John & Emery McClung

The McClung Brothers, also known as West Virginia Snake Hunters, was an American old-time duo out of West Virginia.

History

The brothers John Edward McClung (* August 1, 1906 ) and Samuel Emery McClung ( born January 3, 1910) was born in Mount Hope and Beckley. Your parent were Caroline Elizabeth ( Cheetham ) and McClung Park Walker McClung, who came from Raleigh County. Alongside his day job as a jeweler was Park Walker McClung also a music teacher and choir director of the local church. Many of his total of 14 children learned singing from him. As early as 1918 the brothers on the street corners in Beckley had to occur in order to earn money for the family, as it by his bad health situation was not possible due to her father to continue to work. With the increasing abilities on the fiddle and guitar, and the McClung Brothers were soon engaged for events in the Miner's Convention Hall. Especially popular was her self-composed parody of the American national anthem.

Beginning of the 1920s established the brothers together with George Ward and John Lanchester the West Virginia Trailblazers. With this String Band, the Brothers toured the McClung in an old Studebaker through the U.S. and even came to California, even though they played mostly to West Virginia. His career as a recording artist started the duo in March 1927, when they traveled to New York City and took up eight songs for Brunswick Records. The repertoire ranged from religious songs on fiddle pieces to minstrel songs. The musician Carson Robison was on two of the pieces also his whistling for the best. Some of the titles were published under the new band name West Virginia Snake Hunters, even if the group is not to listen to the recordings.

1929 played the McClung Brothers along with Cleveland Chafin ( 1885-1959 ) a session for Paramount Records in Chicago, which produced only four new songs. Chafin and McClungs then went their separate ways. None of the three musicians should ever make again recordings.

The West Virginia Snake Hunters had until 1934 still applies. Then the brothers played in a gospel quartet on WJLS in Beckley. John McClung won a 1950 Fiddlers Contest in Beckley, where Emery took second place. While Emery died in 1960, John settled in Alexandria, Virginia, where he lived until his death in 1991.

Discography

Brunswick 119 was also released on Supertone Records.