Kelly Harrell

Crockett Kelly Harrell (born September 13, 1889 in Wythe County , Virginia - † July 9, 1942 ) was an American old-time musician .

Life

Childhood and youth

Kelly Harrell came from an area near the Virginia- North Carolina border where an extraordinarily large number of influential old-time musicians lived and worked. Raised in Fries, Virginia, he was already working in the area's textile mills at the age of 14. Although Harrell didn't play an instrument (which was unusual for old-time musicians), he loved to sing and spent a lot of time with work colleagues making music together. As a young man, Harrell met Henry Whitter , also a local worker and from 1923 a professional musician.

Career

In January 1925, Harrell traveled to New York City , where he made his first recordings for Victor Records . Accompanied by unknown studio musicians, he played New River Train , Rovin 'Gambler , I Wish I Was Single Again and Butcher's Boy , all traditional pieces that were also recorded by many other artists of the time (Henry Whitter, Vernon Dalhart , Buell Kazee , later also Bill Monroe ). In August Harrell accompanied his friend Henry Whitter to Asheville , North Carolina, where they both recorded a number of songs. Harrell was accompanied by Whitter on guitar and harmonica in his songs - a rather dubious pleasure since Whitter was not a talented musician. For example, when recording Wild Bill Jones , he played in the wrong key all the time.

A year later, Harrell traveled again to New York, where he - accompanied by studio musician Carson Robison - recorded a total of 13 songs over three days for Victor, including new recordings of his four first Victor titles from January 1925. The average sales of his records and thus also the low payments from the record companies demotivated Harrell and in late 1926 he moved to Henry County, where he took a more lucrative job at the Fieldcrest Mill. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of the Virginia String Band , a group that consisted of guitarist Alfred Steagall and banjo player RD Hundley, and from then on used them as his backing band . When Harrell returned to New York in March 1927, he brought his own band into the studio.

More sessions for Victor with the Virginia String Band followed by 1929, among the musicians were Lonnie Austin and Posey Rorer , who played Ramblers in Charlie Pooles North Carolina . During his last session, however, Victor put the studio musician Roy Smeck at his side again, as it was too expensive for the label to pay Harrell's band. The Great Depression finally destroyed Harrell's career as a musician. He played locally with the Virginia String Band until the early 1930s. Nevertheless, he tried in the 1930s to get a record deal again, but no label was interested in him anymore. His biggest commercial success was Away Out on the Mountain , which he sang on Radio WWNC in 1927 and which was then covered by Jimmie Rodgers .

Harrell died of a heart attack while working at the age of 52 in 1942.

Discography

year	title	#	Remarks
Victor Records
	I Wish I Was Single Again / Butcher's Boy	19563
	New River Train / Rovin 'Gambler	19596
OKeh Records
	I Was Born About 10,000 Years Ago / Wild Bill Jones	40486
	I'm Going Back to North Carolina / Be at Home Soon Tonight, My Dear Boy	40505
	Peg and Awl / I Was Born in Pennsylvania	40544
	The Wreck on the Southern Old 97 / Blue Eyed Ella	7010
Victor Records
	My Horses Ain't Hungry / Hand Me Down My Walking Cane	20103
	New River Train / Rovin 'Gambler	20171
	I Wish I Was Single Again / Butcher's Boy	20242
	Oh Molly Dear Go Ask Your Mother / Broken Engagement	20280
	Bright Sherman Valley / Dying Hobo	20527
	Beneath the Weeping Willow Tree / By and By You Will Forget Me	20535
	In the Shadow of the Pine / I'm Nobody's Darling on Earth	20657
	Henry Clay Beattie / Charles Giteau	20797
	I Love My Sweetheart the Best / I Want a Nice Little Fellow	20867
	Row Us Over the Tide / I Have No Loving Mother Now	20935	with Henry Norton
	For Seven Long Years I've Been Married / Charley, He's a Good Old Man	21069
	My Name is John Johannah / My Wife, She Has Gone and Left Me	21520	as "Kelly Harrell (Virginia String Band)"
	The Henpecked Man / Cave Love Has Gained the Day	23689
	I Heard Somebody Call My Name /?	23747	B-side by Bob Miller
	The Cuckoo She's a Fine Bird / Oh, My Pretty Monkey	V-40047
	She Just Keep Kissing On / All My Sins Are Taken Away	V-40095
Unpublished titles
1925	I want a nice little fellow Little Mohee	OKeh
1929	Are You Going to Leave Your Old Home Today?	Victor

literature

• Tony Russell: Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost (2007), pp. 21-23; Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195325095
• Kip Lornell: Virginia's Blues, Country & Gospel Records, 1902-1943 (1989), pp. 83-86; University Press of Kentucky, ISBN 0813116589
• Tony Russell: Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942 (2004), pp. 403-404; Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195139895