Maddox Brothers and Rose
Encyclopedia
The Maddox Brothers and Rose, known as America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band from the 1930s to the 1950s, consisted of four brothers, Fred, Cal, Cliff and Don Maddox, along with their sister Rose
. Cliff died in 1949 and was replaced by brother Henry. The group disbanded in 1956.
, but rode the rails and hitch hiked to California
in 1933 when the band members were still children, following the failed efforts of their sharecropper
parents during the early part of the Depression
. They were a little in advance of the flood of Okies who were to flood the state in the 30s. They struggled to make a living as intinerant fruit and vegetable pickers following the harvest as far north as Washington state, and as far east as Arizona, as well as in the San Joaquin Valley. They often worked from dawn to dusk, sleeping and eating on the ground.
Having settled in Modesto, the family developed their musical ability and, in 1937 performed on the radio, sponsored by a local furniture store. In 1939 they entered a hillbilly band competition at the centennial Sacramento State Fair after driving to Sacramento in their Model A. When they took the stage they tore through "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down" with rocking rhythms and risque lyrics. They became, officially, California's best hillbilly band.
The brothers and Rose appeared at places such as the 97th Street Corral in Los Angeles.
From 1946-1951 the group recorded for 4 Star Records
(Hollywood), then for Columbia Records
. Some 4 Star masters were leased and released by US.-Decca Records
at the beginning of the 1950s.
The following quotes are from Rose Maddox
. "We were called hillbilly singers - not country - then. No, none of this country music then. People just called us hillbilly... People tell me that I was one of the first women to sing what I sang - country boogie. I guess I was. There was no rock 'n' roll in those early days, before 1955. Only country boogie. My brothers also played that way. We called it country then."
The Maddox's material ranged from the country standards of Hank Williams and Merle Travis
, cowboy songs, to the Western swing
of Bob Wills
, to old-time, folk, and church singing, to jazz, swing, boogie woogie and even a taste of early rock and roll.
Fred Maddox played upright bass using the "slap bass" technique as early as 1937.
This trademark backbeat, a slapping bass style, helped drive a broad change in popular music, sporting a faster, immediately discernible rhythm that came to be known as rockabilly.
Fred Maddox's bass is displayed at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. "They wanted his bass because they believe he might have hit the first note of rock 'n' roll on it."
Rose Maddox
Roselea Maddox , better known as Rose Maddox, was an American country singer-songwriter and fiddle player.Born in Boaz, Alabama, Maddox was the singer in the Maddox Brothers and Rose....
. Cliff died in 1949 and was replaced by brother Henry. The group disbanded in 1956.
Biography
The family hailed from Boaz, AlabamaBoaz, Alabama
Boaz is a city in Etowah and Marshall Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is part of the 'Gadsden, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area'. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,551. Boaz is known mainly for its outlet shops....
, but rode the rails and hitch hiked to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1933 when the band members were still children, following the failed efforts of their sharecropper
Sharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...
parents during the early part of the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. They were a little in advance of the flood of Okies who were to flood the state in the 30s. They struggled to make a living as intinerant fruit and vegetable pickers following the harvest as far north as Washington state, and as far east as Arizona, as well as in the San Joaquin Valley. They often worked from dawn to dusk, sleeping and eating on the ground.
Having settled in Modesto, the family developed their musical ability and, in 1937 performed on the radio, sponsored by a local furniture store. In 1939 they entered a hillbilly band competition at the centennial Sacramento State Fair after driving to Sacramento in their Model A. When they took the stage they tore through "Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down" with rocking rhythms and risque lyrics. They became, officially, California's best hillbilly band.
The brothers and Rose appeared at places such as the 97th Street Corral in Los Angeles.
From 1946-1951 the group recorded for 4 Star Records
Four Star Records
4 Star Records is the name of a record label that recorded many well-known country music acts in the 1950s. The label, founded after World War II, was home to singers such as Hank Locklin, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Rose Maddox, Webb Pierce and T. Texas Tyler...
(Hollywood), then 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...
. Some 4 Star masters were leased and released by US.-Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
at the beginning of the 1950s.
The following quotes are from Rose Maddox
Rose Maddox
Roselea Maddox , better known as Rose Maddox, was an American country singer-songwriter and fiddle player.Born in Boaz, Alabama, Maddox was the singer in the Maddox Brothers and Rose....
. "We were called hillbilly singers - not country - then. No, none of this country music then. People just called us hillbilly... People tell me that I was one of the first women to sing what I sang - country boogie. I guess I was. There was no rock 'n' roll in those early days, before 1955. Only country boogie. My brothers also played that way. We called it country then."
The Maddox's material ranged from the country standards of Hank Williams and Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
, cowboy songs, to the Western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
of Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
, to old-time, folk, and church singing, to jazz, swing, boogie woogie and even a taste of early rock and roll.
Fred Maddox played upright bass using the "slap bass" technique as early as 1937.
This trademark backbeat, a slapping bass style, helped drive a broad change in popular music, sporting a faster, immediately discernible rhythm that came to be known as rockabilly.
Fred Maddox's bass is displayed at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. "They wanted his bass because they believe he might have hit the first note of rock 'n' roll on it."
Band members
- Cliff Maddox (born 1912 Boaz, Alabama - died 1949)
- Cal Maddox (born November 3, 1915 Boaz, Alabama - died 1968)
- Fred Maddox (born July 3, 1919 Boaz, Alabama - died October 29, 1992)
- Don Maddox (born December 7, 1922 Boaz, Alabama)
- Rose Maddox (born August 15, 1925 Boaz, Alabama - died April 15, 1998)
- Henry Maddox (born March 19, 1928 Boaz, Alabama - died 1974)
Discography
- America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band v.1The Maddox Brothers and Rose - Vol. 1The Maddox Brothers and Rose – Vol. 1; America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band, Their Original Recordings 1946-1951 is a re-issue of recordings by Maddox Brothers and Rose during the years 1946 through 1951.-Track listing:...
(Arhoolie Records, 1976/1993) - America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band v.2 (Arhoolie, 1995)
- On The Air (Arhoolie, 1983/1996)
- Live On The Radio (1996)
- The Hillbilly Boogie Years (Rockateer, 1996)
- A Collection of Standard Sacred Songs (King, 1956)
- The Most Colorful Hillbilly Band in America (Bear Family, 1998)