The Maddox Brothers and Rose were an American
country music
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, ...
group active from the 1930s to 1950s, consisting of four brothers, Fred, Cal, Cliff, and Don Maddox, along with their sister
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
; Cliff died in 1949 and was replaced by brother Henry. Originating in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, but gaining success after the Maddox family relocated to
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
during the
Great Depression, the group were among the earliest "hillbilly music" stars to emerge from the
West Coast. The group disbanded in 1956, with Rose Maddox embarking on a solo career.
Biography
The family hailed from
Boaz, Alabama, United States, but
rode the rails and
hitch-hiked to California in 1933 when the band members were still children, following the failed efforts of their
sharecropper parents during the early part of the
Depression. They were a little in advance of the flood of
Okie
An Okie is a person identified with the state of Oklahoma. This connection may be residential, ethnic, historical or cultural. For most Okies, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Oklahoman. ...
s who were to flood the state in the 1930s. They struggled to make a living as itinerant fruit and vegetable pickers, following the harvest as far north as Washington and as far east as Arizona, as well as the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven ...
. They often worked from dawn to dusk, sleeping and eating on the ground.
Having settled in
Modesto, California, the family developed their musical ability, and in 1937, performed on the radio, sponsored by a local furniture store. In 1939, they entered a hillbilly band competition at the centennial
Sacramento State Fair after driving to
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
in their
Model A. When they took the stage, they tore through "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down" with rocking rhythms and risqué lyrics. They became, officially, California's best hillbilly band.
The brothers and Rose appeared at places such as the 97th Street Corral in Los Angeles.
From 1946-1951, the group recorded for
4 Star Records
4 Star Records was a record label that recorded many well-known country music acts in the 1950s. The label, founded after World War II, was home to singers such as Hank Locklin, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Rose Maddox, Webb Pierce, Cousin Ford Le ...
(Hollywood), then for
Columbia Records. Some 4 Star masters were leased and released by US.-
Decca Records at the beginning of the 1950s. Rose Maddox stated: "We were called hillbilly singers — not country — then. No, none of this country music then. People just called us hillbilly... People tell me that I was one of the first women to sing what I sang — country boogie. I guess I was. There was no rock 'n' roll in those early days, before 1955. Only country boogie. My brothers also played that way. We called it country then."
Fred Maddox played upright bass using the "slap bass" technique as early as 1937.
[
Fred Maddox's bass is displayed at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. "They wanted his bass because they believe he might have hit the first note of rock 'n' roll on it."][The Blue Moon Boys - The Story of Elvis Presley's Band. Ken Burke and Dan Griffin. 2006. Chicago Review Press. page 26. ]
Don Maddox was the last surviving member of the band and lived in Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 ...
. He experienced a career resurgence 50 years after his success with Maddox Bros and Rose, while he played at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon, opening for Big and Rich, performing at the Muddy Roots
Muddy Roots is an American music festival held in Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S. It began in 2010 as an annualfestival at the June Bug Boogie Ranch in Cookeville, Tennessee. The music festival included camping, vendors, a car show, and a pin-up pa ...
festival in Cookeville, Tennessee
Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's micropolitan areas, or smaller ...
, in 2011 and 2012, playing on the Marty Stuart show, and receiving a standing ovation show at the Grand Ole Opry. He also performed in Las Vegas at the first annual Rockabilly Rockout at the Gold Coast Casino on October 5, 2014.
Don Maddox died on September 12, 2021, at the age of 98.[Robert K Oermann, "The Last Maddox Brother, Don Maddox, Dies Don Maddox – Final Member of Maddox Brothers & Rose – Has Died", ''MusicRow'', September 17, 2021]
/ref>
Band members
* Cliff Maddox (born May 19, 1912, Boaz, Alabama – died August 8, 1949, Modesto, California)
* Cal Maddox (born November 3, 1915, Boaz, Alabama – died July 2, 1968, Jackson County, Oregon
Jackson County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 223,259. The county seat is Medford. The county is named for Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States.
Jackson ...
)
* Fred Maddox (born July 3, 1919, Boaz, Alabama – died October 29, 1992, Kern, California
East Bakersfield is a region in Bakersfield, California directly east of downtown. The region was formerly known as the town of Sumner, which was later incorporated and renamed Kern City. It is primarily a mixture of residential and commercial d ...
)
* Don Maddox (born December 7, 1922, Boaz, Alabama – died September 12, 2021)[
* Rose Maddox (born August 15, 1925, Boaz, Alabama – died April 15, 1998, ]Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 ...
)
* Henry Maddox (born March 19, 1928, Boaz, Alabama – died June 11, 1974, Ashland, Oregon)
* Bud Duncan (born March 18, 1928, Pollard, Arkansas
Pollard is a city in Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 222 at the 2010 census.
History
Pollard is named for a family of early settlers who operated a general store that became home to the town's post office in 1876. The po ...
)
Discography
* ''A Collection of Standard Sacred Songs'' (King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, 1959)
* ''Maddox Bros. and Rose'' (King, 1960)
* ''I'll Write Your Name In the Sand'' (King, 1961)
* ''Maddox Brothers and Rose'' (Wrangler, 1962)
* ''Go Honky Tonkin!'' (Hilltop, 1965)
* '' America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band, v.1'' ( Arhoolie, 1976 P 1993 D
* ''America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band, v.2'' (Arhoolie, 1976 P 1995 D
* ''Old Pals of Yesterday'' (Picc-A-Dilly, 1980)
* ''On the Air, v.1'' (Arhoolie, 1983 P 1996 D
* ''Maddox Bros. and Rose: Columbia Historic Edition'' ( Columbia, 1984)
* ''On the Air, v.2'' (Arhoolie, 1985 P 1996 D
* ''Live - On the Radio'' (Arhoolie, 1996) recorded 1953
* ''The Hillbilly Boogie Years'' (Rockateer, 1996) all Columbia recordings
* ''The Most Colorful Hillbilly Band in America'' ( Bear Family, 1998) 4-CD set
* ''A Proper Introduction to Maddox Brothers & Rose: That'll Learn Ya Durn Ya'' (Proper
Proper may refer to:
Mathematics
* Proper map, in topology, a property of continuous function between topological spaces, if inverse images of compact subsets are compact
* Proper morphism, in algebraic geometry, an analogue of a proper map for ...
, 2004)
References
External links
Biography of the Maddox Brothers and Rose
Photo, discography, label shots and samples
*
Recordings of appearances
{{Authority control
1937 establishments in Alabama
1956 disestablishments in Alabama
Country music groups from Alabama
Country music groups from California
Western swing musical groups
Family musical groups
People from Boaz, Alabama
Musical groups from California
Four Star Records artists
Apex Records artists
Columbia Records artists
Decca Records artists
Musical groups established in 1937
Musical groups disestablished in 1956
Bakersfield sound
People from Modesto, California