Louis Marshall Jones (October 20, 1913 – February 19, 1998), known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
player and "old time"
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
and
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
singer. He is a member of the
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
.
[McCall, Michael; Rumble, John; Kingsbury, Paul, eds. (1 February 2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music (Second ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 269–270. .]
Biography
Jones was born in the small farming community of
Niagara
Niagara may refer to:
Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada
*Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River
*Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border
*Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...
in
Henderson County, Kentucky
Henderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The county is located in western Kentucky on the Ohio River across from Evansville, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,793. Its county seat is Henderson.
The coun ...
, the youngest of 10 children in a sharecropper's family. His father was an old-time fiddle player, and his mother was a ballad singer and herself adept on the
concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front.
The ...
.
His first instrument was guitar.
Ramona Riggins, one of several women who began to gain some recognition in a musical form long dominated by men
was Grandpa's wife and musical partner of over thirty years.
[Jones, Grandpa (1939). Family Album honographbr>Leon McIntyre Collection, 1970-2011]
Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University. Johnson City, TN. Ramona first started playing the mandolin when she was six or seven years old.
Jones spent his teenage years in
Akron, Ohio
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...
, where he began singing country music tunes on a radio show on WJW. In 1931, Jones joined the Pine Ridge String Band, which provided the musical accompaniment for the very popular ''
Lum and Abner
''Lum and Abner'' was an American network radio comedy program created by Chester Lauck and Norris Goff that was aired from 1931 to 1954. Modeled on life in the small town of Waters, Arkansas, near where Lauck and Goff grew up, the show proved i ...
'' show. By 1935 his pursuit of a musical career took him to
WBZ radio in
Boston, Massachusetts, where he met musician/songwriter
Bradley Kincaid
William Bradley Kincaid (July 13, 1895 – September 23, 1989) was an American folk singer and radio entertainer.[Mountain View, Arkansas
Mountain View is the largest city in and the county seat of Stone County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U ...]
. In the 1940s he met rising country radio star
Cousin Emmy
Cynthia May Carver (March 14, 1903 – April 11, 1980), known professionally as Cousin Emmy, was a banjo player, fiddler and country singer who was one of the pioneering solo female stars in the country music industry. Although hit records elude ...
, from whom he learned to play the
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
.
Career
Performing as Grandpa Jones, he played the guitar or
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
,
yodeled, and sang mostly old-time
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s. By 1937, Jones had made his way to West Virginia, where
Cousin Emmy
Cynthia May Carver (March 14, 1903 – April 11, 1980), known professionally as Cousin Emmy, was a banjo player, fiddler and country singer who was one of the pioneering solo female stars in the country music industry. Although hit records elude ...
taught Jones the art of the
clawhammer
Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music.
The principal difference between clawhammer style and other styles is the picking direct ...
style of
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
playing, which gave a rough backwoods flavor to his performances.
First experience playing music in public came at the age of 11 or thereabouts The music of the WLS Barn Dance in Chicago was a major influence on Louis, as were the
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 ...
records his sister brought home. In 1942, Jones joined
WLW
WLW (700 AM) is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, WLW is a clear-channel station, often identifying itself as The Big One.
WLW operates with around the clock. Its daytime signal provides ...
in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. It was there that he met fellow Kentuckian
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 ...
. In 1943, they made their recording debuts together for
Syd Nathan
Sydney Nathan (April 27, 1904 – March 5, 1968) was an American music business executive who founded King Records, a leading independent record label, in 1943.
He contributed to the development of country & western music, rhythm and blues a ...
's upstart
King Records.
Jones was making records under his own name for King by 1944 and had his first hit with "It's Raining Here This Morning."
His recording career was put on hold when he enlisted in the United States Army during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Discharged in 1946, he recorded again for King. Through 1946-1949, when he and several Opry cast members (Clyde Moody and Chubby Wise among them) were invited to become a part of the burgeoning world of television by Washington D.C. entrepreneur Connie B Gay, he became a cast member at the Old Dominion Barn Dance, broadcast over WRVA in Richmond, Virginia.
In March 1946, he moved to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
and started performing 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 ...
. He married Ramona Riggins on October 14, 1946. As an accomplished performer herself, she would take part in his performances. Jones' vaudeville humor was a bridge to television. His more famous songs include "T For Texas," "Are You From Dixie," "Night Train To Memphis," "
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew, is a carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman. A revised formula was created by Bill Brid ...
," and "Eight More Miles To Louisville."
In the fall of 1968,
Jones became a charter cast member on the long-running television show ''
Hee Haw
''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 199 ...
'', often responding to the show's skits with his trademark phrase "Outrageous." He also played banjo, by himself or with banjo player
David "Stringbean" Akeman
David Akeman (June 17, 1915 – November 10, 1973) better known as Stringbean (or String Bean), was an American singer-songwriter, musician, comedian, and semiprofessional baseball player best known for his role as a main cast member on the hi ...
. A musical segment featured in the early years had Jones and "his lovely wife Ramona" singing while ringing bells held in their hands and strapped to their ankles. A favorite skit had off-camera cast members ask, "Hey Grandpa, what's for supper?" in which he would describe a delicious, country-style meal, often in a rhyming,
talking blues
Talking blues is a form of folk music and country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict.
Christopher Allen Bouchillon, billed as "The Talking Comedian of the South", is cr ...
style. Sometimes he would describe something not so good; i.e. "Because you were bad, thawed out
TV dinner
A frozen meal (also called TV dinner (Canada and US), prepackaged meal, ready-made meal, ready meal (UK), frozen dinner, and microwave meal) is a packaged frozen meal that comes portioned for an individual. A frozen meal in the United States a ...
s!"
Testimony
A resident of rural
Ridgetop, Tennessee
Ridgetop is a city in Davidson and Robertson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 1,874 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Ridgetop is located in Robertson County except for two small portions of the city that fall in Davidson Co ...
, outside Nashville, he was a neighbor and friend of fellow musician
David "Stringbean" Akeman
David Akeman (June 17, 1915 – November 10, 1973) better known as Stringbean (or String Bean), was an American singer-songwriter, musician, comedian, and semiprofessional baseball player best known for his role as a main cast member on the hi ...
. On the morning of November 11, 1973, Jones discovered the bodies of Akeman and his wife, Estelle, who had been murdered during the night by robbers. Jones testified at the trial of the killers, his testimony helping to secure a conviction.
Honors
In 1978, Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His autobiography, ''Everybody's Grandpa: Fifty Years Behind The Mike'' was published in 1984.
[Jones, Louis M. with Charles K. Wolfe. (1984). ''Everybody's Grandpa: Fifty Years Behind The Mike''. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press.]
Death
![Grandpa Jones gravestone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Grandpa_Jones_gravestone.jpg)
In January 1998, Jones suffered two strokes after his second show performance at the Grand Ole Opry. He died at 7:00 p.m. Central Time on February 19, 1998 at the McKendree Village Home Health Center in
Hermitage, Tennessee
Hermitage, Tennessee, is a neighborhood, located in eastern Davidson County, adjacent to – and named in honor of – The Hermitage, the historic home of Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States. Although the area is incorporated ...
, at age 84. He was buried in the Luton Memorial Methodist Church cemetery in
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson and Sumner counties, Tennessee. Goodlettsville was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; at the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 15,921 and in 2020 the po ...
.
Discography
Jones recorded for several labels, including
RCA Victor
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
,
King Records and
Monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...
.
*''Grandpa Jones Sings His Greatest Hits'' (1954)
[Colin Larkin The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music Virgin, 1998]
* ''Country Music Hall of Fame Series'' (1992) MCA
*''Grandpa Jones & The Brown's Ferry Four 16 Sacred Gospel Songs'',
King Records
*''Grandpa Jones Yodeling Hits'' (1963) Monument
*''Grandpa Jones Remembers The Brown's Ferry Four'' (1966) Monument
*''Grandpa Jones Live'' (1970) Monument
Singles
References
Other
*Wolfe, Charles K. (1998). "Grandpa Jones". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury (editor), New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 269–70.
External links
Profile CMT.com
*
*
Jones profile Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum website
Grandpa Jones with the Delmore Brothers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Grandpa
1913 births
1998 deaths
American country singer-songwriters
American country banjoists
Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
People from Henderson County, Kentucky
Grand Ole Opry members
King Records artists
RCA Victor artists
Monument Records artists
Musicians from Akron, Ohio
People from Mountain View, Arkansas
20th-century American singers
Country musicians from Kentucky
Bluegrass musicians from Kentucky
Singer-songwriters from Kentucky
Folk musicians from Kentucky
Singer-songwriters from Ohio
Singer-songwriters from Arkansas
American United Methodists
People from Ridgetop, Tennessee
Country musicians from Tennessee
Country musicians from Arkansas
Country musicians from Ohio
20th-century Methodists
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee