Fate Norris
Fate Norris (* 1878 in Resaca, Georgia, as a singleton LaFayette Norris, † November 11, 1944 in Subligna, Georgia ) was an American Old-time musicians. Norris was from 1925 to 1931 a member of the string band The Skillet Lickers as a banjo player. In addition to the Banjo Norris also played harmonica.
Life
Youth
Norris was born in 1878 in Resaca, and was thus later, the oldest member of the Skillet Lickers. About his youth, there is very little information - musical influences are not known for example. Until the early 20th century, Norris earned his living as a farm worker, but made his money from then on as a professional musician. He was ( last name unknown ) married to Elizabeth, with whom he had a daughter, Mable.
First mentioned as a musician was Norris, as he on 4 July 1912 at a Fiddlers Contest in Lawrenceville, Georgia, participated. According to reports, Norris is also about 1909 in Resaca with Bud Landress and Bill Chitwood, two members of the Georgia Yellow Hammers, have played together. In any case, Norris traveled around with various Medicine shows where he developed his various comic deposits as a blackface comedian and ventriloquist. Also in this season comes the beginning of his one-man band - a newspaper article from 1927 talks about 17 years of practice.
Career
1926 Norris was one of the founding members of the Skillet Lickers. With this band he played in the next four years about 80 pieces, disappeared in 1930 for unknown reasons but from the cast. With Fiddler Clayton McMichen there was at that time often discrepancies. McMichen had a penchant for jazz and experimented with a synthesis of old Old- Time Music and the urban swing and jazz elements, while Norris to stuck to the traditional Old- Time Music in contras. In most recordings the band Norris is however hard to hear due to poor technique and his playing style.
The mid- 1920s made Norris also some plates under his own name for Columbia Records. His background group called playboys or Tanner Boys, consisted of Gid Tanner, Arthur Tanner, Clayton McMichen and Riley Puckett.
Norris died in 1944 on the stage of the March of Dimes benefit concert in Subligna, Georgia. He should have said "I'm not afraid" and then fell to the ground.
Discography
- Hungry Hash House