Charlie Oaks

Charlie Oaks (* in Richmond , Kentucky ) was an American old-time musician . Oaks was among the first rural Tennessee musicians to be recorded on vinyl.

Life

Just Before the Battle, Mother , ca.1925

Although the blind Charlie Oaks was from Kentucky, he spent most of his life in Tennessee. Due to his lack of eyesight, he was forced to play as a musician on street corners in order to finance his living. He performed harmonica and guitar for several years in Knoxville , Tennessee, and was a popular musician at public events in the Upper South even before World War I. Two of his own compositions were published in the Journal of American Folklore in 1909 . As a composer, Oaks specialized in so-called "event songs", which dealt with train accidents, murders and natural disasters. He later recorded many of these pieces on record, similar to Carson Robison and Andrew Jenkins , who composed similar songs.

In 1925 he was invited by the Vocalion Records label to make recordings in New York City . In the next few years Oaks recorded a number of pieces, including The Death of William Jennings Bryan , The John T. Scopes Trial , Andrew Jenkins' The Death of Floyd Collins and Little Mary Phagan , which originally came from Moonshine Kate . In the late 1920s, Oaks also took on as the Oaks Family for Victor Records , but he only enjoyed his recording career for a short time. He never appeared on the radio and his old-fashioned, raw style was soon replaced by other musicians. His career ended again in Knoxville, where he appeared as a street musician with his wife. At the time of his first recordings for Vocalion, he was 55 years old or even older, but the exact date of his death is unknown.

Discography

year	title	#	Remarks
Published titles
Vocalion Records
1925	The John Scopes Trial / Death of William Jennings Bryan	5068
	Death of Floyd Collins / Little Mary Phagan	5069
	Poor Little Joe / I Have No Mother Now	5072
	The Kaiser and Uncle Sam / Marching Through Flanders	5073
	Broken Engagement / Fatal Wedding	5076
	Moonshine / The Drunkard's Dream	5084
	Old Cottage Home / Who Will Care for Mother Now	5105
	Darling Nellie Gray / A Boy's Best Friend Is His Mother	5110
	Old Musician and his Harp / Dr. Ginger blues	5111
	Just Before the Battle Mother / Home of the Soul	5112
	Adam and Eve / Boll Weevil	5113
Victor Records
	Wake Up You Drowsy Sleeper / I Know His Voice	VI23795	as the Oaks Family
	Since My Dear Old Mother's Gone / The Picture of My Home	VI23832	as the Oaks Family

literature

• Charles K. Wolfe: Tennessee Strings: The Story of Country Music in Tennessee (1977), pp. 30-32; University of Tennessee Press, ISBN 0870492241
• Bill C. Malone: Country Music, USA (2002), p. 46; University of Texas Press, ISBN 0292752628

Web links

• Charlie Oaks on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)