The Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers were an American
Old-time string band consisting of Amos Binkley (1888–1952) on banjo, his brother Gale Binkley (1893–1946) on fiddle, Tom Andrews on guitar, and Jack Jackson on guitar and vocals. The Binkley Brothers first performed on
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
radio station WSM in 1926, and in 1928 became one of the first bands to record commercially in the city. The group performed regularly on the
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
until they disbanded in 1938.
Amos and Gale Binkley were born in
Cheatham County, Tennessee, and were working as jewelry repairmen when they started playing for WSM in 1926. The Binkleys eventually joined up with
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
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* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
-born guitarist Thomas William AKA "Tom" Andrews (1901-1984),
Lawrenceburg, Lawrence County, Tennessee, he worked for the L & N Rail Road then a farmer, and Jonas "Jack" Jackson (1909-1994)
Wilson County, Tennessee Farmer builder of Farm equipment. and the group was given the name "Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers" by Opry founder
George D. Hay, who preferred rural-sounding band names to fit the show's barn dance format.
[Jack Hurst, ''Nashville's Grand Ole Opry'' (New York: H.N. Abrams, 1975), 83.] In September 1928, the group attempted to record several sides for
Victor Records at the YMCA building in Nashville, but Victor's A&R agent
Ralph Peer decided the group's vocals were too "rough." Peer added
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...
singer Jack Jackson to the line-up, and on October 2, the band made its first recordings. The group continued performing on the Opry throughout the following decade, and by the early 1930s Jackson— who was known as the "Strolling Yodeler"— was one of the most popular singers on Nashville-area radio.
[Wolfe, "Notes", 7-8.][Wolfe, ''Encyclopedia of Country Music'', 35.]
The band's repertoire included "I'll Rise When the Rooster Crows," which was derived from the 1881 song "Dem Golden Shoes," and the folk song "Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents." Both were recorded at their 1928 Victor sessions.
When the Binkley Brothers left the Opry in 1938, they were replaced by
Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys.
Discography
*''Nashville - The Early String Bands, Vol. 1'' (
County, 2000) — contains the tracks "I'll Rise When the Rooster Crows" and "Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents"
References
External links
Grand Ole Opry — Timeline
— mp3 recordings of several Binkley Brothers tracks
{{Authority control
Musical groups from Tennessee
Old-time bands
Old-time musicians
Grand Ole Opry members
Cheatham County, Tennessee
1926 establishments in Tennessee