Ramblin' Tommy Scott
Encyclopedia
Ramblin' Tommy Scott Allmusic: "Ramblin' Tommy Scott"]) was an American country
and rockabilly
musician.
Scott was born outside of Toccoa, Georgia
where he still resides and began playing the guitar at age ten. After high school
he joined Doc Chamberlain's medicine show
, and got his first job in radio on WTFL out of Athens, Georgia
in 1933. He also sold Vim Herb on the radio. After Chamberlain retired and gave Scott the patent medicines, he landed a regular job fronting the Uncle Pete and Minervy show on Raleigh, North Carolina
's WPTF
, and soon after this he was offered a job with Charlie Monroe becoming the first Kentucky Partner as a feature act - Rambling Scotty. He performed on the WWVA
Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia
with Monroe and was also a frequent soloist there, and did skits involving ventriloquism
and blackface
. Monroe and Scott started the Man-O-Ree medicine company selling Scott's patent laxative over the radio.
The group moved to WHAS
in Louisville, Kentucky
, where he did the early morning show. His medicine and musical partnership came to an end with Monroe and he soon launched a tent show with fellow Kentucky Partner Curly Seckler. The duo sold Vim Herb. He married Frankie in 1940, and soon the two had a child - Sandra; both became part of his stage show, his films and TV shows. In the 1940s he did radio transcriptions which were broadcast nationwide, and by 1942 he had his own stage show traveling coast to coast, Ramblin' Tommy Scott's Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree. He began the Herb-O-Lac Medicine Company and later Katona Medicine Company selling laxatives and liniments. He soon joined the Grand Ole Opry and later went to Hollywood to begin a career in film and TV.
Beginning with Carolina Cotton in 1949, Scott's road show which operated six days per week from January through early December featured Scott with some of the biggest guest stars from film and TV for millions of fans across the U.S. and Canada. Some among those were "Fuzzy" Al St. John, David "Stringbean" Akeman, Tim McCoy
, Clyde Moody
, Johnny Mack Brown
, Sunset Carson
, Randall Franks
. The show traveled consistently until the mid 1990s. Scott still presents his show on occasion.
In the 1940s he recorded with Curly Seckler
, and released a number of solo sides in the 1950s and 1960s which branched into rockabilly.
According to the introduction of his autobiography "Snake Oil, Superstars and Me", published in 2007, Tommy Scott then was 90 years old. His wife Frankie died in 2004.
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...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
musician.
Scott was born outside of Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately from Athens and approximately northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,323 at the 2000 census...
where he still resides and began playing the guitar at age ten. After high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
he joined Doc Chamberlain's medicine show
Medicine show
Medicine shows were traveling horse and wagon teams which peddled "miracle cure" medications and other products between various entertainment acts. Their precise origins unknown, medicine shows were common in the 19th century United States...
, and got his first job in radio on WTFL out of Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
in 1933. He also sold Vim Herb on the radio. After Chamberlain retired and gave Scott the patent medicines, he landed a regular job fronting the Uncle Pete and Minervy show on Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
's WPTF
WPTF
WPTF, NewsRadio 680, is a talk radio station serving the Triangle area of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The station is owned by Curtis Media Group...
, and soon after this he was offered a job with Charlie Monroe becoming the first Kentucky Partner as a feature act - Rambling Scotty. He performed on the WWVA
WWVA (AM)
WWVA is an AM radio station that broadcasts on a frequency of 1170 kHz with studios in Wheeling, West Virginia, USA, and towers formerly located in St. Clairsville, Ohio, before they were destroyed in an August 2010 storm...
Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
with Monroe and was also a frequent soloist there, and did skits involving ventriloquism
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
and blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
. Monroe and Scott started the Man-O-Ree medicine company selling Scott's patent laxative over the radio.
The group moved to WHAS
WHAS (AM)
WHAS, known by the on air branding as "84 WHAS", is an AM radio station broadcasting in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a 50,000 Watt clear channel radio station assigned to frequency 840 kHz. With clear channel status, its nighttime signal can be heard in most of the continental U.S...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, where he did the early morning show. His medicine and musical partnership came to an end with Monroe and he soon launched a tent show with fellow Kentucky Partner Curly Seckler. The duo sold Vim Herb. He married Frankie in 1940, and soon the two had a child - Sandra; both became part of his stage show, his films and TV shows. In the 1940s he did radio transcriptions which were broadcast nationwide, and by 1942 he had his own stage show traveling coast to coast, Ramblin' Tommy Scott's Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree. He began the Herb-O-Lac Medicine Company and later Katona Medicine Company selling laxatives and liniments. He soon joined the Grand Ole Opry and later went to Hollywood to begin a career in film and TV.
Beginning with Carolina Cotton in 1949, Scott's road show which operated six days per week from January through early December featured Scott with some of the biggest guest stars from film and TV for millions of fans across the U.S. and Canada. Some among those were "Fuzzy" Al St. John, David "Stringbean" Akeman, Tim McCoy
Tim McCoy
Col. Tim McCoy was an American actor, military officer, and expert on American Indian life and customs.-Early years:...
, Clyde Moody
Clyde Moody
Clyde Moody , also known as the "Hillbilly Waltz King" and sometimes as "The Genial Gentleman of Country Music" was one the great founders of American Bluegrass music....
, Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown was an All-American college football player and film actor originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.-Early life:...
, Sunset Carson
Sunset Carson
Sunset Carson, born Winifred Maurice Harrison was an American B-western star of the 1940s.-Early life, acting:...
, 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...
. The show traveled consistently until the mid 1990s. Scott still presents his show on occasion.
In the 1940s he recorded with Curly Seckler
Curly Seckler
-Formative Years:Born John Ray Sechler to Carrie and Calvin Sechler in China Grove, NC December 25th, 1919, "Curly" was destined to have a huge contribution on Bluegrass music. In his youth and formative years, Curly learned to play music from his parents. His father, Calvin, played old time...
, and released a number of solo sides in the 1950s and 1960s which branched into rockabilly.
According to the introduction of his autobiography "Snake Oil, Superstars and Me", published in 2007, Tommy Scott then was 90 years old. His wife Frankie died in 2004.
Diskographie
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Rockin’ and Rollin’ / You Done Me Wrong | Federal Records |
| 1955 | Dance With Her, Henry / Jumpin’ From Six To Six | 4 Star Records |
| 1955 | Dig Me Little Mama / Cat Music | 4 Star Records |
| 1960 | Cats and Dogs / Here Today and Gone Tomorrow | Request Records |
| 196? | Lovesick and Lonesome / Rainbow In My Dreams | Katona Records |
| 196? | Nobody But You / Juke Joint Girl | Katona Records |
| 196? | Bay Sho Del / Thibodeaux | Katona Records |
| 196? | EP: Don’t You Go Chicken
|
Katona Records |