Sam McGee

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Sam McGee (born May 1, 1894 in Franklin , Tennessee , † August 21, 1975 , ibid) was an American guitarist and banjo player. He was one of the pioneers of the fingerpickin ' guitar style of old-time country .

Life

McGee originally played the banjo , as was typical of the rural Appalachian mountains, but then developed his guitar technique , influenced by African-American music such as blues , ragtime and early jazz . With his brother Kirk ( Fiddle ) he formed one of the first brother duos in country music . In 1924 they joined the band of Uncle Dave Macon , who became their sponsor. Radio appearances and first recordings followed. In addition to guitarists such as Merle Travis , Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore , Sam McGee contributed to "that there are fingerpicking pieces that are of high complexity and, by all standards, also belong to the highest levels of difficulty that there is in guitar music."

From 1931 the McGee brothers played with Fiddlin 'Arthur Smith in the band The Dixieliners, a very popular group in the USA in the 1930s. Sam and Kirk were regular guests at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville . Even in the 1960s, the brothers regularly recorded records - individually, together and again with Arthur Smith. With him they performed at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 . In the early 1970s, the brothers founded their own record label , MBA Records. Sam McGee never made a living from music, but also worked as a blacksmith and on his farm. He died in a tractor accident at the age of 81.

Discography (selection)

  • 1962: Opry Old Timers (Live; Sam McGee with Kirk McGee & the Crook Brothers)
  • 1963: Grand Dad of the Country Guitar Pickers
  • 1999: Complete Recorded Works 1926-1934

Web links

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  1. ↑ "McGee's style was an important-if belatedly recognized-aspect of country fingerpicking that undoubtedly influenced many guitarists within range of the Opry's radio signal." ("McGee's style was an important, albeit late recognized, aspect of country fingerpicking style, who undoubtedly influenced many guitarists in the field of the Opry radio station. ”); Rich Kienzle, The Evolution of Country Fingerpicking , from Guitar Player Magazine , online version viewed April 2, 2007
  2. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fingerpicker.de
  3. ↑ Details at Document Records
personal data
SURNAME McGee, Sam
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country musician
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Franklin (Tennessee) , USA
DATE OF DEATH August 21, 1975
Place of death Franklin (Tennessee) , USA