Gid Tanner
James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (born June 6, 1885 in Thomas Bridge , Georgia , † May 13, 1960 in Dacula , Georgia) was an American old-time musician . With the string band Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers , Tanner was one of America's most successful old-time musicians between 1926 and 1931.
Life
Childhood and youth
Gid Tanner was born in Thomas Bridge, near Monroe . At the age of 14 he learned to play the fiddle from his parents and relatives . In 1914, Tanner first took part in the Georgia Fiddler's Conventions , which had been launched a year earlier and where he performed annually until 1935. Even then he is said to have been able to play more than 2000 pieces on the fiddle. But not only as a musician, but also as a comedian, Tanner showed talent. During his appearances in the region he combined these two characteristics, which contributed to his popularity. At the age of 21, Tanner had married a 16-year-old girl from Rockdale County . With her and her son Gordon, born in 1917, the Tanners first lived alternately in Gwinnett or Rockdale County, until they finally settled in Dacula in Gwinnett County. There they made their living with their chicken farm.
Beginnings
After Tanner moved to Atlanta , he met the blind guitarist Riley Puckett , who already made regular appearances on the radio. The two musicians quickly became friends and performed together. When Columbia Records ' talent scout , Frank Walker, came to Atlanta in March 1924 to hire Columbia’s first hillbilly musicians, as Okeh Records did with Fiddlin' John Carson , Tanner and Puckett introduced themselves. Walker brought the two a record deal as the first country musician with Columbia. In the same year, the first records were recorded in New York City .
successes
A year later, Tanner received another request from Columbia, this time to start a string band . Together with Riley Puckett, Clayton McMichen and Fate Norris , he formed the band Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers , whose first records were recorded in 1925. Initially, Tanner recorded as a solo artist or with Fate Norris and his brother Arthur Tanner , but with the growing success of the Skillet Lickers, he gave up. Tanner, who mainly played fiddle, was able to show his talent as a comedian in comedy skits. From 1930 he also played the banjo because Norris had lost his arm in an accident. In 1931, however, the group split due to internal disputes. By the end of the 1920s, Tanner had already become a member of the well-known radio show WLS National Barn Dance , in which he continued to appear until the early 1930s.
In 1927 the singer and author Ethel Park Richardson wanted to publish a song portfolio with Tanner's pieces. Therefore, the two met in the same year, but the majority remained inconclusive. Tanner only taught her one piece, Careless Love , a piece that he had composed himself. So Richardson wrote to ask for another meeting. However, Tanner's wife intercepted the letter and told her that " there will be no more meetings " ( I don't want no magazine writ about Gid, so there ain't no use in your comin ' ). In December 1927, however, the book American Mountain Songs was published, which contained small parts from Tanner's repertoire.
After 1931, Tanner concentrated again on his chicken farm. Shortly before, in October 1931, he had recorded his last four titles for Columbia with Riley Puckett and Bill Helms as The Home Town Boys . Due to his great popularity, which he had received in previous years, he continued to appear with Puckett on the radio in Columbus and was still a regular participant in the Fiddler's Conventions. Recently, three recordings by Tanner have appeared on Vocalion Records with the musician Al Craver , but whose background is unclear. Craver also recorded extensively for Columbia. In 1934 he signed with Bluebird Records , where he founded new Skillet Lickers. At a session in March 1934 he played the last records of his life, some with the Skillet Lickers, others only with Puckett and his son Gordon. In the early 1940s, Tanner appeared regularly on Saturday nights with Puckett, the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys, and Grady & Hazel Cole on the Joy Theater stage.
After Tanner had finally retired from the music business, he worked on his farm from then on. On the side, he continued to perform and campaigned for the preservation of hillbilly music. He last won a fiddle competition when he was 71. Tanner was married twice and had five sons in total.
Gid Tanner died on May 13, 1960 at the age of 75. He was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame . His descendants continue to maintain the tradition of the Tanner family. In honor of Tanner and his family, a street in Dacula, Georgia, Tanner Road , was named after him.
Discography
| year | title | # | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Records | |||
| 1924 | Johnson's Old Gray Mule / Chicken Don't Roost To Big For Me | with Riley Puckett | |
| 1924 | Alabama Gal, Give The Fiddler A Dram / Black Eyed Susie | with Riley Puckett | |
| 1924 | Sourwood Mountain / Cumberland Gap | ||
| 1924 | Don't Grieve Your Mother / Be Kind To A Man When He's Down | 15010-D | |
| 1924 | Fox Chase / Arkansaw Traveler | 15017-D | B-side with Riley Puckett |
| 1924 | Georgia Railroad / John Henry | 15019-D | B-side with Riley Puckett |
| 1925 | Old Time Tunes / Just Gimme The Leavings | with Arthur Tanner | |
| 1926 | SAVED / Where Did You Get That Hat | 15097-D | with Fate Norris |
| 1926 | Traveling Man / Goodbye Booze | 15105-D | A-side by Doc Walsh |
| 1926 | New Dixie / I Don't Reckon That'll Happen Again | with Arthur Tanner and Fate Norris | |
| 1926 | Baby Lou / Football Rag | 15165-D | with Fate Norris |
| 1926 | Everyday Will Be Sunday Bye and Bye / Please Do Not Get Offended | 15217-D | with Fate Norris |
| 1929 | Gather The Flowers / Bring Back My Blue Eyed Boy | 15577-D | with Riley Puckett |
| 1930 | If You Want To Go A-Courtin ' / You've Got To Stop Drinkin' Shine | as Gid Tanner's Skillet Lickers | |
| Bluebird Records | |||
| 1934 | Practice Night With Skillet Lickers, Pt.1 / Practice Night With Skillet Lickers, Pt.2 | 5559 | with Riley Puckett |
| 1934 | Tanner's Boarding House / On Tanner's Farm | 5665 | with Riley Puckett |
| I'm Satisfied / Three Nights Drunk | 5748 | with Riley Puckett | |
| Vocalion Records | |||
| Little Old Sod Shanty / The Bum's Rush | 5342 | with Al Craver | |
| Goin 'Down To Town /? | 5355 | with Al Craver | |
Individual evidence
- ^ Georgia Encyclopedia: Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers
- ↑ Wayne W. Daniel: Pickin 'On Peachtree. P. 100.
-
↑
- Al Craver & Gid Tanner on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
- ^ Written contact with Phil Tanner, Gid Tanner's great grandson
Web links
- Gid Tanner at Allmusic (English)
- MySpace page
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tanner, Gid |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tanner, James Gideon (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American old-time musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 6, 1885 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Thomas Bridge , Georgia |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 13, 1960 |
| Place of death | Dacula , Georgia |