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Skillet Lickers

December 18, 2023

The Skillet Lickers were an old-time band from Georgia, United States.

The Skillet Lickers

When Gid Tanner teamed up with blind guitarist Riley Puckett and signed to Columbia in 1924,[1] they created the label's earliest so-called "hillbilly" recording. Gid Tanner formed The Skillet Lickers in 1926.[1] The first line-up was Gid Tanner, Riley Puckett, Clayton McMichen and Fate Norris.[1] Between 1926 and 1931 they recorded 88 sides for Columbia, with 82 of them commercially issued.[1] Later members were Lowe Stokes, Bert Layne, Hoke Rice, Arthur Tanner and Hoyt "Slim" Bryant.[1] Their best-selling single was "Down Yonder", a hillbilly breakdown, in 1934 on RCA Victor.[1] They disbanded in 1931, but reformed for occasional recordings after a couple of years with a changing line-up.[1] "Back Up and Push" was another well-known recording. The Skillet Lickers, together with fellow North Georgians Fiddlin' John Carson and the Georgia Yellow Hammers, made Atlanta and North Georgia an early center of old-time string band music, especially the hard-driving fiddle-based style employed by each of these performers.

Individual members edit

Clayton McMichen (1900–1970) was the lead fiddler.[1] He was known as "Mac". At the age of 11 he learned to play the fiddle from his uncle and father. Two years later, in 1913, his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia where Mac made his living as an automobile mechanic. In 1918 he formed a band called "The Hometown Boys" consisting of himself and Charles Whitten on fiddles, Boss Hawkins and Mike Whitten on guitars and Ezra "Ted" Hawkins on mandolin. The Hometown Boys made their first radio debut on September 18, 1922. In 1931, he performed with the "Georgia Wildcats" on their first recording session for Columbia Records. He was National Fiddling Champion from 1934 to 1949. Mac made his last recordings in 1945, although he continued to perform until 1955 when he retired. His most notable composition was "Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia", later recorded by Jimmie Rodgers in 1932. By the time the folk revival was under way in the late 1950s, his irritation with being asked to play old-fashioned material was unconcealed. At the Newport Festival he spoke out on stage of his disdain for the Skillet Lickers. However, the recordings he made with that band are the only ones of his in print. In the early 1930s. the band occasionally toured without Gid Tanner, and without Puckett, with McMichen in charge instead. On these occasions Bert Layne would black-up for on stage comedy.

Fate Norris, (Singleton Lafayette Norris) of Dalton, Georgia played the banjo, and harmonica.[1] He lived in Resaca, Georgia. He had previously performed as a one-man band and had made a device with strings and levers which he played with his feet.[2] Norris made some recordings under his own name and was only occasionally a member of the band. By 1931 he appears to have disappeared from the line-up, to be replaced by Gid on banjo. He later died on stage in Subligna, Georgia on November 11, 1944.[3]

Lowe Stokes (Marcus Lowell Stokes 1898-1983), who played the fiddle, was born in Elijay, Georgia. A superb fiddler, considered McMichen's equal and one of the finest recorded fiddlers of the time, he won many fiddle championships in the region. Stokes lost his right hand to a shotgun blast in the late 1920s, in the midst of the Skillet Lickers' popularity. He eventually began fiddling again using a prosthetic attachment to hold his bow, and he can be heard playing on some later Skillet Licker records in this manner (for example, on "Broken Down Gambler"). Later, Stokes moved to Chouteau, Oklahoma where he died.

Bert Layne (fiddle), brother-in-law of McMichen, played occasionally. His fiddle had a lower sound than Tanner or McMichen, but the combination of three fiddles marks out the group from almost everyone else at the time. On the group's later records, the three-fiddle lineup was usually composed of McMichen, Layne, and Lowe Stokes, playing tightly in unison or in harmony, while Gid Tanner switched to banjo. Arthur Tanner (brother of Gid) played banjo and guitar.

Riley Puckett recorded solo for Victor and Decca in the 1930s and early 1940s. He also belonged to a trio called Bert Layne and his Mountaineers. After 1931 the group occasionally consisted of Riley Puckett on guitar, Gordon Tanner on fiddle, Edward "Ted" Hawkins on mandolin and record producer Dan Hornsby on vocals. There are recordings by a group called the Arthur Tanner and the Cornshuckers, which may have contained Gid Tanner.

The virtuosity of Puckett tended to pull in a different direction from that of Mac. The band recorded in two long recording sessions per year, from 1926 to 1931. Few members of the group were full-time professional musicians. Clayton McMichen was an auto mechanic. McMichen was a welder. Tanner was a chicken farmer. Riley Puckett toured as a musician with his own tent show. His technical virtuosity marks him out as one of the best guitarists of the 1920s and early 1930s.

Legacy edit

While many bands are celebrated for their innovations, the Skillet Lickers are celebrated for embracing and popularizing a style of American music rarely heard outside of private performances or get togethers like picnics or in places outside of the South. They were a wellspring of such music and greatly aided in popularizing this type of fiddle driven, rural based music. They played many instrumentals, ballads, pop songs and comedy sketches, such as "A Corn Licker Still in Georgia".[1] This was a set of 14 sketches with a running gag that people in authority wanted to stamp out illegal stills and after-hours fiddle-playing, but secretly wanted to drink the liquor, and hear the tunes. They even depicted a real-life minister of the church drinking the moonshine in a sketch. The New Lost City Ramblers, a revival old-time group from the early 1960s, were fans of the Skillet Lickers.[citation needed] Tanner's son, Gordon Tanner, went on to lead a group called the Junior Skillet Lickers.[1] Tanner's grandson, Phil, led Skillet Lickers II.[1]

Discography edit

78s:

Postwar recordings:

  • Gid Tanner; Gordon Tanner; Phil Tanner's Skillet Lickers : Skillet Licker Music 1955-1991: The Tanner Legacy - Global Village CD-310 (1997)

Reissued material also appears on:

  • Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers : eponymous - RCA Victor EPA-5069 (1958)
  • Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers : eponymous - Folk Song Society of Minnesota 15001-D (1962)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Vol. 1 - County 506 (196?)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Vol. 2 - County 526 (1973)
  • Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers : Hear These New Southern Fiddle and Guitar Records - Rounder 1005 (1973)
  • Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers : The Kickapoo Medicine Show - Rounder 1023 (197?)
  • Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers : eponymous - Vetco LP-107 (197?)
  • The Skillet Lickers : A Day At the Country Fair: Early Country Comedy - Old Homestead OHCS-145 (1985)
  • Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers : Early Classic String Bands Vol. 3 - Old Homestead OHCS-193 (1990)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Old-Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia / County CD-3509 (1996)
  • Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers : A Corn Licker Still in Georgia - Voyager VRLP-303 (197?), reissued as VRCD-303 (1997)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 1: 1926-1927 - Document DOCD-8056 (2000)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 2: 1927-1928 - Document DOCD-8057 (2000)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 3: 1928-1929 - Document DOCD-8058 (2000)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 4: 1929-1930 - Document DOCD-8059 (2000)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 5: 1930-1934 - Document DOCD-8060 (2000)
  • The Skillet Lickers : Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 6: 1934 - Document DOCD-8061 (2000)
  • Gid Tanner And The Skillet Lickers: Old Timey's Favorite Band on 4 CDs - JSP JSPCD 77155 - 2012

Anthologies:

  • "Can't You Hear Me Callin' Bluegrass: 80 Years of American Music" (2004)
  • "Good For What Ails You 1926 - 1937" (2006)
  • "Serenade in the Mountains" (2006)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 374. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
  2. ^ "Joe Barrick's one-man band". Mustrad.org.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  3. ^ Spring 1997 volume of the Chattooga County Historic Society Quarterly

Bibliography edit

External links edit

  • Photo of Fate Norris
  • Biography of Clayton McMichen
  • A Corn Licker Still in Georgia

December 18, 2023
skillet, lickers, were, time, band, from, georgia, united, states, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, n. The Skillet Lickers were an old time band from Georgia United States The Skillet LickersThis article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Skillet Lickers news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message When Gid Tanner teamed up with blind guitarist Riley Puckett and signed to Columbia in 1924 1 they created the label s earliest so called hillbilly recording Gid Tanner formed The Skillet Lickers in 1926 1 The first line up was Gid Tanner Riley Puckett Clayton McMichen and Fate Norris 1 Between 1926 and 1931 they recorded 88 sides for Columbia with 82 of them commercially issued 1 Later members were Lowe Stokes Bert Layne Hoke Rice Arthur Tanner and Hoyt Slim Bryant 1 Their best selling single was Down Yonder a hillbilly breakdown in 1934 on RCA Victor 1 They disbanded in 1931 but reformed for occasional recordings after a couple of years with a changing line up 1 Back Up and Push was another well known recording The Skillet Lickers together with fellow North Georgians Fiddlin John Carson and the Georgia Yellow Hammers made Atlanta and North Georgia an early center of old time string band music especially the hard driving fiddle based style employed by each of these performers Contents 1 Individual members 2 Legacy 3 Discography 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External linksIndividual members editClayton McMichen 1900 1970 was the lead fiddler 1 He was known as Mac At the age of 11 he learned to play the fiddle from his uncle and father Two years later in 1913 his family moved to Atlanta Georgia where Mac made his living as an automobile mechanic In 1918 he formed a band called The Hometown Boys consisting of himself and Charles Whitten on fiddles Boss Hawkins and Mike Whitten on guitars and Ezra Ted Hawkins on mandolin The Hometown Boys made their first radio debut on September 18 1922 In 1931 he performed with the Georgia Wildcats on their first recording session for Columbia Records He was National Fiddling Champion from 1934 to 1949 Mac made his last recordings in 1945 although he continued to perform until 1955 when he retired His most notable composition was Peach Pickin Time in Georgia later recorded by Jimmie Rodgers in 1932 By the time the folk revival was under way in the late 1950s his irritation with being asked to play old fashioned material was unconcealed At the Newport Festival he spoke out on stage of his disdain for the Skillet Lickers However the recordings he made with that band are the only ones of his in print In the early 1930s the band occasionally toured without Gid Tanner and without Puckett with McMichen in charge instead On these occasions Bert Layne would black up for on stage comedy Fate Norris Singleton Lafayette Norris of Dalton Georgia played the banjo and harmonica 1 He lived in Resaca Georgia He had previously performed as a one man band and had made a device with strings and levers which he played with his feet 2 Norris made some recordings under his own name and was only occasionally a member of the band By 1931 he appears to have disappeared from the line up to be replaced by Gid on banjo He later died on stage in Subligna Georgia on November 11 1944 3 Lowe Stokes Marcus Lowell Stokes 1898 1983 who played the fiddle was born in Elijay Georgia A superb fiddler considered McMichen s equal and one of the finest recorded fiddlers of the time he won many fiddle championships in the region Stokes lost his right hand to a shotgun blast in the late 1920s in the midst of the Skillet Lickers popularity He eventually began fiddling again using a prosthetic attachment to hold his bow and he can be heard playing on some later Skillet Licker records in this manner for example on Broken Down Gambler Later Stokes moved to Chouteau Oklahoma where he died Bert Layne fiddle brother in law of McMichen played occasionally His fiddle had a lower sound than Tanner or McMichen but the combination of three fiddles marks out the group from almost everyone else at the time On the group s later records the three fiddle lineup was usually composed of McMichen Layne and Lowe Stokes playing tightly in unison or in harmony while Gid Tanner switched to banjo Arthur Tanner brother of Gid played banjo and guitar Riley Puckett recorded solo for Victor and Decca in the 1930s and early 1940s He also belonged to a trio called Bert Layne and his Mountaineers After 1931 the group occasionally consisted of Riley Puckett on guitar Gordon Tanner on fiddle Edward Ted Hawkins on mandolin and record producer Dan Hornsby on vocals There are recordings by a group called the Arthur Tanner and the Cornshuckers which may have contained Gid Tanner The virtuosity of Puckett tended to pull in a different direction from that of Mac The band recorded in two long recording sessions per year from 1926 to 1931 Few members of the group were full time professional musicians Clayton McMichen was an auto mechanic McMichen was a welder Tanner was a chicken farmer Riley Puckett toured as a musician with his own tent show His technical virtuosity marks him out as one of the best guitarists of the 1920s and early 1930s Legacy editWhile many bands are celebrated for their innovations the Skillet Lickers are celebrated for embracing and popularizing a style of American music rarely heard outside of private performances or get togethers like picnics or in places outside of the South They were a wellspring of such music and greatly aided in popularizing this type of fiddle driven rural based music They played many instrumentals ballads pop songs and comedy sketches such as A Corn Licker Still in Georgia 1 This was a set of 14 sketches with a running gag that people in authority wanted to stamp out illegal stills and after hours fiddle playing but secretly wanted to drink the liquor and hear the tunes They even depicted a real life minister of the church drinking the moonshine in a sketch The New Lost City Ramblers a revival old time group from the early 1960s were fans of the Skillet Lickers citation needed Tanner s son Gordon Tanner went on to lead a group called the Junior Skillet Lickers 1 Tanner s grandson Phil led Skillet Lickers II 1 Discography edit78s As the Skillet Lickers and as various lineups including many of the same personnel the band recorded singles on Columbia and affiliated labels Bluebird Victor His Master s Voice India Regal England Regal Zonophone Australia Montgomery Ward and Vocalion labels Postwar at least one 45 rpm reissue single is known on RCA Victor Postwar recordings Gid Tanner Gordon Tanner Phil Tanner s Skillet Lickers Skillet Licker Music 1955 1991 The Tanner Legacy Global Village CD 310 1997 Reissued material also appears on Gid Tanner amp the Skillet Lickers eponymous RCA Victor EPA 5069 1958 Gid Tanner amp His Skillet Lickers eponymous Folk Song Society of Minnesota 15001 D 1962 The Skillet Lickers Vol 1 County 506 196 The Skillet Lickers Vol 2 County 526 1973 Gid Tanner amp His Skillet Lickers Hear These New Southern Fiddle and Guitar Records Rounder 1005 1973 Gid Tanner amp His Skillet Lickers The Kickapoo Medicine Show Rounder 1023 197 Gid Tanner amp the Skillet Lickers eponymous Vetco LP 107 197 The Skillet Lickers A Day At the Country Fair Early Country Comedy Old Homestead OHCS 145 1985 Gid Tanner amp His Skillet Lickers Early Classic String Bands Vol 3 Old Homestead OHCS 193 1990 The Skillet Lickers Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia County CD 3509 1996 Gid Tanner amp His Skillet Lickers A Corn Licker Still in Georgia Voyager VRLP 303 197 reissued as VRCD 303 1997 The Skillet Lickers Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 1 1926 1927 Document DOCD 8056 2000 The Skillet Lickers Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 2 1927 1928 Document DOCD 8057 2000 The Skillet Lickers Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 3 1928 1929 Document DOCD 8058 2000 The Skillet Lickers Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 4 1929 1930 Document DOCD 8059 2000 The Skillet Lickers Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 5 1930 1934 Document DOCD 8060 2000 The Skillet Lickers Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 6 1934 Document DOCD 8061 2000 Gid Tanner And The Skillet Lickers Old Timey s Favorite Band on 4 CDs JSP JSPCD 77155 2012Anthologies Can t You Hear Me Callin Bluegrass 80 Years of American Music 2004 Good For What Ails You 1926 1937 2006 Serenade in the Mountains 2006 References edit a b c d e f g h i j k l Colin Larkin ed 1993 The Guinness Who s Who of Country Music First ed Guinness Publishing p 374 ISBN 0 85112 726 6 Joe Barrick s one man band Mustrad org uk Retrieved 22 March 2019 Spring 1997 volume of the Chattooga County Historic Society QuarterlyBibliography editStars of Country Music University of Illinois Press 1975 ISBN 978 0252005275External links editPhoto of Fate Norris Biography of Clayton McMichen A Corn Licker Still in Georgia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Skillet Lickers amp oldid 1165949021, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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