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Clayton McMichen (born January 26, 1900 - died January 4, 1970) was an American fiddler and country music
Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
ian.

Born in Allatoona, Georgia
Allatoona, Georgia

Allatoona was a town located in extreme southeastern Bartow County, Georgia . Built along Allatoona Creek, it was a gold mining area later in the first U.S....
, McMichen learned to play the fiddle from his father and uncle. He moved to Atlanta with his family in 1913, working as an automobile mechanic. While there, he entered and won several competitions for fiddle
Fiddle

The term fiddle refers to a violin; it is a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including European classical music....
. McMichen formed the Hometown Boys in 1918 and on September 18, 1922, they made their first radio debut.






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Clayton McMichen (born January 26, 1900 - died January 4, 1970) was an American fiddler and country music
Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
ian.

Born in Allatoona, Georgia
Allatoona, Georgia

Allatoona was a town located in extreme southeastern Bartow County, Georgia . Built along Allatoona Creek, it was a gold mining area later in the first U.S....
, McMichen learned to play the fiddle from his father and uncle. He moved to Atlanta with his family in 1913, working as an automobile mechanic. While there, he entered and won several competitions for fiddle
Fiddle

The term fiddle refers to a violin; it is a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including European classical music....
. McMichen formed the Hometown Boys in 1918 and on September 18, 1922, they made their first radio debut. In 1925, he began recording with the Skillet Lickers
Skillet Lickers

The Skillet Lickers were an old-time band from Georgia, USA.When Gid Tanner teamed up with blind guitarist Riley Puckett and signed to Columbia Records in 1924, they created the label's earliest so-called "hillbilly" recording....
. They became one of the nation's most successful country acts of the 1920s, and recorded profusely. McMichen's first solo success was the 1927 hit "Sweet Bunch of Roses", which sold over 100,000 records. He also recorded crooner
Crooner

Crooner is an epithet given to a male singer of a certain style of popular songs, dubbed pop standards. A crooner is a singer of popular ballads and thus a "balladeer"....
 ballads under the name Bob Nichols, but only hit with the tune "My Carolina Home". One of his best-known tunes was "Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia", recorded by Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)

Jimmie Rodgers was a country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling. Among the first country music superstars and pioneers, Rodgers was also known as "The Singing Brakeman", "The Blue Yodeler", and "The Father of Country Music"....
.

The Skillet Lickers split in 1931, and McMichen organized a new band called the Georgia Wildcats, playing old timey, pop and jazz. They worked around the South, Northeast and Midwest until 1939. The band included guitarist Slim Bryant and, for a time, fiddler Carl Cotner and guitarist Merle Travis
Merle Travis

Merle Robert Travis was an United States country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the exploitation of coal miners....
. They recorded for Decca from 1935-38, settling in Louisville. When he decided to form a full-sized dance band, Bryant took the smaller group and departed with McMichen's blessing. McMichen continued performing in Louisville until retiring in 1955. He was asked to restart his career during the folk revival of the 1960s, but was initially reticent; however, his performances at the Bean Blossom festival and the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival

The Newport Folk Festival is an Music of the United States annual folk music-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959....
 in 1964 were successes. He continued to perform almost up until his death in 1970.

In 1988, Merle Travis
Merle Travis

Merle Robert Travis was an United States country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the exploitation of coal miners....
 and Mac Wiseman
Mac Wiseman

Malcolm B. Wiseman , better known as Mac Wiseman, is a bluegrass singer, nicknamed "The Voice with a Heart". The bearded singer is one of the cult figures of Bluegrass music....
 released a double LP album called The Clayton McMichen Story in tribute to him.