Clayton McMichen (January 26, 1900 – January 4, 1970) was an American fiddler and

country musician Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old- ...

Biography

Born in Allatoona, Georgia, McMichen learned to play the fiddle from his father and uncle. He moved to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

with his family in 1913, working as an automobile mechanic. While there, he entered and won several competitions for

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

. In 1918, he formed the band Lick the Skillet, which soon was renamed to the Home Town Boys. They played on a small radio station before they on September 18, 1922 started playing regular radio shows. In 1926, McMichen began recording with

Gid Tanner James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (June 6, 1885 – May 13, 1960) was an American old-time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influe ...

and the

Skillet Lickers The Skillet Lickers were an old-time band from Georgia, United States. When Gid Tanner teamed up with blind guitarist Riley Puckett and signed to Columbia in 1924, they created the label's earliest so-called "hillbilly" recording. Gid Tanner f ...

. They became one of the nation's most successful country acts of the 1920s and recorded widely. McMichen's first solo success was the 1927 hit "Sweet Bunch of Roses", which sold over 100,000 records. He also recorded crooner ballads under the name Bob Nichols, but only hit with the tune "My Carolina Home". One of his best-known tunes was "Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia", recorded by

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

. Clayton McMichen worked with a Atlanta Georgia singer songwriter, musician, Dan Hornsby producer engineer, recording "Ark. Traveler" Columbia 15253D issued in the 1920s. The Skillet Lickers split in 1931, and McMichen organized a new band called the Georgia Wildcats, playing old timey, pop and jazz. They worked around the South, Northeast and Midwest until 1939. The band included guitarist

Slim Bryant Thomas Hoyt Bryant (December 7, 1908 – May 28, 2010), known professionally as Slim Bryant, was an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and radio personality born in Atlanta, Georgia. Biography Bryant was born in Atlanta ...

and, for a time, fiddler Carl Cotner and guitarist

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic expl ...

. They recorded for Decca from 1935 to 1938, settling in Louisville. When he decided to form a full-sized dance band, Bryant took the smaller group and departed with McMichen's blessing. McMichen continued performing in Louisville until retiring in 1955. He was asked to restart his career during the folk revival of the 1960s, but was initially reticent; however, his performances at the Bean Blossom festival and the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 were successes. He continued to perform almost up until his death in 1970. In 1981,

and

Mac Wiseman Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American bluegrass and country singer. Early life He was born on May 23, 1925, in Crimora, Virginia. He attended school in New Hope, Virginia, and graduated from high school the ...

released a double LP album called '' The Clayton McMichen Story'' in tribute to him. File:Decca 9-27306 - TurkeyInTheStraw-OldHenCackle-Fiddler'sDream.jpg, '' Turkey in the Straw'',
''Old Hen Cackle'' and
''Fiddler's Dream'' by Clayton McMichen,

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

References

Clayton McMichen Clayton McMichen (January 26, 1900 – January 4, 1970) was an American fiddler and country musician. Biography Born in Allatoona, Georgia, McMichen learned to play the fiddle from his father and uncle. He moved to Atlanta with his family in 1 ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

*''Stars of Country Music'', (University of Illinois Press, 1975)

External links

Clayton McMichen recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:McMichen, Clayton 1900 births 1970 deaths American country fiddlers American country singer-songwriters American fiddlers 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American singers Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)