Harry Kirby McClintock (October 8, 1882 – April 24, 1957), also known as "Haywire Mac", was an American railroad man, radio personality, actor, singer, songwriter, and poet, best known for his song "

Big Rock Candy Mountain "The Big Rock Candy Mountains", first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928, is a country folk song about a hobo's idea of paradise, a modern version of the medieval concept of Cockaigne. It is a place where "hens lay soft-boiled eggs" and there ...

Life

Harry McClintock was born on October 8, 1882, in

Uhrichsville, Ohio Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio. The ...

. Both his parents were from nearby

Tippecanoe, Ohio Tippecanoe is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in central Washington Township, Harrison County, Ohio, United States. It is located along State Route 800 in the valley of Stillwater Creek, a north-flowing tributary ...

; however, his family moved to

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

soon after his birth. In his youth, McClintock ran away from home to join the circus and drifted from place to place throughout his life. He railroaded in Africa, worked as a seaman, supplied food and ammunition to American soldiers while working as a civilian mule-train packer in the Philippines, and in 1899 worked as an aid to newsmen in China covering the Boxer Rebellion. In America, he worked for the

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway was a major part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, extending the PRR west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, via Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Chicago, Illinois. It included the current Norfolk Southern-own ...

in the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

area, then from there traveled as a railroader and a minstrel. On October 8, 1917, McClintock married Bessie K. Johnson in Farmington City, Utah. They had one daughter.

Radio and music

In 1925, McClintock participated in a KFRC Radio talent contest. His performance of his song "

" won him spots on two new KFRC radio shows: a children's program called "Mac and His Gang" where he sang popular cowboy songs with his "Haywire Orchestry", and a variety program called the "

Blue Monday Jamboree Blue Monday Jamboree is an old-time radio variety program in the United States. It was broadcast initially (beginning January 24, 1927)http://www.theradiohistorian.org/blue_mon_poster.jpg on KFRC in San Francisco, California, then was distribute ...

", which he hosted alongside

Meredith Willson Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was an American flutist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer. He is perhaps best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the 19 ...

, Bea Benaderet, Edna Fischer, and future ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along wit ...

'' producer

Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom '' I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer ...

.http://www.theradiohistorian.org/blue_mon_poster.jpg , date=1927, McClintock was also a member of

Al Pearce Albert Pearce (July 25, 1898 – June 2, 1961) was an American comedian, singer and banjo player who was a popular personality on several radio networks from 1928 to 1947. Biography After selling insurance door-to-door during the 1920s, Pear ...

's "The Happy Go Lucky Hour", a KFRC spin-off of "Blue Monday Jamboree", alongside Edna Fischer and Tommy Harris. "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" reached No. 1 on Billboard's "Hillbilly Hits" chart in 1939. The song was featured in the 2000

Coen brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

film ''

O Brother, Where Art Thou? ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' is a 2000 comedy drama film written, produced, co-edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson, with Chris Thomas King, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and ...

''. McClintock's song "

The Old Chisholm Trail "The Old Chisholm Trail" is a cowboy song first published in 1910 by John Lomax in his book ''Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads''. The song dates back to the 1870s, when it was among the most popular songs sung by cowboys during that era. Ba ...

" was featured in the end credits of ''The Grandest Enterprise Under God'' episode (Episode 5) of the TV documentary miniseries ''

The West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...

''. He was included in

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

's series of "Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country" trading cards.

Politics

McClintock was an active spellbinder for the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...

(IWW), and participated in the Tucker Utah strike on June 14, 1913, with Joe Hill. McClintock wrote the marching song of the IWW, " Hallelujah, I'm a Bum", and is credited with being the first person to sing Hill's song " The Preacher and the Slave" in public. In the early 1920s, McClintock worked and organized union men in the oil fields of

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...

, where he met and recruited author Jim Thompson, who later incorporated him into several short stories using the name "Strawlegs Martin".

Memberships

* Initiated into IWW Union No. 66 on March 4, 1911. * Deputy Sheriff,

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, California, deputized on February 7, 1930. *

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

, inducted as a member on May 5, 1939. * American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), inducted as a member on September 30, 1940.

Selected discography

78s

*''Ain't We Crazy?'' (1928-09-06, Victor V-40101) *''The Big Rock Candy Mountains'' (1928-09-06, Victor Talking Machine Co. Camden, NJ No. 21704-B) *''Hallelujah! I'm a Bum'' (1928-03-31, Victor label No. 21343-B (42137)). Reverse side is "The Bum Song".
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor 21343 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)," accessed October 6, 2021. *''Get Along, Little Dogies'' (1928-03-01, Victor V-40016) *''Fireman, Save My Child'' (1929-12-15, Victor V-40234) *''The Texas Ranger'' (1928-03-01, Victor 21487) *''Jerry, Go Oil That Car'' (1928-03-16, Victor 21521) *''The Bum Song'' (1928-03-16, Victor 21343) *''The Trail To Mexico'' (1928-03-09, Victor V-40016) *''The Old Chisholm Trail'' (1928-03-22, Victor 21421) *''Circus Days'' (1928-03-31, Victor 21567) *''Goodbye, Old Paint'' (1928-03-01, Victor 21761) *''The Bum Song #2'' (1928-09-06, Victor 21704) *''The Trusty Lariat'' (1929-12-15, Victor V-40234) *''My Last Dollar'' (1928-03-22, Victor 23690) *''Billy Venero'' (1928-03-31, Victor 21487) *''Red River Valley'' (1928-03-27, Vi 21421-B) *''Roamin'' (1929-12-15, Vi V-40264) *''Sam Bass'' (1928-03-01, Vi 22420) *''Hobo's Spring Song'' (1929-04-30, Vi 22003-A V-40112) *''Jesse James'' (1928-03-09, Vi 21420 LPV548) *''If I Had My Druthers'' (1929-04-30, Vi 22003-B V-40112) *''Dad's Dinner Pail'' (1928-03-09, Vi 21521)

LPs

*''Haywire Mac'' (1950, Cook Records 01124) * Harry K. McClintock "Haywire Mac" (1972, Folkways Records, FD 5272) * Hallelujah! I'm A Bum (1981, Rounder Records, 1009)

Compilations

*''Songs to Grow On, Vol. 3: American Work Songs'' (1951, Folkways Records 07027). Track 4: "Jerry, Go and Oil That Car" *''Cowboy Songs on Folkways'' (1991,

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fo ...

40043). Track 7: "Utah Carl" *''Folk Song America, Vol. 1'' (1991, Smithsonian Collection 461). Track 5: "

" *''Train d Songs of the Early 1900s'' (1998, Rounder Select 1143). Track 20: "Jerry, Go Oil That Car" *''

'' (2000, Lost Highway Records 170069). Track 2: "Big Rock Candy Mountain" *''Back in the Saddle Again: American Cowboy Songs'' (2004, New World Records). Track 1: "Old Chisholm Trail"

Bibliography

Stories

*"Railroaders are Tough" (''Railroad Magazine'', April, 1943) *"Boomer and Their Women" (''Railroad Magazine'', December, 1957)

Articles

*"New Publications – ''Railroad Songs of Yesteryear''" (''Railroad Magazine'', August 1943) Short biography is part of review.

Notes

References

External links

Harry McClintock biographyHarry McClintock
at

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 databa ...

. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McClintock, Harry 1882 births 1957 deaths American country singer-songwriters American country guitarists American male guitarists American male composers 20th-century American composers Industrial Workers of the World members People from Knoxville, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Guitarists from Tennessee 20th-century American singers Country musicians from Tennessee 20th-century guitarists 20th-century American male musicians