Wade Mainer was an American singer and
banjoist died at heart failure he was 104..
(April 21, 1907 – September 12, 2011)
With his band, the Sons of the Mountaineers, he is credited with bridging the gap between old-time mountain music and
Bluegrass and is sometimes called the "Grandfather of Bluegrass." In addition, he innovated a two-finger banjo
fingerpicking style, which was a precursor to modern three-finger bluegrass styles.
Originally from
North Carolina,
Mainer's main influences came from the mountain music of his family. In
a career that began in 1934 and spanned almost six decades, Mainer
transitioned from being a member of his brother's band into the founder
of his own ensemble, the Sons of the Mountaineers, with whom he
performed until 1953, when he became more deeply involved with his
Christianity and left the music industry. After working at a General
Motors factory and attending
gospel
revivals, Mainer was convinced that he should restart his career as a
Christian gospel musician and began to tour with his wife in this
capacity. He continued to release albums until 1993.
Personal life
Mainer was born near
Weaverville, North Carolina, on a mountain farm in
Buncombe County on April 21, 1907.
[2] His family was poor during his childhood and they lived in a log cabin in the
Blue Ridge Mountains.
Mainer credited his father who was, in Mainer's words, "a good singer –
real stout voice", as of one of his influences. During his career as a
musical artist, Mainer would perform many of the old songs that he had
heard from his father.
[3]
Mainer grew up listening to traditional mountain music and was largely influenced by his brother-in-law Roscoe Banks.
[2] He first learned to play the banjo at
square dances, where he would pick up instruments left by performers and practice on them.
[4] After moving to
Concord, North Carolina and working in a series of jobs at
cotton mills, he became a part of his brother J.E.'s band, known as
J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers. His entry into the band in 1934 marked the beginning of a nearly six-decade career in music.
[2]
J.E. played the fiddle while Wade performed on the banjo for the string
band, and they played at fiddlers' conventions and other gatherings.
[3]
Mainer married Julia Brown in 1937, shortly after forming his own band. Brown was a singer and
guitarist popularly know at the time as
Hillbilly Lilly. She had performed from 1935 until 1937 at
WSJS Radio in
Winston Salem. Brown is considered to be a pioneering female musical artist and later joined Mainer during his performances.
[4]
Musical career
Mainer's first recordings came in 1934 and are compiled on
Ragged But Right: 30's Country Bands. Mainer performed with The Mountaineers on tracks such as
Maple on the Hill,
Seven and a Half and
Johnson's Old Grey Mule. Also included on the compilation are Mainer's later collaboration
Short Life and It's Trouble with Zeke Morris, his solo effort
Riding on That Train 45 and a sample song
Mitchell Blues from his band the
Sons of the Mountaineers.
[5]
Throughout his career, he was noted for his unique and innovative
two-finger banjo fingerpicking style, which some view as a precursor to
three finger bluegrass banjo styles.
[2] Mainer took jobs at local
radio stations to increase the visibility of his relative's ensemble, recording classics such as
Take Me in the Lifeboat. During this time, he appeared on many regional stations including
WBT in
Charlotte,
WPTF in
Raleigh,
WNOX in
Knoxville and
WPAQ in
Mount Airy.
[4]
Mainer performed in a series of live radio shows with The Mountaineers, sponsored by Crazy Water Crystals
laxatives. In 1934, J.W. Fincher, the head of the company, observed their popularity at the first gig, the
Crazy Water Crystal Barn Dance, a radio program out of Charlotte. Under the name
J. E. Mainer's Crazy Mountaineers, they toured the
American South on live radio shows and recorded fourteen songs for
Bluebird Records.
Maple on the Hill, which according to the
National Endowment for the Arts was their biggest hit, had originally been composed in the 1890s by
Gussie L. Davis.
[3]
Mainer was in his brother J.E.'s band for two years, until he left
for more traditional work, which at the time was far more profitable
than his musical career. Making only five dollars a week under
sponsorship, Mainer found that he could earn up to three times as much
working at a yarn mill, which he described as being "gold" for the era.
[4] After leaving his brother's group in 1936, he began to perform
duet
work with Zeke Morris, who was a fellow band mate from The
Mountaineers. After a time working on this project, Mainer left to form
the short-lived "Smilin' Rangers" which later became "Sons of the
Pioneers". Zeke Morris then got together with his brother Wiley to form
The Morris Brothers.
[2]
Sons of the Mountaineers
Mainer named this new band Sons of the Mountaineers. Its initial lineup included Jay Hugh Hall and
Clyde Moody as guitarists with Steve Ledford as a
fiddler.
Among the musicians who would join the group later were Jack and Curly
Shelton, Tiny Dodson, Red Rector and Fred Smith. The band got its start
performing on the radio and recording songs for Bluebird Records and
their first hit, entitled "Sparkling Blue Eyes" was recorded in 1939.
[2] From 1935 through 1941, Mainer recorded over 165 songs for the record label
RCA Victor in various lineups, ranking him among one of the most prolifically recorded
country music artists of that period.
[3]
The Sons of the Mountaineers briefly stopped playing during
World War II because Mainer could not afford to squander the valuable
gasoline required for the journey to the radio stations.
[2] One notable exception, however, came in 1942, when they were invited to the
White House by
Eleanor Roosevelt.
[6] There in
Washington D.C., they played several tunes, including "
Down in the Willow Garden", a song personally requested by President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
[4] During this time, they also appeared in a version of
The Chisholm Trail in
New York.
At wars' end, the band was reorganized and once again began to play at
stations across North Carolina. Recordings at this time were sporadic,
due to the declining popularity of the genre. In 1953, after having
renewed his commitment to
Christianity, Mainer left the group and exited the industry for a time.
[2][7]
Later life
In 1953, Mainer and his wife settled in
Flint, Michigan, where he found work at a
General Motors
factory. Although renouncing both the music industry and his trademark
instrument, the banjo, he and Julia did continue to sing at
gospel revival meetings. In the early 1960s,
Molly O'Day
convinced him that he could use the banjo in gospel recordings, which
spurred a series of religiously-theme banjo albums beginning in 1961. He
also began to record and tour with his wife.
[2]
Mainer retired from General Motors in 1973.
[8] Mainer has been credited with bridging the gap between old-time mountain music and
Bluegrass and musicians such as
Bill Monroe,
Ralph Stanley and
Doc Watson have all cited Mainer as a source of influence. He has also been called the "Grandfather of Bluegrass."
[4] His influence was not limited to the United States. Pete Smith, of the British newspaper
The Advertiser,
in a report for Mainer's 100th birthday, cited Mainer as "one of the
most influential figures in the development of modern bluegrass," noting
his picking style and his efforts in bringing bluegrass closer to the
mainstream. In addition, Smith also credits him for making the banjo, an
instrument previously described as "
satanic," acceptable for spiritually-themed music.
[9]
Mainer continued to live with his wife in Flint, where he celebrated
his centenary in 2007 and performed at a concert for his 101st birthday
in 2008.
[6][10] Mainer died of
congestive heart failure on September 12, 2011. He was 104.
Awards and honours
In 1987, president
Ronald Reagan bestowed upon him a
National Heritage Fellowship for his contributions to American music.
[2] In 1996 he received the Michigan Heritage Award and the
Michigan
Country Music Association and Services' Lifetime Achievement Award. In
1998 both he and his wife were inducted into the Michigan Country Music
Hall of Fame, while Mainer received North Carolina’s Surry Arts Council
Lifetime Achievement.
[4]
Original discography
Wade Mainer/Zeke Morris
Matrix |
Title |
Record # |
Recording date |
99133 |
"Come Back To Your Dobie Shack" |
Bluebird 6551 |
February 14, 1936 |
99134 |
"Just As the Sun Went Down" |
Bluebird 6383 |
February 14, 1936 |
99135 |
"What Would You Give In Exchange" |
Bluebird 8073 |
February 14, 1936 |
99136 |
"Bring Me a Leaf From the Sea" |
Bluebird 6347 |
February 14, 1936 |
99137 |
"Brown Eyes" |
Bluebird 6347 |
February 14, 1936 |
99138 |
"Maple On the Hill - Part 2" |
Bluebird 6293 |
February 15, 1936 |
99139 |
"Going To Georgia" |
Bluebird 6423 |
February 15, 1936 |
99140 |
"Nobody's Darling But Mine" |
Bluebird 6423 |
February 15, 1936 |
99141 |
"Mother Came to Get Her Boy Back From Jail" |
Bluebird 6383 |
February 15, 1936 |
99142 |
"Where the Red, Red Roses Grow" |
Bluebird 6293 |
February 15, 1936 |
102612 |
"My Cradle Days" |
Bluebird 6489 |
June 15, 1936 |
102613 |
"Gathering Flowers From the Hillside" |
Bluebird 6489 |
June 15, 1936 |
102614 |
"My Mother Is Waiting" |
Bluebird 6551 |
June 15, 1936 |
102615 |
"If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again" |
Bluebird 6460 |
June 15, 1936 |
102616 |
"Nobody's Darling On Earth" |
Bluebird 6460 |
June 15, 1936 |
102617 |
"Shake Hands With Your Mother" |
Bluebird 6596 |
June 15, 1936 |
2530 |
"They Said My Lord Was A Devil" |
Bluebird 6653 |
October 12, 1936 |
2531 |
"Won't Somebody Pal With Me" |
Bluebird 6704 |
October 12, 1936 |
2532 |
"Hop Along Peter" |
Bluebird 6752 |
October 12, 1936 |
2533 |
"Just One Way To the Pearly Gates" |
Bluebird 6784 |
October 12, 1936 |
2534 |
"Dear Daddy, You're Gone |
Bluebird 6752 |
October 12, 1936 |
2535 |
"Been Foolin' Me, Baby" |
Bluebird 6704 |
October 12, 1936 |
2536 |
"I'll Be a Friend of Jesus" |
Bluebird 6784 |
October 12, 1936 |
2537 |
"Cowboy's Pony In Heaven" |
Bluebird 6653 |
October 12, 1936 |
7051 |
"Little Birdie" |
Bluebird 6840 |
February 16, 1937 |
7052 |
"I've Always Been a Rambler" |
Bluebird 6890 |
February 16, 1937 |
7053 |
"I'm Starting Life A New With You" |
Bluebird 6840 |
February 16, 1937 |
7054 |
"Little Rosebuds" |
Bluebird 6993 |
February 16, 1937 |
7055 |
"Train Carry My Gal Back Home" |
Bluebird 6890 |
February 16, 1937 |
7056 |
"In the Land Beyond the Blue" |
Bluebird 6936 |
February 16, 1937 |
7057 |
"A Change All Around" |
Bluebird 6993 |
February 16, 1937 |
7058 |
"Short Life and It's Trouble" |
Bluebird 6936 |
February 16, 1937 |
11812 |
"The Dying Boy's Prayer" |
Bluebird 7165 |
August 2, 1937 |
11813 |
"Free Again" |
Bluebird 7114 |
August 2, 1937 |
11814 |
"Answer To Two Little Rosebuds" |
Bluebird 7114 |
August 2, 1937 |
11815 |
"I'm Not Turning Backward" |
Bluebird 7165 |
August 2, 1937 |
11820 |
"Riding On That Train 45" |
Bluebird 7298 |
August 2, 1937 |
11821 |
"Little Maggie" |
Bluebird 7201 |
August 2, 1937 |
11822 |
"Little Pal" |
Bluebird 7201 |
August 2, 1937 |
11823 |
"Down In the Willow" |
Bluebird 7298/Victor 27497 |
August 2, 1937 |
Wade Mainer's Smilin' Rangers
Matrix |
Title |
Record # |
Recording date |
11825 |
"Ramshackle Shack" |
Bluebird 7274 |
August 2, 1937 |
11826 |
"Memory Lane" |
Bluebird 7274 |
August 2, 1937 |
11827 |
"Wild Bill Jones" |
Bluebird 7249 |
August 2, 1937 |
11828 |
"I Want To Be Loved" |
Bluebird 7249 |
August 2, 1937 |
11816 |
"What Are You Goin' To Do Brother" |
Bluebird 7384 |
August 3, 1937 |
11817 |
"Companions Draw Nigh" |
Bluebird 7384 |
August 3, 1937 |
11818 |
"Mountain Sweetheart" |
Bluebird 7587 |
August 3, 1937 |
11819 |
"Don't Forget Me, Little Darling" |
Bluebird 7587 |
August 3, 1937 |
Wade Mainer and his Sons of the Mountaineers
Matrix |
Title |
Record # |
Recording date |
18763 |
"Lonely Tomb" |
Bluebird 7424 |
January 27, 1938 |
18764 |
"Pale Moonlight" |
Bluebird 7483 |
January 27, 1938 |
18765 |
"All My Friends" |
Bluebird 7424 |
January 27, 1938 |
18766 |
"Since I Met My Mother-In-Law" |
Bluebird 7742 |
January 27, 1938 |
18767 |
"Don't Get Too Deep In Love" |
Bluebird 7483 |
January 27, 1938 |
18768 |
"Don't Leave Me Alone" |
Bluebird 7561 |
January 27, 1938 |
18769 |
"I Won't Be Worried" |
Bluebird 7561 |
January 27, 1938 |
18770 |
"Where Romance Calls" |
Bluebird 7753 |
January 27, 1938 |
18771 |
"Another Alabama Camp Meetin'" |
Bluebird 7753 |
January 27, 1938 |
18772 |
"Mitchell Blues" |
Bluebird 7845 |
January 27, 1938 |
26981 |
"Father Along" |
Bluebird 8023 |
September 26, 1938 |
26982 |
"Dear Loving Mother and Dad" |
Bluebird 8152 |
September 26, 1938 |
26983 |
"Can't Tell About These Women" |
Bluebird 7965 |
September 26, 1938 |
26984 |
"That Kind" |
Bluebird 7861 |
September 26, 1938 |
26985 |
"If I Had Listened To Mother" |
Bluebird 8137 |
September 26, 1938 |
26986 |
"She Is Spreading Her Wings For A Journey" |
Bluebird 8023 |
September 26, 1938 |
26987 |
"The Same Old You and Me" |
Bluebird 7924 |
September 26, 1938 |
26988 |
"Life's Evenin' Sun" |
Bluebird 8007 |
September 26, 1938 |
26998 |
"You're Awfully Mean To Me" |
Bluebird 7861 |
September 26, 1938 |
26999 |
"Home In the Sky" |
Bluebird 8007 |
September 26, 1938 |
27700 |
"A Little Love" |
Bluebird 7924 |
September 26, 1938 |
27701 |
"North Carolina Moon" |
Bluebird 8628 |
September 26, 1938 |
27702 |
"More Good Women Gone Wrong" |
Bluebird 7965 |
September 26, 1938 |
32625 |
"Sparkling Blue Eyes" |
Bluebird 8042 |
February 4, 1939 |
32626 |
"We Will Miss Him" |
Bluebird 8042 |
February 4, 1939 |
32627 |
"I Left My Home In the Mountains" |
Bluebird 8091 |
February 4, 1939 |
32628 |
"I Met Her At A Ball One Night" |
Bluebird 8091 |
February 4, 1939 |
32629 |
"You May Forsake Me" |
Bluebird 8120 |
February 4, 1939 |
32630 |
"Look On and Cry" |
Bluebird 8120 |
February 4, 1939 |
32631 |
"One Little Kiss" |
Bluebird 8145 |
February 4, 1939 |
32632 |
"Mama, Don't Make Me Go To Bed" |
Bluebird 8145 |
February 4, 1939 |
32633 |
"Crying Holy" |
Bluebird 8203 |
February 4, 1939 |
32634 |
"Heaven Bells Are Ringing" |
Bluebird 8203 |
February 4, 1939 |
41200 |
"Sparkling Blue Eyes No.2" |
Bluebird 8249 |
August 21, 1939 |
41201 |
"The Poor Drunkard's Dream" |
Bluebird 8273 |
August 21, 1939 |
41202 |
"Were You There" |
Bluebird 8273 |
August 21, 1939 |
41203 |
"The Gospel Cannon Ball" |
Bluebird 8249 |
August 21, 1939 |
41204 |
"The Great and Final Judgement" |
Bluebird 8288 |
August 21, 1939 |
41205 |
"What a Wonderful Savior Is He" |
Bluebird 8288 |
August 21, 1939 |
41206 |
"Why Not Make Heaven Your Home" |
Bluebird 8340 |
August 21, 1939 |
41207 |
"Mansions In the Sky" |
Bluebird 8340 |
August 21, 1939 |
41208 |
"Not a Word of That Be Said" |
Bluebird 8359 |
August 21, 1939 |
41209 |
"Drifting Through an Unfriendly World" |
Bluebird 8359 |
August 21, 1939 |
71014 |
"Shake My Mother's Hands For Me" |
Bluebird 8848 |
September 29, 1941 |
71015 |
"Anywhere Is Home" |
Bluebird 8965 |
September 29, 1941 |
71016 |
"I Can Tell You the Time" |
Bluebird 8965 |
September 29, 1941 |
71017 |
"He Gave His Life" |
Bluebird 8887 |
September 29, 1941 |
71018 |
"Ramblin' Boy |
Bluebird 8990 |
September 29, 1941 |
71019 |
"The Precious Jewel" |
Bluebird 8887 |
September 29, 1941 |
71020 |
"Old Ruben" |
Bluebird 8990 |
September 29, 1941 |
71021 |
"Precious Memories" |
Bluebird 8848 |
September 29, 1941 |
Other discography
Studio albums
- 1961: Soulful Sacred Songs
- 1971: Sacred Songs of Mother and Home
- 1973: The Songs of Wade Mainer
- 1976: From the Maple to the Hill
- 1980: Old Time Songs
- 1984: Old Time Banjo Tunes
- 1987: In the Land of Melody
- 1989: How Sweet to Walk
- 1990: String Band Music
- 1993: Old Time Gospel Favorites
- 1993: Carolina Mule[7]
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