Dock Boggs

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Dock Boggs (born February 7, 1898 in Norton , Virginia ; † February 7, 1971 there ; real name Moran Lee Boggs ) was an American old-time musician who enjoyed his greatest success in the 1920s.

Life

Beginnings

Boggs learned to play the banjo at the age of twelve. At the same time, he was already working in mines to support his family. He built his first banjo from an old rifle that he had exchanged for a watch. In 1927 he got the chance to audition for Brunswick Records , whose talent scouts were in Bristol , Tennessee . To calm his nerves, he drank almost a whole bottle of whiskey beforehand, which apparently didn't seem to affect his singing ability as he was one of those who got a record deal. Later stars like Jimmie Rodgers , the Carter Family and Blind Alfred Reed were also spotted on this day .

Career

Danville Girl , 1927

He signed for eight songs to record. His first record came out with the titles Country Blues and Sugar Baby . His records sold well, so his record deal was extended. One of his most famous titles, the Traditional Danville Girl, comes from this time. The titles are mainly characterized by his rough and unpolished singing; a method that was often used by the labels on old-time musicians to get the "rural aftertaste". After the contract expired, he returned to Norton, where he formed the band Dock Boggs and his Cumberland Mountain Entertainers , with whom he had further success in 1928.

He then moved to Mayking , Kentucky with his wife Sahra , where he stayed until 1933. During this time he recorded various records for Harry Meyer's label Lonesome Ace Records , but all of them had only moderate success. He then sang for Okeh Records in Atlanta , Georgia , where he was turned down. RCA offered Boggs to audition, but he could not raise the funds to travel to Louisville. Due to his declining success, Boggs decided to give up music. He worked in mining again. After his doctor declared him unable to work for this profession, he first became a truck driver and then a salesman in a shop belonging to the mining company where he had previously worked. In 1953 the company ran into financial difficulties and went bankrupt. Boggs was now unemployed.

In the booklet for the first album that Boggs recorded for the Folkways Records label in 1963, Mike Seeger describes the musician's rediscovery. While on a trip, Seeger met Dock Boggs in his hometown on June 12, 1963 and asked him to record some songs. That evening, Boggs recorded eight songs, mostly newer material, as well as an interview. In this interview, which was also released on a Folkways album, he described his earlier years and expressed the desire to perform and record again.

Boggs' tombstone in Norton. He lies there with his wife Sarah, who died four years later.

These recordings then led to Boggs performing at the American Folk Festival in Asheville , North Carolina just 14 days later . Other appearances followed, for example at Club 47 in Boston and at the Newport Folk Festival . Two more albums for Folkways and one for Ash Recordings followed.

Dock Boggs died on his 73rd birthday in his hometown of Norton.

In 1998 the Revenant Records label released an album with the early recordings and other outtakes from this period. The Folkway recordings from the 1960s were also re-released in 1998 by Smithsonian Folkways under the title His Folkways Years 1963–1968 .

Discography

Singles

year title Remarks
Brunswick Records
1927 Down South Blues / Sugar Baby
1927 Country Blues / Sammy, Where Have You Been So Long?
1927 Danville Girl / Pretty Polly
1927 Hard Luck Blues / New Prisoner's Song
Vocalion Records
192? Hard Luck Blues / New Prisoner's Song Republishing Brunswick 133

Albums

  • 1963: Dock Boggs - Legendary Singer & Banjo Player (Folkways)
  • 1964: Dock Boggs, Vol. 2 (Folkways)
  • 1965: Excerpts from Interviews with Dock Boggs, Legendary Banjo Player and Singer (Folkways)
  • 1970: Dock Boggs, Vol. 3 (Ash Recordings)
  • 1998: His Folkways Years 1963–1968 (Smithsonian)
  • 1998: Country Blues (Revenant)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Boggs, dock
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Boggs, Moran Lee (real name); Boggs, Doc (different spelling)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country musician
DATE OF BIRTH February 7, 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH Norton , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH 7th February 1971
Place of death Norton , Virginia