Georgia Yellow Hammers

The Georgia Yellow Hammers

The Georgia Yellow Hammers were an American old-time string and vocal quartet from Gordon County, Georgia who performed in the 1920s. The group featured Charles Moody, Jr. on guitar; Bud Landress on banjo; Phil Reeve on guitar; and Bill Chitwood on fiddle.[1] All members may have been multi-instrumentalists. Tony Russell's notes accompanying the 2004 compilation CD Old Mountain, identify the personnel on "The Picture on the Wall" (Victor 20943, August 9, 1927) as Landress, fiddle and lead vocal; Reeve, guitar and vocal; C. Ernest Moody, banjo-ukulele and vocal; and Clyde Evans, guitar and vocal.[2]

Collaboration with the Baxters

The group often played with Andrew and Jim Baxter from Curryville, Georgia (also in Gordon County). Curryville was also home to the musician Roland Hayes. Andrew Baxter's unique style of fiddle is heard an early recording of a band favorite entitled "G-Rag". The Baxters were African Americans, which was an unusual collaboration for the time period. The band released one of the top selling records of 1920s southern music with 1927's release "The Picture on the Wall" / "My Carolina Girl".[1] The 1927 recording session with the Baxter's took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was a rare integrated session, uncommon even through the mid to late 20th century.[3] Andrew and Jim Baxter were a well known duo for the time in their own right around Northwest Georgia.

Legacy

The band is nationally recognized as an important 1920s "old-time" band. Their songs can still be heard from early recordings on such sites as YouTube and others. The song "Drifting Too Far From The Shore" written by member Charles Moody has been covered by such artists as Jerry Garcia,[4] Emmylou Harris, Phil Lesh & Friends, Hank Williams, and many others, as well as being a standard in many gospel hymnals. The Calhoun High School football stadium in Calhoun, Georgia, is also named after the guitar player and founding member Phil Reeve.

Songs

The Georgia Yellow Hammers recorded songs included:

  • "Mary, Don't You Weep"[5]
  • "I'm S-A-V-E-D"[6]
  • "Pass Around the Bottle"[7]
  • "Fourth of July at a County Fair" (1927)[8]
  • "Going to Ride That Midnight Train"[9]
  • "Tennessee Coon" (1927)[10]
  • "My Carolina Girl" (1927)[11]
  • "G Rag" with Andrew Baxter (August 9, 1927)[12]
  • "Peaches Down in Georgia"[13]
  • "Picture on the Wall" (1928)[13]

Further reading

  • Wayne W. Daniel, Pickin' on Peachtree: A History of Country Music in Atlanta, Georgia (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990), p. 76-77. ISBN 9780252016875
  • The Encyclopedia of Country Music, ed. Paul Kingsbury (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), s.v. "Georgia Yellow Hammers." ISBN 978-0195116717
  • Gene Wiggins and Tony Russell, "Hell Broke Loose in Gordon County, Georgia," Old Time Music 25 (summer 1977): p. 9-21.
  • Charles K. Wolfe, "The Georgia Yellow Hammers," in Classic Country: Legends of Country Music (New York: Routledge, 2001). ISBN 9780415928274
  • Tony Russell, Old Time Music Journal

References

  1. ^ a b "New Georgia Encyclopedia: Georgia Yellow Hammers". Georgiaencyclopedia.org. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  2. ^ {Russell, Tony, notes to Old Mountain Stringband Sounds & Tunes, Living Era, London, 2004
  3. ^ "Blogger: Aanmelden". Oldbluebus.blogspot.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  4. ^ "Thejerrysite.com". Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  5. ^ "Georgia Yellow Hammers-Mary, Don't You Weep". June 19, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "The Georgia Yellow Hammers-I'm Saved". February 26, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "The Georgia Yellow Hammers-Pass Around The Bottle". June 22, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Georgia Yellow Hammers : Fourth Of July At A County Fair ( 1927 )". December 5, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ "The Georgia Yellow Hammers-Going To Ride That Midnight Train". July 10, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Georgia Yellow Hammers, Tennessee Coon. North Carolina 1927". September 9, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "The Georgia Yellow Hammers-My Carolina Girl". August 24, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Andrew Baxter with the Georgia Yellow Hammers G Rag VICTOR 21195". September 3, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ a b "The Georgia Yellow Hammers-The Picture On The Wall". July 27, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2013 – via YouTube.
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