Harry McClintock
Encyclopedia
Harry Kirby McClintock also known as "Haywire Mac," was an American singer and poet. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, "the son of a railroad cabinetmaker and nephew of four boomer trainmen. His drifting began when he ran away from home as a boy to join a circus. He railroaded in Africa, worked as a seaman, saw action in the Philippines as a civilian mule-train packer, supplying American troops with food and ammunition, and in 1899 found himself in China as an aide to newsmen covering the Boxer Rebellion. Back in the States, he hired out to the Pennsy
in the Pittsburgh area, and from there he took the boomer trail as railroader and a minstrel. Mac lived an adventurous life and never lost his sense of humor".
" (featured in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
). The song reached #1 on Billboard's "Hillbilly Hits" chart in 1939. He is credited as being the first person to sing "The Preacher and the Slave
", a song by Joe Hill
, in public. He was a lifelong member of the Industrial Workers of the World
. In the early 1920s he worked and organized union men in the oil fields of west Texas, where he met and recruited writer Jim Thompson, who later incorporated him into several short stories using the name "Strawlegs Martin." Having worked as a cowboy himself, McClintock was one of the few "country" singers who had an authentic background from which to draw. He was included in R. Crumb series of "Heroes of Old Time Country Music" trading cards.
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...
in the Pittsburgh area, and from there he took the boomer trail as railroader and a minstrel. Mac lived an adventurous life and never lost his sense of humor".
Music
Best known for his song "Big Rock Candy MountainBig Rock Candy Mountain
Big Rock Candy Mountain, first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928, is a song about a hobo's idea of paradise, a modern version of the medieval concept of Cockaigne...
" (featured in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
). The song reached #1 on Billboard's "Hillbilly Hits" chart in 1939. He is credited as being the first person to sing "The Preacher and the Slave
The Preacher and the Slave
"The Preacher and the Slave" is a song written by Joe Hill in 1911. It was written as a parody of the hymn "In the Sweet Bye and Bye". The Industrial Workers of the World concentrated much of its labor trying to organize migrant workers in lumber and construction camps...
", a song by Joe Hill
Joe Hill
Joe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund in Gävle , and also known as Joseph Hillström was a Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World...
, in public. He was a lifelong member of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
. In the early 1920s he worked and organized union men in the oil fields of west Texas, where he met and recruited writer Jim Thompson, who later incorporated him into several short stories using the name "Strawlegs Martin." Having worked as a cowboy himself, McClintock was one of the few "country" singers who had an authentic background from which to draw. He was included in R. Crumb series of "Heroes of Old Time Country Music" trading cards.
78s
- Hallelujah! I'm a Bum (1928, "His Master's Voice", Victor label #21343-B (42137)). Reverse side is "The Bum Song"
LPs
- Haywire Mac (1950, Cook Records 01124)
- Haywire Mac (1972, Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
05272)
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 FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
40043). Track 7: "Utah Carl" - Folk Song America, Vol. 1 (1991, Smithsonian Collection 461). Track 5: "Big Rock Candy MountainBig Rock Candy MountainBig Rock Candy Mountain, first recorded by Harry McClintock in 1928, is a song about a hobo's idea of paradise, a modern version of the medieval concept of Cockaigne...
" - When I Was a Cowboy, Vol. 1 (1996, Yazoo Records 2022). Track 9: "Sam BassSam BassSam Bass was a nineteenth-century American train robber and outlaw.-Early life:Bass was orphaned at the age of 10. For the next five years, he and his siblings lived with an abusive uncle. In 1869, he set out on his own and spent the next year in Mississippi...
" - Train 45: Railroad Songs of the Early 1900s (1998, Rounder Select 1143). Track 20: "Jerry, Go Oil That Car"
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack)O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman....
(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"