McClung Brothers
| McClung Brothers | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Old-time music |
| founding | 1918 |
| resolution | 1960 |
| Founding members | |
| Emery McClung | |
Vocals, guitar
|
John McClung |
The McClung Brothers , also known as West Virginia Snake Hunters have been known an American old-time duo from West Virginia .
history
The brothers John Edward McClung (born August 1, 1906) and Emery Samuel McClung (born January 3, 1910) were born in Mount Hope and Beckley , respectively . Her parents were Caroline Elizabeth (Cheetham) McClung and Park Walker McClung, who was from Raleigh County. In addition to his main job as a jeweler, Park Walker McClung was also a music teacher and choirmaster for the local church. Many of his 14 children in total learned to sing from him. As early as 1918, the brothers had to perform on the street corners in Beckley to earn money for the family, as their father was unable to continue working due to his poor health. As the skills on the fiddle and guitar increased , the McClung Brothers were soon hired for events in the Miner's Convention Hall. Her self-composed parody of the American national anthem was particularly popular.
In the early 1920s, the brothers founded the West Virginia Trail Blazers with George Ward and John Lanchester . With this string band , the McClung Brothers toured across the United States in an old Studebaker and even came to California , even if they mostly played around West Virginia. The duo began their career as a record artist in March 1927 when they traveled to New York City and recorded eight songs for Brunswick Records . The repertoire ranged from religious songs to fiddle pieces to minstrel songs. The musician Carson Robison also played his whistle on two of the pieces. Some of the tracks were released under the new band name West Virginia Snake Hunters , even if the group does not appear on the recordings.
In 1929 the McClung Brothers played together with Cleve Chafin (1885-1959) a session for Paramount Records in Chicago , which produced only four new songs. Chafin and the McClungs then went their separate ways. None of the three musicians should ever make recordings again.
The West Virginia Snake Hunters continued to exist until 1934. After that the brothers played in a gospel quartet at WJLS in Beckley. John McClung won a Fiddlers Contest in Beckley in 1950 , in which Emery took second place. While Emery died in 1960, John settled in Alexandria , Virginia , where he lived until his death in 1991.
Discography
Brunswick 119 was also released on Supertone Records .
| year | title | # | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick Records | |||
| 1927 | Standin 'in the Need of Prayer / Walk the Streets of Glory | 119 | some records appeared as West Virginia Snake Hunters |
| 1927 | Birdie / The Fun Is All Over | 134 | |
| Chicken / Liza Jane | 135 | ||
| It's a Long Way to Tipperary / When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore I Big Red Rose | 136 | ||
| Paramount Records | |||
| 1929 | Trail Blazer's Favorite / Alabama Jubilee | 3161 | with Cleve Chaffin |
| Curtains of Night / Rock House Gamblers | 3179 | with Cleve Chaffin | |
literature
- Tony Russell: Country Music Records - A Discography 1922-1942 (2004), pp. 200 / pp. 529-530; University of Oxford Press, ISBN 0195139895
- Ivan M. Tribe: Mountaineer Jamboree: Country Music in West Virginia (1996), pp. 29-29; University Press of Kentucky, ISBN 0813108780
Web links
- McClung Brothers on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)