Grandpa Jones

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Grandpa Jones (* 20th October 1913 as Louis Marshall Jones in Niagra , Kentucky ; † 19th February 1998 ) was an American country musician .

Life

Beginnings

Louis Marshall Jones came from a poor family who lived in the industrialized regions of Kentucky. Influenced by parents and grandparents, he began making music at an early age. He first appeared on the radio when he was 18. In Chicago he joined the backing band Bradley Kincaids . Here, at the age of 22, he was nicknamed "Grandpa", allegedly because of his infamous early morning ailment. Jones took a liking to the name and made it his trademark. From now on he made all appearances in old-fashioned clothes and with a glued-on mustache.

Career

Together with Kincaid and later as a soloist, Grandpa Jones earned his living mainly in radio shows; Records were not produced in those years. During this time he taught himself to play the banjo . He remained loyal to this instrument throughout his life, even through times when the banjo had almost completely disappeared from country music . Soon he was one of the leading instrumentalists on the country scene. In the early 1940s he teamed up with Merle Travis and the Delmore Brothers to form the Brown's Ferry Four quartet .

The outbreak of the Second World War initially interrupted his career. Jones spent two years as a GI in Germany, where he founded the Munich Mountaineers group. In 1946 he signed his first record deal with the King label. A little later, a medium hit was produced with Mountain Dew . In the same year he moved to Nashville , where he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry . Playing music, telling stories and teasing jokes, he quickly became one of the most popular stars. For decades his name was inextricably linked with the legendary radio show.

In 1952 he moved to RCA-Victor and in 1956 to DECCA. He had his biggest hit in 1962 with the Jimmie Rodgers song T for Texas . From 1969 he was a permanent member of the Hee Haw television show, which was country music and fun. As a quick-witted grandpa, he became known nationwide beyond the country scene; its popularity peaked during these years.

Grandpa Jones was active into the eighties. He was considered the most important representative of tradition-oriented music. He was one of the driving forces behind the Association of Country Entertainers ACE, which unsuccessfully opposed the trend towards pop music in the 1970s. In 1978 Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame .

Grandpa Jones died on February 19, 1998 at the age of 84.

Discography

Albums

  • 1957 - Sacred Songs
  • 1959 - Grandpa Jones (All American Boy)
  • 1959 - Grandpa Jones-Strictly Country Tunes
  • 1962 - Grandpa Jones Makes the Rafters Ring
  • 1963 - An Evening with Grandpa Jones
  • 1963 - Grandpa Jones' Yodeling Hits
  • 1963 - Rollin 'Along with Grandpa Jones
  • 1964 - Grandpa Jones Sings Real Folk Songs
  • 1966 - Grandpa Jones (Remembers The Brown's Ferry Four)
  • 1968 - Everybody's Grandpa
  • 1969 - Grandpa Jones Sings Hits from Hee Haw
  • 1970 - Pickin 'Time
  • 1972 - Grandpa Jones Live
  • 1974 - What's for Supper
  • 1977 - 16 greatest hits
  • 1979 - Grandpa Jones' Family Album
  • 1981 - Family Gathering
  • 1984 - The Hee-Haw Gospel Quartet

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
Country Country
1959 The All-American Boy Country21 (2 weeks)
Country
1962 T for Texas Country5 (16 weeks)
Country

More singles

  • 1944: It's Raining Here This Morning
  • 1946: Eight More Miles To Louisville
  • 1947: Mountain Dew
  • 1947: Old Rattler
  • 1963: Night Train To Memphis

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ Chart sources: US
personal data
SURNAME Jones, grandpa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jones, Louis Marshall (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country musician
DATE OF BIRTH October 20, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Niagra , Kentucky , USA
DATE OF DEATH February 19, 1998