Jim & Jesse
Encyclopedia
Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music
duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds (February 13, 1927 – December 31, 2002) and Jesse McReynolds
(born July 9, 1929). The two were born and raised in Carfax, a community near Coeburn
, Virginia
.
with a unique, self-invented "crosspicking
"and "split-string" playing method, and Jim sang as a high tenor
and played guitar
. They played with their backing band, The Virginia Boys, consisting of five-string banjo
, fiddle
and bass. The Virginia Boys have included a who's who of famous musicians such as famed fiddler Vassar Clements
, banjo great Allen Shelton
, fiddle great Jimmy Buchanan, Carl Jackson
, Glen Duncan, Jesse's oldest son, the late Keith McReynolds, Randall Franks
and many more.
Since the death of brother Jim, Jesse has gone on with their famous Virginia Boys band. He has continued in the bluegrass music tradition and has added other genres of music to his repertoire. His present show includes Chuck Berry songs, and he has just completed a tribute to Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter (of the Grateful Dead) released October 5, 2010, on Woodstock Records. It features Jerry's friends David Nelson and Sandy Rothman
, along with Stu Allen, of the present Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band. The album is titled: "Jesse McReynolds & Friends Tribute to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter ~ Songs of the Grateful Dead."
Jesse's present band lineup includes Keith's son, Garrett McReynolds as tenor singer/rhythm guitarist. Garrett's older sister Amanda sings third part harmony. Sometimes Jesse grabs the historic fiddle his grandfather played on the Bristol Sessions, and lets grandson Luke McKnight do the crosspicking that Jesse invented & made famous. Rounding out the group is Travis Wetzel on fiddle and Gary Reece on banjo. This musical tradition continues on, entertaining fans all over the world.
. They have also recorded for Columbia Records
, Epic Records
and Opryland USA
. They also released under their own Old Dominion record label. In 1960, their first single for Columbia, "The Flame of Love" backed by "Gosh I Miss You All The Time" spent weeks climbing the top 100 national charts. Their other classic songs include "Cotton Mill Man", "Diesel On My Tail", "Are You Missing Me", and "Paradise".
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jim and Jesse starred on the live radio show, the Suwannee River Jamboree, broadcast on Saturday nights from Live Oak, Florida
on WNER
radio. The show was also syndicated throughout the Southeastern United States. The brothers replaced the Stanley Brothers
on the show. They left when Martha White began using the duo as a sponsor.
On March 2, 1964, they were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry
after making several appearances as guest hosts, and they moved to Gallatin, Tennessee
later that year.
Their numerous honors include induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame's "Walkway of Stars", the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame, the International Bluegrass Music Association
's Hall of Honor, and Bill Monroe
's Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Individually and collectively they were nominated for several Grammy Awards. They also received the National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, presented by Hillary Rodham Clinton
and Jane Alexander
at The White House on September 23, 1997.
Jim and Jesse joined producers Randall Franks
and Alan Autry
for the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series)
cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers. Jesse also added his mandolin talents to a vocal performance of "Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella" by the late TV legend Carroll O'Connor
.
In 2004, Jesse was honored with a nomination by the Internation Bluegrass Music Association for his project, "Bending the Rules" as Instrumental Recording of the Year.
Jesse continues to perform at numerous folk festivals representing the traditional arts and some of his new styles.
. Jesse's battle was successful, but Jim's was not. He died in 2002, ending the longest active professional brother duet in country music history - 55 years.
Jesse has carried on the Jim & Jesse tradition and continues to play all over the world with his band, as well as being a guest with other groups. He has a venue in Gallatin, TN called "The Pick Inn" where he and his wife, Joy, operate a wedding business. Jesse & Joy plan to have music concerts at the Pick Inn, presenting different types of music, including the music that made Jim & Jesse famous.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds (February 13, 1927 – December 31, 2002) and Jesse McReynolds
Jesse McReynolds
Jesse Lester McReynolds is an American bluegrass musician. He is known for his innovative crosspicking and split-string styles of mandolin playing, and is a forty two year member of the Grand Ole Opry...
(born July 9, 1929). The two were born and raised in Carfax, a community near Coeburn
Coeburn, Virginia
Coeburn is a town in Wise County, Virginia, along the Guest River. The population was 1,996 at the 2000 census with many small peaceful wooded communities in the outskirts. Camping is available nearby at Bark Camp Lake in the Jefferson National Forest with other activities including boating and...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Line-up
Jesse played the mandolinMandolin
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...
with a unique, self-invented "crosspicking
Crosspicking
Crosspicking is a technique for playing the mandolin or guitar using a plectrum or flatpick in a rolling, syncopated style across three strings. This style is probably best known as one element of the flatpicking style in bluegrass music, and it closely resembles a banjo roll, the main difference...
"and "split-string" playing method, and Jim sang as a high tenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
and played 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...
. They played with their backing band, The Virginia Boys, consisting of five-string 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...
, 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...
and bass. The Virginia Boys have included a who's who of famous musicians such as famed fiddler Vassar Clements
Vassar Clements
Vassar Clements was a Grammy Award- winning American jazz, swing, and bluegrass fiddler. Clements has been dubbed the Father of Hillbilly Jazz, an improvisational style that blends and borrows from swing, hot jazz, and bluegrass along with roots also in country and other musical...
, banjo great Allen Shelton
Allen Shelton
Allen Shelton was an American five-string banjo player known for being a member of Jim & Jesse's Virginia Boys since the 1960s. His picking style is described as "bouncy".-Biography:...
, fiddle great Jimmy Buchanan, Carl Jackson
Carl Jackson
Carl Jackson is an American country and bluegrass musician. Jackson's first Grammy was awarded in 1992 for his duet album with John Starling titled "Spring Training." In 2003 Jackson produced the Grammy Award-winning CD titled Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers - a tribute to Ira...
, Glen Duncan, Jesse's oldest son, the late Keith McReynolds, Randall Franks
Randall Franks
Randall Franks is an award-winning bluegrass singer and musician who plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar and mountain dulcimer. He was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Museum in 2010 as a Bluegrass Legend; inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004; and was designated...
and many more.
Since the death of brother Jim, Jesse has gone on with their famous Virginia Boys band. He has continued in the bluegrass music tradition and has added other genres of music to his repertoire. His present show includes Chuck Berry songs, and he has just completed a tribute to Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter (of the Grateful Dead) released October 5, 2010, on Woodstock Records. It features Jerry's friends David Nelson and Sandy Rothman
Sandy Rothman
Sandy Rothman is a San Francisco Bay Area bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and record producer, who plays mandolin, dobro and banjo, and was a friend and colleague of Grateful Dead bandleader Jerry Garcia, and a member of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band...
, along with Stu Allen, of the present Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band. The album is titled: "Jesse McReynolds & Friends Tribute to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter ~ Songs of the Grateful Dead."
Jesse's present band lineup includes Keith's son, Garrett McReynolds as tenor singer/rhythm guitarist. Garrett's older sister Amanda sings third part harmony. Sometimes Jesse grabs the historic fiddle his grandfather played on the Bristol Sessions, and lets grandson Luke McKnight do the crosspicking that Jesse invented & made famous. Rounding out the group is Travis Wetzel on fiddle and Gary Reece on banjo. This musical tradition continues on, entertaining fans all over the world.
Record releases and awards
In 1952, Jim & Jesse were signed to their first major label, Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. They have also recorded for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and Opryland USA
Opryland USA
Opryland USA was an amusement park located in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. It operated seasonally from 1972 until 1997...
. They also released under their own Old Dominion record label. In 1960, their first single for Columbia, "The Flame of Love" backed by "Gosh I Miss You All The Time" spent weeks climbing the top 100 national charts. Their other classic songs include "Cotton Mill Man", "Diesel On My Tail", "Are You Missing Me", and "Paradise".
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jim and Jesse starred on the live radio show, the Suwannee River Jamboree, broadcast on Saturday nights from Live Oak, Florida
Live Oak, Florida
Live Oak is a city in Suwannee County, Florida. The city is the county seat of Suwannee County and is located east of Tallahassee, Florida. The population was 6,480 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,828 ....
on WNER
WQHL (AM)
WQHL is a radio station licensed to Live Oak, Florida, USA. The station is currently owned by Black Crow Media Group and the broadcast license is held by RTG Radio, LLC. The station broadcasts a classic hits music format....
radio. The show was also syndicated throughout the Southeastern United States. The brothers replaced the Stanley Brothers
The Stanley Brothers
The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo made up of brothers Carter and Ralph Stanley.-Biography:Carter and Ralph Stanley hailed originally from Dickenson County, Virginia. The family soon moved to McClure, Virginia where their parents worked a small farm in the Clinch Mountains...
on the show. They left when Martha White began using the duo as a sponsor.
On March 2, 1964, they were inducted into the 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...
after making several appearances as guest hosts, and they moved to Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
later that year.
Their numerous honors include induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame's "Walkway of Stars", the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame, the International Bluegrass Music Association
International Bluegrass Music Association
The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music.Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International Bluegrass Music Museum as a joint venture with...
's Hall of Honor, and Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William 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...
's Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Individually and collectively they were nominated for several Grammy Awards. They also received the National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, presented by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
and Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
at The White House on September 23, 1997.
Jim and Jesse joined producers Randall Franks
Randall Franks
Randall Franks is an award-winning bluegrass singer and musician who plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar and mountain dulcimer. He was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Museum in 2010 as a Bluegrass Legend; inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004; and was designated...
and Alan Autry
Alan Autry
Carlos Alan Autry is an American actor, politician, and former National Football League football player. He is best known for his role as Captain Bubba Skinner on the television series In the Heat of the Night; he also has been in numerous movies and other television shows...
for the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series)
In the Heat of the Night (TV series)
In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
cast CD “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” performing "Christmas Time's A Comin'" with the cast on the CD released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers. Jesse also added his mandolin talents to a vocal performance of "Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella" by the late TV legend Carroll O'Connor
Carroll O'Connor
John Carroll O'Connor best known as Carroll O'Connor, was an American actor, producer and director whose television career spanned four decades...
.
In 2004, Jesse was honored with a nomination by the Internation Bluegrass Music Association for his project, "Bending the Rules" as Instrumental Recording of the Year.
Jesse continues to perform at numerous folk festivals representing the traditional arts and some of his new styles.
A record setting career for the duo ends
In 2002, both brothers were diagnosed with different types of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Jesse's battle was successful, but Jim's was not. He died in 2002, ending the longest active professional brother duet in country music history - 55 years.
Jesse has carried on the Jim & Jesse tradition and continues to play all over the world with his band, as well as being a guest with other groups. He has a venue in Gallatin, TN called "The Pick Inn" where he and his wife, Joy, operate a wedding business. Jesse & Joy plan to have music concerts at the Pick Inn, presenting different types of music, including the music that made Jim & Jesse famous.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Bluegrass Special | — | Epic |
| Bluegrass Classics | — | ||
| 1964 | The Old Country Church | — | |
| 1965 | Y'all Come | — | |
| Berry Pickin' in the Country | — | ||
| 1966 | Sing Unto Him a New Song | — | |
| 1967 | Diesel on My Tail | 13 | |
| 1968 | All-Time Great Country Instrumentals | — | |
| 1969 | Saluting the Louvin Brothers | — | |
| 1970 | We Like Trains | — | |
| Wildwood Flower | — | Harmony | |
| 1982 | Jim & Jesse & Charlie (with Charlie Louvin Charlie Louvin Charles Elzer Loudermilk , known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955.-Biography:Born in Henagar, Alabama, Louvin was one of 7 children... ) |
— | Soundwaves |
Singles
| Year | Single | US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Cotton Mill Man" | 43 | single only |
| "Better Times A-Coming" | 39 | Y'all Come | |
| 1967 | "Diesel on My Tail" | 18 | Diesel on My Tail |
| "The Ballad of Thunder Road The Ballad of Thunder Road "The Ballad of Thunder Road" is a song performed and co-written by actor Robert Mitchum in 1957, with music by composer Jack Marshall. It was the theme song of the movie Thunder Road. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 twice, in 1958 and 1962, and while it never peaked higher than #62, it racked... " |
44 | ||
| 1968 | "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman" | 49 | single only |
| "Yonder Comes a Freight Train" | 56 | We Like Trains | |
| 1970 | "The Golden Rocket" | 38 | |
| 1971 | "Freight Train" | 44 | |
| 1982 | "North Wind" (with Charlie Louvin Charlie Louvin Charles Elzer Loudermilk , known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1955.-Biography:Born in Henagar, Alabama, Louvin was one of 7 children... ) |
56 | Jim & Jesse & Charlie |
| 1986 | "Oh Louisiana" | 78 | single only |
External links
- Jim & Jesse official website
- Podcast of Jim and Jesse's performance at the 1998 Florida Folk Festival. There is also a podcast of the Suwannee River Jamboree. Made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida.
- Live version of "Gosh I Miss You All the Time" from the 1998 Florida Folk Festival. Made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida.