Four Virginians
| Four Virginians | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Old-time music |
| founding | 1925 |
| resolution | 1935 |
| Founding members | |
| James Richard Bigger (1908-?) | |
| Elvin Bigger (1902–1968 / 69) | |
| Leonard Jennings | |
guitar |
Fred Richards |
The Four Virginians were an American old-time group from Danville , Virginia .
history
The Four Virginians were formed in 1925 by brothers Richard and Elvin Bigger and Leonard Jennings and Fred Richards and played throughout Pittsylvania County , Virginia. All members actually worked in the region's textile factories and only led the group as a hobby. After two years of performing in theaters, barn dances and other local events, they were inspired by Charlie Poole's success and traveled to Camden , New Jersey to audition for the Victor Records label . Victor refused, however, and so the band went to New York City in hopes of getting a contract with OKeh Records .
OKeh signed the Four Virginians in 1927 and had the group record six titles on September 21, 1927 in Winston-Salem , North Carolina . The records sold only moderately, so that the group was not invited again to OKeh. The Four Virginians stayed together until the mid-1930s when they split. Elvin Bigger died in 1969 and Leonard Jennings followed around 1982. Richard Bigger, who continued to pursue music and made several other recordings, died in the 1990s.
Discography
| year | title | # | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| OKeh Records | |||
| 1927 | Two Little Lads / One Is My Mother | 45163 | |
| Swing Your Partner / New Coon In Town | 45181 | ||
| 1928 | Goin 'Crazy Blues / Promenade All | 45201 | A-side from the Scottdale String Band |
| OKeh Records | |||
| 1927 |
|
OKeh | |
literature
- Tony Russell: Country Music Records - A Discography 1922-1942 . University of Oxford Press, Oxford et al. 2004, ISBN 0-19-513989-5 .
- Kip Lornell: Virginia's Blues, Country & Gospel Records, 1902-1943 . University Press of Kentucky, Lexington Ky 1989, ISBN 978-0-8131-1658-7 .