Norman Woodlieff

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Norman Woodlieff (born March 13, 1901 near Rural Hall , North Carolina , † February 10, 1985 in Rockingham County (North Carolina) ) was an American old-time musician . Woodlieff worked as guitarist for Charlie Poole and can be heard on his first hit Don't Let Your Deal Go Down .

Life

Norman Woodlieff was born near Rural Hall, North Carolina in 1901. In 1910 his family moved to Spray , where he worked in the local textile factories. At the age of 12 he learned to play the guitar with the help of his older brother . He joined the US Navy at 19 and when he returned two years later he met the banjo player Charlie Poole, who worked in the same factories and played with Posey Rorer . With Woodlieff's inclusion, the group became the North Carolina Ramblers and in 1925 they tried their luck in New York City and immediately got a contract with Columbia Records. During Poole's first session on July 27th, Woodlieff played guitar alongside Rorer (fiddle) and is on the hit Don't Let Your Deal Go Down / Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister? to listen.

On a tour of Virginia Poole met guitarist Roy Harvey , who soon replaced Woodlieff. Woodlieff continued to play with Poole, but was no longer in his sessions. It was not until 1929 that he made his next recordings - this time with Walter "Kid" Smith and Posey Rorer, who had also left Poole. Twelve pieces were recorded for Gennett Records , but they came out under pseudonyms . Woodlieff recalls: “ They'd give us different names and put 'em out under different labels, but they didn't seem to sell much. “In 1931 Woodlieff went back to the studio with the Carolina Buddies (a group of Walter Smith) and the Virginia Dandies, where 18 more songs were recorded.

But the global economic crisis let the record sales drop drastically, so that Woodlieff got no chance to make further recordings. It wasn't until 1939 that he made his last recordings as a member of the Four Pickled Peppers , with whom he had played since 1929. Woodlieff then ran his own advertising paint business, which he only gave up in the mid-1970s.

Norman Woodlieff died in 1985 at the age of 84. In his last years he suffered from depression.

Discography

See the discographies of Charlie Poole , Walter Smith, and the Four Pickled Peppers .

literature

  • Patrick Huber: Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South. University of North Carolina Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-8078-3225-7 , pp. 286 f.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42342801/norman-lee-woodlieff
  2. ^ Boca Raton News - 1979 interview.
personal data
SURNAME Woodlieff, Norman
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American old-time musician
DATE OF BIRTH March 13, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH near Rural Hall (North Carolina)
DATE OF DEATH February 10, 1985
Place of death Rockingham County, North Carolina