DeFord Bailey: A True Star of Early Country With a Misunderstood History
This article is a contribution by writer, musician, and long-time Saving Country Music reader Steven Paul.
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There are many tall tales and outright fabrications in the world of music, and country music is no exception. Ridiculous stories persist into the present day about country music’s biggest stars, and there are true stories that are wilder than even the most inventive mind could imagine.
One tall tale has so long outrun the truth that it has been shared, spread, and repeated ad nauseam until even some of the most studious country music historians mistake it for fact. It&#;s the story that DeFord Bailey ()&#;one of the biggest country stars of the s&#;was fired from the Grand Ole Opry because he was Black.
Though writers, historians, and country music experts have endeavored to set the record straight (at the time of this writing, even Wikipedia reflects the actual reason for Bailey’s firing) decades of country music fans have believed in error that Bailey’s firing was racially motivated.
Born in Tennessee in , DeFord Bailey was only a
DeFord Bailey
DeFord Bailey is regarded as one of the most mesmerizing harmonicas African American player and at the same time also the first one to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. He was among the people who were linked with the show “The Barn Dance” which was renamed as “Grand Ole Opry,” and later he also became one of the stars of the show. Although he played some instruments, he is best regarded for his performances for harmonica tunes.
Early life
DeFord Bailey was born on 14th of December in the year in Smith County, Tennessee. DeFord Bailey did not enjoy his childhood to the fullest as he had to go through some tough times. His mother died when he still very young and after that, he was raised by his paternal aunt, Barbara Lou Odum and her husband, Clark.
Because of all the hardships, he was also wholly bedridden as he had suffered severely from polio which ultimately affected his body and rendered him with a curved back.
This affected his overall bodily growth tremendously. But his inherent talent and passion for music never stopped as he paid keen attention to voices and natural sounds from the environment and tried to imb
Country Music Hall Of Fame® And Museum Reissues Definitive Biography On Deford Bailey
The newly expanded book is now available exclusively
on the museum’s website or in its store
The title will be widely available in bookstores and other outlets beginning June 13 through a distribution partnership with the University of Illinois Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – May 12 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum has reissued the long-out-of-print biographyDeFord Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Musicby David C. Morton with Charles K. Wolfe. Published by the museum’s CMF Press and distributed in partnership with the University of Illinois Press, the updated and expanded book details the life and career of the Country Music Hall of Fame member, drawing upon numerous interviews conducted with Bailey by principal author David Morton.
Originally published in , the reissued edition includes a new foreword by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons, founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The new edition also includes 45 illustrations (several of which are new additions), and a complete recording session discography.
The book is now
DeFord Bailey walked onto the Grand Ole Opry stage with a slight limp. Decked out in a bow tie, pocket square and polished shoes, he stood on a Coca-Cola crate to offset his 4-footinch stature. It was Bailey looked out at the audience, sitting on wooden benches in the Opry’s Dixie Tabernacle, just east of Nashville’s downtown core. He carried a harmonica, or “a harp,” as it was often referred to at the time, in his left hand. When he brought the harmonica to his mouth, he played a tune that sounded like the bold whistle of a locomotive train. For 15 minutes, he played a unique blend of country music and blues, bringing smiles to the eyes of the people in the dusty old tabernacle. Aside from his obvious talent and innovative harmonica technique, Bailey broke cultural barriers by becoming the first black country music star, and he was one of the most beloved Opry musicians of his time. He p…
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