George Reneau

George Reneau ( 1901 in Jefferson County , Tennessee , † 1933 in Knoxville , Tennessee), also known as The Blind Minstrel of the Smoky Mountains , was an American old-time musician . Reneau was one of the first rural musicians to be recorded on vinyl.

Life

On Top of Old Smoky , 1925

Not much is known about George Reneau's life. The blind Reneau played the guitar and harmonica . Like many other blind musicians, he earned money as a street musician. In 1924 Reneau traveled to New York City , where he made recordings for Vocalion Records in April . The producers, however, his voice was too rough, so they put the singer Gene Austin at the side, who sang in place of Reneau, while this only played guitar and harmonica. These recordings were later made by Vocalion under the name Blue Ridge Duoreleased. In the end, Reneau was allowed to record some songs without Austin, which were also released. These recordings were made in autumn 1925. Among the recorded pieces was On Top of Old Smoky , which was also recorded by various other old-time musicians over the course of the decade.

Reneau himself returned to Knoxville, Tennessee, after his recordings, where he again appeared as a street musician. No other sessions followed, he probably lived on in poverty. He died in Knoxville in 1933.

Discography

year	title	#	Remarks
Published titles
Vocalion Records
	Wreck on the Southern 97 / Lonesome Road Blues	5029
	Life's Railway to Heaven / You Will Never Miss Your Mother	5030
	Little Brown Jug / Turkey in the Straw	5031
	Arkansas Traveler / Casey Jones	5032
	Here Rattler Here / When You and I Were Young, Maggie	5033
	Susie Ann / Blue Ridge Blues	5034
	Red Wing / Smoky Mountain Blues	5049
	The C and O Wreck / Jesse James	5050
	Softly and Tenderly / The Baggage Coach Ahead	5052
	Soon Headed End of the Broom / The New Market Wreck	5054
	Birmingham / I've Got the Railroad Blues	5055
	The Prisoner's Song / The Lightning Express	5056
	Little Rosewood Casket / Rock All Our Babies to Sleep	5057
	Letter Edged in Black / Wild Bill Jones	5058
	Women's Suffrage / Wild and Reckless Hoboes	5059
	My Redeemer / We're Floating Down the Stream of Time	5064
	Rovin 'Gambler / Sinking of the Titanic	5077
	May I Sleep In Your Barn / Gambling on the Sabbath Day	5078
	Bad Companions / When the Work's All Done This Fall	5079
	Hand of Fate / Jack and Joe	5080
	I'm Glad My Wife's in Europe / Railroad Lover	5083
	Love Always Has Its Way / Old Man on the Hill	5106
	When I Shall Cross Over the Dark Rolling Tide / Old Rugged Cross	5107
	Two Orphans / Weeping Willow Tree	5108
	On Top of Old Smokey / Dark Eyes	5114	B-side by Sid Harkreader

literature

• Michael Ann Williams: Great Smoky Mountains Folk Life (1995), p. 58; University Press of Mississippi, ISBN 0878057927

Web links

• George Reneau on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)