckle Busters and the Hillbillies

On January 15, 1925, Hopkins and his band made their first real recordings for OKeh Records in New York. A total of six tracks were recorded, but since the group still didn't have a name and producer Ralph Peer was looking for one, Hopkins replied: “ We're nothing but a bunch of hillbillies from North Carolina and Virginia. Call us anything. “Peer liked the expression and christened the band The Hill Billies , although none of the musicians matched the stereotype of a“ Hillbillies ”and some of the musicians were later dissatisfied with the name. But Ernest Stoneman , also a musician and record artist, motivated Hopkins and the Hillbillies to keep the name: “ Well, boys, you have come up with a good one. Nobody could beat it. "

With that began the rise of Hopkins and the Hillbillies. This was followed by appearances throughout Easter USA at Fiddler's conventions , political events, vaudevilles, and other local events. They moved from Galax to Washington, where the Hillbillies quickly played regularly on the WRC network, even played for US President Calvin Coolidge and were the first old-time group to be seen in a film. In 1926 the band switched to the Brunswick Records / Vocalion Records labels , where they made records for Brunswick under the name Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters and for Vocalion as The Hill Billies . The line-up varied, but always included Al Hopkins (vocals / piano), Charlie Bowman (fiddle), Joe Hopkins (guitar), Tony Alderman (fiddle) and John Hopkins ( ukulele ).

The repertoire of Hopkins and his band consisted primarily of traditional old-time pieces such as East Tennessee Blues , Cluck Old Hen , Cumberland Gap , Going Down the Road Feeling Bad or Whoa Mule . Because of Hopkins' popularity, the name "Hillbilly" was not only associated with the band, but also with the marketing of the labels, especially through Ralph Peer, for a whole musical genre.

Hopkins' last session was in New York on December 21, 1928. With Tony Alderman, Ed Belcher (fiddle), Frank Wilson ( steel guitar ), Walter Hughes (guitar) and John Hopkins (guitar) the songs Polka Medley , Marsovia Waltz , Wild Hoss and Medley of Old Time Dance Tunes for Brunswick and Vocalion recorded. Medley of Old Time Dance Tunes / Marsovia Waltz were also released in Mexico under adapted names . From 1929 on, Hopkins and his band performed under the name Al Hopkins' Original Hillbillies . The group continued until 1932 when Al Hopkins was killed in a car accident.

Discography

Singles

Some titles were published simultaneously by Brunswick and Vocalion under both names. Occasionally there were also Brunswick recordings on Supertone Records .

The Hill Billies

year	title	#	Remarks
OKeh Records
1925	Silly Bill / Old Time Cinda	40294
	Cripple Creek / Sally Ann	40336
	Old Joe Clark / Whoa! Mule	40376
Vocalion Records
1926	Governor Alf Taylor's Fox Chase / East Tennessee Blues	5016 /
1926	Fisher's Hornpipe / Blue Eyed Girl	5017
1926	Betsy Brown / Kitty Wells	5018
1926	Kitty Waltz / Sally Ann	5019
1926	Cacklin 'Ann / Donkey on a Railroad Track	5020
1926	Texas Gals / Going Down the Road Feeling Bad	5021
1926	Sourwood Mountain / Ragged Annie	5022
1926	Round Town Gals / Buck-Eyed Rabbits	5023
1926	Cumberland Gap / Walking in the Parlor	5024
1926	Bristol Tennessee Blues / Cinda	5025
1926	Mountaineer Love Song / Cripple Creek	5115/15367
1926	Mississippi Sawyer / Long-Eyed Mule	5116/15368
	Old Joe Clark / Silly Bill	5117/15369
	The Hickman Rag / Possum Up a Gum Stump, Cooney in the Hollow	5118/15377
1927	Hear Dem Bells /?	5173	B-side from the Kanawha Singers
1927	Sweet Bunch of Daisies / Daisies Won't Tell	5178
1927	Cluck Old Hen / Black-Eyed Susie	5179
1927	Georgia Buck / Baby, Your Time Ain't Long	5182
1927	Oh, Where Is My Little Dog Gone? / Wasn't She A Dandy	5183
1927	Darling Nellie Gray / Sleep Baby Sleep	5186
1927	She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain /?	5240	B-side by Warren Caplinger
	De Todas Un Poco / Marsovia	8525	as Los Alegres (Mexico)
Unpublished titles
1926	Goin 'down the road Going tot he Wedding Sally Ann	Vocalion

Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters

year	title	#	Remarks
Brunswick Records
1927	East Tennessee Blues / Round Town Girls	103
1927	Bristol Tennessee Blues / Buck-Eyed Rabbits	104
1927	Cinda / Sally Ann	105
1927	Kitty Waltz / Governor Alf Taylor's Fox Chase	106
1927	Cluck Old Hen / Black-Eyed Susie	175
1927	When You Were Sweet Sixteen / Down The Meadow Lane	176
1927	CC & O. Number 558 / Nine Pound Hammer	177
1927	Whoa, Mule / Johnson Boys	179
1927	Blue Ridge Mountain Blues / Echoes of the Chimes	180
1927	She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain / Hear Dem Bells	181
1927	Boatin 'Up Sandy / Bug in the Taters	182
1927	Baby Your Time Ain't Long / Georgia Buck	183
1927	Down to the Club / Feller That Looked Like Me	184
1927	Darling Nellie Gray / Sleep Baby Sleep	185
1927	Roll On the Ground / Ride That Mule	186
1927	Wasn't she a dandy? / Where Has My Little Dog Gone	187
1927	? / Hear Dem Bells	189	A-side from the Kanawha Singers
1928	Gideon's Band / Old Dan Tucker	295
1928	Blue Bell / Old Uncle Ned	300
1928	Carolina Moonshiner / West Virginia Gals	318
1928	Polka Medley / Marsovia Waltz	321
1928	Medley of Old-Time Dance Tunes / Wild Hoss	335
Unpublished titles
1926	Daisies Won't Tell (old version)	Brunswick / Vocalion
1927	Lynchburg Town Oh didn't he Ramble	Brunswick

Albums

• 1999: Al Hopkins, Volume 1: 1925-1926 (Document)
• 2000: Al Hopkins, Volume 2: 1926-1927 (Document)
• 2000: Al Hopkins, Volume 3: 1927-1928 (Document)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ^ Tony Russell: Country Music Records , pp. 422-424

Web links

• Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
• The Hill Billies on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)