Gid Tanner
James Gideon " Gid " Tanner ( born June 6 1885 in Thomas Bridge, Georgia, † May 13 1960 in Dacula, Georgia ) was an American Old-time musicians. With the string band Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers Tanner was 1926-1931 one of the most successful Old-time musicians in America.
Life
Childhood and youth
Gid Tanner was born in Thomas Bridge near Monroe. At 14 he learned to play the fiddle from his parents and relatives. In 1914, Tanner first time to the year before called into existence Georgia Fiddler's Convention in part, in which he performed every year until 1935. He should even then have been able more than 2000 pieces on the fiddle. But not only as a musician but also as a comedian showed Tanner talent. In his appearances in the region, he combined these two properties, which did not contribute little to its popularity. At age 21, Tanner had married one only 16 years old girl from the Rockdale County. With her and her son Gordon BORN 1917 the Tanners first lived alternately in Gwinnett or Rockdale County, until they finally settled in Dacula in Gwinnett County. There they earned a living with their chicken farm.
After Tanner moved to Atlanta, where he learned to know who denied ever regular appearances on the radio the blind guitarist Riley Puckett. The two musicians quickly became friends and appeared together. In March 1924 came the talent scout from Columbia Records, Frank Walker to Atlanta to give Columbia also first hillbilly musicians, such as Okeh Records had made it with Fiddlin ' John Carson, Tanner and Puckett introduced themselves. Walker gave the two a recording contract as the first country artist in Columbia. In the same year, the first records were recorded in New York City.
Achievements
A year later, Tanner received a request from Columbia again, this time to found a string band. Along with Riley Puckett, Clayton McMichen and Fate Norris, he joined the band Gid Tanner to Skillet Lickers and his, the first plates were recorded in 1925. Initially took Tanner still as a solo artist or with Fate Norris and his brother Arthur Tanner plates, with the growing success of the Skillet Lickers he gave it then. Tanner, who played mostly fiddle could show his talent as a comedian in comedy skits. In 1930, he played banjo in addition also because Norris had lost his arm in an accident. 1931, however, the group was disbanded due to internal disputes. By the late 1920s, Tanner was a member of the famous radio show WLS National Barn Dance became, in which he continued to perform until the early 1930s.
1927 wanted to release a song Folio with Tanner plays the singer and author Ethel Park Richardson. Therefore, it came in the same year at a meeting of the two, which, however, remained largely inconclusive. Only one piece, Careless Love, a song he had composed themselves, Tanner taught her. Written Richardson therefore asked for another meeting. However, Tanner's wife intercepted the letter and told her that "it would be no further meetings " (I do not want no writ magazine about Gid, so there is not no use in your comin '). In December 1927 while the book American Mountain Songs was released, which contained small parts from Tanner's repertoire.
After 1931 Tanner refocused on his chicken farm. Shortly before, in October 1931 he had recorded with Riley Puckett and Bill Helms as The Hometown Boys his last four tracks for Columbia. Due to its great popularity, which he had previously received the years, he performed with Puckett but still on the radio in Columbus, and was still a regular participant at the Fiddler's Convention. Recently, three shots Tanners at Vocalion Records are surfaced with musician Al Craver, but whose background is unclear. Craver also took intensively for Columbia. In 1934 he signed with the Blue Bird Records, where he founded Skillet Lickers new. In a session in March 1934, he played the last records of his life a few with the Skillet Lickers, others only with Puckett and his son Gordon. Beginning of the 1940s was Tanner seen regularly on Saturday nights along with Puckett, the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys and Grady & Hazel Cole on stage at the Joy Theatre.
After Tanner had finally retired from the music business, he worked from then on his farm. Besides, he stepped on and it campaigned for the preservation of hillbilly music. With 71 years he won a fiddle contest the last time. Tanner was married twice and had five sons.
Gid Tanner died on 13 May 1960 at the age of 75 years. He was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. His descendants continue to receive the tradition of the Tanner family. In honor of Tanner and his family was a street in Dacula, Georgia, Tanner Road, named after him.