Kelly Harrell

Crockett Kelly Harrell (* September 13, 1889 in Wythe County, Virginia; † July 9, 1942 ) was an American Old-time musicians.

Life

Childhood and youth

Kelly Harrell came from an area near the border of Virginia and North Carolina, where an extraordinary number of influential Old-time musicians lived and worked. Growing up in Fries, Virginia, he has worked with 14 years in the textile factories of the environment. Although Harrell played no instrument ( which was unusual for Old-time musician), he loved to sing and spent much time with work colleagues to make music together. As a young man learned Harrell Henry Whitter know, also workers from the environment and from 1923 a professional musician.

Career

In January 1925 Harrell traveled to New York City, where he made ​​his first recordings for Victor Records. Accompanied by anonymous session musicians he played New River Train, Rovin ' Gambler, I Wish I Was Single Again and Butcher 's Boy one, all traditional pieces, which were also recorded by many other artists of his time (Henry Whitter, Vernon Dalhart, Buell Kazee, later Bill Monroe). In August Harrell accompanied his friend Henry Whitter to Asheville, North Carolina, where both a series recordings of songs. Harrell was accompanied in his songs of Whitter on guitar and harmonica - a rather dubious pleasure because Whitter was not a talented musician. When shooting Wild Bill Jones, he played for example all the time in the wrong pitch.

A year later, Harrell traveled again to New York, where he - accompanied by studio musicians Carson Robison - spread over three days for Victor grossed a total of 13 songs, including new recordings of his first four Victor title in January 1925 average sales of his records and thus also. the low payments the record companies demotivated Harrell and the end of 1926 he moved to Henry County, where he accepted a lucrative job in the Fieldcrest Mill. Shortly afterwards he made ​​the acquaintance of the Virginia String Band, a group which, inter alia, guitarist and banjo player Alfred Steagall RD Hundley was, and used them from that date as his backing band. As Harrell traveled back to New York in March 1927, he brought his own band into the studio.

By 1929, followed by further sessions for Victor with the Virginia String Band, among the musicians also Lonnie Austin and Posey Rorer, who played in Charlie Poole's North Carolina Ramblers were. During its last session, however, Victor asked him again the studio musician Roy Smeck to his side, as it was the label too expensive to pay Harrells band. The Great Depression finally destroyed Harrells career as a musician. Together with the Virginia String Band, he played at the local level until the early 1930s. Nevertheless, he tried in the 1930s, again to get a record deal, but no label was interested in him. His biggest success was commercially Away Out on the Mountain, which he sang about radio WWNC 1927 and was then was covered by Jimmie Rodgers.

Harrell died in 1942 at the age of 52 years while working on a heart attack.

Discography

  • I Want a Nice Little Fellow
  • Little Mohee
  • Are You Going to Leave Your Old Home Today?
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