Tennessee Ramblers (East Tennessee)
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Ramblers were an American old-time
string band originally consisting of William "Fiddlin' Bill" Sievers (1875—1954) on fiddle
, his son James "Mack" Sievers on banjo
and vocals, daughter Willie Sievers (1909—1998) on guitar
, and cousin Walter McKinney (d. 1960) on steel guitar
. The band was one of the most popular performing groups in East Tennessee
during the 1920s through the 1940s, gaining initial fame as a backing band in fiddle contests held at Market Hall
in Knoxville, Tennessee
, and later performing at fairs and other gatherings around the eastern United States. They recorded several sides for Brunswick/Vocalion in 1928 and 1929, which were issued on the Vocalion label
. After the death of William Sievers in 1954, siblings James and Willie formed a Hawaiian music
group known as Mack's Novelty Hawaiians. Willie Sievers' guitar solos recorded with the band in 1928 and 1929 are among the first by a female lead guitarist in Country music
.
(now part of Oak Ridge
) in 1875 and worked as a barber
in nearby Clinton
, where James and Willie were born in 1904 and 1909, respectively. William's grandfather and mother had been fiddle players, and his children later recalled that most everyone in the family played an instrument of some sort. William's wife, Myrtle McKinney, occasionally sang with the band in its early years. Aside from his parents, William's influences included an obscure Knoxville fiddle player known as "Old Bill" Jones (Georgia
fiddler Earl Johnson
also claimed Jones as an influence) and a Knoxville blues
group known as the "Kinser Brothers."
James Sievers began playing banjo with his cousin, Walter McKinney, in 1913, and learned much of his technique from a north Anderson County
banjo player named Steve Cole. Willie initially took piano
lessons, but quit after her instructor told her she would only learn an instrument by "playing it by ear." She took up guitar shortly thereafter, and would later go on to win several contests. Within a few years, James and his sister Willie were playing at school assemblies. The two developed what would become a lifelong interest in Hawaiian music during this period, at the same time learning old-time music their father taught them.
in Cincinnati
, and WFJC in Akron
. At the fiddler conventions held by Frank Murphy at Market Hall in Knoxville, the Tennessee Ramblers were often paired with fiddlers Charlie Bowman
and Earl Johnson.
In February 1928, the Tennessee Ramblers recorded their first record at a Brunswick session in Ashland, Kentucky
. The recordings included "Cackling Pullet," which is based on the traditional tune "Hen Cackle," and "Fiddler Contest," which includes a guitar solo by Willie and a banjo solo by James. The session also produced "Preacher Got Drunk and Laid His Bible Down," which, as the chorus suggests, is based on the 1909 Robert Hoffman song, "I'm Alabama Bound
."
In August 1929, Brunswick began the first of a series of large-scale recording sessions at the St. James Hotel in Knoxville. At this session, the Tennessee Ramblers recorded "Ramblers March," which was written by James, and "Garbage Can Blues," which they typically used to open performances. The group recorded several sides at Brunswick's follow-up Knoxville session in April of the following year, but no recordings from this session were released. Willie, however, is believed to have supplied the brief guitar solo on Uncle Jimmy's Favorite Fiddlin' Pieces, recorded at the same session by fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson
of Grand Ole Opry
fame.
. He was replaced by a mandolin
player named Jerry Taylor, who played with the Ramblers throughout the 1930s. In 1938, the Ramblers also added J.T. Jones. The band continued playing at various gatherings around the region, including a large concert in St. Petersburg, Florida
in 1932, and continued playing various venues in downtown Knoxville.
The Tennessee Ramblers disbanded with the death of William Sievers in 1954. The following year, James and Willie decided to focus on Hawaiian music, and formed a band called "Mack's Novelty Hawaiians." This band, which included Jo Adkins on drums, played regularly in downtown Knoxville through the 1970s.
Old-time music
Old-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 originally consisting of William "Fiddlin' Bill" Sievers (1875—1954) on fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, his son James "Mack" Sievers on banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and vocals, daughter Willie Sievers (1909—1998) on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and cousin Walter McKinney (d. 1960) on steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
. The band was one of the most popular performing groups in East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
during the 1920s through the 1940s, gaining initial fame as a backing band in fiddle contests held at Market Hall
Market Square, Knoxville
Market Square is a pedestrian mall located in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Established in 1854 as a market place for regional farmers, the square has developed over the decades into a multipurpose venue that accommodates events ranging from concerts to political rallies, and has long provided a...
in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, and later performing at fairs and other gatherings around the eastern United States. They recorded several sides for Brunswick/Vocalion in 1928 and 1929, which were issued on the Vocalion label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. After the death of William Sievers in 1954, siblings James and Willie formed a Hawaiian music
Music of Hawaii
The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Hawaii's musical contributions to the music of the United States are out of proportion to the state's small size. Styles like slack-key guitar are well-known...
group known as Mack's Novelty Hawaiians. Willie Sievers' guitar solos recorded with the band in 1928 and 1929 are among the first by a female lead guitarist in Country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
Origins
William Sievers (the name is sometimes spelled "Seivers") was born in Elza, TennesseeElza, Tennessee
Elza was a community in Anderson County, Tennessee, that existed before 1942, when the area was acquired for the Manhattan Project. Its site is now part of the city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.Elza formed around a flagstop on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad...
(now part of Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
) in 1875 and worked as a barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
in nearby Clinton
Clinton, Tennessee
Clinton is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 9,409 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Anderson County. Clinton is included in the "Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area".-Geography:...
, where James and Willie were born in 1904 and 1909, respectively. William's grandfather and mother had been fiddle players, and his children later recalled that most everyone in the family played an instrument of some sort. William's wife, Myrtle McKinney, occasionally sang with the band in its early years. Aside from his parents, William's influences included an obscure Knoxville fiddle player known as "Old Bill" Jones (Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
fiddler Earl Johnson
Earl Johnson (fiddler)
Earl Johnson was an old time fiddler who was very much influenced by the music of Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers.-Biography:...
also claimed Jones as an influence) and a Knoxville blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
group known as the "Kinser Brothers."
James Sievers began playing banjo with his cousin, Walter McKinney, in 1913, and learned much of his technique from a north Anderson County
Anderson County, Tennessee
Anderson County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, its population is 75,129. Its county seat is Clinton.It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
banjo player named Steve Cole. Willie initially took piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons, but quit after her instructor told her she would only learn an instrument by "playing it by ear." She took up guitar shortly thereafter, and would later go on to win several contests. Within a few years, James and his sister Willie were playing at school assemblies. The two developed what would become a lifelong interest in Hawaiian music during this period, at the same time learning old-time music their father taught them.
Career
William Sievers and his two children formed the Tennessee Ramblers in 1922. Walter McKinney typically appeared with the band playing steel guitar or Hawaiian guitar. James chose the name "Tennessee Ramblers" one night while they were driving to a show in Virginia. Throughout the 1920s, the band played at various venues across the eastern United States. They appeared on numerous radio stations, including WNOK in Knoxville, WLWWLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, and WFJC in Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. At the fiddler conventions held by Frank Murphy at Market Hall in Knoxville, the Tennessee Ramblers were often paired with fiddlers Charlie Bowman
Charlie Bowman
Charles Thomas Bowman was an American old-time fiddle player and string band leader. He was a major influence on the distinctive fiddle sound that helped shape and develop early Country music in the 1920s and 1930s...
and Earl Johnson.
In February 1928, the Tennessee Ramblers recorded their first record at a Brunswick session in Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
. The recordings included "Cackling Pullet," which is based on the traditional tune "Hen Cackle," and "Fiddler Contest," which includes a guitar solo by Willie and a banjo solo by James. The session also produced "Preacher Got Drunk and Laid His Bible Down," which, as the chorus suggests, is based on the 1909 Robert Hoffman song, "I'm Alabama Bound
I'm Alabama Bound
"I'm Alabama Bound" is a ragtime melody composed by Robert Hoffman in 1909. Hoffman "respectfully" dedicated it to one M. T. Scarlata. The cover of its first edition advertises the music as "Also Known As The Alabama Blues" which has led some to suspect it of being one of the first blues songs...
."
In August 1929, Brunswick began the first of a series of large-scale recording sessions at the St. James Hotel in Knoxville. At this session, the Tennessee Ramblers recorded "Ramblers March," which was written by James, and "Garbage Can Blues," which they typically used to open performances. The group recorded several sides at Brunswick's follow-up Knoxville session in April of the following year, but no recordings from this session were released. Willie, however, is believed to have supplied the brief guitar solo on Uncle Jimmy's Favorite Fiddlin' Pieces, recorded at the same session by fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson
Uncle Jimmy Thompson
Jesse Donald "Uncle Jimmy" Thompson was an American old-time fiddle player. He is best remembered as the first performer to play on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry , appearing with founder and host George D. Hay on the evening of November 28, 1925...
of Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The 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...
fame.
Later years
In 1931, Walter McKinney left the group and moved to the western United StatesWestern United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. He was replaced by a mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
player named Jerry Taylor, who played with the Ramblers throughout the 1930s. In 1938, the Ramblers also added J.T. Jones. The band continued playing at various gatherings around the region, including a large concert in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
in 1932, and continued playing various venues in downtown Knoxville.
The Tennessee Ramblers disbanded with the death of William Sievers in 1954. The following year, James and Willie decided to focus on Hawaiian music, and formed a band called "Mack's Novelty Hawaiians." This band, which included Jo Adkins on drums, played regularly in downtown Knoxville through the 1970s.
Discography
- Rural String Bands of Tennessee (CountyCounty RecordsCounty 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...
, 1997) — contains the band's 1928 recording, "Preacher Got Drunk and Laid His Bible Down"
External links
- Juneberry78s.com Sampler — mp3 of the Tennessee Ramblers' 1928 recording, "Preacher Got Drunk"
- Knoxville Music History Mural — mural of various musicians in downtown Knoxville that includes Willie Sievers