Henry Whitter

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Henry Whitter (born April 6, 1892 in Fries , Virginia , † November 17, 1941 in Morganton , North Carolina ) was an American old-time musician . Whitter's recording, Wreck of the Old Southern '97, was one of the first pieces by a country musician to be recorded on vinyl.

Life

Before the career

Born in Fries, Henry Whitter worked in the Virginia's textile mills. He played guitar and harmonica at an early age, and later learned the banjo , fiddle and piano . Whitter, like many others of his time, performed at square dance events or barn dances. In the evenings he often played music with friends in front of his hut or on the street.

Career

Wreck of the Old Southern '97 , 1923

In March 1923, Whitter quit his job in the textile mill and traveled to New York to try his hand at music. He made some demo recordings, but they were rated as uninteresting. After Fiddlin 'John Carson's Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane was released in July of that year , the “hillbilly boom” began and Whitter's recordings drew the attention of Okeh Records . Whitter got a record deal there and recorded his self-written piece The Wreck of the Old '97 , which is about a railway tragedy, along with eight other titles with Okeh in December . The record sold well and gave Vernon Dalhart the title with which he was to produce one of the first million-sellers of country music in 1924, then still called hillbilly music . With his recording of the song, Whitter is the fourth old-time musician to make a record after Eck Robertson , Fiddlin 'John Carson and Wendell Hall . He recorded his early songs with guitar and harmonica.

Whitter continued to record for the next five years, including the Lonesome Road Blues . Although Whitter was not a gifted singer, he could earn a lot of money as a composer, from which he first a Ford T bought.

In 1927, Whitter met the blind Fiddler G. B. Grayson at a Fiddlers convention in Mountain City, Tennessee . Grayson was a wandering musician who performed at small events and participated in fiddle competitions. Grayson had also competed in Mountain City and made friends with Whitter. This resulted in one of the most successful duos of the 1920s, called Grayson and Whitter . After receiving a record deal, Whitter and Grayson recorded 40 tracks over the next three years, including Tom Dooley , The Nine Pound Hammer , Cluck Old Hen and Banks of the Ohio , but their biggest hit was Handsome Molly , which sold 50,000 copies. Her pieces were later covered by stars like Ralph Stanley , Doc Watson , Bob Dylan and The Kingston Trio . The joint careers of the two musicians came to an abrupt end when Grayson was killed in a car accident on the way to his brother in 1930.

Whitter never got over the death of his partner and friend and appeared sporadically for the rest of his life. He died in North Carolina in 1941 at the age of 49.

Discography

year title # Remarks
OKeh Records
1924 Wreck of the Old Southern '97 / Lonesome Road Blues
1924 Little Brown Jug / She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
1924 Hop Light Ladies / Tippy Two Step Blues
1924 Western Country / Chicken, You Better Go Behind the Barn
1924 Where Have You Been So Long? / Sidney Allen
1924 Double Headed Train / The Weeping Blues
1924 Stormy Wave Blues / New River Train
The Drunkard's Child / Goin 'down the Road Feelin' Bad
Nellie Gray / Jenny Lind Polka as H. Whitter Virginia Breakdowns
The Kaiser and Uncle Sam / Broken Engagement Blues
1925 Traveling Man / Ellen Smith
1925 Farewell to Thee / Rabbit Race
1925 Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy / Watermelon Hanging on the Vine
1925 'Round Town Girl / Black Eyed Susan A-side as H. Whitter Virginia Breakdowns
1925 The Dollar and The Devil / Long Tongued Woman
1925 I Wish I Was Single Again / The Butcher Boy
1925 Peek-a-Boo / Lost John
1925 The Clouds Gwine to Roll / Lost John
Goodbye Old Booze / Love Me While I'm Livin '
Heart of Old Galax / I Wish I Was Single Again 45045
Put My Little Shoes Away / Go Bury Me Beneath the Willow Tree 45046
Goin 'Down to Jordan to Be Baptized / Many Times with You I Wandered 45053 B-side as Harvey Whitter
Hand Me Down My Walking Cane / Show Me the Way to Go Home 45061
Victor Records
1927 Henry Whittier Fox Chase (!) / Rain on Crow Hills

Individual evidence

  1. Waye Peas: Rural Roots of Bluegrass ; P. 87

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