The
Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers were an American
Old-timeOld-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
string band consisting of Amos Binkley (1888–1952) on banjo, his brother Gale Binkley (1893–1946) on fiddle, Tom Andrews on guitar, and Jack Johnson on guitar and vocals. The Binkley Brothers first performed on
NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
radio station WSM in 1926, and in 1928 became one of the first bands to record commercially in the city. The group performed regularly on the
Grand Ole OpryThe Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
until they disbanded in 1938.
Amos and Gale Binkley were born in
Cheatham County, Tennessee, and were working as jewelry repairmen when they started playing for WSM in 1926. The Binkleys eventually joined up with
FranklinFranklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
-born guitarist Tom Andrews, and the group was given the name "Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers" by Opry founder
George D. HayGeorge Dewey Hay was an American radio personality. He was the founder of the original Grand Ole Opry radio program on WSM-AM in Nashville, Tennessee, from which the country music stage show of the same name evolved....
, who preferred rural-sounding band names to fit the show's barn dance format. In September 1928, the group attempted to record several sides for Victor Records at the YMCA building in Nashville, but Victor's A&R agent
Ralph PeerRalph Sylvester Peer was an American talent scout, recording engineer and record producer in the field of music in the 1920s and 1930s...
decided the group's vocals were too "rough." Peer added
Lebanon, TennesseeLebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
singer Jack Johnson to the line-up, and on October 2, the band made its first recordings. The group continued performing on the Opry throughout the following decade, and by the early 1930s Johnson— who was known as the "Strolling Yodeler"— was one of the most popular singers on Nashville-area radio.
The band's repertoire included "I'll Rise When the Rooster Crows," which was derived from the 1881 song "Dem Golden Shoes," and the folk song "Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents." Both were recorded at their 1928 Victor sessions.
When the Binkley Brothers left the Opry in 1938, they were replaced by
Bill MonroeWilliam Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
and the Bluegrass Boys.
Discography
- Nashville - The Early String Bands, Vol. 1 (County
County Records also expanded into the bluegrass music genre, although Freeman preferred those artists who stayed the closest to their old-time roots. The label's first bluegrass release was 1965's Blue Ridge Bluegrass featuring Larry Richardson and the Blue Ridge Boys.-Related businesses:Freeman...
, 2000) — contains the tracks "I'll Rise When the Rooster Crows" and "Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents"
External links